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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Attack of the Killer Tornadoes

Aired May 05, 2003 - 17:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Terror in tornado ally.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's coming down the highway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have got to be kidding me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I said that's going to hit us.

BLITZER: And hit them it did. A wave a destruction from Kansas to Tennessee.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, God.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What I am going to do.

BLITZER: What do you do when a killer storm hits?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The safest place to be during a tornado is in a basement.

BLITZER: Why did this safe house become a death trap?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The building collapsed.

BLITZER: Where are the next tornado trouble spots?

Scott Peterson loses the jump suit. With judge in the courtroom may lose the case.

What is his lawyer thinking?

MARK GERAGOS, SCOTT PETERSON'S LAWYER: I think it is only a matter of time before we're able to turn Americans (UNINTELLIGIBLE) around.

BLITZER: Meet the woman dubbed Mrs. Anthrax. U.S. forces net a big fish in Baghdad.

And look who is play with firepower. A rite of passage in Saddam Hussein's family. ANNOUNCER: CNN live this hour, WOLF BLITZER REPORT, live from the nation's capitol. With correspondents from around the world, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts now.

BLITZER: It's Monday, May 5th, 2003.

Hello from Washington. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.

We begin with a huge outbreak of tornadoes and they're still under way. We're counting at 84 and the warnings are not yet over. The twisters look terrifying. What they left behind was even worse. From the air, you can see how the storms punished homes and buildings.

This is southeastern Kansas in a town called Parsons. At least seven people died in the state, among them a couple who had been married for more than 50 years.

To the east in Missouri, you can see driveway that no longer lead to homes, they lead to debris. This is the Kansas City area. In the entire state, at least 15 people died.

In western Tennessee, the roof flew off this building. This is Madison County, where at least 11 people died. Two of the deaths happened while people were trying to seek shelter at a National Guard armory. It simply collapsed.

The remarkable force of the twisters let parts of Kansas looking like a war zone.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is joining us live. He's in the hard hit town of Gladstone, Missouri, and he has the latest -- Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Last time we talked to you, several hours ago today, we were taking a walking tour of this neighborhood. This is the Carriage Hill subdivision in Gladstone, Missouri, which is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. And as you look down the street, that's where we are walking earlier, and now you've seen a lot of trucks moving through here throughout the day, cleaning up debris, picking up trees and debris, rooftops have been ripped apart here.

We were talking to one family, Warren Hatsler, watching the storms roll in last night from his garage. The garage doors were open. He was watching the storms. He said the wind just suddenly started changing back and forth directions. He knew then something very dangerous was up. he could sense something was going terribly wrong. He and his wife jumped into the basement of their home and as they looked out of the -- closed the door and looked back up, once they got to the bottom, the door was ripped up. He looked up and he was able to see his sky and he knew his house had been completely destroyed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARREN HUSTLER, TORNADO VICTIM: I was standing there watching it. The wind was blowing 30, 40 mile an hour this way and it switched and went 30, 40 mile an hour the opposite direction in a split second. I holler at Sharon (ph) and I said we're headed to the basement and boom, we got down there and got the door closed and something hit the door and blew it up and I just saw daylight. I said the house is gone, and it is.

LAVANDERA: We heard one resident describe the tornado, this was a tornado that was on the ground for about 30 minutes. That's what several officials and residents here describe that tornado having done when it roared through here Sunday afternoon. One of those residents described the tornado as a giant ball, just seeming to roll through the neighborhood streets, tearing everything apart. And, of course, a lot of people described it as a freight train. I heard one guy talking on a cell phone just a little while ago, saying they always say it sounds like a freight train, well it does sound like a freight train. And that's what we heard one resident here say. In this subdivision, 23 people were injured. One seriously, but many of the people here very grateful no one was killed with what happened here -- Wolf.

BLITZER: What are people doing, just starting the cleanup process? is that basically the thrust of it where you are right now -- Ed.

LAVANDERA: Yes, absolutely. We've seen crews coming and going throughout the day, cleaning up. We talked to the mayor a little while ago and he said when the storm hit yesterday, people were grateful that everyone was alive. He said there is a sense of depression sinking in for a lot of these people as they're going through their homes and trying to collect as many valuables as possible. Many of the people putting whatever they can into trash bags and hauling them away in their own cars. That's been as much as they've been able to salvage at this point -- Wolf.

BLITZER: The salvage effort continues.

Ed Lavandera joining us from Gladstone, Missouri.

Earlier, President Bush offered his condolences to the victims of the killer tornadoes and also tried to reassure them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I express my sincerest condolences to the victims of the tornadoes that ripped through Arkansas and Kansas and Missouri, Tennessee, Nebraska and South Dakota. Our prayers and I hope your prayers are with those who -- the loved ones who lost life or those who lost their home. The federal government, the local state and local authorities need to know the federal government will be moving as quickly as we possibly can to provide help where help is needed, and where help is justified. The nature is awfully tough at times. And the best thing question do right now is to pray for those who have suffered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The victims of the killer tornadoes know they're targets for twisters. They live in an area called tornado alley. This map shows the area where most tornadoes hit in the United States. It stretches from Texas to the Dakotas and from Colorado to Ohio. The onslaught of the tornado was incredible in terms of power, destruction and death. Here is what it was like when the twister struck several different areas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going pause for a moment to send an emergency alert.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here comes a tornado! It is coming down the highway! Here it comes! It is a very killer tornado.

THOMAS MAJORS, PIERCE CITY COUNCILMAN: The main street of the city and we have an antique shops and the pharmacy and the grocery store is completely gone. It just leveled all -- pretty much took the tops off everything.

ALLISON FINCH, JACKSON, TENNESSEE: This is clearly ground zero in what would be two tornadoes that touched down here in Jackson. Right here a telephone pole that has snapped and fallen and you can see the base of the telephone pole right here to my right, shards of it sticking up like toothpicks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Looked like the post office was ripped half in two. The top of the civic center was gone, most of the businesses around and across the street from the post office were demolished. It is just a total disaster down there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now downtown is as shut down as can be. Most of the businesses have sustained damage, really afraid of what the number is going to be.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got to get out of here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sounded like a train, you know, like a train (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the first time in my life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you go around on the back side, everything is just gone to this side except that one cabinet and the angels are not even broke. That is unbelievable. My mother's angels were not broke. God was looking out for us. He was. And for just the angels to be unharmed is just -- just unbelievable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And joining us now live from Oklahoma City, with a unique perspective on these deadly twisters, the veteran storm chaser Reed Timmer shot video of the tornado that ripped through Baxter Springs, Kansas. Thank you for joining us. Walk us through the pictures you took.

How close did you get?

REED TIMMER, STORM CHASER: We were probably around an eighth to a quarter of a mile from the storm when it crossed the highway as you saw on the video. It may have appeared that we were close, but we were monitoring the storm motion, we were monitor the motion of the tornadoes the whole time. And we knew where they were. So we were a safe distance from the tornado.

BLITZER: When say a safe distance it sounds incredibly close given the unpredictability of the twisters, and the fact that there is not much warning, if at all, a half a mile, a quarter of a mile, a mile that seems very close.

TIMMER: It is close, but we were monitoring this particular storm's motion for a long time, for half an hour we followed the tornado and saw the motion of it. We were a safe distance. We monitored a long dance away. And it came closer. It was clearly passing to the south of us.

BLITZER: What kind of precaution do you take when you try to get pictures of these kinds of tornadoes?

TIMMER: Well, we always have to have a full tank of gas because you definitely don't want to run out of when you're in the path of one of these tornadoes. But if you always know -- we have an outcaster that sits back at home, and they view radar and tell us where the most dangerous portion of the storm is. So we know exactly usually where the tornadoes are going to form. And if they've already formed, we already know their storm motions. So it's fairly safe.

But I wouldn't recommend it for somebody who is not experienced. We have seen many storms, many tornadoes. I've been doing this for about six years now, and we generally know what is going to happen.

BLITZER: And tell our viewers why do you do this? Why the fascination with these deadly kinds of tornadoes?

TIMMER: Well, people have to realize that storm chasers aren't just out there for the thrill of it. They're also out there to warn the public. And via a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) spotter network, we go out there and we monitor these storms. And when they put down tornadoes, we relay the report through the ham radio networks. And so we can forewarn the public so people know that there is is tornadoes on the ground for a particular tornado warnings, and that's one of the reasons we go out there. And it's also for the thrill, and just to really realize the meteorology that we learned in the classroom.

BLITZER: All right. The storm chaser Reed Timmer, thanks for joining us. And once again, this is not recommended for amateurs out there. So don't try to do it. Reed, thanks very much.

Are more potentially deadly storms on the way? For the latest forecast, let's bring in our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. She's joining us live from the CNN center in Atlanta -- Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Wolf, it is certainly a possibility again today. In fact, right now we have about six different tornado warnings in effect across the states of Arkansas and also into Tennessee. The action has really picked up very significantly in just the past two hours. And several watches have expired, but new ones have been reissued. So these new watches will go on until 10:00 local time, including Little Rock, across Memphis, into Nashville, and then also a watch in effect until 7:00 local time which includes much of Kentucky, Louisville, down towards the Lexington area.

So this continues to be a very serious situation. And we have an update in from the Storm Prediction Center. They issued a high risk of tornadic thunderstorms throughout much of the state of Tennessee, down into northern parts of Alabama, also into Mississippi, and when we say a high risk, that means there is about a one in four chance that a tornado could move within 25 miles of your house throughout this period for today.

So this is a very serious situation. We also have some new information that just came in in the last few minutes from the National Weather Service in Memphis, Tennessee. The Jackson, Tennessee tornado that occurred overnight, it was about 12:30 local time there, preliminary reports are now estimating that this was an F- 2 tornado with estimated winds between 113 to 157 miles per hour. Of course, meteorologists will be out on the scene in the next couple of days and we'll continue to get these damage reports in from them -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Jacqui, stand by. We're going to be talking a lot more about this kind of extreme weather. Jacqui Jeras is joining us. We'll take a look a bit later at how extreme the weather might still get. But up next, Scott Peterson's power lawyer poking holes in the prosecution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERAGOS: We have psychics, we have an Institute of Analytical (ph) Research study microexpressions of people's faces, we have voice stress analyzers, all of which are totally inadmissible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The defense goes on the offense in Modesto, California.

And he cut off his arm to stay alive. The harrowing tale of this real-life survivor.

And Saddam Hussein family bonding. Saddam's son teaches the tools of terror to his own boys. The never before seen home video. That's coming up.

But first, today's news quiz.

U.S. troops recently destroyed a mosaic in front of the famed Al- Rasheed hotel in Baghdad. Whose face is on the mosaic? Saddam Hussein. Qusay Hussein. George Bush. Jacques Chirac. The answer is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here comes the tornado. Guard. (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The safest place to be during a tornado is in a basement. Get under a workbench or other piece of sturdy furniture. In no basement is available...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very violent tornado coming down the highway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Doesn't get much scarier than this. You're looking at pictures of a deadly tornado. There were tornadoes throughout much of the country yesterday. They're continuing today. We're continuing to monitor these killer tornadoes. We'll have much more coming up on this. This is a picture from in Kansas earlier. Eighty-nine tornadoes and counting right now, by the way.

Let's move on to California, though, for another important development today. A judge in Modesto has refused to withdraw from the Scott Peterson double murder trial. Peterson is accused of killing his wife Laci and their unborn son. There was a hearing on defense motions earlier today. CNN's Rusty Dornin is standing by with that -- Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, defense lawyer, Wolf, Mark Geragos is continuing, of course, his legal maneuvering to protect the image of his client. He was successful in one hearing but not so successful in the other. In one of the hearings he was asking the judge to step aside from the trial. Judge Al Girolami is the trial judge in this case, but apparently he cannot hear all of the arguments regarding the search warrants in this case, and Geragos wanted him to step aside. He refused.

On the other hearing, he wanted to keep the search warrant sealed. The judge agreed in that case. They're going wait until the Fifth District Court of Appeals decides on whether to unseal those search warrants and the arrest warrant. Mark Geragos is concerned that what's in those warrants could be very detrimental to his client.

During these hearings, he did take some time to poke some -- make some snide remarks about the prosecution's case, claiming they had a voodoo style investigation, involving psychics and using voice stress analyzers. Right after the proceedings, he did step outside to talk to reporters and he said he is convinced that he can have a case to convince jurors beyond a reasonable doubt that his client, Scott Peterson, is innocent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERAGOS: Just go out and create reasonable doubt, if you will, or argue reasonable doubt. We're not into arguing reasonable doubt in this case. We've set the bar extremely high, and that's to prove that Scott is not only factually innocent, but to figure out exactly who it is did this horrible thing to Scott's wife and to Scott's son and to their grandson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: In some other incidents during the proceedings he did announce that Kirk McAllister, who was Scott Peterson's former attorney, is back on the case here in Modesto. He did meet with McAllister and Peterson's family this afternoon. Also, there will be a pretrial motion hearing on May 27. Also, from a source close to the legal team told CNN that definitely -- maybe this comes as no surprise to anyone -- but he will be asking for a change of venue soon, and hoping that that will be Los Angeles. Of course, that's home turf for Mark Geragos. They know the judges, they know the courts, and they'd like to see the case tried down there -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Rusty, we heard from Scott Peterson's mother today, too, after this hearing. What was her message?

DORNIN: Well, she just -- she, of course, her family is going through an extremely difficult right time now. Laci Peterson's memorial, of course, was yesterday, and they did not attend that, because they did not want to distract attention from Laci, but they said, look, Connor was our grandson, we felt like Laci was our -- our daughter-in-law, She was like a daughter to us. This has been very difficult. But they said that they just believe their son is innocent in this case and they will continue to try to get that message across.

BLITZER: All right, Rusty Dornin. She's going to be covering this for us. Thank, Rusty, very much.

Our legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin is joining us now. He's got some views on this case as well. Jeffrey, you and I watched this unfold earlier. What initial reading did you get from Geragos on what a strategy might be?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well it's really a very publicity-oriented strategy. What you want to keep in and what you want to keep away.

He's got a new picture of Scott Peterson. A beloved son, his parents in court with him, he's looking much better in a very well- fitting, expensive suit. You notice -- you didn't see Laci Peterson's family today. This was a day where Scott Peterson's family was out front and center trying to humanize him. So that's the picture he wants in front of the public.

What he doesn't want in front of the public is the search warrant affidavit. What the government expected to find and what they had found in the Peterson household. That's new evidence. That's evidence that has not been made public yet, possibly very incriminating. He wants that kept from the public as long as possible.

BLITZER: And you heard Mark Geragos say not only are they going to try to raise a serious doubt in the minds of jurors, they're going to prove actually who really killed Laci Peterson. That's a very, very high bar for a defense attorney to cross. TOOBIN: Yes, I have to say my initial reaction was, you've got to be kidding. I mean, because, look, every defense lawyer wants one thing. They want to get their client acquitted, period. They don't really care about solving the case.

I think that, too, is a PR strategy aimed at the real core issue in this case. The one I think everybody out in the real world has which is if Scott Peterson didn't do this, who did? Who else had any motive, opportunity, access? And by saying you're going to do it, you at least address the public's concern.

Now, at some point you come to put up or shut up time and he's going to have to come up with some evidence to say how he feels this crime really did take place.

BLITZER: He, for various legal reasons he wants to see this judge recuse himself or get a different judge. But I assume at some point they would like to move this trial way from Modesto, back towards Los Angeles. What is the strategy on that front?

TOOBIN: Well I think that's pretty straight forward. And I think, frankly, that's a winning strategy. This is about as good a case as -- for a change of venue that I've ever seen. Remember, even the San Francisco dog mauling case, which received a lot of publicity but not nearly as much as this did, that was moved to Los Angeles.

This case in a relatively small community like Modesto, it is very hard to see how they could seat an unbiased jury there. Moving it somewhere else I think is likely. Los Angeles is Geragos' preference because he lives there. That's not necessarily where it's going to be. Could be San Diego, which is more comparable in size to Modesto. Could be some other community. But certainly I think a change of venue is very likely in this case.

BLITZER: And this is by all accounts going to be a long, long ordeal. A year or two, maybe three years. Is that right, Jeffrey?

TOOBIN: Three years sounds a little long. But just think about what we learned today. Very preliminary issue, frankly not even that important an issue about which judge unseals a search warrant, which judge makes that decision. That relatively narrow question is already going to the court of appeals. That shows how long this case is likely to be if that is going to court.

BLITZER: Jeffrey Toobin, we'll be talking a lot over the next several of weeks and months.

They've been held as suspected terrorists for months. Now more than a dozen detainees captured in Afghanistan may be released this week. We'll show you why and what it means just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: U.S. defense officials say 12 to 15 detainees at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba will be returned to Afghanistan in the next few days. The men will be given clothing and money before they're turned over to Afghan authorities. It's unclear if some juveniles being held at the military detention center will be among those released. Detainees are released when they no longer have any intelligence value and are no longer considered a threat.

Joining me here in Washington to talk about this and more is Dan Benjamin, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies here in Washington, a former director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council. Thanks for joining us, Dan. Well, first of all, what do you make of this decision to release these detainees?

DAN BENJAMIN, CTR. FOR STRATEGIC & INTL. STUDIES: Well, it was time to start dealing with this huge number of detainees in Guantanamo. There has been a lot of international pressure to start dealing with some of these cases. I think the only thing we can say with certainty is that these people wouldn't be going back to Afghanistan unless the administration deemed they were no longer a danger to us.

BLITZER: And do you think they're going to be happy going -- being held over to -- handed over to Afghan authorities as opposed to just going back to their home countries, let's say?

BENJAMIN: Well, some of them may be Afghans. Some may be going to their home countries from Afghanistan. My guess is that if the Afghans incarcerate them, they're not going be very happy about that. On the other hand, their future in Guantanamo wasn't going to look very good either.

BLITZER: Give us the big picture right now. Are Americans safer today than they were a year or two ago?

BENJAMIN: I think we are a bit safer. We've had a number of really remarkable arrests and we've done better, that is the CIA and its intelligence partners around the world have done better than anyone had the right to expect on September 11.

Having said that, no one should declare the war on terrorism over. It's going to go on for quite a while.

BLITZER: Can al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden assuming he's still alive, still launch a major 9/11-type terror strike against U.S. or U.S. interests?

BENJAMIN: I don't think anyone can answer that with great authority but I think we have to act upon the premise that in fact al Qaeda still can attack us. As we know the six people who were arrested in Pakistan were planning to attack the U.S. consulate in Karachi. Al Qaeda takes a long time to prepare its big attacks, it has a lot of patience as an organization. We have to expect they could still plan a big one.

BLITZER: Though, when you say a big one, a bigger one maybe including some sort of crude nuclear device?

BENJAMIN: Well, for example, the fact that the nuclear sites in Iraq had been ransacked ought to be a matter concern for everyone. We don't know what's go on with all the weapons of mass destruction materials that we believed were in Iraq. And this may be one of the downsides of our invasion is that that material is no longer secure.

It is possible that al Qaeda could get its hands on it. We just don't know. We seem to be doing better, but this is an area in which there is absolutely no certainty.

BLITZER: So it's still wide open and there's still plenty of dangers. No one should relax.

BENJAMIN: Absolutely.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Dan Benjamin, for joining us.

BENJAMIN: My pleasure.

BLITZER: Killer storms move east, deadly tornadoes threaten to strike again. Will they blow another town literally off the map?

Plus, no chemical weapons found in Iraq, at least not yet. But a top scientist turns herself in. Will she lead to a smoking gun?

And firing off with Dad. Saddam's son shares his weapons of terror, the home video from this Hussein family, video you've never seen until now.

But first, in case you were out enjoying the days off, here's "Our Weekend Snapshot."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Nine Democratic presidential hopefuls squared off in Columbia, South Carolina, in the first televised debate of the 2004 campaign. With the first primary still nine months away, it's the earliest such match ever.

Two Americans and one Russian astronaut returned to earth in a Soyuz space capsule. It missed the landing site by almost 300 miles, but the men are safe and in good health after more than five months on the international space station.

In Washington, D.C., a police car and an ambulance at the scene of one roadside emergency were struck by another car. The cruiser caught fire. Nine people were injured in all.

A New Hampshire landmark disappeared over the weekend. The rock formation known as the Old Man of the Mountain fell from its perch in Franconia Notch State Park. The outcropping, which resembled a man's profile, was the state's symbol.

A 29-year-old woman sailed into Newport, Rhode Island, becoming the youngest person ever and the first woman to complete the Around the Lone Yacht Race. Emma Richards covered 27, 000 nautical miles during almost eight months at sea. And Funny Cide was the surprise winner of the 129th Kentucky Derby. He's the first gelding, or neutered horse, to win the race in 74 years.

And that's our "Weekend Shot."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: CNN live this hour, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, live from the nation's capital with correspondents from around the world.

Here now is Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Welcome back.

We've got a developing story we're following right now, one involving Jessica Lynch, the former American POW.

Let's bring in our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, Pentagon officials were hopeful that Jessica Lynch would be able to provide a firsthand account of exactly what happened when her outfit was ambushed in Iraq last month. But now Pentagon -- a Pentagon official is telling CNN that Jessica Lynch is having trouble remembering much of what happened.

Now doctors say that this is not unusual for a traumatic event, to lose some memory of what happened and it's not clear how much she doesn't remember and whether or not she may eventually recall some of her memories. But at this point, the doctors are pleased with her recovery, say she's doing well, but she does have some blanks in her memory about what happened in that time between when her unit was ambushed and when she was eventually found in that hospital in Nasiriyah -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Are they calling it some form of amnesia, Jamie?

MCINTYRE: That's not the term that I heard used, simply that she was having trouble recalling significant events. And as they said, it's not unusual, in the case of a traumatic event or an accident for the victim not to remember exactly what happened during the time of that trauma.

BLITZER: All right. Jamie McIntyre. We'll be following this story, thanks very much, Jamie, for that information. Good luck to Jessica Lynch.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: Let's get back to our top story, the killer tornadoes that left 35 people dead in three states.

CNN's Eric Phillips has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIC PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well good evening.

We're here in Gladstone, Missouri, which is a suburb of Kansas City. This is actually called the Carriage Hill subdivision. And you can see this is just one of many neighborhoods in this area that was blasted by Mother Nature.

(voice-over): Roofs ripped, trees toppled, properties pulverized. Here in the Kansas City suburb of Gladstone, nobody killed here but plenty of people shaken.

GOV. BOB HOLDEN (D), MISSOURI: Drive down through here and it looks like the tornado just picked out the heart of these cities and took the heart right out. But they didn't take the heart. The heart will be back here.

PHILLIPS: Forecasters say more than 83 twisters were spotted Sunday night when dry air from the Rocky Mountains hit the moist air from the Gulf of New Mexico (sic). In addition to the many people killed across Missouri, Kansas and Tennessee, there were also tens of millions of dollars in property lost. The president says the federal government will help out and offered his condolences.

BUSH: Nature is awfully tough at times. And the best thing we can do right now is to pray for those who have suffered.

PHILLIPS: Pierce City in Lawrence County, Missouri, was hit hard. Town of 1,400 people saw its downtown leveled after a tornado lingered there for half an hour. In Jackson, Tennessee, a national guard armory and a law enforcement center were just some of the dozens of buildings damaged by the storm.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I couldn't believe it and then when I got down here and started down here, I said I wasn't going to be too upset, but, of course, I was. It was hard. Have to just start over.

(on camera): Missouri's governor says this is probably the worst round of tornadoes this state has ever seen.

In Gladstone, Missouri, I'm Eric Phillips. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: More now on the story. Killer tornadoes which ripped through central and southeastern parts of the country.

Joining us now from the CNN Center in Atlanta with the latest forecast, CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. Is the worst over or more bad developments expected, Jacqui?

JERAS: Yes, more bad developments are expected, Wolf. We'll probably not see as many tornadoes today. The numbers won't be as high. But any tornadoes that do develop could be equally as severe.

We've had five new tornadoes reported today with very little damage, thankfully. Three tornadoes going on at this hour across the state of Tennessee, particularly in western and central Tennessee, getting very close to Jackson, where we saw that tornado move through into the overnight hours.

This will continue with the watches, at least until 10:00. We'll see more issued then. A high risk of severe thunderstorms across parts of Arkansas extending through Tennessee. This whole storm system is going to be kind of redeveloping. We've got a new low with a dry line being reinforced across Texas. And that is going to spell more severe weather. Tomorrow some of the same areas that have been hit very, very hard could get hit again tomorrow -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Jacqui. We'll be checking back with you for more of course as these developments unfold.

The Pentagon, meanwhile, is calling her Mrs. Anthrax. Now the accused leader of Iraq's bio-warfare research department is in United States custody. What does she know about weapons of mass destruction?

Plus, new home video of Saddam Hussein's family. His son and grandchildren -- look at this -- on the firing range.

And the climber who had to cut off his own arm to survive. We'll hear from his parents. That's coming up.

But first, a look at some other news making "Headlines Around the World."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): Terrorist warning. Attorney General John Ashcroft and other top justice ministers from around the world warn that al Qaeda and other terrorist groups remain a serious threat. Meeting in Paris, justice and interior ministers from the group of eight said in a statement that terrorism continues to present both the pervasive and global threat to the world. They also warned that terrorist attacks may involve chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.

Rival students armed with sticks and stones clash in Turkey. The fighting in Istanbul broke out over a dispute about Mayday posters. About 20 students were injured, 30 were arrested.

New Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas says the Israelis are the ones who not making progress on the road map of a new Middle East peace plan. Abbas spelled out the steps he says the Palestinians have made toward implementing the plan in a meeting with the U.S. Middle East Envoy William Burns. The road map consists of a series of steps leading to peaceful co-existence between the Palestinians and Israel.

It wasn't a funny thing that happened at the Roman Forum. A fire broke out at the famed archaeological site, but there was no damage. Firefighters put out the blaze in about 30 minutes.

And that's out look "Around the World."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): Earlier we asked, who's face is on the mosaic destroyed by U.S. troops in front of Baghdad's Al-Rasheed hotel? The answer, George Herbert Walker Bush. Saddam Hussein had it put in after the first Gulf War so that visitor would walk on the former president's face as they entered the hotel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: U.S. officials in charge of finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq are no doubt hoping the latest surrender of a top Iraqi scientist will help. Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is joining us now live from Baghdad with more on the woman the Pentagon is calling Mrs. Anthrax. Nic, tell us all about it.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the view from the people who knew her in Baghdad is that she wasn't Mrs. Anthrax. She certainly was, however, very prominent in Iraq leadership in the days and months leading up to the war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Seen here shortly before the war Huda Ammash rallies anti-American support, standing out not just because she was younger than most in the upper echelons of Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party, but because she was one of the only women. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) may make her capture doubly attractive to U.S. authorities is the U.S. suspicion she has had a role in Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program.

Ammash got her masters in microbiology at the University of Texas, her Ph.D. in microbiology at the University of Missouri. But according to the former head of Iraq's bio-warfare program in the 1980s, she has had no significant role in producing WMD.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of her life she'd been in the administrative field, not in scientific and actual work.

ROBERTSON: Outside of government, Ammash helped run this medical test laboratory. Her partner there also doubts accusations she was involved in WMD.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As long as I know -- as far as I know, sorry, she didn't work in anthrax at all. At all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: In Huda Ammash it seems the coalition quite a complex character. Quite how much she knows about weapons of mass destruction, though, remains open to question -- Wolf.

BLITZER: We'll soon find out what if anything she does indeed know. Nic Robertson in Baghdad, thanks, as usual.

More home video of Saddam Hussein's family has surfaced. This latest find focuses on some powerful weapons.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): A rare view of the Hussein family. This time featuring Saddam's younger son Qusay and two of Saddam's grandchildren. Somewhere in the Iraqi desert, date and location unknown, Qusay is shown on this video along with his two sons. The two youngest boys in the gray sweatshirt and blue pullover.

The tape, obtained by the Associated Press, shows Qusay taking target practice in the desert with a Kalashnikov rifle. After Qusay fires an initial round, he walks toward another target area and the boy believed to be his younger son pulls out a pistol. Qusay fires another round as the younger boy covers his ears.

Another angle shows a target missed. As Qusay reloads his Kalashnikov, the younger boy appears to cook his own gun, but it's not known if the boy's pistol is loaded or even real. Qusay takes a few more shots. Then it's his older son's turn. Qusay covers one of the boy's eyes as a security man covers his ears. Despite the clear presence of a cameraman and at least one photographer, we don't see many results of their shooting. As they move to pistols near the end of the tape, Qusay puts his son's marksmanship to a tougher test.

Another image of tougher times for Qusay. This video, obtained by Reuters, shows the palace once inhabited by Qusay in Baghdad bombed out and ransacked. Indignity visits the palace as looters pick away, taking everything from a gold-plated headboard to a pair of artificial ducks to stationery and what appears to be a child's notebook and a sticker of the Disney character Goofy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And here is your turn to weigh in on the story. "Our Web Question of the Day is this, which is more important, finding chemical weapons in Iraq or Saddam Hussein? We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Please vote at cnn.com/wolf.

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 were you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

His story has captured worldwide attention. A trapped climber who had to make the unimaginable decision to amputate his own arm. His parents are talking for the first time now. We'll hear from them. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We have an update now on a dramatic story that people everywhere around the world are talking about.

Last week we told you about Aron Ralston, the 27-year-old outdoorsman who amputated his own arm with a pocket knife after spending five days pinned by a boulder. For the first time we're hearing from his parents and they're sharing some thoughts about what he told them about this amazing ordeal.

CNN's Arthel Neville is joining us once again from the CNN Newsroom in Atlanta with details -- Arthel.

ARTHEL NEVILLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK, Wolf. Well, first of all, if I could update you on Aron's progress. Over the weekend he was upgraded to fair condition and he was scheduled to have surgery today to prepare what remains of his arm for a prosthetic.

His ordeal started a week ago Saturday when he was climbing in remote canyons in southeastern Utah alone. And when he put his arm into a crack in the canyon wall, an 800-pound boulder shifted, pinning him right there. Now three days later his water ran out and on the fifth day he made the unimaginable decision to amputate his arm below the elbow with a pocket knife. He applied a tourniquet to get to keep from bleeding to death.

Then he climbed back down to the canyon floor and hiked five miles before he was found. Then Aron was airlifted to a hospital where he was able to walk in on his own.

Now less than an hour ago, his parents spoke with reporters in Grand Junction, Colorado, where Aron is being treated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY RALSTON, ARON RALSTON'S FATHER: Aron mentioned that as he got near the destination the night before his trek, that he realized he hadn't left word and he actually thought about making that call and then thought it was too late.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONNA RALSTON, ARON RALSTON'S MOTHER: Immediately when his boss called to say he had not reported for work, immediately I knew something really, really bad was wrong. It wasn't until just a few minutes after 3:00 on Thursday afternoon when the call came back again that they had found him and he was alive and all I could say was thank God. And from there you all know pretty much what happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEVILLE: By the way, this wasn't Aron's first brush with death. This year he and two friends survived an avalanche in Colorado.

But if you think he's done, well he's not. He's trying to become first person to climb all the Colorado mountains higher than 14,000 feet.

And, Wolf, he wants to do this alone. BLITZER: Arthel Neville this is an amazing, amazing story. Thanks for sharing -- sharing with us and our viewers, of course, all the latest developments. We'll continue to watch his progress. Arthel Neville in the CNN Newsroom.

Our "Web Question of the Day" is this: "Which is more important: finding chemical weapons in Iraq or Saddam Hussein?" Please vote at cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results immediately when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of the Day." Which is more important: finding chemical weapons in Iraq or Saddam Hussein? Look at this: 62 percent of you say chemical weapons, 38 percent of you say Saddam Hussein. This is not a scientific poll. You can continue to vote, by the way.

Time to hear from you. Let's get to some of your e-mail.

Vicki writes this: "The economy will not get better with the Bush tax cut, which hurts those who need help the most and helps those who need help the least. This country is being run by greedy bullies."

Robert adds this: "President Bush might not be able to turn the economy around, but it won't be because he's not trying."

This from Beverly: "General Garner and the rest of the administration want the U.N. to lift sanctions against Iraq. Here comes the next international controversy. The U.S. needs to learn how to cooperate instead of trying to usurp all the power all the time."

Remember, please continue to e-mail us.

A reminder: we are here live every day at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Also, noon eastern. I'll see you tomorrow for the latest developments.

I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired May 5, 2003 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Terror in tornado ally.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's coming down the highway.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You have got to be kidding me.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I said that's going to hit us.

BLITZER: And hit them it did. A wave a destruction from Kansas to Tennessee.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, God.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What I am going to do.

BLITZER: What do you do when a killer storm hits?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The safest place to be during a tornado is in a basement.

BLITZER: Why did this safe house become a death trap?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The building collapsed.

BLITZER: Where are the next tornado trouble spots?

Scott Peterson loses the jump suit. With judge in the courtroom may lose the case.

What is his lawyer thinking?

MARK GERAGOS, SCOTT PETERSON'S LAWYER: I think it is only a matter of time before we're able to turn Americans (UNINTELLIGIBLE) around.

BLITZER: Meet the woman dubbed Mrs. Anthrax. U.S. forces net a big fish in Baghdad.

And look who is play with firepower. A rite of passage in Saddam Hussein's family. ANNOUNCER: CNN live this hour, WOLF BLITZER REPORT, live from the nation's capitol. With correspondents from around the world, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts now.

BLITZER: It's Monday, May 5th, 2003.

Hello from Washington. I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.

We begin with a huge outbreak of tornadoes and they're still under way. We're counting at 84 and the warnings are not yet over. The twisters look terrifying. What they left behind was even worse. From the air, you can see how the storms punished homes and buildings.

This is southeastern Kansas in a town called Parsons. At least seven people died in the state, among them a couple who had been married for more than 50 years.

To the east in Missouri, you can see driveway that no longer lead to homes, they lead to debris. This is the Kansas City area. In the entire state, at least 15 people died.

In western Tennessee, the roof flew off this building. This is Madison County, where at least 11 people died. Two of the deaths happened while people were trying to seek shelter at a National Guard armory. It simply collapsed.

The remarkable force of the twisters let parts of Kansas looking like a war zone.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is joining us live. He's in the hard hit town of Gladstone, Missouri, and he has the latest -- Ed.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Last time we talked to you, several hours ago today, we were taking a walking tour of this neighborhood. This is the Carriage Hill subdivision in Gladstone, Missouri, which is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. And as you look down the street, that's where we are walking earlier, and now you've seen a lot of trucks moving through here throughout the day, cleaning up debris, picking up trees and debris, rooftops have been ripped apart here.

We were talking to one family, Warren Hatsler, watching the storms roll in last night from his garage. The garage doors were open. He was watching the storms. He said the wind just suddenly started changing back and forth directions. He knew then something very dangerous was up. he could sense something was going terribly wrong. He and his wife jumped into the basement of their home and as they looked out of the -- closed the door and looked back up, once they got to the bottom, the door was ripped up. He looked up and he was able to see his sky and he knew his house had been completely destroyed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WARREN HUSTLER, TORNADO VICTIM: I was standing there watching it. The wind was blowing 30, 40 mile an hour this way and it switched and went 30, 40 mile an hour the opposite direction in a split second. I holler at Sharon (ph) and I said we're headed to the basement and boom, we got down there and got the door closed and something hit the door and blew it up and I just saw daylight. I said the house is gone, and it is.

LAVANDERA: We heard one resident describe the tornado, this was a tornado that was on the ground for about 30 minutes. That's what several officials and residents here describe that tornado having done when it roared through here Sunday afternoon. One of those residents described the tornado as a giant ball, just seeming to roll through the neighborhood streets, tearing everything apart. And, of course, a lot of people described it as a freight train. I heard one guy talking on a cell phone just a little while ago, saying they always say it sounds like a freight train, well it does sound like a freight train. And that's what we heard one resident here say. In this subdivision, 23 people were injured. One seriously, but many of the people here very grateful no one was killed with what happened here -- Wolf.

BLITZER: What are people doing, just starting the cleanup process? is that basically the thrust of it where you are right now -- Ed.

LAVANDERA: Yes, absolutely. We've seen crews coming and going throughout the day, cleaning up. We talked to the mayor a little while ago and he said when the storm hit yesterday, people were grateful that everyone was alive. He said there is a sense of depression sinking in for a lot of these people as they're going through their homes and trying to collect as many valuables as possible. Many of the people putting whatever they can into trash bags and hauling them away in their own cars. That's been as much as they've been able to salvage at this point -- Wolf.

BLITZER: The salvage effort continues.

Ed Lavandera joining us from Gladstone, Missouri.

Earlier, President Bush offered his condolences to the victims of the killer tornadoes and also tried to reassure them.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I express my sincerest condolences to the victims of the tornadoes that ripped through Arkansas and Kansas and Missouri, Tennessee, Nebraska and South Dakota. Our prayers and I hope your prayers are with those who -- the loved ones who lost life or those who lost their home. The federal government, the local state and local authorities need to know the federal government will be moving as quickly as we possibly can to provide help where help is needed, and where help is justified. The nature is awfully tough at times. And the best thing question do right now is to pray for those who have suffered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The victims of the killer tornadoes know they're targets for twisters. They live in an area called tornado alley. This map shows the area where most tornadoes hit in the United States. It stretches from Texas to the Dakotas and from Colorado to Ohio. The onslaught of the tornado was incredible in terms of power, destruction and death. Here is what it was like when the twister struck several different areas.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going pause for a moment to send an emergency alert.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here comes a tornado! It is coming down the highway! Here it comes! It is a very killer tornado.

THOMAS MAJORS, PIERCE CITY COUNCILMAN: The main street of the city and we have an antique shops and the pharmacy and the grocery store is completely gone. It just leveled all -- pretty much took the tops off everything.

ALLISON FINCH, JACKSON, TENNESSEE: This is clearly ground zero in what would be two tornadoes that touched down here in Jackson. Right here a telephone pole that has snapped and fallen and you can see the base of the telephone pole right here to my right, shards of it sticking up like toothpicks.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Looked like the post office was ripped half in two. The top of the civic center was gone, most of the businesses around and across the street from the post office were demolished. It is just a total disaster down there.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now downtown is as shut down as can be. Most of the businesses have sustained damage, really afraid of what the number is going to be.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got to get out of here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sounded like a train, you know, like a train (UNINTELLIGIBLE) the first time in my life.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you go around on the back side, everything is just gone to this side except that one cabinet and the angels are not even broke. That is unbelievable. My mother's angels were not broke. God was looking out for us. He was. And for just the angels to be unharmed is just -- just unbelievable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: And joining us now live from Oklahoma City, with a unique perspective on these deadly twisters, the veteran storm chaser Reed Timmer shot video of the tornado that ripped through Baxter Springs, Kansas. Thank you for joining us. Walk us through the pictures you took.

How close did you get?

REED TIMMER, STORM CHASER: We were probably around an eighth to a quarter of a mile from the storm when it crossed the highway as you saw on the video. It may have appeared that we were close, but we were monitoring the storm motion, we were monitor the motion of the tornadoes the whole time. And we knew where they were. So we were a safe distance from the tornado.

BLITZER: When say a safe distance it sounds incredibly close given the unpredictability of the twisters, and the fact that there is not much warning, if at all, a half a mile, a quarter of a mile, a mile that seems very close.

TIMMER: It is close, but we were monitoring this particular storm's motion for a long time, for half an hour we followed the tornado and saw the motion of it. We were a safe distance. We monitored a long dance away. And it came closer. It was clearly passing to the south of us.

BLITZER: What kind of precaution do you take when you try to get pictures of these kinds of tornadoes?

TIMMER: Well, we always have to have a full tank of gas because you definitely don't want to run out of when you're in the path of one of these tornadoes. But if you always know -- we have an outcaster that sits back at home, and they view radar and tell us where the most dangerous portion of the storm is. So we know exactly usually where the tornadoes are going to form. And if they've already formed, we already know their storm motions. So it's fairly safe.

But I wouldn't recommend it for somebody who is not experienced. We have seen many storms, many tornadoes. I've been doing this for about six years now, and we generally know what is going to happen.

BLITZER: And tell our viewers why do you do this? Why the fascination with these deadly kinds of tornadoes?

TIMMER: Well, people have to realize that storm chasers aren't just out there for the thrill of it. They're also out there to warn the public. And via a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) spotter network, we go out there and we monitor these storms. And when they put down tornadoes, we relay the report through the ham radio networks. And so we can forewarn the public so people know that there is is tornadoes on the ground for a particular tornado warnings, and that's one of the reasons we go out there. And it's also for the thrill, and just to really realize the meteorology that we learned in the classroom.

BLITZER: All right. The storm chaser Reed Timmer, thanks for joining us. And once again, this is not recommended for amateurs out there. So don't try to do it. Reed, thanks very much.

Are more potentially deadly storms on the way? For the latest forecast, let's bring in our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. She's joining us live from the CNN center in Atlanta -- Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Wolf, it is certainly a possibility again today. In fact, right now we have about six different tornado warnings in effect across the states of Arkansas and also into Tennessee. The action has really picked up very significantly in just the past two hours. And several watches have expired, but new ones have been reissued. So these new watches will go on until 10:00 local time, including Little Rock, across Memphis, into Nashville, and then also a watch in effect until 7:00 local time which includes much of Kentucky, Louisville, down towards the Lexington area.

So this continues to be a very serious situation. And we have an update in from the Storm Prediction Center. They issued a high risk of tornadic thunderstorms throughout much of the state of Tennessee, down into northern parts of Alabama, also into Mississippi, and when we say a high risk, that means there is about a one in four chance that a tornado could move within 25 miles of your house throughout this period for today.

So this is a very serious situation. We also have some new information that just came in in the last few minutes from the National Weather Service in Memphis, Tennessee. The Jackson, Tennessee tornado that occurred overnight, it was about 12:30 local time there, preliminary reports are now estimating that this was an F- 2 tornado with estimated winds between 113 to 157 miles per hour. Of course, meteorologists will be out on the scene in the next couple of days and we'll continue to get these damage reports in from them -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, Jacqui, stand by. We're going to be talking a lot more about this kind of extreme weather. Jacqui Jeras is joining us. We'll take a look a bit later at how extreme the weather might still get. But up next, Scott Peterson's power lawyer poking holes in the prosecution.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERAGOS: We have psychics, we have an Institute of Analytical (ph) Research study microexpressions of people's faces, we have voice stress analyzers, all of which are totally inadmissible.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: The defense goes on the offense in Modesto, California.

And he cut off his arm to stay alive. The harrowing tale of this real-life survivor.

And Saddam Hussein family bonding. Saddam's son teaches the tools of terror to his own boys. The never before seen home video. That's coming up.

But first, today's news quiz.

U.S. troops recently destroyed a mosaic in front of the famed Al- Rasheed hotel in Baghdad. Whose face is on the mosaic? Saddam Hussein. Qusay Hussein. George Bush. Jacques Chirac. The answer is coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here comes the tornado. Guard. (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The safest place to be during a tornado is in a basement. Get under a workbench or other piece of sturdy furniture. In no basement is available...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very violent tornado coming down the highway.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Doesn't get much scarier than this. You're looking at pictures of a deadly tornado. There were tornadoes throughout much of the country yesterday. They're continuing today. We're continuing to monitor these killer tornadoes. We'll have much more coming up on this. This is a picture from in Kansas earlier. Eighty-nine tornadoes and counting right now, by the way.

Let's move on to California, though, for another important development today. A judge in Modesto has refused to withdraw from the Scott Peterson double murder trial. Peterson is accused of killing his wife Laci and their unborn son. There was a hearing on defense motions earlier today. CNN's Rusty Dornin is standing by with that -- Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, defense lawyer, Wolf, Mark Geragos is continuing, of course, his legal maneuvering to protect the image of his client. He was successful in one hearing but not so successful in the other. In one of the hearings he was asking the judge to step aside from the trial. Judge Al Girolami is the trial judge in this case, but apparently he cannot hear all of the arguments regarding the search warrants in this case, and Geragos wanted him to step aside. He refused.

On the other hearing, he wanted to keep the search warrant sealed. The judge agreed in that case. They're going wait until the Fifth District Court of Appeals decides on whether to unseal those search warrants and the arrest warrant. Mark Geragos is concerned that what's in those warrants could be very detrimental to his client.

During these hearings, he did take some time to poke some -- make some snide remarks about the prosecution's case, claiming they had a voodoo style investigation, involving psychics and using voice stress analyzers. Right after the proceedings, he did step outside to talk to reporters and he said he is convinced that he can have a case to convince jurors beyond a reasonable doubt that his client, Scott Peterson, is innocent.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GERAGOS: Just go out and create reasonable doubt, if you will, or argue reasonable doubt. We're not into arguing reasonable doubt in this case. We've set the bar extremely high, and that's to prove that Scott is not only factually innocent, but to figure out exactly who it is did this horrible thing to Scott's wife and to Scott's son and to their grandson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: In some other incidents during the proceedings he did announce that Kirk McAllister, who was Scott Peterson's former attorney, is back on the case here in Modesto. He did meet with McAllister and Peterson's family this afternoon. Also, there will be a pretrial motion hearing on May 27. Also, from a source close to the legal team told CNN that definitely -- maybe this comes as no surprise to anyone -- but he will be asking for a change of venue soon, and hoping that that will be Los Angeles. Of course, that's home turf for Mark Geragos. They know the judges, they know the courts, and they'd like to see the case tried down there -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Rusty, we heard from Scott Peterson's mother today, too, after this hearing. What was her message?

DORNIN: Well, she just -- she, of course, her family is going through an extremely difficult right time now. Laci Peterson's memorial, of course, was yesterday, and they did not attend that, because they did not want to distract attention from Laci, but they said, look, Connor was our grandson, we felt like Laci was our -- our daughter-in-law, She was like a daughter to us. This has been very difficult. But they said that they just believe their son is innocent in this case and they will continue to try to get that message across.

BLITZER: All right, Rusty Dornin. She's going to be covering this for us. Thank, Rusty, very much.

Our legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin is joining us now. He's got some views on this case as well. Jeffrey, you and I watched this unfold earlier. What initial reading did you get from Geragos on what a strategy might be?

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Well it's really a very publicity-oriented strategy. What you want to keep in and what you want to keep away.

He's got a new picture of Scott Peterson. A beloved son, his parents in court with him, he's looking much better in a very well- fitting, expensive suit. You notice -- you didn't see Laci Peterson's family today. This was a day where Scott Peterson's family was out front and center trying to humanize him. So that's the picture he wants in front of the public.

What he doesn't want in front of the public is the search warrant affidavit. What the government expected to find and what they had found in the Peterson household. That's new evidence. That's evidence that has not been made public yet, possibly very incriminating. He wants that kept from the public as long as possible.

BLITZER: And you heard Mark Geragos say not only are they going to try to raise a serious doubt in the minds of jurors, they're going to prove actually who really killed Laci Peterson. That's a very, very high bar for a defense attorney to cross. TOOBIN: Yes, I have to say my initial reaction was, you've got to be kidding. I mean, because, look, every defense lawyer wants one thing. They want to get their client acquitted, period. They don't really care about solving the case.

I think that, too, is a PR strategy aimed at the real core issue in this case. The one I think everybody out in the real world has which is if Scott Peterson didn't do this, who did? Who else had any motive, opportunity, access? And by saying you're going to do it, you at least address the public's concern.

Now, at some point you come to put up or shut up time and he's going to have to come up with some evidence to say how he feels this crime really did take place.

BLITZER: He, for various legal reasons he wants to see this judge recuse himself or get a different judge. But I assume at some point they would like to move this trial way from Modesto, back towards Los Angeles. What is the strategy on that front?

TOOBIN: Well I think that's pretty straight forward. And I think, frankly, that's a winning strategy. This is about as good a case as -- for a change of venue that I've ever seen. Remember, even the San Francisco dog mauling case, which received a lot of publicity but not nearly as much as this did, that was moved to Los Angeles.

This case in a relatively small community like Modesto, it is very hard to see how they could seat an unbiased jury there. Moving it somewhere else I think is likely. Los Angeles is Geragos' preference because he lives there. That's not necessarily where it's going to be. Could be San Diego, which is more comparable in size to Modesto. Could be some other community. But certainly I think a change of venue is very likely in this case.

BLITZER: And this is by all accounts going to be a long, long ordeal. A year or two, maybe three years. Is that right, Jeffrey?

TOOBIN: Three years sounds a little long. But just think about what we learned today. Very preliminary issue, frankly not even that important an issue about which judge unseals a search warrant, which judge makes that decision. That relatively narrow question is already going to the court of appeals. That shows how long this case is likely to be if that is going to court.

BLITZER: Jeffrey Toobin, we'll be talking a lot over the next several of weeks and months.

They've been held as suspected terrorists for months. Now more than a dozen detainees captured in Afghanistan may be released this week. We'll show you why and what it means just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: U.S. defense officials say 12 to 15 detainees at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba will be returned to Afghanistan in the next few days. The men will be given clothing and money before they're turned over to Afghan authorities. It's unclear if some juveniles being held at the military detention center will be among those released. Detainees are released when they no longer have any intelligence value and are no longer considered a threat.

Joining me here in Washington to talk about this and more is Dan Benjamin, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies here in Washington, a former director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council. Thanks for joining us, Dan. Well, first of all, what do you make of this decision to release these detainees?

DAN BENJAMIN, CTR. FOR STRATEGIC & INTL. STUDIES: Well, it was time to start dealing with this huge number of detainees in Guantanamo. There has been a lot of international pressure to start dealing with some of these cases. I think the only thing we can say with certainty is that these people wouldn't be going back to Afghanistan unless the administration deemed they were no longer a danger to us.

BLITZER: And do you think they're going to be happy going -- being held over to -- handed over to Afghan authorities as opposed to just going back to their home countries, let's say?

BENJAMIN: Well, some of them may be Afghans. Some may be going to their home countries from Afghanistan. My guess is that if the Afghans incarcerate them, they're not going be very happy about that. On the other hand, their future in Guantanamo wasn't going to look very good either.

BLITZER: Give us the big picture right now. Are Americans safer today than they were a year or two ago?

BENJAMIN: I think we are a bit safer. We've had a number of really remarkable arrests and we've done better, that is the CIA and its intelligence partners around the world have done better than anyone had the right to expect on September 11.

Having said that, no one should declare the war on terrorism over. It's going to go on for quite a while.

BLITZER: Can al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden assuming he's still alive, still launch a major 9/11-type terror strike against U.S. or U.S. interests?

BENJAMIN: I don't think anyone can answer that with great authority but I think we have to act upon the premise that in fact al Qaeda still can attack us. As we know the six people who were arrested in Pakistan were planning to attack the U.S. consulate in Karachi. Al Qaeda takes a long time to prepare its big attacks, it has a lot of patience as an organization. We have to expect they could still plan a big one.

BLITZER: Though, when you say a big one, a bigger one maybe including some sort of crude nuclear device?

BENJAMIN: Well, for example, the fact that the nuclear sites in Iraq had been ransacked ought to be a matter concern for everyone. We don't know what's go on with all the weapons of mass destruction materials that we believed were in Iraq. And this may be one of the downsides of our invasion is that that material is no longer secure.

It is possible that al Qaeda could get its hands on it. We just don't know. We seem to be doing better, but this is an area in which there is absolutely no certainty.

BLITZER: So it's still wide open and there's still plenty of dangers. No one should relax.

BENJAMIN: Absolutely.

BLITZER: Thank you very much, Dan Benjamin, for joining us.

BENJAMIN: My pleasure.

BLITZER: Killer storms move east, deadly tornadoes threaten to strike again. Will they blow another town literally off the map?

Plus, no chemical weapons found in Iraq, at least not yet. But a top scientist turns herself in. Will she lead to a smoking gun?

And firing off with Dad. Saddam's son shares his weapons of terror, the home video from this Hussein family, video you've never seen until now.

But first, in case you were out enjoying the days off, here's "Our Weekend Snapshot."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Nine Democratic presidential hopefuls squared off in Columbia, South Carolina, in the first televised debate of the 2004 campaign. With the first primary still nine months away, it's the earliest such match ever.

Two Americans and one Russian astronaut returned to earth in a Soyuz space capsule. It missed the landing site by almost 300 miles, but the men are safe and in good health after more than five months on the international space station.

In Washington, D.C., a police car and an ambulance at the scene of one roadside emergency were struck by another car. The cruiser caught fire. Nine people were injured in all.

A New Hampshire landmark disappeared over the weekend. The rock formation known as the Old Man of the Mountain fell from its perch in Franconia Notch State Park. The outcropping, which resembled a man's profile, was the state's symbol.

A 29-year-old woman sailed into Newport, Rhode Island, becoming the youngest person ever and the first woman to complete the Around the Lone Yacht Race. Emma Richards covered 27, 000 nautical miles during almost eight months at sea. And Funny Cide was the surprise winner of the 129th Kentucky Derby. He's the first gelding, or neutered horse, to win the race in 74 years.

And that's our "Weekend Shot."

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: CNN live this hour, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, live from the nation's capital with correspondents from around the world.

Here now is Wolf Blitzer.

BLITZER: Welcome back.

We've got a developing story we're following right now, one involving Jessica Lynch, the former American POW.

Let's bring in our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre -- Jamie.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, Pentagon officials were hopeful that Jessica Lynch would be able to provide a firsthand account of exactly what happened when her outfit was ambushed in Iraq last month. But now Pentagon -- a Pentagon official is telling CNN that Jessica Lynch is having trouble remembering much of what happened.

Now doctors say that this is not unusual for a traumatic event, to lose some memory of what happened and it's not clear how much she doesn't remember and whether or not she may eventually recall some of her memories. But at this point, the doctors are pleased with her recovery, say she's doing well, but she does have some blanks in her memory about what happened in that time between when her unit was ambushed and when she was eventually found in that hospital in Nasiriyah -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Are they calling it some form of amnesia, Jamie?

MCINTYRE: That's not the term that I heard used, simply that she was having trouble recalling significant events. And as they said, it's not unusual, in the case of a traumatic event or an accident for the victim not to remember exactly what happened during the time of that trauma.

BLITZER: All right. Jamie McIntyre. We'll be following this story, thanks very much, Jamie, for that information. Good luck to Jessica Lynch.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: Let's get back to our top story, the killer tornadoes that left 35 people dead in three states.

CNN's Eric Phillips has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ERIC PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well good evening.

We're here in Gladstone, Missouri, which is a suburb of Kansas City. This is actually called the Carriage Hill subdivision. And you can see this is just one of many neighborhoods in this area that was blasted by Mother Nature.

(voice-over): Roofs ripped, trees toppled, properties pulverized. Here in the Kansas City suburb of Gladstone, nobody killed here but plenty of people shaken.

GOV. BOB HOLDEN (D), MISSOURI: Drive down through here and it looks like the tornado just picked out the heart of these cities and took the heart right out. But they didn't take the heart. The heart will be back here.

PHILLIPS: Forecasters say more than 83 twisters were spotted Sunday night when dry air from the Rocky Mountains hit the moist air from the Gulf of New Mexico (sic). In addition to the many people killed across Missouri, Kansas and Tennessee, there were also tens of millions of dollars in property lost. The president says the federal government will help out and offered his condolences.

BUSH: Nature is awfully tough at times. And the best thing we can do right now is to pray for those who have suffered.

PHILLIPS: Pierce City in Lawrence County, Missouri, was hit hard. Town of 1,400 people saw its downtown leveled after a tornado lingered there for half an hour. In Jackson, Tennessee, a national guard armory and a law enforcement center were just some of the dozens of buildings damaged by the storm.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I couldn't believe it and then when I got down here and started down here, I said I wasn't going to be too upset, but, of course, I was. It was hard. Have to just start over.

(on camera): Missouri's governor says this is probably the worst round of tornadoes this state has ever seen.

In Gladstone, Missouri, I'm Eric Phillips. Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: More now on the story. Killer tornadoes which ripped through central and southeastern parts of the country.

Joining us now from the CNN Center in Atlanta with the latest forecast, CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. Is the worst over or more bad developments expected, Jacqui?

JERAS: Yes, more bad developments are expected, Wolf. We'll probably not see as many tornadoes today. The numbers won't be as high. But any tornadoes that do develop could be equally as severe.

We've had five new tornadoes reported today with very little damage, thankfully. Three tornadoes going on at this hour across the state of Tennessee, particularly in western and central Tennessee, getting very close to Jackson, where we saw that tornado move through into the overnight hours.

This will continue with the watches, at least until 10:00. We'll see more issued then. A high risk of severe thunderstorms across parts of Arkansas extending through Tennessee. This whole storm system is going to be kind of redeveloping. We've got a new low with a dry line being reinforced across Texas. And that is going to spell more severe weather. Tomorrow some of the same areas that have been hit very, very hard could get hit again tomorrow -- Wolf.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Jacqui. We'll be checking back with you for more of course as these developments unfold.

The Pentagon, meanwhile, is calling her Mrs. Anthrax. Now the accused leader of Iraq's bio-warfare research department is in United States custody. What does she know about weapons of mass destruction?

Plus, new home video of Saddam Hussein's family. His son and grandchildren -- look at this -- on the firing range.

And the climber who had to cut off his own arm to survive. We'll hear from his parents. That's coming up.

But first, a look at some other news making "Headlines Around the World."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): Terrorist warning. Attorney General John Ashcroft and other top justice ministers from around the world warn that al Qaeda and other terrorist groups remain a serious threat. Meeting in Paris, justice and interior ministers from the group of eight said in a statement that terrorism continues to present both the pervasive and global threat to the world. They also warned that terrorist attacks may involve chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.

Rival students armed with sticks and stones clash in Turkey. The fighting in Istanbul broke out over a dispute about Mayday posters. About 20 students were injured, 30 were arrested.

New Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas says the Israelis are the ones who not making progress on the road map of a new Middle East peace plan. Abbas spelled out the steps he says the Palestinians have made toward implementing the plan in a meeting with the U.S. Middle East Envoy William Burns. The road map consists of a series of steps leading to peaceful co-existence between the Palestinians and Israel.

It wasn't a funny thing that happened at the Roman Forum. A fire broke out at the famed archaeological site, but there was no damage. Firefighters put out the blaze in about 30 minutes.

And that's out look "Around the World."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER (voice-over): Earlier we asked, who's face is on the mosaic destroyed by U.S. troops in front of Baghdad's Al-Rasheed hotel? The answer, George Herbert Walker Bush. Saddam Hussein had it put in after the first Gulf War so that visitor would walk on the former president's face as they entered the hotel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: U.S. officials in charge of finding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq are no doubt hoping the latest surrender of a top Iraqi scientist will help. Our senior international correspondent Nic Robertson is joining us now live from Baghdad with more on the woman the Pentagon is calling Mrs. Anthrax. Nic, tell us all about it.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, the view from the people who knew her in Baghdad is that she wasn't Mrs. Anthrax. She certainly was, however, very prominent in Iraq leadership in the days and months leading up to the war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON (voice-over): Seen here shortly before the war Huda Ammash rallies anti-American support, standing out not just because she was younger than most in the upper echelons of Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party, but because she was one of the only women. (UNINTELLIGIBLE) may make her capture doubly attractive to U.S. authorities is the U.S. suspicion she has had a role in Iraq's weapons of mass destruction program.

Ammash got her masters in microbiology at the University of Texas, her Ph.D. in microbiology at the University of Missouri. But according to the former head of Iraq's bio-warfare program in the 1980s, she has had no significant role in producing WMD.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All of her life she'd been in the administrative field, not in scientific and actual work.

ROBERTSON: Outside of government, Ammash helped run this medical test laboratory. Her partner there also doubts accusations she was involved in WMD.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As long as I know -- as far as I know, sorry, she didn't work in anthrax at all. At all.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTSON: In Huda Ammash it seems the coalition quite a complex character. Quite how much she knows about weapons of mass destruction, though, remains open to question -- Wolf.

BLITZER: We'll soon find out what if anything she does indeed know. Nic Robertson in Baghdad, thanks, as usual.

More home video of Saddam Hussein's family has surfaced. This latest find focuses on some powerful weapons.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): A rare view of the Hussein family. This time featuring Saddam's younger son Qusay and two of Saddam's grandchildren. Somewhere in the Iraqi desert, date and location unknown, Qusay is shown on this video along with his two sons. The two youngest boys in the gray sweatshirt and blue pullover.

The tape, obtained by the Associated Press, shows Qusay taking target practice in the desert with a Kalashnikov rifle. After Qusay fires an initial round, he walks toward another target area and the boy believed to be his younger son pulls out a pistol. Qusay fires another round as the younger boy covers his ears.

Another angle shows a target missed. As Qusay reloads his Kalashnikov, the younger boy appears to cook his own gun, but it's not known if the boy's pistol is loaded or even real. Qusay takes a few more shots. Then it's his older son's turn. Qusay covers one of the boy's eyes as a security man covers his ears. Despite the clear presence of a cameraman and at least one photographer, we don't see many results of their shooting. As they move to pistols near the end of the tape, Qusay puts his son's marksmanship to a tougher test.

Another image of tougher times for Qusay. This video, obtained by Reuters, shows the palace once inhabited by Qusay in Baghdad bombed out and ransacked. Indignity visits the palace as looters pick away, taking everything from a gold-plated headboard to a pair of artificial ducks to stationery and what appears to be a child's notebook and a sticker of the Disney character Goofy.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: And here is your turn to weigh in on the story. "Our Web Question of the Day is this, which is more important, finding chemical weapons in Iraq or Saddam Hussein? We'll have the results later in this broadcast. Please vote at cnn.com/wolf.

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 were you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

His story has captured worldwide attention. A trapped climber who had to make the unimaginable decision to amputate his own arm. His parents are talking for the first time now. We'll hear from them. That's coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We have an update now on a dramatic story that people everywhere around the world are talking about.

Last week we told you about Aron Ralston, the 27-year-old outdoorsman who amputated his own arm with a pocket knife after spending five days pinned by a boulder. For the first time we're hearing from his parents and they're sharing some thoughts about what he told them about this amazing ordeal.

CNN's Arthel Neville is joining us once again from the CNN Newsroom in Atlanta with details -- Arthel.

ARTHEL NEVILLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK, Wolf. Well, first of all, if I could update you on Aron's progress. Over the weekend he was upgraded to fair condition and he was scheduled to have surgery today to prepare what remains of his arm for a prosthetic.

His ordeal started a week ago Saturday when he was climbing in remote canyons in southeastern Utah alone. And when he put his arm into a crack in the canyon wall, an 800-pound boulder shifted, pinning him right there. Now three days later his water ran out and on the fifth day he made the unimaginable decision to amputate his arm below the elbow with a pocket knife. He applied a tourniquet to get to keep from bleeding to death.

Then he climbed back down to the canyon floor and hiked five miles before he was found. Then Aron was airlifted to a hospital where he was able to walk in on his own.

Now less than an hour ago, his parents spoke with reporters in Grand Junction, Colorado, where Aron is being treated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LARRY RALSTON, ARON RALSTON'S FATHER: Aron mentioned that as he got near the destination the night before his trek, that he realized he hadn't left word and he actually thought about making that call and then thought it was too late.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONNA RALSTON, ARON RALSTON'S MOTHER: Immediately when his boss called to say he had not reported for work, immediately I knew something really, really bad was wrong. It wasn't until just a few minutes after 3:00 on Thursday afternoon when the call came back again that they had found him and he was alive and all I could say was thank God. And from there you all know pretty much what happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEVILLE: By the way, this wasn't Aron's first brush with death. This year he and two friends survived an avalanche in Colorado.

But if you think he's done, well he's not. He's trying to become first person to climb all the Colorado mountains higher than 14,000 feet.

And, Wolf, he wants to do this alone. BLITZER: Arthel Neville this is an amazing, amazing story. Thanks for sharing -- sharing with us and our viewers, of course, all the latest developments. We'll continue to watch his progress. Arthel Neville in the CNN Newsroom.

Our "Web Question of the Day" is this: "Which is more important: finding chemical weapons in Iraq or Saddam Hussein?" Please vote at cnn.com/wolf. We'll have the results immediately when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of the Day." Which is more important: finding chemical weapons in Iraq or Saddam Hussein? Look at this: 62 percent of you say chemical weapons, 38 percent of you say Saddam Hussein. This is not a scientific poll. You can continue to vote, by the way.

Time to hear from you. Let's get to some of your e-mail.

Vicki writes this: "The economy will not get better with the Bush tax cut, which hurts those who need help the most and helps those who need help the least. This country is being run by greedy bullies."

Robert adds this: "President Bush might not be able to turn the economy around, but it won't be because he's not trying."

This from Beverly: "General Garner and the rest of the administration want the U.N. to lift sanctions against Iraq. Here comes the next international controversy. The U.S. needs to learn how to cooperate instead of trying to usurp all the power all the time."

Remember, please continue to e-mail us.

A reminder: we are here live every day at 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Also, noon eastern. I'll see you tomorrow for the latest developments.

I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.

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