Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Saturday Morning News
Senator Barack Obama is in Afghanistan; Recent Taliban Attack in Afghanistan the Deadliest During the Past Three Years; High-Level Meeting in Switzerland Concerning Iran's Nuclear Program; Inside Myanmar: Is Aid Getting to Cyclone Victims?
Aired July 19, 2008 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello to everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is July the 19th. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Brianna Keilar in for Betty Nguyen. Thanks for starting your day with us.
HOLMES: And we will start with this today. You know, for the most part, the last couple of days, Barack Obama has been missing. He will. He disappeared on Thursday, taking a trip, well, we found him this morning and he has turned up -- where else -- in Afghanistan. We knew this trip was coming but he is now on the ground in Kabul.
We have a live report of what's happening there and what all this means for the campaign and for foreign policy, the future policy, all kinds of things.
KEILAR: And we also have a pretty crazy story to tell you about. You know, normally, planes are diverted for technical issues ...
HOLMES: A lot of stuff.
KEILAR: ... not normally for a naked disruptive person on the plane. But that is the case in this story. And then professional athletes get involved. It's really -- it's a shocker for sure.
HOLMES: OK. Well, the athletes weren't the ones naked, right?
KEILAR: No, they weren't.
HOLMES: OK. We'll explain that.
Also, we have a submarine to show you. You know, drug smugglers have to get more and more creative. Well, they're using vehicles like that one you are seeing -- pretty creative stuff if you will. And not an inexpensive boat here. They had to make a pretty serious investment for this boat. But, really what could amount to millions of dollars in drugs on that stuff.
We will explain this to you and show you what happened there.
KEILAR: And, of course, the implosion, which we have to show you.
HOLMES: Oh, we just missed it live.
KEILAR: That was sort of anti-climatic. OK. We're going to retrack. Here we go.
Nothing starts Saturday morning like an implosion, there, of course, in Louisville, Kentucky.
HOLMES: And we'll chat about that with some more and get back to it and show you that video over and over and over again. But again, like we said, we're going to start in Afghanistan this morning.
KEILAR: That's right. News just in this morning, presidential candidate Barack Obama is on the ground in Afghanistan right now.
HOLMES: And he got to Bagram Air Force base just a few hours ago. He did make a stop in Kuwait first to visit U.S. troops. Now, officially, Obama is part of a Congressional delegation. However, unofficially and obviously, this trip is an effort to boost his foreign policy credentials and his profile on the world stage.
Republican John McCain has, of course, criticized Obama's foreign policy proposals as naive and premature.
Now, in the Afghan capital, security forces set up roadblocks and checkpoints ahead of the visit of Obama. But it is his first trip to that country and the first stop on his visit to the Middle East and Europe. As soon as we get any pictures of his arrival, we, of course, will pass those along to you.
KEILAR: Barack Obama's trip to Afghanistan comes at a time when the Taliban are making a bit of a comeback and the fighting has intensified.
CNN's Reza Sayah is joining us now live from Kabul. He has more on Obama's visit and the situation on the ground in Afghanistan.
Reza, what is on Obama's itinerary, do we know?
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's being kept a secret, this whole trip was. In fact, we didn't know when he was going to arrive until about a few hours ago when his camp finally revealed to us that he touched down here at 11:45 a.m. Kabul time. This is his first visit over to this war-torn country. This visit shrouded in secrecy because of security reasons.
We knew Senator Obama was heading off to a high-profile tour of the Middle East and Europe. Afghanistan was not on his agenda, but he had pledged to visit here sometime during this summer, and, again, late this morning Kabul time, he kept his pledge.
How much of a secret was this visit? We can tell you that no reporters accompanied the senator on his plane and certainly that's a rarity. But before he departed from Washington, D.C. on Thursday, he told one reporter, "I'm looking to see what the situation is on the ground. I want to obviously talk to the commanders and get a sense both in Afghanistan and Baghdad what the biggest concerns are." And certainly, these days in Afghanistan, a lot of concerns, because according to the Pentagon and reports from the Defense Department, the security situation is going downhill.
But look for Senator Barack Obama to use this visit to improve his image when it comes to national security and foreign policy. The perception is that he is weak and Senator McCain is certainly taking advantage of that, blasting him for never having visited Afghanistan, and certainly Senator Obama wants to use this opportunity to change that perception. He certainly didn't want to go into one of these upcoming debates leading up to the election giving Senator McCain the ability to point to him and say, "You have never been to Afghanistan."
So, a crucial trip. Many describe it as a must for Senator Obama leading into these elections -- Brianna.
KEILAR: All right. Reza Sayah for us in Kabul. Thank you so much.
HOLMES: Well, nine American service members were killed in Afghanistan. Last Sunday's Taliban attack was the deadliest for U.S. force there during the past three years. The military is now investigating, but for the families, this is a time to remember the fallen.
And our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr tells us just how close some of those families came to seeing their loved ones again.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They were just weeks away from coming home after 15 months fighting in Afghanistan. Sergeant Israel Garcia's (ph) wife learned of his death just hours before she was due to fly to Italy to meet him. Garcia's little brother is devastated.
RAMSSES GARCIA, SOLDIER'S BROTHER: He's not going to see my kids. He isn't going to be in my wedding, my graduation.
STARR: Nine young men of the 173rd Airborne Brigade combat team, some just a few years out of high school, killed in a firefight with 200 insurgents near the Pakistan border. It was to be one of their last missions on this tour of duty.
Corporal Gunnar Zwelling's uncle says Zwelling's father has already suffered greatly.
GARY ZWELLING, SOLDIER'S UNCLE: He has cancer and he's just been so upset and his wife just passed away last year. It's just been a horrible, you know, year for him.
STARR: Lieutenant Jonathan Badstrom's (ph) biology teacher remembers a great youngster.
MIKE NORMAND, SOLDIER'S TEACHER: Every now and then, he'd be a little rascal and, you know, making a joke here or there. STARR: Suzanne Ayers planned to surprise her son, Corporal Jonathan Ayers, the minute he touched down in the U.S.
SUZANNE AYERS, SOLDIER'S MOTHER: We had already got his plane ticket and I had bought a ticket to surprise him because he had a layover in New York.
STARR: Michael Bogar spoke with a father's pride. His son, Jason, had served in Iraq in 2003 and wanted to help children in war zones.
MICHAEL BOGAR, SOLDIER'S FATHER: In my opinion, Jason did in 25 years what it takes a lot of people a lifetime to do.
STARR: Corporal Jason Hovater was all set to go backpacking in Europe with his wife, Jenna. They had been sweethearts since they met at the age of 14.
JENNA HOVATER, SOLDIER'S WIFE: I sat at home last night and I saw the prettiest sunset and I just think, thank you, Jason. You know, I mean, that's him. He's in that.
STARR: Now, the planning begins for funerals and remembering young boys who in war, served as men.
Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: There is another politician in a war zone this morning. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is in Baghdad. He's holding talks with Iraqi leaders about long-term relations and the future of the British presence in the country. Britain has about 4,000 troops in Iraq. A military official announced earlier this week that he expects troop levels to go down next year.
HOLMES: We turn now to Iran. And a top American envoy is sitting in on high-level meeting in Switzerland. Iran's top nuclear negotiator is talking about his country's nuclear program.
CNN's chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, joins us now from Geneva, Switzerland this morning, where this meeting is taking place.
Christiane, we already saw this morning a wire crossed that, in fact, an Iranian official has already said there is no chance they will suspend uranium enrichment. So, what does that mean for these talks now?
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INT'L. CORRESPONDENT: Well, T.J., we have actually been reporting that, that is Iran's position coming into these talks and it always has been it's position. We were told by Iranian sources, even before the meeting started, is that they want to come and see whether there is a new atmosphere, whether there is an atmosphere that they can continue these negotiations while, as they said to me, keeping their rights to continue their nuclear program. Now, having said that, the U.S. in a major foreign policy and a major policy reversal has sent one of its top diplomats to sit in on these talks. Up until now, the U.S. has said that it would not do that until Iran fully and formally suspends enrichment.
William Burns, the undersecretary of state of the United States State Department is here not to negotiate but to listen and to receive Iran's response to a proposal put forth by the U.S., the E.U. and Russia and China. This proposal is basically a formality to try to get over the deadlock before even any negotiations can continue.
And the proposal involves a "six-week to six-week" freeze and that Iran would be asked to not make any additional uranium enrichment in return for the U.S. and the E.U. and the U.N. seeking no additional sanctions for a period of six weeks.
Again, a creative formal formality in order to try to get over the impasse. That's what the U.S. and the E.U. expect to hear today, whether Iran is going to accept that proposal. And as yet, we don't know -- T.J.
HOLMES: And, Christiane, as you called it there, a creative formal formality there. Tell us more about the significance and tell us more about the role that Undersecretary Burns is really going to be playing here. He's going to be in the room but not necessarily participating and supposed to keep quiet and not necessarily negotiating. What exactly is he going to be doing in that room?
AMANPOUR: Well, there was a social (ph) opportunity before the meeting got under way and you can see -- by the way, it's called the Alabama room here at the seats of the Geneva government, in this historic building behind me.
It's a round-table. There is the E.U. Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana, and two down from him is Undersecretary William Burns. And there's the other E.U. representative as well as China and Russia, facing the Iranian delegation. The Iranians are represented by their top negotiator who is the head of the Supreme National Security Council in Iran, Saeed Jalili.
Now, basically what's happened is in the last month, the U.S. and its E.U. partners have put forth a package of proposals to Iran, incentives and disincentives, but creative proposals, the U.S. and E.U. says, to get Iran into formal negotiations. This was accompanied by this proposal of six weeks to six weeks, as I described. Undersecretary Burns is there to see whether Iran is going to respond positively to that proposal. Iran has sent a letter, but it's been deemed so far incomprehensible.
The E.U. and U.S. have said, "We don't know whether Iran is saying yes or no. It's full of long-winded, convoluted language." So, the point of Burns being there is to see whether Iran is going to respond to that and how Iran responds to it. This is not a negotiation today. It's to see what Iran responds to this proposal.
HOLMES: All right. Our Christiane Amanpour, as always, keeping us up to date on what's happening with these negotiations, not necessarily the negotiations, but this meeting today, again, from Geneva, Switzerland. Christiane, we appreciate you this morning.
KEILAR: U.S. officials said a drug-smuggling submarine type vessel has been seized off the coast of Mexico. It happened earlier this week in the Pacific where U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents spotted the vessel and then called the Mexican navy. The Mexican navy stopped the ship and found about seven tons of cocaine, just an amazing amount there.
U.S. Coast Guard officials say they are seeing more and more of these semi-submersible vessels in the drug smuggling trade. These vessels travel beneath the surface of the water but cannot fully submerge.
HOLMES: All right. Fly high and just feeling free.
KEILAR: That's right. A man stripped down to his birthday suit on a crowded American Airlines flight.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: That is, of course, the one and only, the piano man, rocking Shea Stadium last night. Billy Joel electrified a sold out crowd during a final show held at Shea. The ballpark is home to the New York Mets and is also where the Beatles launched the British music invasion of the '60s. And special treat, former Beatle, Paul McCartney, briefly joined Joel on stage. Shea will be torn down after this baseball season to make way for a new stadium right across the street.
HOLMES: All right. Planes, they can be uncomfortable.
KEILAR: Yes.
HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE) that sometimes you get hot.
KEILAR: Yes, sometimes you need a little air.
HOLMES: You need to.
KEILAR: I personally just open up the little air vent.
HOLMES: Some people do, but some people need to take it a little further, like this guy who's on this American Airlines flight 725 going from Boston to L.A., had to stop in Oklahoma City yesterday because one passenger decided he was a bit uncomfortable and that little fan above that you spoke of wasn't working.
KEILAR: It wasn't enough.
HOLMES: So, he took all his clothes off.
KEILAR: Yes. Well, apparently, this man, he walked into the bathroom, fully clothed. But when he walked out, well, he wasn't.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRAIG TORNBERG, GM. NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION: I went over to the guy and I said, "You're going to get your clothes back on," I probably said a few choice words on it, "but go back into the bathroom and get your clothes on."
EVAN CALLAGHAN, PASSENGER: And then so the flight attendant said people get him, to go back and change back into his clothes. And so, I thought they had that settled and a couple seconds after, he jumped up and tried to get out the emergency door.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: The end of innocence, right? OK, well, that is the point in the story, where soccer players, yes, from the New England Revolution, they stepped in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TORNBERG: I just grabbed at him and pushed him back and then all of a sudden, Mike got him and Gwen (ph) got up and, you know, our assistant coach and everybody just kind of converged and we threw him back into his seat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: So, the man was then taken into custody in Oklahoma City for psychiatric evaluation and the plane did, eventually, land in Los Angeles without any other disturbances.
HOLMES: Any other disturbances. You know, it's probably not going to be long, Reynolds, before given the airport security, they're going to make us all just strip naked and walk through the security screening.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, I mean, you know, it may be inevitable. I mean, but there's a lesson to be learned about all of this.
HOLMES: What is that lesson, Reynolds?
WOLF: A couple of things (INAUDIBLE). One, they probably ran out of cola and this guy a little upset or there's also the possibility that someone just didn't give up the window seat. I'm just saying it. It could happen.
HOLMES: A lesson to be learned. Well, I'll make sure I give up the window seat to somebody (INAUDIBLE).
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: That's I'm talking about, because things happen.
All right, guys, we've got another lesson we've been watching, learning this one. This is Tropical Depression Three. At this time, it doesn't pose much of a threat to the U.S. as it stands, however, it is expected to strengthen. You can see deep convection with the storm right off the Georgia and the Carolina coast. We're watching this very carefully. Unfortunately, this is a big rainmaker. Problem is, we're no getting the rain in places we need, in parts of say, Georgia and back in the Carolinas.
The storm is expected to make its way to the northeast veering right off the Carolina coast, near Wilmington, as we're getting to Sunday when winds topping at around 40 miles per hour, maximum sustained winds. Now, when you get to 39 miles per hour, sustained winds, it will then be classified as a tropical storm. Possibly with the name of Cristobal or the second name maybe is Dolly.
There's another system that is brewing also down in Caribbean. So, it's kind of a race to see who's going to become the storm first. Whoever becomes storm first will get the first name that being the "C" name, Cristobal or Dolly.
This storm expected to move right along Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, as we get in to Monday. By Tuesday, it's going to move into the North Atlantic, still as tropical storm. Keep in mind, these storms are not linear. They do not move from point to point. They tend to wobble. The path can deviate. It can move a little bit more to, say, inland, possibly near Wilmington or perhaps move a little more out to sea getting closer to places like, say, Bermuda.
Meanwhile, let's take the next 30 seconds or so and show you this system. It is a mess right now. Well, looking at this, it's just a tropical wave. It's making its way right now to south of San Domingo. If you have any travel plans taking to, say, to Jamaica, the Cayman Islands -- you might want to call your travel agent because you're going to be dealing with some heavy rains and rough surf and possibly, as we make our way later into the day and to tomorrow, this could become a tropical storm.
So, at this point, we really don't have a path on that for you yet. We're going just watch the thing for you very carefully. And if you have any flights maybe going down to Jamaica and Cayman Islands, again, the window seat, something you might want to give up. Let's send it back to you at the news desk.
KEILAR: Oh, wait, so, we had to do sort of a double take. Cristobal, is that...
WOLF: Not a crystal ball and let's look into a crystal ball. It's Cristobal.
KEILAR: With an "O" in there, with an "O"?
WOLF: With an "O."
KEILAR: OK. We thought you said crystal ball at first and we were like, "What did he say?"
WOLF: Let's play scrabble.
HOLMES: We thought that's how you predict the weather, you have a crystal ball?
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: Exactly.
HOLMES: All right, Reynolds. We'll see you again here soon, Reynolds.
WOLF: Any time, man.
HOLMES: All right. We've got some new ads from the presidential candidates. And, as we know, those things are always accurate, right?
KEILAR: Yes, we're going to do a reality check here and we're going to see if they hit the mark.
Plus...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Betty Nguyen. Coming up, I'll take you inside Myanmar to find out if aid is finally getting to the cyclone victims.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, as many of you no doubt have noticed, our Betty Nguyen has not been sitting here next to me the past several weekends. She's actually been on assignment. She has been reporting for us though. You've seen her throughout on many shows here on CNN.
But she's been on a very dangerous assignment to Myanmar, bringing us a rare glimpse inside that secretive country, showing you what life is like now after that cyclone devastated that delta. She has more now from Bangkok, Thailand, and the children hoping to return to normalcy.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: The Myanmar government is saying all schools have reopened along the Irrawaddy Delta and we did see students attending class in some of the villages that have received very little aid. Still, thousands of desks will remain empty. A painful reminder of the lives lost in the storm.
(voice-over): School has officially begun along the Irrawaddy Delta, even though few classrooms are still standing. Cyclone Nargis did more than just destroy lives; it robbed many of a bright future.
This woman survived the tidal surge by grabbing on to a tree trunk. Today, her hands are wrapped tightly around a picture of her daughter, killed in the cyclone.
She says she never imagined losing her. And even though they're poor, they did their best to give her an education. After all, she was their only child. Two weeks after the storm, they learned she passed her final exam and would have graduated high school.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I couldn't help but cry out loud.
NGUYEN: Sadly, she isn't the only mother crying. Dozens died in this small village.
(on camera): Her daughter attended this high school. As you can see, there's not much left. Some two months since the cyclone hit, they haven't even begun rebuilding because they're still waiting on materials and steelworkers.
(voice-over): And until it arrives, these piles of wood will stay right where the cyclone left them. In fact, very little aid has even reached this farming community. Yet, there is the sound of hope.
Thanks to UNICEF, work has begun on the elementary school. Eventually, books will be recovered from the rubble and placed back on these desks. And just maybe, there will come a time when children can once again look out these windows and see better days.
(on camera): UNICEF is reporting some 4,000 schools were damaged in the storm. Tent schools have been set up in some villages. Others are holding class in monasteries. They're using whatever they can to bring some kind of normalcy back to their community.
Betty Nguyen, CNN, Bangkok.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And you can hear even more from our Betty Nguyen on her blog talking about the dangers of being inside Myanmar and breaking the military government's ban on western journalists. Again, you can check that out on CNN.com.
Well, you want to gauge the tone of U.S. presidential campaign? You can check out the political ads and the attacks on the campaign trail.
KEILAR: And Josh Levs has been checking out some of the recent ones from John McCain and Barack Obama. And found a few holes, did you, Josh?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's always a few, right? I mean, you know the deal. We do a lot of reality checking here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. We also take a look at the good work from sites like FactCheck here and PolitiFact over here.
We're going to be looking at John McCain in just a few minutes, but for now, Barack Obama. And we're going to start with this, from one of his latest ads.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NARRATOR: As president, he'll rebuild our alliances to take out terrorist networks. And fast-track alternatives so we stop spending billions on oil from hostile nations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Now, Factcheck.org is saying that his "proposal to spend $150 billion over the coming decade on energy research. Ten years," they say, "doesn't sound all that fast to us, and there's no guarantee that the research will result in less oil being imported."
Now, Obama has repeatedly attacked McCain on this issue, on oil. And here's one line of attack in a recent ad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NARRATOR: McCain and Bush supported drilling plan that won't produce a drop of oil for seven years. McCain will give more tax breaks to big oil.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Experts agree that drilling actually won't produce a significant amount of oil for perhaps many years. But, as for the tax breaks line, PolitiFact says that Obama here "is really cherry- picking." They say, "The corporate tax rate reduction would apply to all corporations. So, singling out oil companies suggest McCain has targeted oil companies for tax breaks," which they say, look, he just hasn't done.
All right. Now, finally, this one, I didn't even pick up on this but FactCheck did. Listen to the first few words of this ad.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP,)
NARRATOR: He worked his way through college in Harvard Law, turned down big money offers and helped lift neighborhoods stung by job loss.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: The key phrase there, "worked his way" -- that conjures up the image of a student holding down jobs while also taking courses. They looked into this. And FactCheck says, "You know what? Obama took out some loans but the campaign actually provided information on just two jobs that he had during all those years in college and law school and both were summer jobs." And they said that "unless Obama had a good bit more employment, it's a real stretch to claim he 'worked his way' through school."
Interesting take there at Factcheck.org. Now, in just a few minutes, we're going to look at John McCain's statements about taxes and also, guys, on equal pay for women.
HOLMES: Now, last I checked, Harvard is pretty expensive.
KEILAR: Very expensive.
HOLMES: And you pay for that in summer jobs?
LEVS: You have to make a lot of money. He did take out loans. So, there's no way he paid for it in those two summer jobs, no, I won't believe (ph) this ad.
KEILAR: Maybe he worked after college.
Fascinating though, Josh. Thank you so much.
HOLMES: We appreciate it. See you again soon, buddy.
LEVS: Thanks, guys.
KEILAR: Courting the late night voters. Senator John McCain is hanging out with Conan O'Brien.
HOLMES: Yes, as we know, John McCain is a pretty serious candidate but he is showing off his funny side. You've got to see this stuff.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Welcome back. I'm Brianna Keilar in for Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. Glad you could be here with us this morning.
Some of the stories we are following, a top U.S. diplomat sitting in on talks regarding Iran's nuclear program. Those talks are under way right now in Geneva, Switzerland.
KEILAR: And presidential candidate Barack Obama is on the ground in Afghanistan. He arrived at Bagram Air Base just a few hours ago. Afghanistan is the first stop on his overseas trip.
HOLMES: And this trip is a chance for the senator to see what's like there, to see what the situation really is on the ground. It's also a chance for this candidate, Obama, to try and boost his credentials on foreign policy and national security.
We're joined now on the phone from Kabul, CNN national security analyst, Peter Bergen.
Peter, what is he going to find? He's there to see what's happening on the ground. What is happening on the ground? What is he going to see?
VOICE OF PETER BREGEN, CNN NAT'L. SECURITY ANALYST: Well, I think a great deal because he's here for a short time, but he's going to be briefed by U.S. military officials, officials about the situation here, and as you know, the situation is not good. The Taliban has regrouped and resurged, violence is up by 40 percent this year on the eastern part of Afghanistan. We've seen the Taliban conduct a bundle of assaults on American outposts. This has happened just a few days back when nine American soldiers were killed. Suicide attacks, targets in the Kabul, the Indian embassy attack that killed 41 people a little while (INAUDIBLE), hotel befriended by -- and also an attempt to kill President Karzai in Kabul. So, all this adds up to a situation which is not particularly (INAUDIBLE), T.J.
HOLMES: And, Peter, how did exactly -- I guess some of the details of how Afghanistan, how the people, how the military, how the government there prepared for this trip and did they kind of tailor this to, you know, he's there with a delegation of other senators, however, do they still kind of tailor what they were doing in their preparations for this potential U.S. president?
BERGEN: Well, I mean, the details of this trip have been incredibly tightly held. Even the actual, you know, day it was coming for obvious security reasons. So, you know, most Afghans I'm sure were completely unaware that this trip is happening.
I mean, the highly educated Afghans who are able to follow the news are aware of the trip and Obama is certainly (ph) popular among that group, somebody who is going to put a lot more resources in Afghanistan, more soldiers and also take a harder line on Pakistan, something we've seen in speeches from Senator Barack Obama over the last several months.
So, as the planning for the trip, I don't think it was particularly -- it was very, very secretive.
HOLMES: And finally here, Peter, tell us, we know that Obama has reached this star status in a lot of ways, and really kind of transcended politics really all over the world. Tell us about in Afghanistan, you said they didn't know, of course, this trip was happening but are people there certainly aware of who he is, aware of his background, his story and what has been happening in U.S. politics?
BERGEN: I would say for the vast majority of Afghans, the answer is no. That has nothing with Senator Obama, but a vast majority of Afghans are illiterate, you know, very poor country and the fact is, the news.
But certainly, you know, amongst the people who are more educated, able to, you know, have television, read the newspaper, there is considerable interest in American presidential election and understand that the stakes are pretty high for Afghanistan, because whether it's McCain or Obama, the feeling here that the center of gravity is moving from Iraq to Afghanistan, both in terms of political attention and perhaps, of course, more American boots on the ground and perhaps more American resources generally devoted to this.
HOLMES: All right. CNN national security analyst, Peter Bergen, there for us on the phone in Kabul. Peter, we appreciate you this morning. KEILAR: Afghanistan has been called the forgotten war but it's really coming back to the center of attention with the recent resurgence in violence. Both presidential candidates are calling for troop increases.
CNN's Reza Sayah reports from Kabul.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SAYAH (voice-over): In May and June, more U.S. and NATO troops died in Afghanistan than in Iraq. This week, nine U.S. troops killed in the deadliest firefight since the U.S. invaded Afghanistan. In foreign policy speeches by both U.S. presidential candidates, Iraq, for the moment, taking a backseat to Afghanistan.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What we need in Afghanistan is exactly what General Petraeus brought to Iraq.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: In 18 months since the surge began, the situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated. June was our highest casualty month of the war.
MCCAIN: But Afghanistan is sufficiently important that a separate Afghanistan czar is needed.
SAYAH: The solution for Afghanistan, say both candidates -- more U.S. troops.
But at Saki's (ph) ice cream stand in Kabul, an icy reaction.
"Soldiers won't fix anything," says Salamudin, "Soldiers never fix anything. Look how many soldiers the Soviets sent. Did that fix anything?"
"If they send more soldiers, it won't make a difference," says Ghandagha Aslam. "It will only get worse."
Many Afghans agree that key to improving security is more Afghan soldiers, not U.S. troops.
SAYID YAHYA, KABUL RESIDENT: If they want to come in Afghanistan, but they have to help Afghanistan police and Afghanistan army.
SAYAH: The Pentagon says Afghan security forces have come a long way, but that they're not nearly ready to defend the country against insurgents launching some of the deadliest and most sophisticated attacks since U.S. troops arrived in 2001.
(on camera): The Pentagon says the earliest you'll see a troop build-up in Afghanistan is going to be the fall, but clearly, whoever is going to be the next U.S. president, will have to convince the Afghan people that more U.S. troops is part of the solution and not part of the problem.
Reza Sayah, CNN, Kabul. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, not too long ago, he called the U.S. "a nation of whiners." This morning, you can call him the ex-co-chairman of John McCain's campaign. We're talking about former Texas senator, Phil Gramm, here. He is now stepping down as co-chairman of the campaign.
He says he's resigning in the wake of those comments and, in fact, he did call this country a nation of whiners. He also said that most people are going through a "mental recession" in an interview with the "Washington Times" Gramm said the nation's economic troubles are just that. Gramm says he's resigning because he has become a distraction for McCain.
KEILAR: Distraction, that's sort of the buzzword before someone steps down.
HOLMES: Yes.
KEILAR: You know, a few minutes ago we put some of Barack Obama's latest campaign messages under the microscope. We're going to be equal here.
HOLMES: Equal opportunity here.
KEILAR: We're going to put John McCain under the microscope as well.
HOLMES: Yes, Josh Levs is back with part two of this morning's political reality check. So, how is he doing?
LEVS: It was to be continued before, we're continuing now. Yes, you're going to see more interesting ones here.
This morning, we're taking a look at what some of the leading fact check Web sites have picked up on and we're going to start off with something John McCain has said repeatedly this month.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCAIN: If you are one of the 23 million small business owners in America who files as an individual rate payer, Senator Obama is going to raise your tax rates.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: FactCheck.org is calling this "a false and preposterously inflated figure." And they say, "The vast majority would see no change, and many would actually get a cut."
All right. Along similar lines, there's one more thing about taxes I want to point out, that FactCheck is pointing to, they're saying there's this attack against Obama saying he's voted 94 times for higher taxes.
We're going to show, quickly, can we close in on this right here? It's called "Tax Tally Trickery." And this is something that Republican National Committee has been saying and also John McCain claiming Obama voted 94 times for higher taxes. I did find that on McCain's Web site as well, that claim.
Let's take a look at what they have to say about that. They actually broke down these numbers. I love it when they dig into the numbers. Look at this 94, they found that of this 94, 53 were actually on budget measures that would not change taxes at all. Seven would lower taxes for a lot of people. Plus, the 94 includes multiple votes on the same measure, because, as we know in Congress, people often vote multiple times on the same thing.
Finally, a fact check of the "Washington Post" is pointing to this statement from McCain about equal pay for men and women.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCAIN: We haven't done enough. We have not done enough. And I'm committed to making sure that there's equal pay for equal work, that there is an equal opportunity in every aspect of our society and our economy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Well, according to "The Post," McCain does oppose the Ledbetter act, which is aimed at achieving equal pay. We have a quote from them here, they say, that "to oppose the Ledbetter act on the grounds it will lead to a 'swarm of new lawsuits,' is fair enough, but," they say, "John McCain has not proposed a realistic alternative."
Now, if you missed what we said about Obama a few minutes earlier, you'll be able to see that again later this morning.
And obviously, to get the latest from the any of these fact check Web sites you can generally go to CNNPolitics.com. There you go. Sometimes you've got to click it a few times before it turns up. We link to the best ones and you can see the latest political news. As always, guys, CNNPolitics.com. Check it out. I got to plug in, don't wait (ph).
HOLMES: All right.
KEILAR: I love CNNPolitics.com. It's my favorite.
OK. Josh, I want to see what you think about this next story. You know, it's not always the serious stuff on the campaign trail. Senator McCain was on late night with comedian Conan O'Brien last night. Take a listen as O'Brien pokes fun at the 71-year-old senator.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONAN O'BRIEN, TV HOST: A "New York Times" article earlier this week talking about how late night comedians handle the two candidates. And they pretty much agreed that we don't have a take on Obama but we've all agreed ... MCCAIN: You got one on me.
O'BRIEN: ... on a take on you which is your seniority. And I'm curious, because I speak for all the late night comedians, we are...
(LAUGHTER)
(APPLAUSE)
O'BRIEN: You just gave a lot of people a scare.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: You've seen (ph) Conan had his make-believe smelling salts there, I guess. Now, on the serious note, McCain did offer some suggestions for solving the nation's energy crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCAIN: We ought to provide incentives but that's just one thing. The other thing, I think it may be a lot of Americans would not like to pay 18 cents a gallon for gas, a tax, every time they go to the gas station. Would you? Wouldn't you like a little relaxation? Wouldn't low-income Americans like a little relief from their gas taxes?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: McCain also said Americans want to allow for offshore drilling so that oil companies can find more crude here at home.
HOLMES: And that article he was talking about, it did, in fact, they can't find something on Obama. They've say there's nothing really silly about him, there's nothing goofy you can pick on him about. But McCain, the age. And someone his age, even, Josh, wish that he would stop making fun of himself and his age so much because they don't think it helps him in the long run. So ...
KEILAR: But he was pretty quick there. He was pretty quick there with that. That was funny.
HOLMES: And, of course, "Saturday Night Live" bits he's done have been hilarious. So, John McCain has a sense of humor.
Well, we're going to turn to sports now and the British Open. And there is an aging, speaking of older folks or senior folks, I should say, there's an aging champion who is taking advantage of a field that is without Tiger.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: That picture you saw there was of Nancy Cooper. What you're seeing now are friends and family that last night remembering this loved one who was murdered. This was happening in Cary, North Carolina last night.
KEILAR: The mother of two's body was found near her home on Monday. She'd been missing since she went jogging last Saturday. Police have questioned her husband Bradley Cooper in the death but no one has been named as a suspect. Nancy Cooper's friends are just in shock over the loss. And they wonder what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was always positive, she was always up, she was always cheerful. You know, very honest with what was going on with her house with all of us. We all knew what was going on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Cooper's family has been granted custody of her two young daughters.
Mystery going on to tell you about here, a strange story. Usually, women show up to the hospital pregnant to have her babies but this particular story in Pennsylvania, a woman showed up already with the baby saying it was hers. It was her newborn child. Her name is Andrea Curry-Demus but then changed her story to police and said that she had actually bought the baby.
Well, after DNA tests, police say she had changed that story, they haven't released also the identity, and listen to this, a woman was found dead at the home of Andrea Curry-Demus. So really, a strange, strange story here. Autopsy is going to be done on that woman found at the apartment. Meanwhile, the friends and family of Curry-Demus say they're trying to make sense of all this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP,)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why would she do this? Why did she do this? Why? And that news (ph) it was her baby, why did she do this? Why? Why? Why did she do this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She would never like let you touch her stomach, lift her stomach up. Pregnant women do things like that. They're happy because they're pregnant. But she would never do none of that. She wouldn't let me do it at all. She just kept a distance from me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: So, yes, again, after the DNA test, the woman now says she had bought the baby. So, a lot of mystery there. And again, the woman now has been charged. Curry-Demus has been charged with child endangerment.
KEILAR: Four people hospitalized. Victims of a crane collapse at a Houston oil refinery and four others were killed in this. The massive 300-foot crane is one of the nation's largest mobile cranes and it can lift 1 million pounds. It crushed a smaller crane when it fell and it's unknown if the victims were on the crane or if they were below it.
A big splash for a good cause.
HOLMES: And some good video. Firefighters are making waves and turning those pink bellies into some green bucks.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KEILAR: Billie Joel, the piano man. This is last night, the last concert at Shea Stadium before they go to a new stadium, before the Mets go to a new stadium across the street there in Queens. And, of course -- that is "My Life." She is a better dancer than Billie Joel, I think. But, a beautiful song, great concert and I know we have actually some co-workers who attended. And they thought it was great.
HOLMES: Really?
KEILAR: Yes.
HOLMES: All right. We'll have more music from Billy Joel later in the morning. I'm sure we will. But something else that they won't have at the British Open. The number one player in the world, Tiger Woods, is chilling at home this weekend instead of playing in the third round which is getting under way right now.
Our buddy back with us this weekend. Sports business analyst, Rick Horrow, there he is with the hat and the props and the things and the whatever. OK, we've got no Tiger but we've got a shark at the British Open this year. And I know somebody that's near and dear to you and nearer to you in age as well.
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Hat, props, things, whatever, that's pretty articulate. I got to tell you.
So, here's the thing. Greg Norman who lives down the street, effectively, OK? He is 53. And I'm there within a week of each other. So, I figure, I got my old Scottish putter, we've got the British Open hat. If he can do it, I can do it. Not likely. But he may be the guy that bridges the gap and makes this a compelling open story before the end of the weekend.
HOLMES: OK. Yes. We needed a story here because a lot of people, when we talk about casual golf fans, they just don't care if Tiger is not playing. So, at least we have a story line now.
HORROW: Well, yes. But the interesting thing is when you're across the pond, remember, I just got back from there, too, and golf started in 1567 there. And the Brits are not really too worried about whether Tiger plays in one event or not. Tiger's ratings here in the states is down 50 percent or more; attendance-wise, too, when he plays versus when he doesn't.
Over there, they've got a story. They've got David Duval, you've got Greg Norman, and you've got others. They're doing fine. And the weather over there is as bad as it normally is. So welcome to the British Open.
HOLMES: You know, how -- I guess, how wild of a story is this? You've got a, look -- 53, is it? It's been a while.
HORROW: Yes, it is.
HOLMES: And very few people that age have won a major tournament.
HORROW: Well, nobody that age has won a major tournament. And, you know, you conjure back the image of Jack Nicklaus in winning the '86 Masters. And you got other guy, Julius Boros won at 48. He's the oldest player to ever win a major.
So, here's some history here. You know, Greg Norman, as you know, has a marketing world empire with wines and real estate and golf course design in and of itself. And, of course, his new bride is world tennis champion Chris Evert. So, it is quite a story.
HOLMES: OK. What is the story going to be on Sunday, on Monday? What are the ratings going to be in this country? You say they don't care that much over there if Tiger Woods isn't playing. They've been playing golf a long time. But here, what can we expect to see? If Greg Norman is not in that final pairing tomorrow, are we going to see a huge dip?
HORROW: Greg Norman in it, a little higher. Greg Norman not in it, a little lower. The bottom line is -- this tournament is over on the east coast by noon, on the west coast by 9:00 a.m. So, you always have those issues just like Wimbledon. But you need a tremendous story.
Wimbledon, remember, Federer and Nadal increased those ratings, 40 percent or so. We'll see that. Ironically, by the way, you bet on anything over in Britain, right? So, $60 million is expected to be bet legally on everything over there related to golf versus a little less last year.
So, with Tiger not in the field, there is more likelihood that others could win, hence, the higher betting. So, there are some good things even if Tiger isn't in it.
HOLMES: All right. Rick, no matter what the subject we talk about, you always find a way to get betting in there. It's always...
HORROW: Yes. I'm going to go out and practice right now.
HOLMES: All right. But Pretty Ricky, I didn't call you that in a long time. Good to see you, buddy. We'll see you again next weekend.
HORROW: Well, it's not good to see you if you keep calling me that. You know, you better watch out. I'll see you next week.
KEILAR: Is that a wood shaft putter?
HOLMES: It was.
KEILAR: That is like the 1920s.
HOLMES: It is.
KEILAR: All right. A total flop, we want to tell you about in Colorado. Take a listen to this.
Aw (ph). Colorado firefighters competing in their annual belly flop contest. The winner is walking away with, yes, a sore stomach. But don't feel too bad for them. They also get a vacation for two to Mexico. But even better, this event also raises money for the Firefighters Cancer Foundation.
HOLMES: That one last one was kind of weak (ph). But the big guys with the big bellies, they have the advantages there.
KEILAR: Yes, T.J., well, I'm sure they have years of experience.
HOLMES: Yes, they do.
Well, we will turn now to a story about the men who served on the front lines. And now, they're lining kids up for recess.
KEILAR: Soldiers' new mission in the classroom.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: From the front lines to the classroom, a program turns retired U.S. troops into teachers and it's helping schools in low- income areas.
KEILAR: Reporter Amanda Barren of affiliate WSAZ has the story from Charleston, West Virginia.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE KID: Have you been across the world a lot of times?
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: Yes. I've been...
AMANDA BARREN, WSAZ CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Kids...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE KID: Where else you have been?
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: Me, I've been -- was basically fought (ph) in last war.
BARREN: ... are curious.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE KID: Do you have memories for all the places you've been?
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: Oh, yes. I have a lot of memories from different places. I think, the two best places I've been was Panama and Germany. I love Germany. Germany looks like West Virginia except there are castles probably about every two or three miles, large stone castles. We got time off to go look (INAUDIBLE).
BARREN: Now, troops are being encouraged to explore something else -- answering these questions in the classroom.
STEFAN SMOLSKI, TEACHER: I could have worked for a defense contractor probably making three times the salary I'm making now. But I wouldn't be 1/3 as happy.
BARREN: That's because Stefan Smolski has 100 percent passion for his ninth grade students.
SMOLSKI: I got to do a lot of things that they're going to read about in the history books.
BARREN: For nearly 20 years, Stefan flew planes for the Navy. Today, his mission is helping children soar to new heights.
SMOLSKI: It's the leadership and skills that you learn in the military.
BARREN: That, coupled with the knowledge of math, science, and engineering -- provide a real world lesson plan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They have so much experience that we have never had. And it will be so nice to learn about it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I love to learn. And history is like the best thing of all.
BARREN: A love of country taught with a deep sense of responsibility, by leaders only the military could create.
Amanda Barren, WSAZ, News Channel 3.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Hello there, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, you're watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING on this July 19th. I'm T.J. Holmes.
KEILAR: And I'm Brianna Keilar, in for Betty Nguyen. Thanks so much for waking up with us today.
HOLMES: Well, the candidate has landed in Afghanistan. We knew this trip was coming. Barack Obama has, in fact, made his way to Kabul. We do have a live report coming your way from Kabul.
KEILAR: And our Betty Nguyen is on a dangerous assignment, taking us deep inside Myanmar, a country where foreign journalists are banned.
HOLMES: And we've been waiting to see this video. If anybody has ever played in one of those machines before, you know it can be quite frustrating. You have to get the claw down just right to try to pull out a prize. It is almost impossible. Well, that kid decided to go about it this way. Yes. You're seeing the child inside the claw machine. We will tell you how this all worked out in just a bit.
KEILAR: But of course, breaking news this morning. Presidential candidate Barack Obama on the ground in Afghanistan right now.
HOLMES: Yes. He got to Bagram Air Base just a few hours ago, actually. Stopped in Kuwait first to visit U.S. troops there. His trip to Afghanistan part of the effort to strengthen Obama's foreign policy credentials. However, this is with an official U.S. delegation. So not really officially called a campaign stop, if you will. CNN's Reza Sayah joins us now on the phone from Kabul.
Tell us, do we know much about what is going on with this visit right now, Reza?
SAYAH: Well, T.J., some interesting developments since we spoke you to last, about an hour ago. There are reports that Senator Obama has moved from Kabul to eastern Afghanistan. And that's the significant because eastern Afghanistan is the scene of the spike in Taliban and insurgent activity. Senator Obama perhaps sending a message to his opponent Senator McCain, and American voters that, yes, this is his first visit to Afghanistan. But he's not afraid to go to the front lines.
Indeed, Senator Obama's plane touched down at 11:45 a.m. local time here in Kabul, Afghanistan, about five hours ago, his first visit to this war torn country. This visit shrouded in secrecy because of security reasons. Afghanistan was not on his itinerary when he took off for a tour of the Middle East. But he pledged to come here.
And indeed, today, T.J., he has kept that pledge with a visit to Afghanistan.
HOLMES: And, Reza, you talked about him moving east there. I know we probably won't get pictures or anything until some time later. But we have seen so many of the trips before, these official visits. The U.S. delegations go visit. How much can you really see in a short stop on a trip like this? How much can you really learn? I know he's going to be talking to several people there. But will he get a good idea of what has been happening in Afghanistan?
SAYAY: T.J., the answer to that question is, not much. And many agree this is a big photo opportunity for Senator Obama heading into the elections. Keep in mind, he's going up against a decorated Naval captain in his opponent, Senator John McCain. He could not afford to go into the election. And knowing he would never -- he had never visited Afghanistan. So many agree this is a photo opportunity. Is he going to see much? No. But are there going to be pictures tomorrow morning of him in Afghanistan? Yes. And that's crucial in this campaign -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Reza Sayah there for us in Kabul. We appreciate you keeping us up to date. We'll check in with you a little while later. KEILAR: Afghanistan burst into the American consciousness in the aftermath of 9/11. But a whole lot of people still don't know much about it.
HOLMES: Josh Levs here now to remind us that 36,000 U.S. service members are still putting their lives on the line in Afghanistan. That is still very much a war zone.
LEVS: Yes, and we just got those latest figures, and there is 36,000. And you know, we keep hearing about Afghanistan in the context of the war. So what we want to do for a moment here is let you know a little bit about Afghanistan, what you don't know.
I asked our graphics folks to give me this map. I'll tell you why. Look at that. You have got Afghanistan. Look to the west, you see Iran. And then to the east, you see Pakistan. Now I just got the latest figures from the U.N., there are 3 million refugees that have fled Afghanistan either to the west or down there to the east. So you have got about 3 million that have fled to Iran or to Pakistan.
And according to the U.N., that is about a quarter of the refugees in the entire world. Now this is a country of about 33 million people, about 80 percent of them are Sunni. And nearly all the rest are Shia Muslims. It is also one of the poorest countries in the world.
And I was looking into the opium trade. OK. We know where it is. Let's move on. The opium trade is -- has a real grip on the economy. There you go. The opium trade, guys, I just found out the latest figures, $4 billion a year in illicit activity. So they're talking about a massive grip on the economy.
There have been improvements now in Afghanistan in recent years. And we don't hear about the improvements a lot. The U.N. is saying, you know what, there has been growth in construction and trade, also improvements in health and education. So it is good to keep that in mind as we hear about these things in other ways.
But still, you've got unemployment very high, about half the country in poverty. So that is the context for this visit, a very poor country struggling amid war with millions of people who have fled.
HOLMES: All right. Our Josh Levs, we appreciate you keeping us -- really, a lot of people lose perspective about what is happening over there. And a lot of people like you said there don't even know where it is maybe on a map sometimes.
LEVS: Right. We want to stop, take a look at the world and go in there.
HOLMES: It's important to get that as well.
KEILAR: And 40 percent unemployment. I mean, in the U.S., it's about -- I think about 5.5. Maybe you look at Michigan, which is 8.5 and say, oh, my goodness, look at that. LEVS: Right. And this is, you know, after years of war, which is obviously tearing away at what the country is dealing with, and even still, you have got more than half the country under the poverty level. So even while they say there are improvements, and those should be recognized, the fact is it's really struggling in a lot of ways.
KEILAR: Josh, thanks for that, appreciate it.
LEVS: Thanks, guys.
KEILAR: Well, Barack Obama has called the Iraq War a dangerous distraction from Afghanistan. Now Republican John McCain is challenging Obama's foreign policy position. McCain says Obama got it wrong on the so-called troop surge in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCCAIN: We have succeeded and I hope that he will take the time to get briefed this time for the first time by General Petraeus, one of the great generals in American history, the same one that he failed condemn an ad by his allies moveon.org that said "General Petraeus or General 'Betray-us.'" He refused to vote to condemn that, refused to vote to condemn an attack on the integrity of one of the great Americans.
So I hope that he gets the message this time that we have succeeded and we need to continue this strategy. And if we had done what he wanted to do, it would have been a very, very different Iraq that he's visiting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Obama plans to visit Iraq. The details of the trip have not been publicized for security reasons.
And Britain's leader is in Iraq right now. Prime Minister Gordon Brown arrived in Baghdad today on an unannounced visit. He is holding talks with Iraqi leaders about long-term relations and the future for British service members in the country. Britain has about 4,000 troops there in Iraq.
HOLMES: And don't call it a timetable, it is a time horizon. President Bush and Iraq's prime minister agreed on a setting for a "general time horizon" for reducing U.S. combat forces in Iraq. Now the White House says the two leaders agreed that the goals would be based on improving conditions in Iraq and again not an arbitrary date for withdrawal.
KEILAR: Nuclear talks with Iran kicking off in Geneva, Switzerland, today. And already an emphatic statement from Iran's top negotiator saying there is "no chance his country will suspend uranium enrichment." A top U.S. diplomat is sitting in on those talks between Iran and the European Union. CNN chief international correspondent Christiane Amanpour is in Geneva this morning, we're going to be hearing from her a little later. Meantime, Pope Benedict offering an apology in Australia this morning. He's there for World Youth Day. The pope saying that he is deeply sorry for sexual abuse at the hands of Australia's Roman Catholic clergy. There's no word on if the pope will meet with any of the victims before leaving Australia on Monday, as he has done before in the U.S. You remember, as I just said, he met back in April with those sexual abuse victims.
HOLMES: Well, four people have been killed, another four are hospitalized this morning. They're all victims of a crane collapse at a Houston oil refinery. This is a massive 300-foot crane. It's one of the nation's largest mobile cranes. It can lift about a million pounds. It crushed a smaller crane when it fell. It's unknown if the victims were on that crane or if they were below that crane.
KEILAR: You know, I fly a whole lot, T.J., and it is generally -- sometimes its' a couple of hours late, but you know, it's generally routine. But then again, I haven't been on American Airlines Flight 725. Because this flight from Boston to Los Angeles was diverted to Oklahoma City yesterday because one passenger decided to get naked.
HOLMES: Don't you hate when that happens?
KEILAR: It's the worst, you know? What do you do?
HOLMES: It happens in our "NEWSROOM" all the time.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Well, this man apparently walked into the bathroom. He was wearing his clothes. He walked out, clothes gone. That, as can you imagine, shocked the passengers. And it prompted some pretty quick action by the guys you see right there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CRAIG TORNBERG, GM, NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION: And I went over to the guy. And I said, you're going to get your clothes back on. I probably said a few choice words on it. But go back into the bathroom and get your clothes on.
EVAN CALLAGHAN, PASSENGER: And then so the flight attendant had people get him, go back and change back into the clothes. And so they thought they had that settled. And then a couple seconds after he jumped up and tried to get out the emergency door.
TORNBERG: I just grabbed at him and pushed him back. And then all of a sudden Mike got him. And Gwynne got up and -- you know, our assistant coach and everybody just kind of converged. And we threw him back into his seat.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Mike, Gwynne, the assistant coach, and that guy you just saw there, the GM for the New England Revolution, which is a professional soccer team, fascinating. HOLMES: Yes. (INAUDIBLE) OK.
KEILAR: You always need some professional athletes on hand to get things in order. So this guy, he was taken into custody in Oklahoma City for psychiatric evaluation. And then the plane did go on to L.A.
HOLMES: But a very strange story. Can you imagine that really? Our Reynolds Wolf who doesn't behave badly on planes, hopefully, not to that extent, he's standing by in our weather center.
How you doing, Reynolds? You're quiet, buddy. You OK?
WOLF: You guys, I hate to tell you this, this is live television. The little batteries I have in this thing just died...
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: So I can't hear you. But let me just say this, if you're talking about naked guy on the plane, it is probably a much easier way to get through security. Just saying, you know, in terms of screening, you don't have much to hide. You don't have much really to put in those little compartment things you slide through the security area. So probably a little bit faster...
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: Good point. Very good point.
WOLF: Hey, the naked crews on this storm behind me say it is Tropical Depression No. 3. The latest forecast we have from the National Hurricane Center is that it has gotten a little bit stronger. In fact, maximum sustained winds have gone from 30 miles an hour to 35 miles per hour. Some occasional gusts topping out at 40. It's about 288 miles from Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. It is expected to stay right along the Carolina coast and bring some heavy surf to places like Wilmington, to Cape Hatteras.
Now keep in mind, you look at this. I guess you could see kind of an off-white sort of pattern. This cone of probability illustrates there is the chance this storm could make its way onshore or veer a little bit deeper into the Atlantic. These storms tend to be very unpredictable. We do expect it to make this northeasterly movement. It's just dragging though, moving around five miles an hour.
However, by the time we get to, say, noontime or so, there is a very good possibility this may become the first named storm. The first named storm of -- at least not the first named storm of the season but certainly the first named storm in this area, moving off the Carolina coast. Could be the name Cristobal. That's the name we would see, or could possibly be Dolly later on today.
Meanwhile, we've got another storm to deal with. That one is down in the Caribbean. This one just a jumbled mess right now. Still some heavy rains, some deep convection south of Jamaica. Any travel plans you have to Jamaica, Cayman Islands, or maybe even the Yucatan Peninsula, you might really want to check with your travel agent. This storm may intensify over the next 12 to 24 to 48 hours.
And if this storm can somehow manage to make its way into, say, the Gulf of Mexico by early next week, all eyes are going to be on that system. We'll watch it for you very carefully. I'm going to go get some new batteries.
Let's send it back to you guys at the news desk.
HOLMES: All right. We could respond to him, but he can't hear us.
KEILAR: We could talk about him and he wouldn't even hear us.
HOLMES: We could say anything we want to say about Reynolds right now.
KEILAR: We're not going to. We're going to be nice. Thanks, Reynolds.
HOLMES: Let's just sit here and make him look silly for a second. All right. We appreciate you. We'll be back with him again talking about some of that weather that could turn severe shortly. We'll see you here soon, Reynolds.
We'll turn back to Myanmar now. The grim reality of that country. Farmers there trying to get anything they can out of their once fertile farmland. Of course that region was devastated by a cyclone about two months ago. There has been a ban on Western journalists in that country.
Well, one that got in, our Betty Nguyen. That's why she hasn't been here with us on the weekends the past couple of weeks. She has been on that dangerous assignment. She made it in, has now made it back out to Bangkok, Thailand.
Here now is her report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN (voice-over): Myanmar used to be the seventh-largest exporter of rice. But Cyclone Nargis killed thousands of farmers and ruined their crops. Survivors are getting some aid. But even that is posing a challenge.
The Irrawaddy Delta is Myanmar's rice belt. Before the storm, farmers here grew enough to feed the country and exported the rest. Not anymore. Cyclone Nargis ruined rich soil and killed tens of thousands. Farmers fortunate enough to survive are scratching out a living, haunted by what they have lost.
This man says he was trying to hold his baby above the tidal surge but the swift current swept the child right out of his hands. The boy's body was never found. Yet life goes on in these poor farming villages. But it's a hard row to hoe when their crops are being choked by salt water from a cyclone. (on camera): Just two months ago dead bodies were floating in these rice fields. Now farmers are trying their best just to salvage what they can.
(voice-over): The trick now is trying to plow these fields with just a few water buffalo. Most of them died in the storm. Aid agencies and the government have donated one power tiller for every 100 acres. Since most farmers don't own that much land, they have to share.
This man says as many as many as 30 farmers will take turns using one tiller. No one here expects the season will produce quality crops. In fact, it's already having a trickle down effect. Monks who rely on donations are eating bad rice that was battered in the storm, though it's hard to complain when this monastery is one of few still standing.
This monk says reconstruction may take two years. That might as well be an eternity in villages where surviving from day to day is a constant struggle. But the people here have always lived a hard life. And they will tell you there's no time to dwell on the past.
(on camera): To understand the importance of these power tillers when it comes to struggling farmers, just take a look at the state-run newspaper in Myanmar. Every day it solicits donations. And listed here are power tillers. They run about $1,000 each. That is $400 more than what the paper says it costs to replace a house.
Betty Nguyen, CNN, Bangkok.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And you can hear still more on Betty Nguyen and her trip and that story. Talk about the dangers of being inside Myanmar and breaking the military government's ban on Western journalists. You can check out her blog at cnn.com.
KEILAR: Well, you know, T.J., what goes up must come down.
HOLMES: That's what we are told. But when it comes down, does it have to take out the tuba section?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There it goes! There it goes.
HOLMES: Ah, I know, Brianna, this is one of your favorite parts about visiting us here on Saturday and Sunday mornings. We're always good for an implosion. This one in particular in Louisville, Kentucky. This demolition of this old office building, I think it was, makes way for a new downtown, what else, sports arena, and that is expected to be completed in 2010. And I'm sure they'll implode that sports arena around 2020. But we'll be here to put that one as well.
KEILAR: I don't know why I really like the implosions, even though they do kind of look similar in the end.
HOLMES: They all look the same.
KEILAR: But you know, I don't get tired of it. Always fun. And we have a whole lot of other news to tell you about as well. Something you may not have heard, like this one from Maine.
HOLMES: Yes. Laundry is done, you lift the lid and what do you got? You have got an eight-foot python just chilling on your wet clothes. Animal control had to be called in, I believe this thing slithered in through the water pipes. It was taken off for more appropriate digs. I'm not good at laundry, but, man...
KEILAR: And did Frank Sinatra really play when -- you know, does it really play when you go to open the washer?
HOLMES: The only think we could come up with for this particular story.
Another one here, you need to look out below, because an Army band at Fort Riley was not prepared for this, a wayward parachutist who took out three tuba players. One band member was knocked unconscious. His jaw was broken, another broke an ankle. The parachutist however was not hurt, did just have a bit of a bruised ego, as you could imagine.
KEILAR: Because he lifted his legs, he tried to avoid them, but there was no way to do it.
Well, he is not exactly taking the law into his own hands.
HOLMES: Yes. But don't tell anybody that. You'd be amazed what a kid with a toy radar gun can do on a busy street.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: A whole lot of people have been out to see the new "Batman" movie. And you have been actually sending us your iReports about it. Some of you even dressed for the occasion, paying tribute here to the late Heath Ledger. Ledger, of course, is in that movie. It was done filming and then he died not too long afterwards. He plays the Joker. Well, this guy in Miami says it's the best ever, and the hype is justified. This is Brandon Thompson who sent this one in to us.
KEILAR: And iReporter Jenni Smith agrees. She snapped this photo of another fan in Las Vegas. Smith writes that "as a comic book fan, it is really exciting to see the Joker portrayed as a disturbed maniac," and then "I think we have finally seen the Joker on screen."
And our iReporters in Colorado say it was just amazing. They saw the movie at 12:01. Christina Perez took this pic of herself and a friend.
Well, no joking with these next stories. You can't light up in public. Well, this battery-powered cigarette delivers nicotine but does not burn or produce smoke. That is only water vapor, actually. This device costs about $100.
HOLMES: But do you get the nicotine?
KEILAR: Yes, you get the nicotine. And then you exhale water vapor.
HOLMES: OK. Well, you don't want to be lighting -- I don't know if you want to smoke that thing. But you don't want to smoke in this bathroom. Look at that, yes, the tap water actually flammable. They thought this was just air in the pipes at first. But it turns out the family's new water well also has some natural gas.
KEILAR: That is just crazy, isn't it?
Well, not hot enough for you? Try eating a bowl of jalapenos. Oh, my goodness. This is a tradition at the annual Mexicana Festival in Topeka, Kansas. The winner managed to slam down 21 peppers to take home $500 and probably a pretty bad case of heartburn.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So he goes out there and people think he's a policeman.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: Hey, you know, whatever works. Landon Wilburn (ph), he may not be a real cop, but his toy radar gun sure works. He used this is thing in his Louisville subdivision to track speeders. And as you might guess, Landon wants to be a policeman when he grows up.
HOLMES: That is clever. And like you say, we all knew a kid like that in school.
KEILAR: I know.
HOLMES: That is pretty clever. But you know, a lot of people are getting duped by that kid and they feel silly probably after the fact. But good that they're slowing down.
Well, it isn't just a friendly softball game, not according to this outfielder here.
KEILAR: What a catch!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. We have seen over the years video of children stuck inside of a vending machine of some kind. And we always think, how in the world did they do that? We now have video evidence of how this takes place.
KEILAR: Yes. This is store surveillance video. It shows two kids at one of those fall (ph) machines with the stuffed animals inside. Well, the little one, of course, the little one, decides that the opening is the best way to get a toy. I bet the big kid put the little kid up to it. So the grownups were a bit confused for a bit. But eventually they got the child out through the same opening which sometimes that doesn't happen. Sometimes they have to dismantle the whole machine. It's pretty wild.
HOLMES: But if you have ever done one of those things, they can be quite tricky and frustrating to try to get the toy out, get the claw in the right place -- there's the kid coming out.
KEILAR: There you go, it's a free child.
HOLMES: Free child...
(LAUGHTER)
KEILAR: Free the child.
HOLMES: All right. Well, strange things we know happen when it rains in South Florida. Catfish normally live in the storm's sewers. But when it rains a lot, they like to come out and look around for a bit. This species is an evolutionary oddity that can breathe out of the water so the fish can jump out and literally take a stroll. That is how I would love to catch catfish.
KEILAR: Pretty easy.
HOLMES: They just walk out to you.
KEILAR: But look, it's not that easy, you see that?
HOLMES: Look at that. OK, maybe it's not.
All right, viral video you all may remember, of a girl making amazing baseball catch. This was not too long ago we saw this video. Well, it is actually fake. This, though, is not.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...looking for the comeback of their own. Sam Bolsky (ph) -- good player at Steven's point (INAUDIBLE) with an Oscar-worthy catch. Check this out one more --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: And this was a softball game last week in Market (ph), Michigan and despite the diving catch over the fence -- yes, the team still lost. Nice effort, though. E for effort. Sorry, guys.
Well, inside Myanmar, for the shops that were once crowded with tourists, business is now slow, as you can imagine. It's been that way since the cyclone. Just another harsh reality there.
HOLMES: We'll be talking about that. Our Betty Nguyen has been in Myanmar. She was able to get in despite a ban on Western journalists. We'll have a lot more from her this morning.
But first, "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta starts right now.
