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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports
Major League Baseball Players Set Strike Date; Virginia Authorities Search for Missing 9-Year-Old
Aired August 16, 2002 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Now on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, a September without baseball? Major League players set a strike date.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A lot of fans are going to be furious, and I'm one.
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BLITZER: The parents shot dead, their nine-year-old daughter missing, what happened inside this Virginia house and where is the girl now?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As every hour in each day goes by, it becomes extremely more difficult and also more likely that harm may occur.
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BLITZER: West Nile Virus out of control, now a grim prediction, up to 1,000 illnesses and 100 deaths this year alone.
And in Memphis, 25 years after the death of Elvis Presley, some fans are still all shook up.
It's Friday, August 16, 2002. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Major League Baseball players are drawing a line in the sand vowing to strike August 30th unless key issues with owners are resolved.
The move could trigger the ninth work stoppage since 1972, cancel this year's World Series, and deliver a huge blow to sports. CNN's Josie Karp has been following all these developments. She joins us now live from New York. Josie, how grim is the situation?
JOSIE KARP, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think especially if you look at history, Wolf, it's very grim because these two sides have never gone through this collective bargaining process in 30 years without some sort of work stoppage, and on Monday when the player's executive board had a meeting in Chicago, there was a real sense of optimism and hope because they didn't do what they did today and that's set a strike date.
They did that during a conference call this morning, and then this afternoon we've started to get into the realm of publicity from each side. The player's union came out with a statement and said that they wanted a new agreement but it had to be one that would benefit the players and not just the owners.
And then Major League Baseball had a press conference and speaking on their behalf was the chief negotiator Rob Manfred, Major League Baseball President Bob Dupuy, and two people representing ownership in Andy MacPhail and Peter Angelos. And the one word that kept coming up over and over and over again with those four was disappointment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROB MANFRED, MLB OWNERS NEGOTIATOR: We are disappointed obviously that the union decided today to set a strike date. Our hope had been that we could get an agreement with the players without the players taking the step that causes such great concern to so many of our fans. Our disappointment is magnified by the fact that as a result of compromises by both sides, we made substantial progress towards a new agreement over the past weeks.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KARP: Both sides seem to agree on one thing and that's the fact that the major barrier right now is the issue of a luxury tax or a payroll tax, whatever you want to call it, and it's not that both sides now haven't come to some sort of agreement, that they will include this tax in part of the next collective bargaining agreement, it's that they're differing now on the threshold over which a team would then have to pay the tax.
Baseball came out and said today that their number is $100 million and they said the player's union is suggesting something starting at $130 million. And, amid all of this there is some reason for optimism, Rob Manfred came out, he's for the owner's side, saying that normally your worried about an impasse when there's a philosophical diversion but there seems to be some philosophical agreement here, Wolf, so maybe there is some measure of hope to be had today, back to you.
BLITZER: Let's hope for the best, Josie Karp reporting live from New York. Some, perhaps a lot of baseball fans still harbor outrage over the last strike in 1994 that canceled the World Series. President Bush spoke out for the fans this afternoon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BUSH: The baseball owners and the baseball players must understand that if there is a stoppage, work stoppage, a lot of fans are going to be furious, and I'm one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Let's get some more reaction now from the fans. We'll go to our Chicago Bureau Chief and a baseball fan himself, Jeff Flock, who's outside Wrigley Field. What's the grim mood? I take it it's pretty grim out there too, Jeff. JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In addition to the Cubs being down 2-0 to the Diamondbacks in the sixth, I think the president is right on. A lot of fans are pretty angry about this. Perhaps you see the venerable Wrigley Field behind me. This gentleman just emerged, strike if it happens?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's outrageous. I think they don't care about the fans anymore. I think the players are entitled to get whatever they can get, but to strike over $2.4 million a year seems a bit out of touch to me.
FLOCK: That man says it pretty clearly. For everyone that we have talked to today one person said, Wolf, they ought to do what President Reagan did with the professional air traffic controllers, fire them all and start from scratch.
I also talked to the players today, of course a bit of a different spin from them. Mark Grace, former Cub, now with the Diamondbacks here at Wrigley Field behind me, saying he is also very mindful of the fact that this strike date is painfully close to September 11th.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK GRACE, ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: Baseball is very important on any day but September 11th is a very important day in our country's history now and we need to be on the field on September 11th. We need to be on the field August 30th, and every player feels that way, and like I said if we can't get something done, it's because there really wasn't any effort to getting things done on the other side.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FLOCK: Indeed, and one more thing to leave you with, Wolf. It's not only the players and the fans that are affected, but how about these folks, this young lady here who makes her living selling stuff outside Wrigley Field. If there's a strike, what happens to you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm out of a job and this place is going to be a ghost town, which is very sad, because this is probably one of the better spots in Chicago in the summer to come down, have a good time, watch a ballgame, and it really is going to be a crime if they strike. I don't want - I don't even want to think about what's going to happen. I don't know if they'll ever come back.
FLOCK: I hear you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Cubs draw. Whether the Cubs win or lose the Cubs draw.
FLOCK: But if there's a strike, of course all bets are off. Wolf, we will of course continue to watch it here, no joy in Wrigleyville tonight, back to you.
BLITZER: Jeff Flock in Chicago, thank you very much. And joining us now with this keen insight on all of this one of the best sports analysts and commentators in the business, maybe the best, Frank DeFord. His latest book is called "An American Summer" a novel dealing with the battle against polio in the 1950s. Frank DeFord joins us from Westport, Connecticut. Frank thanks for joining us. Tell our viewers in your own way what is going on right now.
FRANK DEFORD, SPORTS ANALYST: Oh, so much of this is history, Wolf. These sides have such ranker for one another. They mistrust one another, the players particularly continue to trust the owners even though many of those issue had been resolved years and years ago.
And so there's so much of this built up through the years encrusting this relationship that they never seem able to see right ahead. They never see the future. They never see the present and that's terribly, terribly sad.
BLITZER: These players are making a ton of money individually. The owners are making money. To the average fans out there, they simply don't understand what this is all about.
DEFORD: Well, I do think this, Wolf. I think that there is more sympathy, well sympathy perhaps is the wrong word, but there's more feeling against the players right now than I've ever felt in any of these situations before.
It's awfully hard to like owners, the very word kind of puts you off, but I think most people really feel now that it's the players' turn to turn back, and I think there's a reason for that, that most baseball fans are also basketball fans and football fans and so forth and they simply know that the NBA and the NFL work better for everybody than does Major League Baseball.
And I think they're simply saying, hey come on guys, make it the same. Give us, particularly in the small cities the same chances that small cities have in basketball and football. I think that kind of pressure the players don't feel yet. Maybe they will.
BLITZER: Frank, are both sides just posturing right now, or is there a real, real threat of a strike August 30th?
DEFORD: Well there's no doubt that setting a strike date is a tactic, but good lord, we're only two weeks away and so you got to take it in a very real fashion. Now there is, as you've already heard, that other date that looms just over the horizon, which is September 11th, and in many respects, September 11th may play more of an issue here than August 30th.
And also I think this, leaving aside the terribly raw emotions of the terrorist attack of September 11th is the issue of economy in this country right now, and an awful lot of people are out of work. An awful lot of people whose pensions have diminished greatly because of what's gone on, and I think that that's another pressure that's going to work against the players.
BLITZER: All right, Frank, standby for a moment because I want to bring you back and talk about another bit of baseball-related news, more controversy this time involving the Little Leagues. The issue this year again involves the team from New York City as the league begins play in its World Series.
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BLITZER (voice over): Little League Baseball is still as timeless as a sunny, Saturday afternoon, but lately those afternoons have been getting cloudy. This week, the team from Harlem in New York City found itself under investigation after a team defeated by Harlem lodged a protest claiming that three players on the Harlem team lived outside their neighborhood boundaries.
After a lengthy check of documents of family living arrangements, Little League officials determined the players do meet residency standards and cleared the Harlem team to play in the 16-team World Series. But the controversy over the Little League's rules is not going away.
RICK WOLFF, WFAN RADIO: If you looked at the stipulations and residency, you need a lawyer to go through the various loopholes, Wolf. Can a kid live here and stay with their guardian? How long do they have to stay there? Come on, let's make this simply and very straightforward with Little League so this never happens again.
BLITZER: Last year's team from the Bronx had to forfeit its third-place finish after its star pitcher Danny Almonte was discovered to be over age. Almonte's father and his sponsor were both banned from Little League for life. Almonte has moved on, now playing in an under 19 league. The kids will play on but the Little League, which was a celebration of the purity of youth sports now is taking on the look of the big leagues, complete with its cynicism and exploitation.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (on camera): Now let's continue our conversation with Frank DeFord, the sportswriter. Like fathers, like sons, is this getting crazy or what?
DEFORD: Well, I think it's a big difference from last year, Wolf. I mean that was out and out fraud and it was perpetrated not only by the families but the guy who ran the league. I mean it was a deep conspiracy.
This year, I think it's simply a matter of fuzziness, though as one of the gentlemen said there, for goodness sake they've had a year to get this squared away and you'd think they could get it done. I think, though, it's a situation that we saw for the best, that there was no overt case here of people trying to defraud the Little League and cheat and get in from a different district. So I think the best has come about.
BLITZER: But with these Little League games, these World Series of the Little Leagues being televised, there's a lot of money at stake right now. How much of a corrupting influence could that have on these little kids?
DEFORD: You know, Wolf, I think this is really to look at this it's not a question of comparing it to Major League Baseball. It's looking at all these youth sports. It's all of that same peace. We have so much corruption throughout our sports. I mean kids at the age of 11 and 12 are given money under the table to play for this team or to go and live in that district. We know that the recruiting scandals as we move along in high school there are all these championships now.
You open up a newspaper like "USA Today" and every day there's a posting of the new, the top 25 football teams, the top 25 softball teams. Do we really need this kind of national pressure on kids? I don't think so. I think it's enough to win your league or to win your section, to win your county. I think the problem is we're just making it too darn big for these kids.
BLITZER: Frank DeFord, as usual, thanks for joining us, always love having you on the show.
DEFORD: Delighted, thanks a lot, Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, and here's your chance to weigh in on this story. Our web question of the day is this: Who are you more sympathetic to, the baseball owners or the baseball players? You can also choose neither. Go to my web page cnn.com/wolf. That's where you can vote. While you're there, send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.
Let's move on to other news right now. Police are searching for a nine-year-old girl after discovering her parents shot to death in their Virginia home. CNN's Jeanne Meserve is joining us now from Bassett, Virginia in the southwestern part of the state, another sad story here, Jeanne.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Wolf and still no sign of young Jennifer Short despite a major investigation, a massive search, and national publicity. The nine-year-old was discovered missing on Thursday morning at the same time her parents' bodies were discovered. Her mother and father were discovered in separate parts of their home, each with a single bullet wound in their head.
Forensic teams today have still been going through the house looking for evidence. Investigators have not been telling us much about what they're finding because they don't want the perpetrators to know what the investigators know. They were, however, expecting autopsy results today. They hope that those will help create a timeline for exactly what happened in the early morning hours on Thursday.
In this community there is, of course, shock and horror. People are scared. We spoke to one local store owner who had spoken with Jennifer Short just a few hours before her apparent disappearance.
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LORAINE ST. CLAIR, FAMILY FRIEND: And I talked to the little girl and she's happy and I asked her if she's happy about going to school, and she said "oh yes, I'm pretty excited about going to school." She was dressed real cute and just smiling up a storm like always, nine-year-old, typical nine-year-old.
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MESERVE: Investigators have been talking with friends and relatives, also employees. We know one person they've been interviewing is the young man who worked for Michael Short. He is the man who discovered those bodies on Thursday morning, asking him about potential enemies that Mr. Short might have had in his business life. He ran a business that towed mobile homes.
Meanwhile, authorities are appealing to the public for help in finding this young girl, described as nine years old, 4'3" tall, and 58 pounds. They do not know, however, what she was wearing. At this time, there are no suspects.
There are no descriptions of a vehicle and they are at some disadvantage because there's a busy highway that runs in front of this house. They think that and the fact that the abductor or abductors may have had a head start could make their job quite difficult. Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: Jeanne Meserve on the scene, thank you very much, and despite some highly-publicized kidnappings this summer, U.S. child abductions have actually been trending down in recent years. The FBI says there were 62 child abductions through the end of June this year. That compares with 93 last year, 106 in 2000, and 134 in 1999.
The investigation in Virginia differs from the abduction cases we've covered, most of them at least, this summer, because in this case the child's parents have been killed. It's possible that could make it even harder for investigators to put together the pieces.
Captain K.G. Nester is joining us now from Henry County in Virginia. He's from the Sheriff's Office. He joins us once again from Bassett. Captain, first of all, have you done the autopsies on the parents yet, any more information from that?
CAPT. K.G. NESTER, HENRY CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT.: The only preliminary information being released is that it's been confirmed that both victims do have single gunshot wounds to the head. That was the previous information reported. Our urgency is still in trying to find Jennifer Renee Short.
Her whereabouts are not known at this hour. We've had an extensive search here in the immediate area; however it's extremely likely that the perpetrator or perpetrators have taken Jennifer swiftly away from the residence when the homicides occurred. If you live anywhere...
BLITZER: I was going to say, Captain, any motive that you suspect right now?
NESTER: The motive is unknown at this time. Limiting information has been released. We'd like to urge anyone in the U.S., if you've seen the pictures of Jennifer, think you've had a sighting of her, please do not hesitate to call. We'd like to also put a plea out that anyone who may have taken Jennifer Renee Short, if you have this young child please do the right thing and release Jennifer in a public area and in some way notify local law enforcement. We can find her and return her to her family. They're still optimistic, our investigators are, that we can hopefully try to locate Jennifer and that's our plea right now, Wolf.
BLITZER: Captain, is there any sign of a forced entry into the house of a struggle?
NESTER: Wolf, a lot of the particular details are not being released because we don't want the perpetrator to know what investigators know. We are confirming that both the male and the female, the parents, were shot and killed here at the residence and we presume that Jennifer, no one knows her whereabouts, and even though she was in the home at 7:00 p.m. to 12:00 midnight, the bodies were discovered and Jennifer discovered missing at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday.
BLITZER: Captain, let's hope the next time we speak Jennifer will be alive and well. We'll be hoping for the best and hoping that someone will pick up a phone, find the information you're looking for. Thanks for joining us.
NESTER: Thank you.
BLITZER: We'll continue to monitor this sad story as well.
NESTER: Thank you.
BLITZER: Thank you very much. When we come back, Saddam Hussein has a message for the United Nations about weapons inspectors. President Bush, meanwhile, has a message for Saddam Hussein, all that coming up. Plus, flood waters on the rise, hundreds of people dead. We'll take you there. West Nile on the move, we'll show you where and tell you if you need to be concerned.
And tears flowing like a river, we're going to Graceland to remember The King.
Jacqueline Kennedy and Princess Diana both married men who were older than them. What was the age difference, eight years, ten years, 12 years, 15 years? The answer coming up.
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BLITZER: More tough words today from President Bush on the Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Despite concern about the president's Iraqi policy from many Democrats and even some Republicans, the president minced no words today, vowing to do what's necessary to prevent Iraq from acquiring weapons of mass destruction, all this as the Iraqi leader fires his own new salvo in this war of words.
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BLITZER (voice over): Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is not giving up. In the latest twist in the continuing battle with United Nations weapons inspectors, his government says it's now ready to discuss practical arrangements for their return to Iraq. They've been absent for nearly four years, a period Bush administration officials say the Iraqis have used to secretly develop weapons of mass destruction. At his ranch in Crawford, Texas President Bush made the clear the Iraqi ruler must go one way or another.
BUSH: There should be no doubt in anybody's mind this man is thumbing his nose at the world, that he has gassed his own people, that he has trouble in his neighborhood, that he desires weapons of mass destruction.
BLITZER: Other Iraqi proposals in recent weeks to allow weapons inspectors back in have been rejected by President Bush and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan because of unacceptable Iraqi conditions. And even as Iraqi officials pursue their own diplomatic offensive against the United States, the government-controlled news media I Baghdad continues its own bluster.
This warning from the official Al-Iraq Newspaper: "The Iraqis are ready to engage in a war against the United States and are determined to teach the Americans a lesson they will never forget."
At the same time, the Iraqis appear to be getting ready for war. U.S. military sources tell CNN, Iraq has embarked on a program to dig in, building more fortifications to protect its aircraft, trucks, armored vehicles, missile launchers, and a wide variety of military equipment.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials apparently convinced a U.S. military strike against Iraq is inevitable, are openly warning that they won't stay on the sidelines if attacked by Iraqi missiles. Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer tells an Israeli newspaper: "We will be one of the main targets. What I told the American and I repeated, don't expect us to continue to live with the process of restraint. If they hit us, we reserve the right of response."
During the 1991 Persian Gulf War, the Israelis were pressured by the first President Bush to remain on the sidelines despite 39 Iraqi scud missile attacks. U.S. officials concede they are not likely to get that kind of restraint this time, and as a result they say they're unlikely even to ask for it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER (on camera): U.S. officials also hope the tough talk from the Israelis might even serve as a deterrent to Saddam Hussein's possible use of weapons of mass destruction.
The trial of the accused terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui is now on hold. A federal judge postponed the first criminal trial stemming from the September terrorist attacks earlier today. In changing the start date from October 15th to January 6th, the judge said she made the move after concluding the defense couldn't be ready by the fall. Moussaoui is a French citizen. He's representing himself against charges he conspired with the 19 suicide hijackers to commit terrorism. There's also new concern about the security of military computers after a security firm easily gained unauthorized access to some sensitive files. CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr is joining us now live from the Pentagon with details. Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, hello, yes the army has launched a criminal investigation into a California company that allegedly broke into army computers at Fort Hood, Texas. The company says it had a good reason that it wanted to show the army just how vulnerable it was. The company Forensictec, hacked into army computers containing unclassified but sensitive information such as Social Security numbers and other personnel data. The company said it was just trying to help the military when it accessed that computer network and showed that there was a need for more computer security measures.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRETT O'KEEFFE, FORENSICTEC SOLUTIONS: The quandary we are in, it was difficult for us but we felt it was our duty, obligation to come forward and tell them of their vulnerabilities in order to help them protect their systems.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: But the army says that is no defense and this company may have committed a very serious federal crime. They are going to look into it. Here's what the army had to say.
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COL. TED DMUCHOWSKI, DIR., INFORMATION INS. U.S. ARMY: They know they're not supposed to be in even though the door is open. It's not their property.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: And the army is now stepping up personal password protection on its computer systems and the systems that contain this personal kind of sensitive data, such as Social Security numbers and credit card numbers. And, of course, this is not a new problem for the military. The Pentagon is often a target of computer hackers. There are about 40,000 attempts every year to break into military computer systems and about 500 times a year the hackers are successful. Wolf.
BLITZER: That's scary. Barbara Starr, thank you very much for that report. Let's move on now. After slightly more than a year on the job, the head of the Immigration and Naturalization Service is announcing his resignation. In a letter to staffers, James Ziglar says he'll leave before the end of the year. The INS came under fire after September 11th but officials say Ziglar was not pressured to leave.
A historic flood on a continent of history, we'll go to Dresden and Prague when we come back. Two women, two different times with quite a bit in common, we'll talk to the author of "Diana and Jackie." And remembering The King, they're crying in the chapel and in the rain. We'll go to Graceland, come on.
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BLITZER: Welcome back to CNN. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
Coming up: An alarming forecast in this country for the West Nile Virus. But first, a look at some stories making news right now.
Pope John Paul II is on a closely watched homecoming to Poland. More than 10,000 people greeted the 82-year-old pope when he arrived in Krakow, where he was once archbishop. This is his ninth trip home since he became pope, and because of his frail condition, there's speculation it may be his last. John Paul II is believed to have Parkinson's disease, but the Vatican has never confirmed that.
You might remember this remarkable scene, last month's rescue of nine men who spent three days trapped in a Pennsylvania mine. A battle broke out afterward over the capsule that was used to pull out the miners. Two museums wanted it, but now the Smithsonian here in Washington is backing down and supporting the bid of a small mining history center near the Quecreek mine.
Anthrax tests are planned Sunday at two New Jersey postal facilities after spores were discovered inside a mailbox that feeds the centers. The box is among about 700 that were tested to figure out which ones were used in last year's anthrax attacks. The contaminated mailbox has been replaced. Postal officials say both facilities previously tested negative and are being re-tested as a precaution.
A dire prediction about the West Nile virus epidemic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Scientists there estimate there will be 1,000 human cases in the United States before mosquito season ends in the fall.
Our science correspondent, Ann Kellan, is joining us now from Atlanta with more.
Ann?
ANN KELLAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, those studying the spread of the West Nile virus are preparing for the worst. If this year's outbreak keeps pace with last year's cases, expect the spread to take off over the next three weeks. Every day the numbers seem to be changing, with more states and more cases reported. And it is moving west across the United States. Today's numbers from the CDC: 160 cases in humans and 9 deaths.
Experts wonder if human outbreaks will follow the path of animal outbreaks. Thirty-seven states plus D.C. have reported animals with West Nile, with a suspected case in Colorado. The virus is spread from animal to human, often when a bird infected with West Nile gets bit by a mosquito and the mosquito then bites a human. So experts are worrying that we'll be seeing more human cases in the coming days and weeks.
Areas where birds are infected -- which birds are to blame for the spread of this virus? Well, like humans, birds can carry the virus and not necessarily die from it or even get sick. So according to the Audubon Society, the virus that is known to kill crows more than any other bird species -- so we are tending to blame crows for the spread. That may not be the case.
Kevin McGallen (ph) at Cornell University thinks it's the migratory birds that don't die and head to Florida for the winter that are spreading it. They meet up with other birds from all over the country in the south. The mosquitoes bite them. They pass the virus from bird to bird. Then the bird heads home in the springtime, and the virus is then again in another state. That's one theory.
Also, this time of year, birds are not migrating yet, but most have finished reproducing, and a number of birds will wander as far as 500 to 1,000 miles, and that's another way this virus could be spreading.
Now, even states like California that don't have the virus yet are surveying mosquito populations every day. According to Tom Scott at UC Davis, while there are no mosquitoes with West Nile in California so far, he does expect it will happen, unfortunately, but he can't say when or where.
And that's why you are urged to take the precautions when you go outside, wear the DEET, long sleeves, and avoid going out at dusk, dawn and the early evening hours.
Wolf?
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Ann Kellan. That's why Dr. Julie Gerberding (ph) of the CDC says this is an epidemic facing the United States right now.
In a moment, the deadly floods in Europe. Also, the extraordinary parallels of Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana. We'll talk with the author of a new book.
And calling all bargain hunters: Lace up and let loose. The race is on at Filene's.
But first: It's not unusual to see teenagers hanging out at the mall. A retail chain that caters to all that teen traffic is on "Fortune" magazine's list of the fastest-growing companies.
ANNOUNCER: When you're hot, you're hot. Mall retailer Hot Topic thrives on its selection of edgy alternative apparel and accessories for teens. Now, whether you're look for body jewelry, studded belts or Osbourne family products, you'll find it here, not to mention the immense rock wall featuring T-shirts from the hippest bands.
Despite slow summer sales and a stock that has taken a hit recently, Hot Topic continues to open new stores across the country, including its Torrid (ph) stores for plus-sized teens. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: While much of the United States remains drought- stricken, Europe and other parts of the world are dealing with too much rain. The most disastrous flooding in Europe is occurring in Dresden, Germany, and Prague in the Czech Republic. We'll hear from CNN's Mike Hanna in Prague in just a moment, but first here's CNN Gaven Morris in Germany.
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GAVEN MORRIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Another night for the people of Dresden to try and hold the River Elbe at bay. Tomorrow, though, finally does bring some prospect that an end is in sight to the rising river levels.
Now, sometime tomorrow morning, they are expecting the river to peak at about 9.6 meters. Now, that is still a record high, almost a meter above the previous record set about 150 years ago. Tonight there is that relief, but it's not really helping for the people that are sandbagging, that are trying to keep the water still out of their property.
And as I said, it hasn't finished yet. The river will still rise for some hours yet. But at least the peak now is in sight, and that will bring some relief to the people of this embattled city.
It's not all over, though, for Germany. What happens now is all this water has to go somewhere, and where it goes is north. And there are many communities in the way that are now expecting flood peaks over the next few days.
Gaven Morris, CNN, Dresden, Germany.
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MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Clean-up operations are underway as the city of Prague struggles to return to normal (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: Unfortunately, we're having some troubles with Mike Hanna's report from Prague, where the rain and the flooding is intense, as well. We'll try to fix that, get back to him later.
Meanwhile, millions are homeless and struggling for survival against monsoon floods in the northeastern portions of India. A rain- swollen, surging has swallowed up entire villages, drowning hundreds of people. This summer's monsoon flooding has killed more than 900 in India, Bangladesh and Nepal.
China's state news agency says at least 28 people have perished and more many feared dead from monsoon-triggered landslides in southwest China. Twenty-six people are reported missing. And authorities in central Mexico report at least 11 deaths from flooding. Heavy rains caused two dams to burst and unleash flood waters over a number of villages yesterday. Two thousand people had to flee their homes. Officials warned that three other dams are in danger.
In Memphis, they've been linin' up and cryin' up a storm.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL ROWE (PH), FAN: He's gone! (UNINTELLIGIBLE) It's not fair!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're looking for Elvis fans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: OK, I hope they take it easy. They should know the king has been dead for 25 years. But it's still a very emotional time for many of Elvis's devoted followers.
From the king to two not-quite-queens. But the world still loved Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Princess Diana. A new book looks at their parallel lives. We will, as well. Stay with us.
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UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: And there the hearse carrying the body of Elvis Presley, which was such a powerhouse of movement on the stage, and now still by death, leaves Graceland mansion for the last time.
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BLITZER: That was the scene at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, as mourners attended the funeral of Elvis Presley a quarter of a century ago. The king of rock-and-roll died 25 years ago today. Fans are flocking to his Memphis home. Last night, 35,000 visitors paid their respects at Presley's gravesite.
CNN national correspondent Gary Tuchman was there, as well.
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GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They started lining up more than 24 hours before the candlelight vigil was scheduled to start. And Bill Rowe, an Elvis Presley fan from Dayton, Ohio, was first in line.
(on camera): Are you tired?
BILL ROWE: Tired, yeah, but delightfully so because this is, as they say, a labor of love on our part.
TUCHMAN (voice-over): Night fell, a monsoon-like rain started falling, but the crowd built up, people waiting to pay homage to the king of rock-and-roll on the 25th anniversary of his death.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're looking for Elvis fans. Have we come to the right place?
CROWD: Yeah!
TUCHMAN: They played Elvis songs over the loudspeaker, and then the fans were allowed in in a single-file line. They came with their families, in their wheelchairs, with their oxygen tanks, for the solemn procession to Elvis's gravesite behind Graceland. Bill Rowe led the way, and he was ultimately followed by tens of thousands of others.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It made me a part of a big, entire group of people who love one person, and that's very moving.
TUCHMAN: The king's music played continuously as his fans walked past the gravesites of Elvis, his parents and his grandmother. It was emotionally difficult for many, even for those who have no memories of Elvis when he was alive.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just doesn't seem like it's been 25 years.
TUCHMAN: That was a common sentiment. Just where have all the years gone? As the hours went by, the rains started getting heavier, but the crowds continued to stream in, more evidence that while the king is gone, his fans' passion is not.
The first man in line, Bill Rowe, paid homage to his hero by putting flowers on the gravesite, but the experience overwhelmed him.
BILL ROWE: He's gone! He's not coming back! It's not fair! Somebody who gives everybody so much has to go so young! It's just not fair!
TUCHMAN: Elvis Presley would have been 67 years old.
Gary Tuchman, CNN, Memphis, Tennessee.
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BLITZER: They love the king at Graceland.
They were two women a generation apart, but they captured the hearts of millions and held them even through tragic times. The parallel lives of Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Princess Diana are drawn out in a newly released book. I'll speak to the author just ahead.
But first, an encore from the king.
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BLITZER: Jacqueline Kennedy and Princess Diana both married who were older than them. Earlier we asked, "What was the age difference between these women and their husbands." The answer, 12 years.
They were both icons of the 20th century, but my next guest says Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Princess Diana had much more in common. Jay Mulvaney is the author of the new book, "Diana and Jackie: Maidens, Mothers and Myths." He joins us from Albany, New York.
Jay, thanks for joining us. All right, briefly tell us what else they had in common besides being very beautiful women.
JAY MULVANEY, AUTHOR, "DIANA AND JACKIE": Well, you know, on one hand, it's easy to see the similarities. They were beautiful women. They had cheating husbands. They were good mothers. But if you look a little bit deeper, they were both children of really acrimonious divorce. Not only were their husbands 12 years older than them, but they were guys who needed trophy brides to succeed at their jobs, and they married into these really sort of tub-thumping families who tried to suppress the individual for the common family goal, and they both rebelled within their official roles, and both changed dynasties.
BLITZER: You write in your book -- and I'll read a passage from it. You say, "Diana loved the adulation, and when it slipped away, her life became one of one increasingly frantic attempt after another to regain it. Jackie, at best, was bemused by her celebrity and used it only when it suited her purposes."
Obviously, some differences there.
MULVANEY: There are big differences, and I think that comes from -- Jackie had a very strong bond with her father. Her father adored her. Diana was a disappointment when she was born. Her father needed and expected to have a male son to inherit his land and title. So Jackie grew up very secure in who she was. Diana had no idea of who she was and tried to recreate that with sort of mass adulation and got really frantic when it slipped away from her.
BLITZER: Another -- do you want to give us another example of their differences?
MULVANEY: Well, Jackie was really superbly educated and well- prepared to step up to the world stage. Diana was, in all effect, a high school drop-out. She didn't complete any of her high school finals in the English education system. She relied on her instinct rather than any kind of intellect, and she did a good job at that. But primarily, though, Jackie, who was an American, behaved with that very English stiff upper lip -- never complained, never explained. Diana was -- who was British, was the American quivering lower lip, going on TV and telling everybody everything.
BLITZER: Among other things, you write this fascinating passage. "As Diana's marriage began to unravel in the late 1980s, Jackie's admiration for Diana turned to sympathy. The sympathy that Jackie felt for Diana turned to disapproval when it became clear that Diana was using the press to fight her battles with Charles."
What does that mean?
MULVANEY: Well, Jackie went through the same thing that Diana went through, a husband who was unfaithful to her -- blatantly so. But Jackie kept a lot of restraint and kept her own counsel and didn't really make a scene out of it for the sake of her children. And I think she lost sympathy for Diana when Diana went public about this because there was -- there's very little ways that you can think that that would be beneficial for William and Harry to have their mother go on TV and say, "I've committed adultery," and their father go on TV and say "I've committed adultery. Jackie kept all that very discrete and very quiet.
BLITZER: Two fascinating women, very important look. Jay Mulvaney, the author of "Jackie and Diana," thanks for joining us.
Let's go to New York now and get a preview of "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE," which begins right at the top of the hour. Jan Hopkins is filling in for Lou tonight.
Jan?
JAN HOPKINS, GUEST HOST: Thanks, Wolf. Coming up on "MONEYLINE": Rising flood waters in Dresden, Germany, force thousands to flee their homes. We'll have a live report. We'll also take a look at the number of missing children abducted by strangers this year -- a special report. And in tonight's "Editors' Circle," we'll discuss the week on Wall Street with Jim Ellis of "BusinessWeek" and Bill Baldwin of "Forbes."
All that and a lot more ahead on "MONEYLINE." Please join us.
Back to you, Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you very much, Jan.
The suspense is building. Time is running out for our question of the day: Who are you more sympathetic to, the baseball owners, the players, neither?
The results when we come back.
Also, in our picture of the day -- look at this! -- a shopaholic stampede. We'll tell you what it's about.
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BLITZER: We have two pictures of the day, and they're both about shopping. First to Boston, where Filene's Basement is having its bridal gown sale. With gowns originally priced as high as $4,800 going for -- get this -- $249, you didn't want to get between the brides and their bargains. I don't want to get between them.
Then, there's an even bigger sale in the southeast, the world's largest yard sale, stretching along a 450-mile route from Alabama to Kentucky. Boosters say just about anything you can think of you can buy there. I'm not going there, though.
Now, here's how you're weighing in on our Web question of the day. I'm not very surprised by the results. "Who are you more sympathetic to, the owners, the baseball players or neither? Look at this. Seventeen percent of you say the owners, five percent the players. But look, seventy-nine percent of you say "A plague on both their houses" -- neither. Remember, this is not a scientific poll. Time also to hear directly from you, our e-mails on the possibility of war with Iraq. Jenny writes this. "My daughter is proudly serving our country in the U.S. Air Force. She is in Afghanistan, and I worry about her daily. If Iraq is such a threat, then George W. Bush's daughters should be wearing fatigues, washing their socks by hand in the desert, ready to sacrifice their lives for Daddy's war."
From Janean on the anniversary of the king's death: "Isn't it nice to forget these terrible times and go back to an era when we saw a less fortunate man rise to his dream. Elvis Presley lived the American dream. We love you, Elvis! Long live the king!"
Finally, this nice note from a woman who describes herself as Ms. Brown: "Thanks to Wolf for being candid and being himself. It is nice to see a man so secure in himself that there is no need for dyed hair, excessive make-up or storefront teeth. His naturalness makes him CNN's" -- get this -- "sexiest anchor."
Thank you very much, the anonymous Ms. Brown, from Canada, I believe. Thanks for that nice note. I think it's a nice note.
That's all the time we have today. I'll see you Sunday on Late Edition, the last word in Sunday talk. Among my guests, Senators Dick Durbin and Chuck Hagel. The focus: Is the U.S. going to war against Iraq? That's Sunday at noon Eastern.
Until then, thanks very much for watching. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Have a great weekend. "LOU DOBBS MONEYLINE" begins right now.
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