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CNN Saturday Morning News
Settlers Leave Gaza; Anti-War Protest Continues In Crawford
Aired August 13, 2005 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, HOST: And "Now in the News:" Tropical Storm Irene, the ninth named storm so far this season, is almost a hurricane. The storm is approximately 500 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras North Carolina. Forecasters expect it to veer away from the East Coast and head into the Atlantic Ocean.
A prison nurse now facing murder charges and her convict husband are still in an Ohio jail. Jennifer and George Hyatte are fighting extradition back to Tennessee where both face first-degree murder charges. More on this story coming up in just a couple of minutes.
New York Mets center fielder Mike Cameron will likely require surgery after this collision with teammate Carlos Beltran. Wow. Cameron has a broken nose, a concussion and multiple fractures to his cheek bones. Beltran has a concussion and a slight facial fracture that probably won't require surgery.
It is Saturday, August 13, 2005. Good morning, everyone. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Tony Harris.
BETTY NGUYEN, HOST: And good morning. I'm Betty Nguyen. Thanks so much for starting your day with us.
And coming up in our new 10:00 hour, what's your take on year- round school. You'll hear from two sides. One favors more days in class. The other says, "save our summers."
And turn the table on CNN: Veteran Washington correspondent Bob Franken tackles your questions about all things political. Bob joins us to answer them in about 30 minutes.
And the plucky poodle of Trotwood, Ohio: He survived a close call with a Wiley coyote.
NGUYEN: This story just in to CNN: Coalition forces in Iraq have raided a suspected chemical production facility. The task force that found the site is based out of Mosul and may have produced a serious threat to coalition forces and the Iraqi people. CNN Pentagon reporter Barbara Starr joins us now live on the phone with more details. Barbara, what have you learned?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Betty, this story is now just unfolding. the U.S. military releasing information about raid that they conducted last Tuesday against what they now believe was a secret chemical plant being run by insurgents near Mosul in Iraq. They have had some various tips and things before, but this time they got a tip from an interrogation of a detainee. They followed up. They went to this place and they found 1500 gallons of chemicals. The military releasing some photographs showing the drums and the various equipment that they found there.
They believe, in the words of the military, quote, "That this is a clandestine chemical production facility," that they believe was being used by insurgents. Chemical experts of the U.S. military are testing the chemicals. They are trying to find out exactly what types of chemicals, what types of equipment might have been there, but they also say that they are, quote, "confident that they have disrupted a potentially serious threat."
So, all of this, apparently now leading to a chemical facility that was being used by insurgents, Betty.
NGUYEN: Yes. The pictures were showing them right now, are very telling. You see all the different containers being used. The question is: What's in those containers and a what were they making with whatever is those containers. I know it's breaking right now, Barbara. So, we'll let you work your sources. But thanks for the update. Tony?
HARRIS: An end and anew beginning in the Middle East: After 38 years of occupation, Israel is due to formally begin its withdraw from Gaza and parts of the West Bank on Monday.
The Jewish settlers have until midnight tomorrow local time, to pick up and leave their homes before Israeli troops force them out. Settlers will be evacuated from 21 community in Gaza and four smaller settlements in the West Bank. CNN's Hala Gorani joins us for Gaza. Hala, good morning.
HALA GORANI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Tony, from Gaza city here in the Gaza strip. On the eve of the Israeli pullout from Gaza, there is a sense that a new era is beginning. As you mentioned, it's the first time that Jewish presence will be removed from the Gaza Strip since 1967.
Joining me now is Ben Wedeman. He's been covering the Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip, from the Palestinian side and he's been in the region for many years. How significant is this event? When you think that this is a small strip of land; it's about twice the size of Washington, D.C.; 8,000 Jewish settlers removed from a population of 1.3 million; why is this important?
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, because it's really a reversal of the old Zionist dream; the ideology that underpins the Israeli state. The idea of erets Israel, not just Israel within the 67 borders, but the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. They're pulling out. They're dismantling for the first time.
So, Palestinians say this is a victory, even though they actually didn't have anything to do with it in the sense that this was a unilateral decision by Sharon's government. But as far as they're concerned, whether it was achieved through negotiations or through military action, it's a victory for the Palestinians.
GORANI: And it's a question of who gets credit for it going forward. But now let's take a look at how this might impact U.S. foreign policy in the region, whether it goes well or whether it goes badly. How will this have an impact on how the U.S. conducts its business in this part of the world.
WEDEMAN: If it goes well, it will be something of a success story; something a case where they can point to and say, "well, something worked" and therefore, the hope is certainly on the ground that the Americans will reengage the way, for instance, the U.S. administration under the Clinton administration was engaged; very much involved.
Many people on the Israeli side, also on the Palestinian side will tell you that the Bush administration, whether it's busy with the War on Terror in Iraq, Afghanistan, just hasn't been involved to the level they'd like.
GORANI: Now, a quick word on what might not go so well: Some settlers, especially in the southern Gush Katif block are saying, "we're going to stick it out. We're not getting moved by the Israeli army."
WEDEMAN: That's the Israeli side. On the Palestinian side, there's a big power struggle going on here between Hamas, the Islamic militant group and Palestinian authority. Everyone wants to claim credit for this; everyone wants to have a piece of the pie once the Israelis leave. So, there's going to be a power vacuum here and there might be problems when they all go rush into it.
All right. Ben Wedeman, thanks very much. Let's take a look now on the Israeli settlement side. There might be some trouble. As we just mentioned, some settlers saying, "we're sticking it out. We're not going to let the soldiers move us from land that we consider to be rightfully ours." But John Vause visited one settlement in the north where there weren't such problems and from the 21 settlements, this one is already a ghost town. Here's John Vause.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The small Jewish settlement of Dugit is probably how Ariel Sharon wanted the disengagement to happen. Here, no one is talking about defiant last stands, resisting the soldiers or police. Just about everyone as either moved out or is about to go.
Eli Cohen built this house 14 years ago. He's now taking it apart piece by piece. He doesn't want to leave, but doesn't agree with the more radical protesters who are preparing for a fight.
ELI COHEN, DUGIT SETTLER (translator): I don't accept their ways. They get in our way, too. They won't change the government's decision.
VAUSE: Like so many other Jewish settler in Gaza, the people of Dugit knew they were building their dream homes on occupied Palestinian land, but never thought Israel would give it up. Sonya Bazagun (ph) says her home cost close to one million U.S. dollars and when she leaves, she wants it bulldozed into the ground.
SONYA BAZAGUN, (ph) DUGIT SETTLER (translator): It will hurt me less than knowing Arabs will live in my house.
VAUSE: The last few days have been frantic: Packing boxes, removing everything that isn't nailed down, even some things that are.
(on camera): Most of the houses have now been almost totally stripped bare. Here, even the kitchen sink is gone. Dugit is one of the more secular settlements. Many of the Israelis who came here moved not because of the belief that God promised this land to the Jews, but rather for this...
(voice-over): And few believe giving up their slice of paradise will improve security for Israel.
AVI FIROUZ, DUGIT SETTLER: It's not fair to leave this place without complete peace.
VAUSE: But come Monday, Dugit will be a ghost town. Its 100 or so settlers resigned to reality, resentful they have to go, but most likely all gone none the less.
John Vause, CNN, Dugit settlement, Gaza.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: So the real test will unfold in the next few days. Will the settlers leave quietly? Will the Palestinian security force be able to keep both ordinary citizens and militants from entering this settlements come the 15th of August and especially the 17th, once the Israeli army has said it will remove any Israelis still on the Gaza Strip on that date.
Tony, back to you.
HARRIS: CNN's Hala Gorani in Gaza City. Hala, thank you.
NGUYEN: Well, drivers say they are really feeling a financial pinch from soaring gasoline polices. They're digging deep into their pockets just to fill up their tanks. Now, AAA says the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $2.41. The average for diesel is about $2.50. Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed in an A.P.-AOL poll said they expect the cost of gasoline to cause them financial hardship in the coming months.
So, to put things into perspective, take a look at this: Prices for crude oil reached a record of $67.00 a barrel on Friday. now, a year ago, it was just $45.00 barrel. And the average price for a gallon of unleaded gas is $2.41 today, compared to a $1.86 a year ago.
We're always trying to provide perspective for our viewers and when it comes to gas prices, it would be wise to keep all of this in proportion. So, here's more facts about the figures dealing with today's gas prices: Adjusted for inflation, today's average national prices haven't broken any records, believe it or not.
In today's dollars, the average price per gallon of gas in 1975 would be $2.05. That's not so bad. Well, prices peeked in 1981, when on one day in March the national average reached as high as $3.12 a gallon; that's in today's terms. That is the record for now.
But that trend eventually reversed and in 1998, you may recall gas prices dipped, in today's dollars, costing only $1.22 per gallon. Now, here's another fun comparison: U.S. prices against those overseas. Are you ready for this? If you were living in the Netherlands, you would be paying $6.48 per gallon. So, consider yourself lucky, I guess.
In Ireland, the price is $4.78. In Russia, it's actually a little cheaper at $2.10 a gallon. But this is it; this is the kicker: Venezuela is apparently the place to be for gas, at least. That's not a typo: 12 cents a gallon there; 12 cents. Boy, I would pay for 12 cents. I'm paying much more than that now.
HARRIS: You better believe it.
Some other stories across America this morning: Former Klansman Edgar Ray Killen is out of jail in Philadelphia, Mississippi. The 80- year-old Killen posted $600,000 bond while he appeals his man slaughter conviction. Killen is the only person to ever face state charges in the 1964 deaths of Michael Shwerner , James Chaney and Andrew Goodman.
A South Carolina man face as murder charge in the case of a Tamika Huston, a woman who been missing for more than a year. Shortly after being charged, Christopher Hampton (ph) brought investigators to a wooded area where they found remains. We could know Monday if those remains are Houston's.
In Kansas City, Missouri, surveillance video catches a teenage purse snatcher robbing a 93-year-old woman. Police say the victim was slightly hurt when she fell over the shopping cart. She said it happened so fast she had no chance to trip him with her cane. The suspect fled the scene on a bicycle.
A 12-year-old California boy who returned nearly $20,000, he found at the airport, is honored for his honesty. The Hermosa Beach City Council gave Geoffrey Little a certificate of appreciate, some police shirts and standing ovation for doing the right thing. Way to go, Geoffrey.
NGUYEN: Yes. It does pay to do the right thing.
Well, from flooding to lightning strikes, severe weather is wreaking havoc in towns all across much of the nation. In Wyoming, two people are dead and at least two more are missing after a tornado hit the town of Wright. Look at this. Thirteen other people were wounded when the twister touched down in the small mining down, which is about 100 miles northeast of Casper. In Oklahoma, severe thunderstorms left thousands without power all across Oklahoma City. Lightning sparked at least one house fire.
And in Arizona, parts of the Phoenix area are getting hammered by rain. Flash flooding is causing problems from Camp Creek to parts of northern New Mexico.
HARRIS: Summer is almost over and class is soon in session, but for some students, school has already started. In fact, it never stopped. We're talking year-round education. Up next: is it a good idea?
Plus: A mother's wounds, a president's war. Will this gold-star mom's protest have an impact? If you want answers to this or anything else about Mr. Bush this week, send us your e-mails. Send them to us now at WEEKENDS@CNN.COM because Bob Franken -- see his picture there -- he's going to be here to answer those questions, live.
And I'm Rob Marciano, in the CNN Weather Center. A steamy weather map today, especially across the eastern third of the country. When will it cool down? What's up with Irene? And there's Sunday night and some flooding video; snapshots for you. A complete forecast coming up in just a few minutes. CNN' SATURDAY MORNING will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Here's a check of our top stories in case you're just waking up with us this morning. Word coming into CNN this morning, coalition forces in Iraq say they've raided a suspected insurgent chemical production plant. Fifteen hundred gallons of chemicals were seized, but it is not yet known just what might have been produced there.
New Mexico's governor has declared a state of emergency along his state's border with Mexico. Governor Bill Richardson cites extreme problems with drugs, human smuggling and other border crimes. Mexico says the governor's actions are not the way to deal with the problems.
And they're singing happy birthday in Havana. Fidel Castro's 79th birthday and he insists he won't retire. Castro overthrew the previous American-back government in 1959. Organized supporters shouted, "Fidel, "Fidel, give the Yankees hell."
Well, it is back-to-school time for many students all around the country, but for others who are involved in year-round education, they have been in classes most of the summer. Year-round education is a hot-button issue. Some say you either love it or you hate it and joining us to talk about it from Virginia, is Richard Coleman, president of the National Association for Year-Round Education.
Also joining us: Maryellen Kimbrough, who started a Save Our Summers petition in North Carolina. Maryellen, let's start with you. I remember when I was in school and especially on those summer breaks we'd take these long vacations, go -- and I learned so much about life. Do you feel that children are getting the short end of the stick these days when they don't go up until September before they start school?
MARYELLEN KIMBROUGH, "SAVE OUR SUMMERS": I definitely agree. I think that summer is a wonderful time to just take a step back and regroup and let children just be children; and go to museums and on family vacations and sleep late in the morning; go to summer camp. Everyone needs an opportunity to kind of regroup and refresh.
NGUYEN: Yes, an opportunity to just be a kid. You have the time to do it. Do you feel that folks who support year-round school are maybe not taking into account the education that comes with those summer camps and those family vacations?
KIMBROUGH: Possibly.
NGUYEN: All right. Well, let's get other side of the spectrum here with Richard Coleman. He's with the National Association for Year-round Education and -- talk to me about year-round education. First of all, before we get into all of the different aspects of it, how exactly does it work? When do the vacations fit into all of this?
RICHARD COLEMAN, ASSN. OF YEAR-ROUND EDUCATION: Well, it varies depending on the city or state that you live in, Betty. In Virginia we typically have our kids get out the end of June. They're out for about four to five weeks and then go back to school.
The students in our school started school two weeks ago, August 1st and they'll go through a nine-week instructional period and then two weeks of what we call intersession and then go back to another nine weeks of instruction. So, we try to balance the calendar so we don't have kids taking a long summer break; the 10 weeks that many students do take in many schools.
NGUYEN: Which can help some parents, especially if they work, trying to find some way to take care of these children while they're out of school. But...
COLEMAN: That's correct.
NGUYEN: OK. So, you're adding on to the days with this year- long school where you go from 210 days -- well, now you have 180, but you will go up to 210 day, where's kids will be in School throughout the year and you go from instead of six hours a day, to eight hours a day. What are the benefits here? What have studies shown? Are kids performances increasing because of this? Are test scores rising because of this?
COLEMAN: Well, we've been a year-round school for the last five years and we've seen a significant increase in test scores. I just happen to be the former principal and now the director of a school in Newport News, Virginia, called Achievable Dream Academy and over the last five years, typically because of the No Child Left Behind legislation and high-stakes testing, our children have done very well when we compare them to students that go to schools that have -- that do not have the balanced calendar.
NGUYEN: All right. Maryellen, you heard it there. So, what do you think of the numbers? If it raises test scores; it makes your children smarter; is it worth it?
KIMBROUGH: Well, I have not seen any studies or information about that. But I feel that education happens in day-to-day life and I think that just because school ends doesn't mean your education has to end. I think there are so many opportunities for children to learn. We cannot just count on teachers to educate our children.
It's up to parents and it's up to the community and I think that we're lifelong learners and that you don't just get your education for those 180 or 210 days of school.
NGUYEN: So, if it does go to those 210 days and more and more school districts decide this is what we're going to do with our children, do you think there's going to be a case -- a large case of burnout?
KIMBROUGH: I'm sorry. Were you speaking to me?
NGUYEN: Yes. I was speaking to you.
KIMBROUGH: I'm sorry. I couldn't hear you. I think that children today -- we're in such a fast-paced society, I think it's very easy for children to get burned out. I think children should be allowed to just be children, because they grow up so fast.
NGUYEN: And Richard, I want you to respond to that. She's talking about children allowing some time to just have fun and be a kid. Psychologically -- I know we talked about the numbers when it comes to test scores, psychologically, isn't it good for children just to have time to hang out and be a kid?
COLEMAN: Ideally that -- I mean, I have to agree with that particular concept. However, many of our parents -- the parents of children in public schools don't have the opportunity, nor the resources, to provide a ten-week resource time or enrichment time when children can learn.
In many cases, parents that can do that, that's a wonderful experience for children and I do believe that, that may be the case for some kids. But for the majority of our children in public education, parents are either working. We have a lot of children that are latch-key children: They're home by themselves and they're not able to take advantage of those rewarding things that were mentioned.
In our case, we -- our kids are out of school for about five weeks and we feel that five weeks is sufficient time for them to take advantage of some of the rewarding things that parents hopefully can provide for them.
NGUYEN: Richard Coleman, Maryellen Kimbrough, we thank you for both sides of this issue.
KIMBROUGH: You're welcome. My pleasure.
NGUYEN: Tony?
COLEMAN: Thank you. My pleasure, also.
HARRIS: Hot, hot, hot: Rob Marciano as your weekend forecast straight ahead. A little later: Talk about lucky dog. This pooch escapes the jaws of death just moments before becoming a doggy dinner. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: The president bolted the beltway this week, but that didn't stop the news from coming to Crawford, Texas. Up next, Bob Franken answers your questions about Mr. Bush and some of his latest battles.
NGUYEN: And in Montana, check this out: It is flooding frogs -- believe it or not, frog, yes. We don't know, either, but we'll get you the latest on that, because who needs cats and dogs when you have these guys raining down?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Just into CNN this morning from Iraq. The U.S. military says raids by coalition forces have uncovered suspected insurgent chemical facilities in Iraq. Now, the military says more than 1500 gallons of various chemicals were found in Tuesday's raid. There's no word on what those chemicals are, to be exact. Task force freedom, which conducted the raids is based in the northern city of Mosul.
Also "Now in the News:" Expect some pumped up praises at those gas pumps. Oil prices are at another record high, now nearly $67 a barrel. The average price per gallon for regular unleaded now hovers at just over $2.40.
And Whiskytown Falls is for real. The long-rumored or 400 foot waterfall deep in the northern California wilderness was recently discovered after 40 years of anecdotal accounts. Park officials credit computers and global imaging technology with helping them find those falls, very beautiful.
HARRIS: Well, a California woman's anti-war vigil stretches to a full week in Crawford, Texas. So far Cindy Sheehan's demand for a meeting with the president has gone unheeded. The president's motorcade sped by the protest on the way to a GOP fundraiser. Sheehan held up a cross with her son Casey's name on it. Dozens of others from across the country have joined the protest. They held a 40-foot banner reading "support our troops, bring them home."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CINDY SHEEHAN, SON KILLED IN IRAQ: I don't want any more children to die. I'm a broken hearted mom. Georgette's a broken- hearted mom. Why would I want one more mother to go through what I'm going through just because Casey is dead? And when George Bush came by today twice, once passed us and once going back, what he saw was a couple hundred people out here that have opposing view points to him. And he rarely sees that because he is so insulated from real America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Sheehan's son was killed in Iraq last year. He was 24. Rows of white crosses with the names of all the soldiers line the road outside the Bush ranch. Sheehan is demanding to know why the president went to war.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And I thought long and hard about her position. I've heard her position from others, which is get out of Iraq now. And it would be a mistake for the security of this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: All right. Time now to talk to CNN. We have lots of questions, a whole lot of questions. And the week started at the White House with the president, moved to Crawford, Texas, and you can see the protests from Cindy Sheehan followed him there.
Of course, she is -- she wants to talk to the president and so far that is not happening. We've been taking your e-mail questions on what's been a busy week for the president. So for some answers, let's go live to our veteran Washington, D.C. correspondent Bob Franken. Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. Let's down play that veteran part.
HARRIS: Yeah, yeah, all morning long. He wouldn't like that.
NGUYEN: Yeah. All right. You ready for this Bob? We've got a lot for you this morning. April from Jefferson City says, does anyone care that the rising cost of gasoline and other products on the market have risen so much that those of us on a fixed income can barely breath. Do you know of anything that's on the table for those of us who are on a fixed income.
FRANKEN: The short answer is no. And up until this point, people continue to drive as if the gas prices really have not been going up. Sometimes a gas station will increase the price day after day based on the sale of oil, the variety of international reasons and local economic reasons for all of this. And it hasn't really turned into an incendiary political issue, but there are really some indications that it's beginning to, that this is just going to be another headache, particularly for the administration.
HARRIS: Bob, let me ask you something. We have a reserve, don't we?
FRANKEN: Yes, but that is supposed to be set aside for emergency purposes and there's an ongoing debate about what constitutes an emergency and whether it should be tapped. But you raise a question that inevitably is going to be raised, particularly by the democrats when they come back in September.
HARRIS: OK. This next question is from D.B. from Hilton Head, South Carolina. Why has there been no impeachment proceedings against Mr. Bush since there is little argument that he and staff misled the Congress in order to start the war in Iraq. That standard is high crimes and misdemeanors, isn't that correct Bob?
FRANKEN: That is the standard and it's an intentionally vague standard. But the dispute I'd have with that e-mail is that there is considerable argument over the point that the writer makes and that is that the president acted in some way that constituted high crimes and misdemeanors to convince the nation that it should go to war in Iraq. This is such a burning issue. Of course we're seeing the demonstrations by the mother of somebody who lost their child in Iraq. But it's an issue about whether the United States should have gone to war in Iraq, whether the facts were honestly presented, whether there was a competent way of doing this and when the United States should pull out. (INAUDIBLE) or if it should cut its lost losses. All of these are issues that's having a severe impact politically on the president. He was seen (INAUDIBLE)
HARRIS: Why not meet with Cindy Sheehan?
FRANKEN: The feeling among White House aides apparently would be that this is a no-win situation for the president. That Cindy Sheehan, if it was done in public, would possibly say things that were really detrimental to the president and the dignity of the presidency. But on the other side, of course, the argument that he really owes it to her since she's gone to such great pain and has suffered such a great loss to somehow acknowledge her presence and her loss.
NGUYEN: Bob, he's already met with her once, hasn't he?
FRANKEN: He met with her in a larger group and there are conflicting stories about how she felt about it after that meeting. But she has certainly captured the imagination of a nation that really is starting to have some serious questions about the war in Iraq.
NGUYEN: All right. Here's a question, speaking of Iraq, from Martha K in Florida, Bob. She says, I'd like to know what if anything, President Bush and his administration plan to do to make sure Iraqi women are as free as their male counterparts after the constitution is written?
FRANKEN: This is such a difficult issue. I really had a feel for it when I covering the war and saw how it was difficult for somebody who is raised in our ethic to understand the Muslim relationship between men and women, which of course Iraq is a Muslim nation. And it is a very delicate issue and the United States of course can only impose its ethics so far. The question is, it is something that is going to have to require a lot of finesse and is still probably ongoing.
HARRIS: But Bob, you can't go to war in Iraq and have a constitution, a draft constitution written where the rights of women aren't protected. It's one of the things that we hope will come out of that war is that we will get a government in place there that would respect the rights of women. If you come out with a draft language in the constitution that hurts the rights of women and throws them back into the stone age, you know you feel like you haven't gained one of the key pillars that justified the move to go into Iraq in the first place.
NGUYEN: At the same time you have to let the Iraqis write their own constitution. So, you know, it's up to them.
HARRIS: Is that for us?
FRANKEN: Am I watching "Crossfire"?
HARRIS: Yeah, yeah.
NGUYEN: There's so many things on the table here today, Bob.
HARRIS: All right. Let's take the next question from Samuel. Do you think it is right to make two mistakes in this Iraqi conflict, going to war is one and not completing the mission and coming back home is another one?
FRANKEN: Well, there are a variety of debates about what the mistakes were and are. Mistake number one, according to the critics, is going in the first place. Number two, presenting the facts about the justification for that in incorrect ways. Mistake number three, not properly preparing to go in and be prepared for what would occur there. Those are the arguments. On the other side, the mistakes would be presented as the United States had little choice. It had to go in because, as the president has said, there are a variety of geopolitical reasons and geopolitical threats on the U.S. as part of the global war on terror. We've heard the president say that any number of times. Comes now the decision on when to pull out. Arguments that the U.S. should cut its losses, arguments on the other side that there would only be inevitable losses if the United States left too soon. It's the kind of debate that is really preoccupying the United States and the polls are showing that the president's point of view has been taking a battering of late.
NGUYEN: Also taking a battering are all of us who head to the gas pumps to fill up those tanks and this e-mail deals with that. This is Randy from Cross Hill, South Carolina. He says, I'd like Mr. Franken to tell us why our president isn't saying one public word about the financial rape - a very strong word he used here - financial rape going on at the gas pump these days?
FRANKEN: Don't you just love nuance, subtlety? (INAUDIBLE) Well, the president is obviously not pleased with the rise in oil and gas prices. He has suggested that in the long run the energy bill that took so many years to pass that he just recently signed is in the long run going to perhaps help this a little bit, but in the short run everybody acknowledges that it's not going to get better. But it should be pointed out the reasons for this go far beyond any policy by this administration unless you include an encouragement of such economies as China and India, that as they expand, also want to use a lot of oil and gas. And that, of course, means that supply is shorter and shorter. It's complicated, as everything is. But it's really uncomplicated when you go to the pump and see that it's pretty close to $3 a gallon.
NGUYEN: Nothing complicated about that, Bob.
HARRIS: Bob, thank you. That's good, two weeks in a row. We're off and running now, putting in our order for Bob Franken early this week.
NGUYEN: Early. All right, thank you, Franken.
HARRIS: Thanks, Bob.
And straight ahead this morning, what's Iran up to? Could its recent nuclear activities lead to a nuclear bomb? We're going to talk about what could become the United States' next big problem. That's next.
But first, a CNN extra, the current rate for two types of skin cancer nearly tripled among women under 40 in the past three decades. Researchers blame obsessions with tanning beds and baking in the sun despite health warnings. Basal cell and squamous cell cancers are the two most common forms of skin cancer and they are treated more easily than the deadlier melanoma. They usually appear as pink bumps that can bleed and they do not go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: In case you're just waking up with us, here's a run down of the top stories today. Word coming into CNN this morning, coalition forces in Iraq say they have raided a suspected insurgent chemical production plant. 1500 gallons of various chemicals were seized but it's not clear exactly what kind of chemicals.
New Mexico's governor has declared a state of emergency along his state's border with Mexico. Bill Richardson says border crimes like drug trafficking and human smuggling have gotten way out of hand. Mexico says it's been cooperating with the U.S. to crack down on border crime.
And President Bush says he will not rule out military strikes if Iran doesn't comply with international demands and halt its nuclear program. Iran sent off alarms this week when it resumed uranium conversion.
HARRIS: Well, it fits right into what we're doing next. Iranian officials say their aim is only to produce nuclear electricity and they're denying claims they want to produce nuclear weapons. Jim Walsh from Harvard University has more on the rising nuclear tensions. Jim good to see you again.
JIM WALSH, HARVARD UNIVERSITY: Good to see you Tony.
HARRIS: So what do you make of that statement from the president?
WALSH: Well, I understand what he was trying to say. All presidents, as a matter of official policy, never say they're going to take force as an option off the table. But I think he made a mistake here. This was not a smart move. You don't go on Israeli TV and talk about the use of force against Iran. All that does is make the Iranians more determined. It strengthens the hard liners.
I think it complicates negotiations. You know, you know that politicians have lots of ways to answer questions. He could have said, well, I'm not going to discuss this now. It's last thing from our minds. We're not thinking about force, blah, blah, blah, blah. But instead he went with the standard answer. Unfortunately the standard answer in this context on Israeli TV is only going to get the Iranians more fired up.
HARRIS: OK. Jim, there's also this new IAEA resolution on Iran. What's new and what does it say? What is it attempting to do here?
WALSH: You know, Tony, as we talked before in the run up (ph), the IAEA, International Atomic International Agency board of governors was trying to come up with a resolution. The U.S. and Europe were pushing to have Iran referred to the security council. That did not happen.
What they got instead was a resolution from the board that said we want you to suspend your conversion activities. This is the step that is the step before enrichment and they're telling Iran to stop it and then they have told ElBaradei, the head of the IAEA, to report back on September third as to how Iran has responded to that resolution. But they rejected the resolution within minutes of it having been issued.
HARRIS: All right. So here's the thing, these countries -- we're talking about Great Britain. We're talking about France. We're talking about Germany, you can ask for it but is there any real standing for these countries to make any demands of Iran? Can they force Iran to stop pursuing this so-called peaceful pursuit of nuclear energy?
WALSH: You know, at the end of the day the answer is no. There's no country has the ability to go in and force another country's leaders to do something against their will. Now, what they can do is they can make the cost of going down that path high. And so what the Europeans hope to do is to say, if you go down that path you will bear too high a price. It's not worth the price. The price in this case is economic and other political relationships with Europe which are central to Iran. The U.S. already has sanctions on Iran so we don't have any leverage. We don't have any pull here.
HARRIS: Right.
WALSH: But Europe is crucial. And so they can make the price of going down that path high. On the other hand, the Iranians - the Iranians I talked to think that they have a trump card and that trump card is oil.
HARRIS: OK. It's in the treaty, isn't it? It's in the non- proliferation treaty that Iran can pursue peaceful civilian nuclear energy. WALSH: You're absolutely right. It is in the treaty. They have the right to do it. But as I have tried to stress to my Iranian friends, just because you the right to do something, doesn't mean it's a good idea to do something.
I have the right to insult my boss but generally I don't do that if I can avoid it, because it's a bad idea. And pursuing enrichment is a bad idea. Unfortunately, Iran is caught right now historically in the middle of a changing NPT, changing nonproliferation treaty.
We are realizing that was a mistake in the treaty, to let every country be able to have its own enrichment and reprocessing plant. We're trying to build a consensus to say let's back off that but we're not there yet and Iran is right smack in the middle of it.
HARRIS: Good, good, good, good. Jim Walsh, as always, great to talk to you my friend.
WALSH: Take care Tony.
HARRIS: OK you too.
NGUYEN: Up next, we're going to switch gears because, sure, he's cute and cuddly. No, that's not -- that's dealing with what we just talked about. We want to show you this pooch because he looked pretty tender and tasty to a wily coyote. After the break, we'll talk about his harrowing ordeal and how he got out alive.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are some older people who believe that they fall from the sky. We had a lady in the quilt shop yesterday that swears that when she was younger, they were hitting the windshield.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK. They didn't exactly fall from the sky, but storms in Big Sandy, Montana, did bring along a flood of another kind. Betty, we're talking about frogs. Take a look at this.
NGUYEN: Was that one lady stomping on frogs?
HARRIS: Oh, come on.
NGUYEN: Don't step on it.
HARRIS: Here's the thing. Some local fishermen said they were actually looking forward to using the flood of frogs in a nice little gumbo.
NGUYEN: No, they wanted to use it as fish bait. They weren't using it as gumbo.
HARRIS: Come on Rob.
NGUYEN: Have you had frog legs?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah. I've had frog legs.
NGUYEN: I've tried it once. I don't think I'm going to try it again.
MARCIANO: Me, neither.
HARRIS: Good for you? Good to see you, Rob.
MARCIANO: Good to see you guys.
HARRIS: All right. So we got the PGA championship, third round up there in New Jersey?
MARCIANO: Right.
HARRIS: Hot, humid.
MARCIANO: Someone as cool as Tiger Woods is sweating through his shirt.
NGUYEN: Did you see that? He was all drenched.
MARCIANO: ... a little disgusted about that.
NGUYEN: That was OK. I'm not complaining.
MARCIANO: Want to talk a little bit about Irene.
NGUYEN: Yes.
MARCIANO: (INAUDIBLE) from the National Hurricane Center. And unfortunately for the writers in the newsroom they're not going to be able to say come on Irene because it looks like it's going to be going out to sea.
NGUYEN: Great song, though.
MARCIANO: Here's the latest satellite imagery.
HARRIS: (INAUDIBLE)
MARCIANO: They say come down (INAUDIBLE), I thought maybe we were going to have some breakfast.
NGUYEN: We wish.
MARCIANO: There's the latest satellite imagery for you. It is still a tropical storm, so winds of 70 miles an hour haven't graduated to hurricane status, northwesterly movement at 10 miles an hour and that will bring it close to the U.S. But it looks like things will begin to turn this thing away. This is the latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center. It does bring it to hurricane strength, but keeps it pretty far away from the Carolinas and it really makes a right turn out to the shipping lanes, keeps it across and away from the northeast as well. So it looks to be a good scenario here.
Still real steamy, though, across the northeast. These are the current heat indexes, 89 degrees right now in Boston, 95 degrees is what it feels like in New York City, Toronto, 75, 72 in Chicago. That's where the cooler air is.
It's slowly moving off towards the north and east. Today's highs though will once again be in the 90s, 73 in Minneapolis, San Francisco, 68 degrees. They have chilly summers for sure. Northwest will see hot, dry conditions today and it looks like tomorrow. Hot humid conditions across the southeast.
This little front, which is slow to move, that's where all the cool air is, north of it. (INAUDIBLE) we'll see some showers and storms. We saw a couple of strong ones yesterday and there will probably be some strong ones today as well. Here's tomorrow's day time highs, 73 in Chicago. That will feel nice.
HARRIS: Yeah.
MARCIANO: Some of that is going to get to the northeast but probably not until Monday or Tuesday. Yanks play at home today. Boston Red Sox play at home. I think the Phillies may play as home at well. But anyway, they're going to be sweating along with the PGA, the last major of the season playing in Jersey.
HARRIS: That's it.
NGUYEN: Tiger's coming from behind.
HARRIS: Well.
NGUYEN: Well, we thought.
HARRIS: It's OK. Tough game.
NGUYEN: Trees falling, got all kinds of problems out there. Thank you, Rob.
MARCIANO: You bet.
HARRIS: Well, it was a very close call for a poodle puppy in Ohio. Rebecca Combs of CNN affiliate WHIO has the story that will give you paws.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
REBECA COMBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The situation appeared grave for this tiny black poodle. A coyote like this one had him by the neck. Some drivers stopped and scared the coyote off but the little poodle ran for it, too.
DERRICK ANDERSON, RESCUED DOG: I saw her chasing him. The closer I got, the faster he started going. COMBS: Derrick Anderson was determined to catch the dog.
ANDERSON: He started running actually into the street towards the oncoming traffic. And from that point, I mean, I just turned my head because I didn't want to see the worse.
COMBS: But the little poodle didn't get hit and after at least a half an hour of running, Derrick finally caught him.
ANDERSON: I went through it because I have a dog of my own, first off. And the fact that another dog or another animal, a coyote was going to, you know, eat him for lunch or dinner at that time.
COMBS: Derrick and his wife then took the dog home.
ANDERSON: I'd rather have him here at my home until we can find his rightful owners instead of in the belly of a coyote.
COMBS: Despite his brush with death, the poodle wasn't hurt. He's now had food, water and a bath.
TIPHANY ANDERSON, HELPED RESCUE DOG: He had like a little nick on the tip of his nose. And then he was just real dirty right behind the neck and kind of matted up in here where he, I guess that's where the coyote had him. And other than that, he looked pretty good. He was well kept up and I think he really was relaxing in the tub today.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: A poodle that relaxes in the tub. Now, that's the high life.
HARRIS: That's a close call. Once again, that's Rebecca Combs from our CNN affiliate in Columbus, Cincinnati? Columbus.
NGUYEN: Lucky little dog there. Well, we want to thank you for watching us this morning. We'll see you back here tomorrow morning beginning at 7:00 Eastern.
HARRIS: The TURNAROUND with Ali Velshi is next. Have a great day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: I'm Betty Nguyen at the CNN Center in Atlanta. "THE TURNAROUND" with Ali Velshi begins in just 60 seconds, but first, here's a check of the headlines right now in the news.
Coalition forces raid what the U.S. military says are suspected insurgent chemical production and storage facilities in Iraq. Officials say more than 1,500 gallons of chemicals were found.
President Bush delivers a blunt message to Iran. He says -- quote -- "all options are on the table if Iran develops nuclear weapons." That warning comes as Iran resumes uranium conversion, which is a necessary step toward building a nuclear bomb. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. And we will have the latest developments on this story at the top of the noon hour.
Thousands of Jewish settlers are spending their final days in Gaza. On Monday, they will receive eviction notices. Now, coming up at noon, we'll have a live report from Northern Gaza as Israel prepares for what could be a major turning point in the Mid East.
More news coming up at the bottom of the hour. "THE TURNAROUND" with Ali Velshi begins right now.
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