Live Blog from the Anchor Desk 8/13/08
For what’s in the program take a look at tonight’s Evening Buzz.
For what’s going on during the commercials check out our new webcast.
And you’ll still be able to see Anderson and Erica on our live web camera from the 360° studio.
We’ll start posting comments to this blog at 10p ET and stop at 11p ET.
Evening Buzz: Peace Wanted
Maureen Miller
AC360° Writer
Cease-fire? It seems that's not the reality in Georgia, the former Soviet Union republic. There are reports that Russian tanks and troops are still on the move in Georgia tonight. U.S. officials say Russia probably has at least 15,000 troops in the region. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice spoke out on the crisis earlier today saying the military action by Russia "must stop, and must stop now." Rice added, "This is not 1968 and the invasion of Czechoslovakia where Russia can threaten its neighbors, occupy a capital, overthrow a government and get away with it. Things have changed." Rice spoke after President Bush announced U.S. aircraft and ships would deliver humanitarian aid to the civilians caught in the middle of the fighting. President Bush said, "We expect Russia to meet its commitment to cease all military activities in Georgia, and we expect all Russian forces that entered Georgia in recent days to withdraw." Some tough talk during a tense situation. Do you think the U.S. is doing enough to stop this showdown? Tell us what you think.
Also tonight, attacking Barack Obama. The same author who went after John Kerry's swift boat military record four years ago is zeroing in on this year's presumptive democratic nominee. He says his goal is to "defeat Obama." But is he telling lies? We'll be breaking it down for you.
And, is the Chinese women's gymnastic team breaking the age rule? They won a gold medal last night in the team competition. Team U.S.A. earned silver. The official line from China is that everyone on its team turns 16 this year. That's the Olympics rule. But they are tiny. The smallest member of the team weighs just 68 pounds and stands four-foot-six inches. 360's Randi Kaye is keeping them honest.
All that and more tonight on 360°.
Hope you'll join us!
Tomorrow Buzz: the latest from Mars
Lisa Ort
AC360° Producer
Here’s a look at some of the stories on our radar for tomorrow:
RAW POLITICS: Sen. John McCain is spending the day in Colorado. Sen. Obama is on vacation in Hawaii.
RENT-A-PATIENT CASE: Hearings are scheduled for Andrew Harnen and Roy Dickson, accused of being part of a scheme that recruited healthy people to have surgeries for money.
CRANE COLLAPSE HEARING: Building Inspector Edward Marquette is accused of falsifying business records. Marquette allegedly faked an inspection of a crane that collapsed days later, killing seven people.
NORTHEAST BLACKOUT ANNIVERSARY: Five years ago, a massive power blackout hit the Northeast just after 4 p.m. EDT, cutting electricity to Northeast North America, leaving nearly 50 million people without power.
ANIMAL RIGHTS 2008 NATIONAL CONFERENCE: The Farm Animal Rights Movement sponsors this major animal rights conference which begins in Washington DC. Heather Mills will be speaking.
BAKASSI PENINSULA TO BE HANDED OVER TO CAMEROON: Nigeria is scheduled to hand over the oil rich Bakassi peninsula to Cameroon by this date in accordance with a World Court ruling over the disputed territory.
AHMADINEJAD VISIT: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to meet with Turkish President Abdullah Gul to discuss Iran’s nuclear program.
INTERNATIONAL MARS SOCIETY CONVENTION: It begins in Bolder, CO and according to the organization it’s “your chance to hear the latest news and research from Mars.”
Newsflash: AC360 is beefing up the online menu
Erica Hill
AC360° Correspondent
Starting tonight, a little something extra during some of the commercial breaks.
A few of you have seen us silently practicing our new webcast via the studio webcam. Tonight, get ready for the real thing!
What will you get on this snazzy new webcast? Unprecedented access. We're taking you behind the scenes to show you what really happens when the camera lights go off. We'll let you in on all kinds of inside scoop, like our lingo, how scripts are written, how we watch video on our desktops, and who all the invaluable people are in the studio every night.
We may even talk to a guest or two during the break. Yes, AC is along for the ride, too.
We'll see you at 10 – on TV AND online!
ACCESS THE BEHIND THE SCENES WEBCAST between 10p and 11p ET
Commentary: Russian crisis a McCain opportunity, Obama risk
Leslie Sanchez
AC360° Contributor
GOP Strategist
Despite the best work of political handlers and advertising pros in presidential elections, people's perceptions are often shaped by impressions formed by events that are completely out of the campaigns' control.
Such was the case just before midnight on August 20, 1968, when Soviet troops marched through Prague, putting a sudden and brutal end to the Czechoslovakian communist reform movement that was known, all too briefly, as the "Prague Spring." Seventy-eight days later, Americans gave Richard Nixon an Electoral College margin of 110 votes.
Forty years later, Russian tanks are rolling once more over their neighbors, and the images that are shaping Americans' lasting perceptions are of a president playing in the sand with the women's beach volleyball team and the presumptive Democratic nominee alternately walking along Kailua Beach and playing golf in Hawaii.
Erica’s News Note: Prepare for an eyebrow raise… or two
Program Note: Reports are surfacing saying some of the Chinese gymnasts may be under age... at least two of the Chinese gymnasts might in fact be 14, two years younger than the Olympic minimum. Watch Randi Kaye's report tonight on 360°.
Erica Hill
AC360° Correspondent
Today’s soldiers don’t travel lightly into war, but I never would have thought they, too, would be hit with these pricey new baggage fees at the airport. If I’m overloading on shoes, I get it - go ahead and charge me $50. But making troops traveling on orders pay $50 or more for the gear they need to stay alive seems wrong. Not all airlines are enforcing the new charges to military personnel, but the very idea of it really makes you think.
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In case you haven’t noticed, I love watching the Olympics. Last night when I got home, it was all swimming and gymnastics – lots of joy and a little heartache, too. The strength, grace and determination of these young women – most of them in their teens – never fails to awe and inspire me.
FULL POST
Beat 360° 08/13/08
Ready for today's Beat 360°?
Everyday we post a picture – and you provide the caption and our staff will join in too.
Tune in every night at 10p ET to see if you are our favorite!
Here is our 'Beat 360°’ pic of the day:
US swimmer Michael Phelps waits for the start of the men's 200m butterfly swimming final at the National Aquatics Center during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 13, 2008.
Have fun with it. We're looking forward to your captions!
Make sure to include your name, city, state (or country) so we can post your comment.
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But wait!… There’s more!
When you win ‘Beat 360°’ not only do you get on-air prime-time name recognition (complete with bragging rights over all your friends, family, and jealous competitors), but you get a “I Won the Beat 360° Challenge” T-shirt!
Good luck to all!
McCain: Georgia conflict won't 're-ignite the Cold War'
Peter Hamby
CNN Political Producer
John McCain came out in support of President Bush’s decision Wednesday to dispatch U.S. aircraft with humanitarian aid to Georgia and to send Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice there to demonstrate America’s “unwavering support” for the country.
And despite some recent tough talk towards Russia that has drawn criticism from Barack Obama's campaign, McCain also said he did not think the Russia-Georgia conflict would “re-ignite the Cold War."
"I don't think it means we're going to reignite the Cold War, and I don't think that we're going to have kind of situation," he said at a fundraiser in Michigan, “but I do believe that we need to stand as courageously as we can on behalf of this little country.”
Bush said in a Rose Garden statement that Russia must halt all military operations in Georgia and withdraw troops from the country, while allowing international aid into the region.
The truth about Caylee
Gabriel Falcon
AC360° writer
It’s the unspoken and the whispered, the off-the-record comments some investigators are telling reporters. It’s the gut feeling strangers and the concerned following the story from around the country feel in the pit of their stomachs. But it’s no so much what many think might have happened to the little girl. It’s the fear.
Her grandparents believe Caylee is most likely the victim of a kidnapping, possibly abducted over money Caylee’s mother, Casey, could have owed to someone. Earlier this week, AC360's Randi Kaye said the family expected good news to come, perhaps as early as this week. We hope they are right. And people are praying they are right.
FULL POST
Meghan McCain's Blog; Not What You Think
Program Note: She’s candid, freewheeling, interesting, and maybe sometimes a bit too blunt. We go on the trail with John McCain’s 23-year-old daughter, Meghan. Watch Gary Tuchman's report Thursday, 10p ET
Gary Tuchman
AC360° Correspondent
John McCain can be described in many ways. Hip is not one of them.
But his 23-year-old daughter is a different story. Meghan McCain is out on the campaign trail with her father. And she is chronicling her campaign adventures with her eye on people more likely to watch American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance than one of her father’s campaign events.
Meghan has created a blog called mccainbloggette.com in which she offers a unique, unusual, and close-up look at her dad’s campaign and what takes place around it. She doesn’t talk about policy.
FULL POST
Go behind the scenes: AC361°
Gumby celebrates Isha Sesay's birthday
Anderson Cooper's birthday surprise
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