The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

RAY SUAREZ: Good evening. I'm Ray Suarez. Jim Lehrer is on vacation. On the NewsHour tonight, the news of the day; Liberia cheers the first contingent of peacekeepers; more controversy on the Episcopal Church's first openly gay candidate for bishop; and new terrorist threats prompt a new debate on the safety of our skies.

NEWS SUMMARY

RAY SUAREZ: Nigerian peacekeeping troops arrived in Liberia's capital today, hoping to end 14 years of factional fighting. The Nigerians are the vanguard of a West African force that will number about 3,200. The troops were greeted in Monrovia by jubilant crowds chanting, "no more war, we want peace." On Sunday, two U.S. warships carrying marines arrived off the Liberian coast. They're ready to support the peacekeepers, but it's still unclear if the marines will actually go ashore. We'll have more on all this in a moment. U.S. forces in Iraq staged new raids over the weekend aimed at finding Saddam Hussein and key supporters. Last night, some 300 U.S. Soldiers fanned out at four sites on the outskirts of Tikrit, Saddam's hometown. A military spokesman said the operation narrowly missed finding several former allies of Saddam.

LT. COL. STEVE RUSSELL: You could look at, okay, you are drilling for oil and you're upset that you don't get a gusher every time, but the reality is we have been able to hurt the regime, and he is a desperate, losing foe, and each day we press forward, his fate is sealed.

RAY SUAREZ: Hours later, one of the targets of the Sunday night raid surrendered to U.S. forces in Tikrit. And the military said a special task force captured two "high- profile" targets on Saturday in the same area. There were no other details. France called again today for a new U.N. resolution on rebuilding Iraq. The French defense minister said otherwise her government will not take part in that effort. She also said the U.S. would have to ask France for its help. Over the weekend, a spokesman for President Bush said a new U.N. resolution was unnecessary. An audiotape believed to be the voice of Osama bin Laden's top deputy surfaced over the weekend. In it, Ayman al-Zawahri warned: "America will pay dearly for any harm done to any of the Muslim prisoners it is holding at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba." U.S. officials have already alerted airlines that al-Qaida might try more suicide hijackings. As a result, many traveling foreigners through the U.S., En route to another country, will have to have visas from now on. We'll have more on this later in the program. Iran today denied seeking a prisoner swap with the U.S. On Sunday, the "New York Times" reported Tehran offered to hand over top al-Qaida members for Iranian opposition figures now in U.S. Custody in Iraq. Today the Iranian government rejected the report. It said it cannot transfer al-Qaida members to U.S. control because the two nations have no extradition treaty. Iran is reportedly in the "late stages" of building a nuclear bomb. That word came today in the Los Angeles Times, based on its own three-month investigation. The paper found Iran received technology and scientific help from several countries. As a result, the Times said Iran was "much closer to producing an atomic bomb than Iraq ever was." In Washington, State Department spokesman Philip Reeker warned that's unacceptable.

PHILIP REEKER: Tehran's clandestine nuclear program represents a serious challenge to regional stability and, frankly, to the entire national community and the global nonproliferation regime. We have been committed to using all available tools to stop Iran's nuclear weapons program. I think President Bush has made it quite clear that the international community cannot allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapons capability.

RAY SUAREZ: The LA Times report said it's unclear how soon Iran might be ready to build a bomb, or whether the government has made a final decision to proceed. Leaders of the U.S. Episcopal Church delayed a vote today to ordain their first openly gay bishop, the Reverend Gene Robinson. The delay came after he was accused of involvement in pornography and misconduct in an email from a Vermont man. A church spokesman said the email was sent to Episcopal bishops meeting in Minneapolis.

JAMES SOLHEIM: There are two separate issues. One is that a web site that he helped create has somehow links to-- two, three links away-- to porn sites. Separately is the charge of an individual of inappropriate behavior in the past against you.

RAY SUAREZ: As a result, the church's presiding bishop said there would be a thorough investigation. It was unclear if that could be completed before the national convention ends later this week. We'll have more on this later in the program. California Governor Gray Davis asked the state supreme court today to delay his recall election. It's scheduled for October 7, but Davis wants it held March 2, 2004, the day of the state's presidential primary. Davis also asked the court to let him join the list of candidates seeking to replace him. Under current state law, the person being recalled is barred from that list. One of the U.S. Senate's senior Democrats announced today he's retiring. Senator Ernest "Fritz" Hollings of South Carolina said he would not seek reelection next year. Hollings is 81 years old. He was first elected in 1966 and has served seven terms. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984. U.S. manufacturing is showing signs of life. The Commerce Department reported today that factory orders rose 1.7 percent in June. It was the largest increase in three months. On Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 32 points to close at 9186. The NASDAQ fell 1.5 points to close at 1714. That's it for the News Summary tonight. Now it's on to a peacekeeping mission in Liberia; Episcopalians debate a gay bishop; airline security; and a story about the changing face of Major League Baseball.

FOCUS - PEACE MISSION

RAY SUAREZ: The first peacekeepers land in Liberia. Kwame Holman begins our report with some background.

KWAME HOLMAN: There was a hero's welcome for the first group of Nigerian peacekeepers on Liberian soil.

(Crowd singing )

KWAME HOLMAN: The troops represent a regional group known by the acronym ECOWAS, the Economic Community Of West African States. Eventually, the contingent is to be 3,200 strong, and replaced by U.N. peacekeepers this fall. Today's mission: To safeguard the airport outside the capital, Monrovia.

COL. TEHEOPHILUS TAWISH: The group who has just come in is waiting for the next wave. You know, the first group has to secure the ground before they ask the next wave to come in. (Gunfire)

KWAME HOLMAN: Forty minutes away, Monrovia continues under siege. In a daily ritual, civilians scurried to avoid the crossfire of rebel troops and government forces. In another part of town, residents conducted a mass burial, bidding farewell to 66 loved ones. The last two months of fighting have killed more than 1,000 civilians. The violence comes amid new reports of a possible departure of President Charles Taylor. Under broad international pressure to step down, Taylor told reporters Saturday he'd leave office on August 11, a week from today.

SPOKESMAN: Sir, you've just had this meeting with ECOWAS leaders. Are you truly leaving on Thursday -- because there's a lot of doubt?

CHARLES TAYLOR: At 11:59 A.M. on Monday, I will step down, and the new guy must be sworn in by midday on that Monday.

SPOKESMAN: I want you to clarify that for us.

CHARLES TAYLOR: Well, no, wait a minute. The most important thing is that everything we've said about resigning and leaving will happen.

KWAME HOLMAN: Taylor has promised to leave before. This time, as in the past, he has set conditions. Taylor calls for outside military forces sufficient to keep the peace, and for the U.N. War Crimes Tribunal in Sierra Leone to drop the indictment brought against him in June. Taylor has been offered refuge in Nigeria. The U.N. and human rights groups blame Taylor for much of West Africa's instability. An estimated 100,000 Liberians have been killed since 1989. That's when Taylor, then a rebel leader himself, took up arms against the Liberian government. He assumed the presidency in 1997. Two years later, the latest civil war broke out. Taylor's war crimes indictment alleges links to guerrilla fighters in Sierra Leone, a group known for amputating the limbs of its detractors. Today in Liberia, the two rebel groups control some 80 percent of the country. One is closing in on Monrovia. In the capital two weeks ago, a mortar round killed dozens of Liberians, prompting a demonstration at the U.S. Embassy using bodies of the dead.

MAN: America spends a lot of money for Saddam Hussein to be arrested. In Liberia we are dying, day and night, and they can't come here and help. They can't even send some more money here for us.

KWAME HOLMAN: Many Liberians note their country was founded in the early 1800s by freed American slaves. In recent days, the U.S. pledged $10 million to help lessen the humanitarian crisis in Liberia of poor sanitation and attendant disease. Relief supplies are stuck at the key port controlled by the rebels. Some 2,300 U.S. Marines aboard the U.S.S. "Iwo Jima" and two other warships shortly will be off Liberia's coast. President Bush has said any deployment would be only in support of ECOWAS peacekeepers.

RAY SUAREZ: For more on the situation in Liberia we get two views. Jacques Paul Klein is the United Nations' special representative for Liberia. He has been very involved in brokering the introduction of peacekeeping forces into Liberia. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the leader of Liberia's opposition Unity Party, and has been representing her party at ongoing peace talks in Ghana. She came in second to Charles Taylor in Liberia's 1997 presidential elections. Welcome to you both.

JACQUES PAUL KLEIN: Thank you.

RAY SUAREZ: We saw jubilation over the arrival of Nigeria troops in the Liberian capital. What is their assignment and what are the rules of engagement?

JACQUES PAUL KLEIN: Well, first of all, we're greatly encouraged tat they are arriving. And I must say it's only through the personal good office of the Secretary General, Kofi Annan and President Obasanjo of Nigeria that this actually came about, because what you're doing here you're actually taking a Nigeria battalion, which was a U.N. battalion in Sierra Leone, and airlifting it in with U.N. aircraft to Liberia. We're also bringing a second battalion from Nigeria itself, so within the next three weeks, you'll see two battalions arriving, and then subsequently you're also holding that Mali and Senegal and Ghana will also be providing troops. The key thing is security. Stop the killing, stop the carnage, and allow us to open the port and begin the humanitarian assistance that is so desperately needed in Liberia.

RAY SUAREZ: As has happened so many times, the fighting has gone up today. There hasn't been a lull. Is there a peace to keep or will Nigerian forces haveto actually fight to make the fighting stop?

ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF: I think President Obasanjo and the leadership of ECOWAS made it very clear that when they land should they find opposition, they will deal with the opposition accordingly. The key thing first of all is to secure Roberts Field. That is the entry point for humanitarian assistance as well as other aids, and goods and services that we will need to bring in. But I think if there is resistance... you have to remember, this is not a command and control structure. This is not a professional military operation that we're dealing with. It's young children, misled, given false stories, false promises, armed with weapons, shooting at random, killing indiscriminately, so you can't even say there's a structured military force that you are dealing with. It's a hit or miss operation.

ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF: Let me add to this that, indeed, Jack is correct. The first order of business is to secure the entry points into the country -- that is the airfield and the seaport -- to make sure assistance can come in and to make sure that all the armed groups stop getting arms through those entry points. But we also would like to see in accordance with the comprehensive peace plan that is now being negotiated -- that the peacekeeping forces will see the cease-fire is respected. It has been violated but we do believe the forces are in there and they have the requisite support from the U.S. troops offshore, but all the parties will respect a cease-fire agreement, and under a robust Chapter Seven mandate, if they do try to violate it, they'll be dealt with very seriously.

RAY SUAREZ: You've been involved directly in the talks in Ghana. Are the politicians doing the talking, doing the dealing there in intimate enough contact with forces in the field so that they can actually make these forces stand down if an agreement is reached around the peace table?

ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF: We have the political parties represented. We also have representatives from the different belligerent forces-- that is, the government and the two rebel groups. They do try to stay in touch with their troops, but some of the main leaders are not necessarily in -- they are in other places closer to their troops. There are times when they think communication, particularly as regards of serving the cease- fire that was broken, that communication did break down between what are essentially the political leaders in ACCRA and the military leaders that are actually on the front line.

RAY SUAREZ: Now, Mr. Klein talked about other African countries coming in to join the Nigerians. Why is that necessary? Why is that preferable to having the biggest and strongest country in that region do all the heavy lifting?

ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF: In the Liberian experience, that while we welcome troops from our regional country, that we would like to see diversity in those troops. Some of the countries in the sub-region have been involved in one way or another in the conflict, and so we think just making sure that we have people from other places will just enhance the overall capability, neutrality and objectivity of the troops. But the troops from Nigeria and other places are very welcome. They have saved Liberian lives before, and we expect they'll do it again. But we also expect that will be supplemented by forces, not only in Africa, but, you know, there's a strong call for the U.S. to come in and to come in strongly, not only for the historical relationship we have had, but also because we believe the stability of West Africa is paramount if the U.S. will continue to enjoy the natural resources from the countries, including Nigeria, that if we do not bring the epicenter of Liberia to the conflict to heal and we do not deal with it, that the entire sub-region can remain unstable, and that this has adverse consequences for the United States.

JACQUES PAUL KLEIN: Let me pick up on that because first of all, I think we need to compliment the woman here, who has shown extreme courage under the most difficult circumstances and an opposition leader to Taylor -- one of the few strong voices. She was actually jailed for her opposition. So I admire her for that and I look forward to working with her in the future. But I think Liberia is not well-understood in a sense. Let me put it to you this way: Liberia has a capital named after an American president, a seaport named after an American president. It is a country that declared war on the axis powers in 1942 at the United States' request. Roberts Field was built so that aircraft flying from the United States to Brazil to Roberts Field to England could fight World War II. Then when the Japanese were over in Southeast Asia and the rubber plantations were gone, it is the rubber plantations in Liberia that supplied them the rubber for the vehicles that we used in Western Europe - that this a major Voice of America broadcasting site during the 50s -- that Liberia has been consistently, when asked by the United States, been extremely forthcoming, as a small country. Now is the time for us to not turn our back on not only what has been a friend but an ally in very critical circumstances in our own history. And I think the French have demonstrated in Cote D'ivoire and the British in Sierra Leone that quick action by the international community without delay really prevents a much more dangerous situation from evolving.

RAY SUAREZ: The United States has stepped forward to perform a logistical role here. They are offshore. They have promised whatever support the troops on the ground need. Can the African force, as you sketched it out earlier in the discussion, do it without a more active United States presence?

JACQUES PAUL KLEIN: I'm not sure they have the logistic capability. We have to fly them in. We're providing - the United States, as you said, is providing almost $20 million to assist. Now we're looking at an --

RAY SUAREZ: What you say we you're talking about the United Nations.

JACQUES PAUL KLEIN: Exactly. The United States is doing its part. The $20 million; there are assessment teams on the ground trying to help support ECOWAS in what you and I would call the planning process. But what's important is we're only looking at an interim phase here. We're looking at a multinational phase for a month or two. Then we hope to go in, do an assessment that will actually determine for us what state of health Liberia is in, educational system, the whole panoply of things that need to be done. Then we would go to the Security Council, ask for a Security Council resolution and then set up a U.N. mission sometime in the November timeframe, so this is an interim stage. What we need now, however, is security, stability to allow the humanitarian aid to flow. Now, if the ECOWAS can secure the city, perhaps we could see the Americans in the port and to use that port as the entry point for humanitarian assistance that is desperately needed.

RAY SUAREZ: This is not the first time the world has been here. ECOWAS troops intervened in 1998. In previous times, why did the peacekeeping not work? Why did things fall apart again?

ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF: Because enough attention was not paid to the political dimension of the settlement of the crisis. And we hope this time it will be different. While it might be easy with the right number of troops and the right kind of power to bring the military adventurism under control, unless you have a political transition that involves, you know, a group of people that are committed to development of their country, in effect winning the peace after winning the war, unless you have people with credibility and competence to set that nation on course, to reverse its long history of failing to meet the challenges of development, unless we can get that political transition right, we might find the country in trouble again. Frankly we have been trying to urge the U.S. not only to do something about the military presence because they have been welcomed by all the parties, but also because we think they know Liberia best. They have been a friend. They ought to make a stronger leadership role n ACCRA and those related thereto and see to it that we get people in there to start to address the needs of the country to make sure we get the kind of peace stability that will ensure accelerated development.

RAY SUAREZ: So very, very briefly, this time we're looking at a longer commitment?

JACQUES PAUL KLEIN: First of all, I think the weakness before, and she alluded to it, there was a very weak mandate. We need a strong mandate. We need to be able to demilitarize, demobilize. No one has weapons here anymore until we rebuild an army, rebuild a police force that's credible and democratic - that you have a technocratic government for a while -- Liberia has not had a census in over 30 years. We need them to register political parties, build a grassroots process, our political parties, and then have an election in two years. But the key thing is the very strong mandate because Taylor is the problem. Liberia is the key to West Africa. If we don't stabilize Liberia, the chances of a spill-over into Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Cote D'ivoire is very much there, and then all the good work that has been done in the region - it becomes undermined again.

RAY SUAREZ: Guests, thank you both very much.

JACQUES PAUL KLEIN: Thank you.

RAY SUAREZ: For more on the situation in Liberia we get two views. Jacques Paul Klein is the United Nations' special representative for Liberia. He has been very involved in brokering the introduction of peacekeeping forces into Liberia. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is the leader of Liberia's opposition Unity Party, and has been representing her party at ongoing peace talks in Ghana. She came in second to Charles Taylor in Liberia's 1997 presidential elections. Welcome to you both.

JACQUES PAUL KLEIN: Thank you.

RAY SUAREZ: We saw jubilation over the arrival of Nigeria troops in the Liberian capital. What is their assignment and what are the rules of engagement?

JACQUES PAUL KLEIN: Well, first of all, we're greatly encouraged tat they are arriving. And I must say it's only through the personal good office of the Secretary General, Kofi Annan and President Obasanjo of Nigeria that this actually came about, because what you're doing here you're actually taking a Nigeria battalion, which was a U.N. battalion in Sierra Leone, and airlifting it in with U.N. aircraft to Liberia. We're also bringing a second battalion from Nigeria itself, so within the next three weeks, you'll see two battalions arriving, and then subsequently you're also holding that Mali and Senegal and Ghana will also be providing troops. The key thing is security. Stop the killing, stop the carnage, and allow us to open the port and begin the humanitarian assistance that is so desperately needed in Liberia.

RAY SUAREZ: As has happened so many times, the fighting has gone up today. There hasn't been a lull. Is there a peace to keep or will Nigerian forces have to actually fight to make the fighting stop?

ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF: I think President Obasanjo and the leadership of ECOWAS made it very clear that when they land should they find opposition, they will deal with the opposition accordingly. The key thing first of all is to secure Roberts Field. That is the entry point for humanitarian assistance as well as other aids, and goods and services that we will need to bring in. But I think if there is resistance... you have to remember, this is not a command and control structure. This is not a professional military operation that we're dealing with. It's young children, misled, given false stories, false promises, armed with weapons, shooting at random, killing indiscriminately, so you can't even say there's a structured military force that you are dealing with. It's a hit or miss operation.

ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF: Let me add to this that, indeed, Jack is correct. The first order of business is to secure the entry points into the country -- that is the airfield and the seaport -- to make sure assistance can come in and to make sure that all the armed groups stop getting arms through those entry points. But we also would like to see in accordance with the comprehensive peace plan that is now being negotiated -- that the peacekeeping forces will see the cease-fire is respected. It has been violated but we do believe the forces are in there and they have the requisite support from the U.S. troops offshore, but all the parties will respect a cease-fire agreement, and under a robust Chapter Seven mandate, if they do try to violate it, they'll be dealt with very seriously.

RAY SUAREZ: You've been involved directly in the talks in Ghana. Are the politicians doing the talking, doing the dealing there in intimate enough contact with forces in the field so that they can actually make these forces stand down if an agreement is reached around the peace table?

ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF: We have the political parties represented. We also have representatives from the different belligerent forces-- that is, the government and the two rebel groups. They do try to stay in touch with their troops, but some of the main leaders are not necessarily in -- they are in other places closer to their troops. There are times when they think communication, particularly as regards of serving the cease- fire that was broken, that communication did break down between what are essentially the political leaders in ACCRA and the military leaders that are actually on the front line.

RAY SUAREZ: Now, Mr. Klein talked about other African countries coming in to join the Nigerians. Why is that necessary? Why is that preferable to having the biggest and strongest country in that region do all the heavy lifting?

ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF: In the Liberian experience, that while we welcome troops from our regional country, that we would like to see diversity in those troops. Some of the countries in the sub-region have been involved in one way or another in the conflict, and so we think just making sure that we have people from other places will just enhance the overall capability, neutrality and objectivity of the troops. But the troops from Nigeria and other places are very welcome. They have saved Liberian lives before, and we expect they'll do it again. But we also expect that will be supplemented by forces, not only in Africa, but, you know, there's a strong call for the U.S. to come in and to come in strongly, not only for the historical relationship we have had, but also because we believe the stability of West Africa is paramount if the U.S. will continue to enjoy the natural resources from the countries, including Nigeria, that if we do not bring the epicenter of Liberia to the conflict to heal and we do not deal with it, that the entire sub-region can remain unstable, and that this has adverse consequences for the United States.

JACQUES PAUL KLEIN: Let me pick up on that because first of all, I think we need to compliment the woman here, who has shown extreme courage under the most difficult circumstances and an opposition leader to Taylor -- one of the few strong voices. She was actually jailed for her opposition. So I admire her for that and I look forward to working with her in the future. But I think Liberia is not well-understood in a sense. Let me put it to you this way: Liberia has a capital named after an American president, a seaport named after an American president. It is a country that declared war on the axis powers in 1942 at the United States' request. Roberts Field was built so that aircraft flying from the United States to Brazil to Roberts Field to England could fight World War II. Then when the Japanese were over in Southeast Asia and the rubber plantations were gone, it is the rubber plantations in Liberia that supplied them the rubber for the vehicles that we used in Western Europe - that this a major Voice of America broadcasting site during the 50s -- that Liberia has been consistently, when asked by the United States, been extremely forthcoming, as a small country. Now is the time for us to not turn our back on not only what has been a friend but an ally in very critical circumstances in our own history. And I think the French have demonstrated in Cote D'ivoire and the British in Sierra Leone that quick action by the international community without delay really prevents a much more dangerous situation from evolving.

RAY SUAREZ: The United States has stepped forward to perform a logistical role here. They are offshore. They have promised whatever support the troops on the ground need. Can the African force, as you sketched it out earlier in the discussion, do it without a more active United States presence?

JACQUES PAUL KLEIN: I'm not sure they have the logistic capability. We have to fly them in. We're providing - the United States, as you said, is providing almost $20 million to assist. Now we're looking at an --

RAY SUAREZ: What you say we you're talking about the United Nations.

JACQUES PAUL KLEIN: Exactly. The United States is doing its part. The $20 million; there are assessment teams on the ground trying to help support ECOWAS in what you and I would call the planning process. But what's important is we're only looking at an interim phase here. We're looking at a multinational phase for a month or two. Then we hope to go in, do an assessment that will actually determine for us what state of health Liberia is in, educational system, the whole panoply of things that need to be done. Then we would go to the Security Council, ask for a Security Council resolution and then set up a U.N. mission sometime in the November timeframe, so this is an interim stage. What we need now, however, is security, stability to allow the humanitarian aid to flow. Now, if the ECOWAS can secure the city, perhaps we could see the Americans in the port and to use that port as the entry point for humanitarian assistance that is desperately needed.

RAY SUAREZ: This is not the first time the world has been here. ECOWAS troops intervened in 1998. In previous times, why did the peacekeeping not work? Why did things fall apart again?

ELLEN JOHNSON SIRLEAF: Because enough attention was not paid to the political dimension of the settlement of the crisis. And we hope this time it will be different. While it might be easy with the right number of troops and the right kind of power to bring the military adventurism under control, unless you have a political transition that involves, you know, a group of people that are committed to development of their country, in effect winning the peace after winning the war, unless you have people with credibility and competence to set that nation on course, to reverse its long history of failing to meet the challenges of development, unless we can get that political transition right, we might find the country in trouble again. Frankly we have been trying to urge the U.S. not only to do something about the military presence because they have been welcomed by all the parties, but also because we think they know Liberia best. They have been a friend. They ought to make a stronger leadership role n ACCRA and those related thereto and see to it that we get people in there to start to address the needs of the country to make sure we get the kind of peace stability that will ensure accelerated development.

RAY SUAREZ: So very, very briefly, this time we're looking at a longer commitment?

JACQUES PAUL KLEIN: First of all, I think the weakness before, and she alluded to it, there was a very weak mandate. We need a strong mandate. We need to be able to demilitarize, demobilize. No one has weapons here anymore until we rebuild an army, rebuild a police force that's credible and democratic - that you have a technocratic government for a while -- Liberia has not had a census in over 30 years. We need them to register political parties, build a grassroots process, our political parties, and then have an election in two years. But the key thing is the very strong mandate because Taylor is the problem. Liberia is the key to West Africa. If we don't stabilize Liberia, the chances of a spill-over into Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Cote D'ivoire is very much there, and then all the good work that has been done in the region - it becomes undermined again.

RAY SUAREZ: Guests, thank you both very much.

JACQUES PAUL KLEIN: Thank you.

UPDATE - A CHURCH'S CHOICE

RAY SUAREZ: Still to come on the NewsHour tonight, a church's debate; and airline safety.

In Minneapolis today, leaders of the Episcopal Church continued to grapple with a decision over the election of the church's first openly gay bishop.

Fred de Sam Lazaro of Twin Cities Public Television was at the meetings this weekend and today.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: The emotional state over homosexuality was set aside Sunday as 6,500 delegates came together for services. There was no doubt that the center of attention at the conference was V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay person to be elected bishop. He was elected by his New Hampshire diocese but there were fears his confirmation by delegates here could splinter the two million member church. The Episcopal Church is part of worldwide Anglican communion. Only U.S. Episcopals can vote at the convention but some foreign Church leaders have publicly opposed it. Nigerian Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearu did not mention Robinson but urged the gathering to carefully consider the impact of their vote.

ARCHBISHOP JOSIAH IDOWU-FEARON, Nigeria: There is a saying in my part of the world, when America sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold. ( Laughter ) our family, which is the Anglican family, takes the Episcopal Church, U.S.A., Very seriously. I want to plead that you don't sneeze too much.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: However, debate followed quickly at the church's house of deputies. It has both lay and clergy members, and it's one of two bodies that must confirm new bishops. Supporters of Gene Robinson says that autonomy of each church must be respected at national and diocese level.

JOHN GOLDSACK, New Jersey; New Hampshire has elected a man they know, a man they love, a man they believe is someone who follows Christ in all that he does. I ask that you honor their decision because they know him, they trust him, they love him!

BONNIE ANDERSON, Michigan: Your vote in favor of consent to the election of my friend Gene Robinson may have some repercussions for you at home. You may be afraid, afraid of schisms and afraid it will hurt your church budget. Don't be afraid, be of good courage. Fear is the absence of faith.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Opponents said their faith is based on biblical teachings.

LONELL WRIGHT, Louisiana: My opposition is based upon holy scripture. Nowhere in scripture is homosexuality affirmed. It is mentioned no less than five times, and in all cases scripture disaffirms homosexuality.

REV. LORNE COYLE, Florida: We're on a luxury liner representing the worldwide Anglican communion. And the Episcopal Church, or more specifically this general convention is loading itself into one of the lifeboats. If we vote to approve Gene Robinson today, the boat will be lowered.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Deputies in the packed, dense auditorium were admonished to refrain from public demonstrations.

SPOKESPERSON: This are 65 "yes" votes, 31 "no" votes and 12 divided votes.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: So the vote in favor of Robinson was greeted by silence and a prayer.

SPOKESMAN: Where there is joy, assist us to celebrate. Where there is sorrow, assist us to comfort. Where there is confusion, assist us to find clarity.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: The Reverend George Werner, president of the House of Deputies, appealed for unity.

GEORGE WERNER, President, House of Bishops: There are many of us who are on different sides. And I don't want to say two sides-- we're on about fifteen or twenty different sides on this one-- who are going to get together and wrestle with this thing and pray for each other and talk to each other. I am hoping our bothers and sisters in the Anglican community and in the rest of the Anglican world will understand we're wrestling and trying to do our best to discern God's will and not trying to be arrogant Americans and not trying to hurt anybody

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Many delegates noted that the church was united through previous controversies like the ordination of women 30 years ago. But the Reverend Kendall Harmon, a South Carolina theologian, said things were different this time.

REV. KENDALL HARMON, South Carolina: If the vote goes through tomorrow, what will happen? I think you'll see a major line has been crossed, because the church will become formally heretical in its doctrine of marriage and the family. There comes a point where you have drawn so many lines in the sand that you have hit bedrock. And that in the view of a huge number of Anglicans is exactly where we find ourselves today.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: For his part, Robinson, who was flanked throughoutthe conference by his partner, Mark Andrew, and daughter, Ella, from a previous marriage, reacted with mixed feelings.

BISHOP-ELECT V. GENE ROBINSON, New Hampshire: It involves some pain for a lot of us. Of course, not being fully included in the church for so long has brought a lot of us pain. So it's a kind of bittersweet moment because, while I rejoice with my gay and lesbian brothers and sisters and all of those who are working for a full inclusion in this wonderful Episcopal Church of ours, we're also very aware that this is a troubling decision for many in our church.

RAY SUAREZ: But this afternoon, a final vote was suddenly put off. Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, the head of the Episcopal Church, released a statement saying questions had been raised about Robinson. A thorough investigation would be taken before a vote. Our correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro joins us now live with the latest.

Fred, how did it happen that the vote was delayed?

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: It was about the 11th hour, just before the bishops were about to meet to debate his confirmation, that two separate allegations surfaces. The first was that Reverend Robinson's -- a web site with which he has been associated which services gay and bisexual youth, had inappropriate links to pornography sites. The second separate allegation was of inappropriate sexual advances, and that was brought forth by an adult male, a member of the church in Vermont.

RAY SUAREZ: Was the timing a surprise? One would have thought this man was very closely vetted long before this conference started in Minneapolis?

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Absolutely. It did absolutely stun this gathering here. A spokesman for the church called the timing "curious."

RAY SUAREZ: And any word on how long the investigation talked about by Presiding Bishop Griswold will take, whether they will even be able to have a vote before they break up and go home?

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: There's a great deal of uncertainty because not a lot has been revealed so far. We were told this process is a relatively automatic one of investigating allegations of such gravity. He did not say how long the investigation would take. The mood over here, as I said, was one of stunned... there's a somber mood here. However, there is an admonition from all sides that cooler heads prevail. This is a church that celebrates the liturgy in many ways across the spectrum, but when it comes to decorum, there's a high premium on it in parliamentary affairs. Nobody is shouting back and forth. There are no allegations flying back and forth. It's indeed very civilized here even though the mood is clearly one of stunned silence for the most part.

RAY SUAREZ: Have any individuals on either side of the question talked to you about whether this is the way they want to win or lose this thing?

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: There's a very interesting anecdote I can relate. This afternoon we ran into one of the leading members of the Anglican Communion - Bishop Anderson - not the Communion. His name is David Anderson. He was one the leading spokespeople against the Robinson nomination. He said, "we would not want Gene to win or lose this way." In the gathering in that small space was a leading proponent of Robinson and we were expecting a confrontation. This was with the Reverend Susan Russell. Instead, the two hugged. They talked about the need for cooler heads to prevail until the truth comes out. Supporters say they are confident in the disciplinary procedures of church and in their processes, and this will be cleared up very, very quickly, that Robinson will be cleared. The opponents said let's wait and see.

RAY SUAREZ: Fred de Sam Lazaro joining us from the Episcopal Church convention. Fred, thanks a lot.

FRED DE SAM LAZARO: Thank you.

FOCUS - SECURING THE SKIES

RAY SUAREZ: Now ensuring the safety of the skies. Margaret Warner has that.

MARGARET WARNER: The last ten days have been seen new terror warnings and new government steps that once again raise the question how safe are the skies. On Saturday, July 26, the Department of Homeland Security alerted law enforcement, airlines, and airports that al-Qaida may be plotting new airline suicide hijackings this summers. The directive said al-Qaida was exploring new methods to circumvent the tighter post-911 security measures. The extremists may plan to identify flights that transit the target country so that the hijackers would not need visas, the directive warned. It also said the hijackers may attempt to use common items carried by travelers, such as cameras modified as weapons.

And the middle of last week a controversy erupted over a leaked Homeland Security Department email to the nation's air marshals, telling them that due to budget shortages they'd be getting new schedules that would eliminate any overnight stays. Democratic senators called a news conference on Wednesday to denounce the move.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER: What this sorry episode proves is one thing: We don't have enough money for homeland security. The bottom line is the homeland security agency is like the proverbial bed where there are five children and enough covers for our. And what Mr. Ridge and Mr. Hutchison keep doing is pulling the covers from one place to the other, when an emergency occurs in one of those places, but there's never enough covers for all the children, for all the needs.

MARGARET WARNER: Homeland security officials rescinded the decision banning overnight stays. Later Wednesday, President Bush was asked about the new threats at a news conference.

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: You do know that al-Qaida tends to use the methodology that worked in the past. That's kind of their mind set. And we have got some data that indicates that they would like to use flights - international flights, for example, and so we're focusing on the airline industry right now, and we've got reason to do so, and I'm confident we will thwart the attempts.

MARGARET WARNER: On Thursday, the Department's Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, unveiled its new airline screening program. It will ask ticket buyers for background information, then cross-check that information with law enforcement and commercially available databases. On Friday, there were published reports that TSA had ordered airport screeners to step up inspection of common items like hammers or toys that might disguise explosives or weapons. And this past weekend the Homeland Security and State Department suspended the two programs that had allowed some international airline passengers to transit through the U.S. without a visa. The change will affect a limited number of passengers Homeland Security Tom Ridge said yesterday.

TOM RIDGE: The transit without visa program was a little door - less than 1 percent of the traveling public uses that - the door was open a crack and we've had to close the door.

MARGARET WARNER: Also yesterday the New York Times reported that TSA is in the process of cutting 6,000 screeners or more than 10 percent of its work force, for budget reasons. The result, the Times said, is longer lines at many airports.

MARGARET WARNER: The last ten days have been seen new terror warnings and new government steps that once again raise the question how safe are the skies. On Saturday, July 26, the Department of Homeland Security alerted law enforcement, airlines, and airports that al-Qaida may be plotting new airline suicide hijackings this summers. The directive said al-Qaida was exploring new methods to circumvent the tighter post-911 security measures. The extremists may plan to identify flights that transit the target country so that the hijackers would not need visas, the directive warned. It also said the hijackers may attempt to use common items carried by travelers, such as cameras modified as weapons.

And the middle of last week a controversy erupted over a leaked Homeland Security Department email to the nation's air marshals, telling them that due to budget shortages they'd be getting new schedules that would eliminate any overnight stays. Democratic senators called a news conference on Wednesday to denounce the move.

SEN. CHARLES SCHUMER: What this sorry episode proves is one thing: We don't have enough money for homeland security. The bottom line is the homeland security agency is like the proverbial bed where there are five children and enough covers for our. And what Mr. Ridge and Mr. Hutchison keep doing is pulling the covers from one place to the other, when an emergency occurs in one of those places, but there's never enough covers for all the children, for all the needs.

MARGARET WARNER: Homeland security officials rescinded the decision banning overnight stays. Later Wednesday, President Bush was asked about the new threats at a news conference.

PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH: You do know that al-Qaida tends to use the methodology that worked in the past. That's kind of their mind set. And we have got some data that indicates that they would like to use flights - international flights, for example, and so we're focusing on the airline industry right now, and we've got reason to do so, and I'm confident we will thwart the attempts.

MARGARET WARNER: On Thursday, the Department's Transportation Security Administration, or TSA, unveiled its new airline screening program. It will ask ticket buyers for background information, then cross-check that information with law enforcement and commercially available databases. On Friday, there were published reports that TSA had ordered airport screeners to step up inspection of common items like hammers or toys that might disguise explosives or weapons. And this past weekend the Homeland Security and State Department suspended the two programs that had allowed some international airline passengers to transit through the U.S. without a visa. The change will affect a limited number of passengers Homeland Security Tom Ridge said yesterday.

TOM RIDGE: The transit without visa program was a little door - less than 1 percent of the traveling public uses that - the door was open a crack and we've had to close the door.

MARGARET WARNER: Also yesterday the New York Times reported that TSA is in the process of cutting 6,000 screeners or more than 10 percent of its work force, for budget reasons. The result, the Times said, is longer lines at many airports.

MARGARET WARNER: Can America thwart another terror attack in the air? For that I'm joined by Asa Hutchinson, the homeland security undersecretary for borders and transportation. His job includes overseeing the TSA and coordinating security on U.S. borders, waterways, transportation, and immigration systems. And Congressman Edward Markey, a member of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security; he's a Democrat.

Welcome to you both.

Secretary Hutchinson, let's start with the terror alert. You have clearly taken steps to respond to some of the specifics in the alert. You must think it's very credible. What makes you and the intelligence committee think it's so credible?

ASA HUTCHINSON: First of all, this was a good illustration of threat information in which we secured a specific response rather than a broad- based raising the alert level. I think it was very appropriate giving those directions to law enforcement and to the airline industry. The information we had came from multiple sources: FBI and CIA. It was corroborated by independent sources as well. It was credible in our judgment. We took steps that we believe were appropriate to follow up on the significant measures to improve the security of our airlines.

MARGARET WARNER: How confident are you that there are aren't sufficient holes in the service so hijackers could exploit to pull off another hijacking?

ASA HUTCHINSON: Well, confident enough that I intend to fly, and my wife is flying over the summer holidays. And obviously we have taken enormous steps to improve the security, from thousands of air marshals that are flying on our airplanes for security purposes. We have hardened the cockpit doors and based upon Congress's instructions some of our flight deck officers are actually armed -- in addition, the screening of our bags and the passengers -- so very significant improvements. I believe the airlines are safe. Obviously, there are always vulnerabilities; we're continuing to watch and try to close those gaps.

MARGARET WARNER: You mentioned the air marshals. We did deal with one of the controversies last week, which had to do with the overnight stays if they need them. And I gather that they're going to have overnight stays if they need them. But there was another set of conflicting reports about whether you are still asking Congress to let you take out $100 million from the air marshal program to address your budget shortfall. It was confusing. The Wall Street Journal said Thursday you were; the Washington Post said you weren't Are you?

ASA HUTCHINSON: We're not going to do anything to compromise the security and the mission of air marshals. We're very committed to that. There has been a budget shortfall in TSA as a new organization being set up. We're working with Congress for the spend plan really for this year. As we speak, they are continuing to look at that. But the federal air marshals, they were directed immediately to make sure that we fulfill our commitments to the overseas flights.

MARGARET WARNER: But I mean are you going to be cutting their budget?

ASA HUTCHINSON: The federal air marshals -- we're not cutting the security part of it. Now as to whether there is some operational or some administrative programs that may need to be adjusted in order to accomplish the overall spend plan of TSA, we'll work with Congress to accomplish that.

MARGARET WARNER: Congressman Markey, how confident are you that America could thwart another hijacking in the air?

REP. EDWARD MARKEY: We're safer than we were on Sept. 11. But what we have learned in just the past week is that there are still these apertures through which terrorists could potentially successfully create a new type of threat. We saw that in this transit program that Secretary Ridge said was only 1 percent passengers, but that is 600,000 people who have been able to get through without having the full screening. Cutting back 10 percent on the guards on planes, that's a potential problem. Cutting back 6,000 screeners that would be looking at baggage, that's another problem. And - and I might add this -- what people don't understand who are flying on passenger planes in the United States is after they've taken off their shoes, after their bags have been screened, that all of the cargo that goes on to passenger planes, and that's 22 percent of all cargo on planes in America, is not screened at all. And if you are looking at Lockerbie or you're looking at the fluid, the 12 ounces of fluid that Richard Reid had on him, if that was put on passenger planes in cargo it wouldn't be screened at all.

MARGARET WARNER: Is that true, that air cargo going on passenger aircraft is not screened?

ASA HUTCHINSON: We're screening the passenger bags and the passengers that go on the aircraft. We're looking at other strategies and security measures for the cargo itself that goes in the belly of the aircraft. Our domestic carriers are required to participate in a known shipper program, which they would identify the record and who the shipper is so that we can have some confidence of what goes in there. We're continuing to improve that system.

MARGARET WARNER: Is the air shipper program a good way to plug the hole?

REP. EDWARD MARKEY: Well, the known shipper program is not like the known tripper program. You and I and ASA, we're known trippers. We arrive at the airport. We say "here is our credential; here is our identification." You have been able to use some computer to check us out. And they still make you take off your shoes; they still make you put your bag through the security. But if you show up with a piece of paper with the cargo, that's going to go on underneath your feet on this plane, they don't screen the cargo. And that's very dangerous, and by the way, if it's under 16 ounces, they don't even require you to produce any paper for anything under 16 ounces, and that unfortunately is the size of the explosive that destroyed the Lockerbie and that Richard Reid had on the plane that would have destroyed that plane as well.

MARGARET WARNER: Let me ask a larger -- a question that tries to incorporate a number of different items, which has to do really with the budget. You heard Congressman Schumer say that you and Secretary Ridge, you are like the family with the five kids and only enough covers for four. And you keep moving the covers around, but you can't cover them all at once. Is that essentially the situation? Is that why you are cutting screeners; it's why you have to at least take some money out of the marshal program? And maybe why you are not yet screening air cargo?

ASA HUTCHINSON: No. I believe that we're spending money at the appropriate level. You could double the current budget and you could always find ways to spend money on homeland security. We have broad borders. We have got thousands of miles of seacoast. What we have to do is to spend the money wisely and with effective policy. And so the level of money we're spending - we're investing in more technology, inspection equipment, as well as personnel, increased enormously investment in security at all levels but it's also policy. For example, the "transit without visa" program that we suspended, it was a huge security gap that we had to fill and it was being targeted. It didn't take money. It was a matter of a policy change, and so you have to look at both policy and strategy, as well as the investment that we're continuing to examine and we'll put what is necessary in there to protect America.

REP. EDWARD MARKEY: Look, the biggest argument that is made against screening cargo that goes on to passenger planes is that it just costs too much. And if that is the argument, then what is really the point in screening people's shoes if we're not going to screen the cargo that goes on underneath them because it's too expensive? First we should decide how much money we want to spend on homeland security, spend it, and then decide how big the tax break should be. What we've decided first is how big the tax break should be and now we can't afford to screen the cargo that goes on to passenger planes even though we know that's the new type of aperture which al-Qaida might look to in order to threaten a plane by a new methodology.

MARGARET WARNER: Let me ask about this new passenger screening system. As I understand it, ticket buyers will be asked to give name address, phone number, and Social Security number. And then what, you are going to compare that against databases to see if people are who they say they are. I mean, what's the purpose of that and what happens if someone doesn't check out?

ASA HUTCHISON: A very, very important point is we will require the name, the address, the date of birth but no Social Security number.

MARGARET WARNER: So that's been eliminated?

ASA HUTCHINSON: That is not required; that is being eliminated. And so that will not be done. And that's a very important point for America. My wife would not fly if you required that. And of course, the reason that we obtain that information from the airlines, this information they would give for a ticket, is that we can do a better job of screening and knowing who should have secondary inspection. Right now, quite frankly, we're having to check too many people and inconvenience them. So this is to narrow with better information; we have strong privacy rules so that there's a firewall between what is done on the commercial side and what government will have. We're not going to retain the information of the vast majority of Americans. So it's a good system; we're asking for public comment.

MARGARET WARNER: Does that sound like a smart idea to you? This way you can kind of identify which passengers maybe don't check out?

REP. EDWARD MARKEY: Well, until very recently they were going to be going through every passenger's health care records, credit records, Social Security number. It's good they have at least cut back on that. There are some other privacy questions. But I'm heartened that they are moving in the right direction. The problem with that system, however, is that al-Qaida is recruiting a new group of terrorists who have no criminal records, who are recent recruits who won't show up on the computers. If that's the case, and I think that is the way they're going to go, then we've got to have the screening for them. We'd better screen the cargo. We'd better make sure that we're not cutting the air marshals, cutting the screeners, not funding the cargo screening because they are going to be trying to find out ways of getting around this new computer system by finding people who won't show up.

MARGARET WARNER: Last very brief question is to you, Secretary Hutchinson. Americans, I think, have adjusted to post 9/11 security measures - they know how to get to the airport in advance of their flight and they know what is going to happen. Do they now have to expect that lines are going to get longer, they'll be checking more, it's going to be more cumbersome again?

ASA HUTCHINSON: We're still trying to maintain the commitment to move people through. But they have to very understanding and patient. So we don't expect the lines to increase because of increased inspection as much as simply increased travel during the summer months.

MARGARET WARNER: Secretary Hutchinson, Congressman Markey, thank you both.

FINALLY - BASEBALL BLUES

RAY SUAREZ: Finally, fewer black baseball players in the major leagues. Jeffrey Kaye, of KCET-TV Los Angeles, reports.

JEFFREY KAYE: Jackie Robinson struck an historic blow against the color barrier in American sports when in 1947 he became the first black to play Major League Baseball. Others soon batted and ran in his wake. By 1978, one in four professional baseball players were African American, but in the years since, and despite their growing dominance in other sports, American-born black athletes have become an increasingly rare sight on major league playing fields. Today, only 10 percent of big-league athletes are African American. That's the lowest percentage since 1960. The trend disturbs baseball officials such as Jimmie Lee Solomon, senior vice president of Major League Baseball.

JIMMIE LEE SOLOMON, Major League Baseball: We feel that one of the reasons for the declining number in African American participation is because of lack of exposure, because baseball at the lower levels is becoming a suburban sport, if you will.

JEFFREY KAYE: While black participation has declined, the numbers of Latin, American and Asian athletes in pro baseball is growing. Latinos now account for a quarter of all major leagues players because of aggressive recruitment in Latin America, where baseball is popular.

JIMMIE LEE SOLOMON: What we need to do is to get baseball back to as many people in the country as we can, including African Americans, and that exposure will also tend to make more African American fans and more African American players.

JEFFREY KAYE: But that's a daunting challenge, for it's no secret that basketball, not baseball, has long been the sport of choice in many African American neighborhoods. At this south Los Angeles playground, athletic allegiances are clear.

REPORTER: You don't like baseball?

YOUNG MAN: No, not really.

REPORTER: Why?

YOUNG MAN: I just don't. It's too slow.

YOUNG MAN: Baseball is cool, but there ain't that much action in it, you know what I'm saying? There's so many times you can hit the baseball. In basketball you have multiple players, people that can double- team, you know what I'm saying -- especially when we're playing 21.

JEFFREY KAYE: Sports marketing expert David Carter says Major League Baseball's problem with young people, especially young African Americans, is the sport's old-school, conservative image.

DAVID CARTER, Sports Marketing Consultant: Major League Baseball has not captured the attention of young people. It is not fun. It is not sexy. It is a sport, if you will, that your grandparents followed. It has to dig out of that. It has to become a sport that is followed and revered by young people again.

JEFFREY KAYE: But restoring baseball's popularity will be difficult says Carter because other sports --especially basketball -- have trounced baseball in marketing their game to young African Americans.

DAVID CARTER: The NBA has been packaged and sold as entertainment, and people are buying it as entertainment.

JEFFREY KAYE: Chuck McPherson, who often shoots hoops with kids in his LA neighborhood, says there are also solid dollars and cents reasons for changing sports tastes in America's inner cities.

CHUCK McPHERSON: Basketball is a cheap sport. If you play baseball, you've got to get a catcher's uniform, you got to get all kinds of expensive cleats, expensive bats, but in basketball, I don't have nothing, just a ball. It's easily accessible. Basketball, all you need is a hoop and a net and some guys who want to play. So a lot of it is economic, at least in the black community it's economic, or else we'd be playing hockey, too.

JEFFREY KAYE: Economics also encourages cash-strapped parks and recreation departments to favor building basketball courts over baseball diamonds, says Solomon.

JIMMIE LEE SOLOMON: They find it much more inexpensive, much easier to put up a blacktop slab of asphalt down with a basketball goal and call that a recreational component. A baseball field will take much more space and will be much more costly from a maintenance standpoint, and then as soon as a kid knocks a window out across the street, they will shut them down.

JEFFREY KAYE: And Major League Baseball also complains that even if inner-city youngsters do develop a passion for the game, opportunities to play and prosper in the sport beyond their neighborhoods are paltry. Colleges, for instance, are offering fewer baseball scholarships compared to football and basketball, scholarships that help to hone talent and serve as a gateway to the major leagues. To cultivate a new generation of African American baseball players and fans, major league ball has invested millions of dollars into a program called RBI, or "Reviving Baseball in the Inner-city." It's a national youth baseball and softball program for 120,000 youngsters between 12 and 18 years of age.

JOHN YOUNG: What we have to do as baseball people is to educate the kids. Baseball is a lot of fun if you play it properly.

JEFFREY KAYE: RBI's founder is former major league scout John Young, who started the program in south L.A. In 1989. Young says even the toughest inner-city kids can be intimidated by baseball.

JOHN YOUNG: The toughest thing to do in sports is hit a baseball. So many kids that haven't played are afraid of the ball. We get kids who come into this program, they are kids from tough neighborhoods-- they see a lot of gang violence, you know, tough kids-- but they are afraid of baseball. They are afraid of being hit by a baseball.

SPOKESMAN: Do you guys know how to throw a ball?

JEFFREY KAYE: At this recent R.B.I. Olympics event, major league players like the Los Angeles dodgers pitcher Kevin Brown, a star supporter of R.B.I., Were on hand to give playing tips.

KEVIN BROWN: I spread my fingers a little bit.

SPOKESMAN: All the way through the cones!

JEFFREY KAYE: Los Angeles Dodgers scout Bob Merriweather said his presence here is proof that his team, like the rest of pro ball, is committed to finding and developing baseball talent in America's inner cities.

BOB MERRIWEATHER: We're looking for athletes, but we're also looking for athletes who can play the game and who want to play the game. If I don't go out there to look for talent and I don't go out there to help these kids get better, where are we going to find the players? We've got to find the players from somewhere, so why don't we try to find them everywhere we can? This is one of the areas where we know we have athletes.

JEFFREY KAYE: But efforts like RBI haven't stopped the decline in African American participation in baseball. During RBI's 14-year history, the number of black pro ball players has fallen by 7 percent.

JIMMIE LEE SOLOMON: I think we are working hard to do the things we need to do to get our fan base expanded. It's just that it takes time. It's not an easy thing to do, and you can't just fix it overnight.

JEFFREY KAYE: To win overaction- craving younger sports fans, including African Americans, Major League Baseball is experimenting with ways to make the game more fast-paced, like reducing delays between pitches in games. And pro baseball has also announced it will soon break ground on a state-of-the-art urban baseball academy in Los Angeles, not far from where Jackie Robinson grew up. Pro ball hopes it will be a place where the next generation of African American baseball greats will be discovered and trained.

RECAP

RAY SUAREZ: Again, the major developments of this day. Nigerian peacekeeping troops arrived in Liberia's capital, hoping to end 14 years of factional fighting. U.S. forces in Iraq staged new raids over the weekend, aimed at finding Saddam Hussein and key supporters. And U.S. Episcopal leaders delayed a vote to approve their first openly gay bishop, after allegations he engaged in personal misconduct.

RAY SUAREZ: And again, to our honor roll of American service personnel killed in Iraq. We add names when the deaths are confirmed, and photographs become available. Here, in silence, is one more.

RAY SUAREZ: We'll see you online and again here tomorrow evening. I'm Ray Suarez. Thanks, and good night.