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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Major Accidents Close Interstate in Western Maryland; CDC Issues New Caution on Travel to Toronto Due to SARS

Aired May 23, 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)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Could Saddam and sons still be hiding out in Baghdad?

GEN. TOMMY FRANKS, CENTCOM COMMANDER: We're searching for everybody that's on the blacklist to include his family.

O'BRIEN: U.S. troops do make one extraordinary find. Is it Saddam's secret treasure?

Israel moves to let the U.S. chart a course toward peace.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Prime Minister Sharon accepted the road map and that's progress.

O'BRIEN: Is the Middle East summit the next step?

While police search for evidence linking Scott Peterson to his wife's murder, the defense searches for a mysterious brown van seen before Laci disappeared.

Three decades after his chopper was shot down, a Vietnam vet, one of the Elite Ghost Riders tries to put his own ghost to rest.

And round two. Can Annika make the cut?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: It's Friday, May 23, 2003. Hello from the CNN center in Atlanta. I'm Miles O'Brien. Wolf Blitzer is off today.

Right now we bring you a breaking story. We have reports from Maryland of an accident involving at least 150 vehicles on Interstate 68. Two are known dead. Interstate 68 is closed down as a result. It occurred in Garrett County, Maryland. As many as 150 cars involved.

There you see, clearly, the remnants of that fog that was -- helped precipitate this chain reaction accident. It occurred over a 20-mile stretch in Allegheny and Grantsville and Garrett Counties. Visibility near zero. And this clearly was the initiating factor in this 150 car pile-up. A spokesperson for the State Highway Administration in Maryland said numerous injuries have been reported as well. She doesn't know the conditions of those injured. But once again, we have confirmed two fatalities on this. We're going to try to get a few more facts together. This is just coming in to us now and we'll bring you those facts as they become available to us.

We also have another breaking story that's going to right now. We've just learned that the Centers for Disease Control and prevention has reinstated its travel alert for Toronto, Canada because of reports of possible new cases of SARS. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joining us now with the latest in all this. Elizabeth, this is a big surprise.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is a surprise, Miles. What happened is that on May 20 the CDC took off its travel alert. They say there hasn't been new cases in Toronto, we're going to take our travel alert away. Well today they're saying we're putting it back on because of a cluster of five new probable cases of SARS. That's what they're calling it, five probable cases of SARS.

Now I want to be clear. A travel alert is not saying don't go. They're not saying don't go to Toronto. They're saying if you choose to go, if you go there's certain precautions you that ought you to take, precautions like bring masks with you. You don't need to wear them, but bring them with you, just in case. For cautions like monitor your health and monitor Web sites so that if something does change, you're aware of it.

So again, the CDC is saying you can go to Toronto, but if you go, there are certain precautions that you want to take -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Well now Elizabeth, the last time we were involved in -- I don't want to say a travel ban, but an advisory on going to Toronto, the World Health Organization was involved. Are they involved this time around or is this strictly a CDC advisory that's going down?

COHEN: This time around it appears to be just the CDC. Now sometimes in issuing all these alerts and advisories in Canada and other areas, one of those bodies has followed the other one. It'll be interesting to see what the WHO does.

O'BRIEN: Now up in Canada, there was a lot of controversy over this and there was numerous statements by Canadian health officials, and for that matter, business people in Toronto, that they felt that the advisories initially were unfair in singling out Toronto. I know it's very early but can we expect more of the same?

COHEN: Oh, absolutely. I think you can expect more of the same, Miles. I mean people in Toronto were very upset when the WHO and the CDC put on their original advisories. They said, look, it's not necessary, our outbreak is pretty much confined to hospitals and to close clusters.

So the travelers don't need to worry. They're not going to go into those hospitals, probably. And they're nor going to -- insert themselves into those families or into those clusters where it's happened. And the WHO said, well, we don't agree with that and they kept it on and then they removed it as well.

But, yes. I am sure that we will hear from Canadians with this. My guess is they will not be happy.

O'BRIEN: All right. It's worth reminding people because we haven't talked about Toronto's link to this in a little while because that advisory has been lifted. It's worth reminding people, I think of the suspected link between Asia and Toronto and how it became such a problem there.

COHEN: Right. Exactly. SARS -- it's thought that SARS started in Guangdong province in China and spread to Hong Kong and other regions from Asia.

A traveler from Asia went to Canada in March and that's how this whole thing started. And that one person, slowly, through -- actually not so slowly -- through a chain of people infected many, many more people. So, right, this did not erupt newly in Canada. It came from a traveler, one traveler from Asia to Canada.

O'BRIEN: And obviously, this one traveler was in some sort of position where as they say kind of a super spreader.

COHEN: Right. I don't know actually if it was that one original traveler, someone who that person then subsequently infected. But, right, we've talked a lot in our SARS discussions about super spreaders. And that's one person who sometimes gives it to 10, 20 or even 30 or more people. They don't know why some people are super spreaders. They really are looking into that. They just don't know.

But Canada did have at least one super spreader and that's one of the reasons why that epidemic got so much bigger than it did say here in the United States where there have been no super spreaders.

O'BRIEN: All right. Let's -- people who might be just tuning in right now. Restate exactly what the advisory states from the CDC.

COHEN: Right. What the CDC says is if you do go to Toronto and the surrounding area there are certain precautions you ought to take. Wash your hands a lot, bring masks with you, you don't need to wear them, but bring them with you in case you have to. Avoid areas like hospitals where there have been many SARS cases. Monitor your health, and if you get a cough and a fever then you need to call the health authorities.

So you need to be taking those kind of precautions. They are not saying don't go to Canada -- don't go to Toronto. And that's a very important distinction to make. The CDC is not saying we don't want you to go there, they're just saying if you go there, take these precautions.

O'BRIEN: Elizabeth Cohen in our newsroom, thank you very much. Let's tell you a little bit more about that other braking story we're watching right now. A series of accidents in Maryland, around Finzel, Maryland, over a series of counties, precipitated, we believe, by some heavy fog in that area.

Right now what we're -- as you can see it is in the far western portion of Maryland, near the Pennsylvania border. And there were more than 150 cars involved in this. Obviously, a lot of heavy holiday traffic combined with some thick fog. Not a good combination. We have confirmed fatalities of two people. And we're told by various authorities in the region that there are numerous other injuries, but we don't know the extent of those injuries.

About a 20-mile stretch of Interstate 68 in that part of the world, Western Maryland near the Pennsylvania border, not too far from West Virginia, either. And we will be tracking that very closely all throughout the evening and we'll keep you posted on what's going on there. Obviously if your plans involve Interstate 68 right now you should seek an alternate route.

Now, more on holiday travel for you. With officials concerned that a terror attack may be imminent, all that holiday travel is taking place under very close watch of law enforcement agencies. Let's go live now to CNN's Jeanne Meserve joining us from Washington for the big picture on what's going on -- Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Miles, with an estimated 35 million Americans on the move this weekend, authorities are upping security all across the transportation sector.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE (voice-over): For air travelers, a long weekend means long lines. Maybe even longer this Memorial Day by threat level Orange security measures, parking restrictions, more thorough searches and more of them.

An estimated quarter of a million people will get all aboard Amtrak before Tuesday. There's no screening of passengers or bags, but there is other security.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are more officers on patrol at any given time, but many of the countermeasures that have initiated are invisible to the traveling public. Things like monitoring the infrastructure, key bridges and tunnels and the like.

MESERVE: Washington's Metrorail system has canceled leave for transit police officer. other employees are in high visibility orange vests so riders can find them with questions or concerns.

Passengers are asked to be vigilant and are given advice on how to stay safe. In New York, National Guardsmen are augmenting police patrols of Penn Station and other transportation hubs. Security at bridges and tunnels and key interchanges may be apparent to drivers. And in some states commercial vehicles will be subject to increased inspections. But for the most part, the biggest headache for drivers will be the sheer number of people on the road, an estimated 29.4 million nationwide.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: AAA estimates that air travel is down 2 1/2 percent from last year. Our economy is believed to be the principal reason though concerns about terrorism may be a factor. As for how long we'll be at threat level Orange, officials say the level of intelligence chatter is still high, but otherwise, things are, quote, "eerily quiet" -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: And that in and of itself could be a clue, couldn't it?

MESERVE: That's right. When thing goes quiet like this they're afraid that everything could be set for some kind of activity. So, yes, they're still very much concerned about what may be happening. That is why the threat level remains right where it has been since Tuesday, at orange.

O'BRIEN: All right. We'll have to leave it on that ominous note. Jeanne Meserve, thank you very much. Have a good holiday weekend.

That holiday weekend tradition, the great Friday escape once again under way. We hope it's going safely in most of the region. We're telling you about a big pile-up in Western Maryland, but here's the story in new England.

Soggy weather hasn't stopped the exodus to the Cape and those taking the ferry out to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard can expect tighter security along with a fair amount of weekend rain.

Several million people are expected to take to the skies. You're looking right now at live pictures from Los Angeles International Airport, among the five busiest in the world -- 660,000 people expected to leave and arrive between now and Monday. That would be down 20 percent from two years ago, referenced back to Jeanne's piece.

There's a new piece of equipment helping keep the waters around New York City safe this holiday weekend.

CNN's Jamie Colby took a ride on the boat they call the Moose. I guess -- does the moose go along with the squirrel?

JAMIE COLBY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some thing like that, Miles.

They're really pretty excited about it because the responsibility of the U.S. Park Police, the federal agency that will patrol the waterways over the weekend and they've been patrolling the waterways pretty seriously since 9/11 -- they need oftentimes to get to some of these landmarks like you can see behind me a bit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Sometimes they need to get there quickly to investigate perhaps a suspicious boat or group of people. This particular vehicle, the Moose, a vessel, will get them there quicker than any thing they've have. So they're testing it out in New York, and if it works here they may use it elsewhere.

It has a catamaran body. That's really the most unique part -- and no propeller. It's propelled by water jets, Miles, so it can go in water as low as a foot.

And here's what Sergeant Grant Arthur, who took me for a spin today, has to say about why the vehicle or vessel is so important.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. GRANT ARTHUR, U.S. PARK POLICE: We're very confident this boat's going to meet all our needs and if it does we're going to try to get as many as we can to replace some of our older boats that have been in service for a long time.

But a boat like this with its -- with all the different aspects where it can get into the shallow water, it can go into rough water -- it can replace a lot of our smaller boats or bigger boats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLBY: And that could be very important, Miles, in the event of an aircraft disaster, a plane crash. Oftentimes to rescue people they would have to go in very shallow water, very narrow areas and the moose can help them get there.

The other interesting thing about it is that it can actually go up on shore. It can go up on the beach so if they did make a rescue, they would be able to deliver people for help much quicker. So that's one of the reasons they're looking forward to giving it a try over the holiday weekend. Despite the inclement weather, they are expecting record crowds. It is Fleet Week.

And in addition, if it works, these patrols, the U.S. Park Police, who take it as a personal mission, so to speak, to protect the beautiful landmarks like the Statue of Liberty -- they're really hoping to have all of the equipment they need to get the job done and keep every one safe.

In fact, when I asked the sergeant about the Statue of Liberty, here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARTHUR: It's kind of a big responsibility, you know? People, especially New Yorkers, take it for granted. You see it every day out there and it's just -- just kind of another view in the skyline. But, you know, it's pretty much the symbol of our country. You know, it's a major target which, you know, we've spent a lot of effort and time trying to protect it.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COLBY: They'll also keep a close watch from the water to the airports to some of the bridges -- like the Verrizano is one they have their eye on this weekend as well, as I said, the Statue of Liberty and also Ellis Island.

So they will be out in force. There's only one moose right now and I can tell you going out on it, it's fast, it's furious and it is definitely state-of-the-art -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right. Sounds like you had a fun ride. Jamie Colby joining us from the southern tip of Manhattan. Appreciate that.

It's time for us to take a break. We've got a lot going on on this holiday Friday version of the WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

Coming up, we're going to tell you a little bit more about that crash in Western Maryland. No less than a hundred vehicles involved. Multiple accidents, a combination of heavy traffic and heavy fog. We'll bring you the latest on that.

And then SARS rears its ugly head once again in Toronto. The Centers for Disease Control issuing a travel advisory once again for that city. We'll bring you details on that as well.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back.

Tracking two breaking news stories for you right now. Western Maryland, the dateline on the first one, 150 vehicles involved in a series of accidents there. Heavy holiday traffic combined with some heavy fog causing the scene you're seeing here right now. As we say, 150 vehicles. Two confirmed fatalities, numerous injuries. The extent of those injuries still unclear to us right now. Interstate 68, that part of the world in three counties there. Garrett County, primarily is shut down. So if Interstate 68 is a part of your route this evening on your way to some holiday plans, you should seek some sort of alternate.

Our other breaking story that we're looking at. Toronto, Canada the dateline on that one. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reissuing a travel advisory for Toronto. The concern is new SARS cases that are being tracked there. You'll recall that travel advisory that had been placed on Toronto, the source of quite a bit of controversy north of the border was lifted on May 20, but that evening, the CDC, kind of late in a holiday weekend getaway day issuing a travel advisory for Toronto. We'll keep you posted on that as the details unfold.

Now there was a tantalizing report today about one of those topping the most wanted list in Iraq. "The Wall Street Journal" suggested Saddam Hussein's eldest son and a rather notorious character, Uday, is hiding out in Baghdad and exploring a surrender to U.S. forces. Our national security correspondent, David Ensor, explores the reaction in Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: U.S. officials say it is just not true, despite the reports that they've been contacted on behalf of Uday Hussein. Not true he's trying to negotiate terms for his surrender. Officials are also denying some suggestions that the U.S. might already know where Saddam Hussein's oldest son is. Not true, says a senior U.S. official.

That said, Uday, with his reputation for cruelty is high on the most wanted list. He's No. 3 in the Pentagon's famous deck of cards. U.S. officials are definitely looking for him, but reports they've found him or that he's found them are exaggerated, says a senior U.S. official, unfortunately.

David Ensor, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Unfortunately, indeed.

Con Coughlin of "The London Sunday Telegraph" is in Baghdad, has been for some time. He is the author of an excellent book, "Saddam: King Of Terror" and he knows a lot about the man, his family and the territory.

He joins us with from the Iraqi capital.

Con, good to have you with us.

CON COUGHLIN, AUTHOR, "SADDAM: KING OF TERROR": Good evening, Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right. First of all, let's talk about the possibilities of Saddam Hussein and his two sons, possibly being in Baghdad. Is that a likely scenario? Are there safe houses there and people that would protect that trio? Or are they in jeopardy in a city like Baghdad where they would have so many enemies?

COUGHLIN: I'm sorry, I've lost the sound there. But Saddam and his family have many safe houses around the country. I'm told they have literally thousands of safe houses in Iraq scattered throughout the country. They also spent a lot of money before the war to make sure that the tribal leaders and people like that looked after them in the event of their defeat.

So it is possible that Saddam and his sons are still in Baghdad. I think it's actually unlikely. I think they're more likely to be in the north of the country. And certainly people here in Baghdad are picking up signs of activity among Saddam's loyalists.

O'BRIEN: That's an interesting point. Now, when you say north of Baghdad, certainly Tikrit will be high on the list, because certainly there will be a number of allies of Saddam Hussein and his clan is located there. But after a certain point in time, it seems unlikely that they could remain hidden.

COUGHLIN: Yes, well one of the thins I've picked up in the last couple of days is that before the war, Saddam paid out $1.3 billion to people in Iraq who he thought he might need to call on to look after him. That's a lot of money. That's a lot of protection money. That will buy a lot of loyalty. So with that kind of money in the hands of people that he wants to trust, he could hide out for some time.

And of course, the other issue here is that there are members of Saddam's family literally commuting between Iraq and Damascus. The latest person I've tracked to Damascus is Saddam's granddaughter who's Qusay's daughter. She arrived in Damascus some time this week.

Other members of the family have come back to Iraq and the whole scene on the border between Iraq and Syria is very confusing. And it begs the question why aren't coalition forces doing more to close that border and moreover to detain these people? Because these are key members of the family and they will have information that could lead to the coalition forces to Saddam and his sons.

O'BRIEN: And the quick point here. Do you have the sense that Syria, President Assad, is encouraging this despite U.S. pressure to the contrary?

COUGHLIN: Well the Syrians officially deny this, but there's no doubt in my mind that Syrian intelligence is running this. I'm sure large sums of money are involved. Perhaps some of that $1.3 billion dollars that I was talking about.

O'BRIEN: All right, Con Coughlin with the "London Sunday Telegraph." Always appreciate your insights. Thanks for joining us live from Baghdad.

COUGHLIN: Pleasure, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Lost in California, the mystery of a 2-year-old found wandering the streets.

And we'll talk to a Vietnam vet who after decades of anguish is reunited with a soldier he thought he left behind. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Authorities in Western Maryland trying to clean up a really terrible series of accidents on Interstate 68, far western portion of that state, kind of a panhandle portion of the state very near the Pennsylvania line. A hundred and fifty cars involved, two fatalities reported, numerous

injuries. We're trying to get you more information on the extent of those injuries. We'll keep you posted. At the root cause of this, apparently some heavy fog combined with some heavy traffic, people speeding along trying to get to their holiday destinations, wherever they might be. Rob Marciano joining us from the Weather Center to give us a sense of what lies ahead in that part of the world and whether some more grim weather lies ahead for people trying to get to where they want to be.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Wet weather, Miles, definitely will be ahead for folks in this area. For the folks who live through the Allegheny and the Potomac River which runs right along I-68 out towards Cumberland and western parts of Maryland and obviously in valley locations fog can develop quite rapidly.

And what we have today is a pretty intense area of low pressure, what will be a developing area of low pressure offshore. Here's D.C., Maryland, Delaware. It lowers offshore and it's kind of throwing light east wind. So it's really throwing in that ocean moisture into that valley and it gets trapped in there, so they've got low visibilities in that area. They've got wet roads as well. And the low visibilities from the fog expected to stay, I think through tonight. There's a dense fog advisory out tonight.

So I think scenes like this will continue. Hopefully won't be as bad as we go through tonight. But obviously a lot of folks on the roads. And this scene is just hard -- hard to watch. Dense fog advisories up tonight through at least midnight tonight.

Once we get the winds to shift, Miles, and I think that will happen during the day tomorrow as this low really gets cranking, and in New York, the winds will switch westerly. That will start to clear out that valley location. We won't see the fog nearly as bad by this time tomorrow. back to you.

O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you, Rob Marciano in the Weather Center. Appreciate that.

A mysterious tan van. Just one of several new twists this hour in the Laci Peterson murder case as police continue to search for clues in and around San Francisco Bay. CNN's Mike Brooks is in Richmond, California, where he has been for quite some time. He has the latest for us. Mike, those divers still in the water?

MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, the divers are out of the water after their eighth straight day of diving. They've wrapped up dive operations for now and they will not dive over the holidays. They hope to come back some time soon, but that has not been determined exactly when they will be back. So it's been suspended for now.

But in another twist, CNN has spoken to a potential defense -- excuse me, to a potential defense witness who says that the morning of Laci Peterson's disappearance at 9:30 at a gas station near their home he saw a suspicious brown van with a man in it, also acting in a suspicious manner.

Now a few blocks from there, on his way home, he saw a pregnant woman that he said looked like Laci Peterson with a dog. The dog was jumping up him, that's what made him notice it. He now says that he talked to Modesto Police a short time after that when they found out that she was missing. They dismissed his theory out of hand. And right now it's another twist to the Laci Peterson case that remains unanswered.

Now he is a potential witness. The defense team has spoken to him. They've interviewed him, videotaped his statement and right now just another twist to the case. We'll hope to find out more soon -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Mike Brooks telling us every twist and turn as the Laci Peterson murder case unfolds out there in San Francisco Bay. Thank you very much. Appreciate that.

Another mystery case has officials baffled in southern California. A little boy wandered the streets of Bakersfield before finally being picked up by police. They know him as "Mateo" but beyond that they're in the dark. CNN's Charles Feldman is following this story from Los Angeles. Charles, this is a very odd one, isn't it?

CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Extremely, Miles. In fact, officials in Bakersfield say they've never seen anything like it in recent memory. He's apparently a 2-year-old boy who was discovered wandering around the streets of Bakersfield, California, that's about 110 miles from Los Angeles, Sunday night. No one has come to claim him.

They're looking at a number theories that perhaps his parents are from Mexico and left him off in California. Perhaps he's a runaway. Perhaps his parents met with some sort of foul play, but there's no evidence for that.

But they have this mystery. Who is Mateo? He speaks Spanish, maybe a couple of words of English. He has told them that he has two brothers and a dog, but he has been very unresponsive to any questions about a mother or a father.

Right now he is at a foster parent home. He'll stay there for about a week and then probably shift to a more permanent home, and if no one comes to claim him, in about six months' time, he could be put up for adoption.

So, the big question tonight in Bakersfield is who is Mateo, who does he belong to, and what are the circumstances of his being found mysteriously wandering around the streets of Bakersfield California. Miles?

O'BRIEN: Well, presumably, someone knows this little boy and might call in having seen the coverage we've been giving. Any word as to the number of calls they've been receiving as this has unfolded?

FELDMAN: Yes, I talked to the police about 45 minutes ago, Miles. They've gotten a number of tips, but so far, none have panned out. They've gotten a lot of e-mail from people who think they saw the kid, they think they saw the kid with a mother or a father, but, again, nothing yet seems to be hitting the nail on the spot. So, it's still a mystery.

O'BRIEN: Well, let's hope it gets off soon. Charles Feldman, thanks very much. Appreciate it.

Could it be a step towards peace? President Bush and his plan for peace in the Middle East.

Out from the rubble from a deadly earthquake in Algeria, meanwhile, an amazing rescue.

And all eyes are on the world's number one-ranked woman golfer who is beating an awful lot of men in Texas. We'll take you back to the Colonial for an update on round two. Will Annika make the cut?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back to CNN's WOLF BLITZER REPORTS. I'm Miles O'Brien. Wolf is off today.

Coming up, the surprise U.S. troops got at the Iraqi border, but first the latest headlines.

Police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, are pursuing a new angle in their search for a serial killer. They are looking for a black man described as very attractive and personable. He's suspected of three attacks last year on woman, none of whom were killed. Five murders are blamed on the serial killer in that area.

An amazing rescue in Algeria, a two-year-old girl trapped for almost two days under a collapsed building. She's been rescued, but the death toll from Wednesday's 6.8 quake is climbing. Officials now say almost 1,500 were killed.

And we are also tracking a couple of breaking news stories for you. Western Maryland is the place where authorities are focusing on a series of crashes occurring in dense fog on Interstate 68, 150 vehicles involved. Two known fatalities, numerous injuries. We don't know the condition of those who are injured. We are working on that.

And another breaking story, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. health agency, has issued a travel advisory for people headed to Toronto, Canada, this after apparently additional cases of SARS have popped up in that area. A previous advisory on travel to Toronto was lifted on May 20, and in this case, that advisory is reinstated.

President Bush found something to cheer about in the Middle East, and those -- there were a series of things related to moves by Israel's prime minister that may set the stage for a summit in the region.

But for now, the President is in Crawford, Texas, and so is CNN's Chris Burns, where he is spending the holiday weekend working. Hello, Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Miles. Hi. It really came as a relief to the White House. They did -- were very concerned that the road map for peace that President Bush has proposed was almost dead in the water because of all these militant attacks by Palestinians in almost recent days.

But this two -- little two-paragraph message and announcement by the White House, the western White House here in Crawford, and a lot of intense diplomacy appeared to have jumpstarted that process.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BURNS (voice-over): Trying to smooth over a rocky road map to peace, the President sends a message to the Israelis and gets at least initial positive results.

BUSH: Prime Minister Sharon accepted the road map and that's progress.

BURNS: That, despite a new wave of militant attacks against Israelis that threatened to send Mr. Bush's road map to the ash heap of countless other peace initiatives.

BUSH: He accepted it because I assured him that the United States is committed to Israel's security.

BURNS: Also expressing support for the road map, Japan's Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, as he visited the President's Crawford ranch, and the rest of the group of eight industrialized nations meeting with Secretary of State, Colin Powell, in France.

The U.S. assurance came in a two-paragraph White House statement expressing understanding of Israel's significant concerns about the road map and that the United States will address them fully and seriously in its implementation. White House officials say the statement was the result of considerable diplomatic contacts in the Middle East aimed at nudging the Israelis and the Palestinians to start implementing the road map, a plan that's to lead to an independent Palestinian state by 2005.

The next step could be a three-way summit, possibly in early June in the Egyptian ski resort of Sharm al-Sheikh, a site of previous peace efforts.

BUSH: I'm exploring the opportunities as to whether or not I should meet with Prime Minister, Abu Mazen, as well as Prime Minister Sharon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNS: Now all of that, U.S. officials say, depends on whether the Palestinian prime minister can rein in the militants and whether the Israelis can ease some of those restrictions on the Palestinians. Miles?

O'BRIEN: CNN's Chris Burns in Crawford, Texas. Thank you very much.

U.S. troops in Iraq today stopped a truck at a checkpoint near the Syrian border. You can just imagine the looks on their faces when they peered inside and found 2,000 bars of what appears to be gold, perhaps a half billion dollars worth. Let's go live now to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, for more on all this.

Did they figure out if it was in fact gold, Jamie?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Not yet, but if it is, as you said, it will be worth about $500 million.

It happened near Al Qaim, which is a border town right near Syria, during what the Military calls a routine traffic control search. They found in the Mercedes truck driven by two individuals about 2,000, 40-pound bars, each of these about 4 by 5 by 10 inches. The occupants of the truck told the soldiers that they'd been paid 350,000 dinars, that's about $350 U.S., to pick up the truck in Baghdad and then drive it to an unnamed individual in Al Qaim. The two said that they had been told the bars were made of bronze.

Again, they'll be tested now, but depending on the karat weight and purity, it could be $500 million worth of gold. The truck, the two individuals, and all the perhaps gold bars are in the custody of the Third Armored Cavalry Division -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, sounds like grist for a screen play. CNN's Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon. Thank you very much.

With Baghdad still plagued by crime and chaos, the U.S. is taking steps to quell the violence by getting guns off the streets. Let's go live now to CNN's Jane Arraf who is in the Iraqi capital -- Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Miles, the top U.S. Military official here says things are getting safer every day in Baghdad, that they are coming up with a plan that they hope will help stop Iraqis from shooting at U.S. soldiers and from shooting at each other.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARRAF (voice-over): It's a plan aimed at helping stop crimes like this one. This man was shot dead in the Iraqi capital by a carjacker this week, his body left overnight on the pavement. In the aftermath of the war with no police and no government, but lots of guns on the street, there's been a wave of shootings.

GEN. DAVID MCKIERNAN, U.S. ARMY: As all of you know, this country in the ensuing 30 years of Saddam Hussein's regime has become one large ammo and weapons cache, and there's got to be an immediate reduction in the number of weapons in Iraq.

ARRAF: As a start, the U.S. will offer an amnesty within the next two weeks allowing Iraqis to turn in guns before the weapons become illegal. There will be no more gun market like this one where automatic weapons and more are sold in the street, no questions asked.

ARRAF (on camera): Iraqis would be allowed to keep small arms, but only in their homes and shops. Anyone carrying a gun in the street would need a permit. There would be limits on private armed bodyguards, and militias would be disbanded, except in Kurdish- controlled northern Iraq where Kurdish fighters provided support for U.S. troops. The regional government there says it needs to retain those weapons.

MCKIERNAN: The Peshmerga are a little different story. The Peshmerga fought with coalition forces during this, and we're looking at leaving them with some of their weapons north of what is now called the freedom line, previously called the green line.

ARRAF (voice-over): McKiernan and other officials say, with more military police in Baghdad, more police stations, and more patrols, security is getting better every day in the capital. But for most Iraqis, unfamiliar with common crime in a city where almost all the violence was permitted by the regime, it isn't getting better quickly enough.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ARRAF: One new worry, what happens to almost 400,000 soldiers from the former Iraqi Army? That army was officially dissolved today by the coalition throwing all of those people out of work -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Jane Arraf in Baghdad, thank you very much.

We are going to Fort Worth soon for an update on how Annika is doing. Will she make the cut? That's the big question.

And it's an incredible story about incredible odds during and after the Vietnam war. We'll talk to a Vietnam vet about how he was reunited with a soldier who was haunted by one he thought he'd left behind.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Time now for an update on Annika Sorenstam's historic bid to make the cut in a PGA tour event being played right now in Fort Worth, Texas. CNN's Josie Karp is live at the Colonial course. Is this the part we have to whisper?

JOSIE KARP, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I don't have to whisper too much because Annika Sorenstam is pretty far away right now, Miles, but maybe you should whisper because what we have to say probably isn't going to be music to the ears of a lot of people who are hoping that Annika Sorenstam would make history again today and stick around for the weekend by making the cut. That appears, at this time, to be very unlikely.

She has completed 11 holes, and she's three over for the day and four over for the tournament, and it looks right now that the cut is projected at one over, and that's where Annika Sorenstam started they day, she actually had a pretty good start to her round. She birdied the second hole, but then, what she'll look back on most is a six-hole stretch from 5 to 10 on the front nine and continuing on the back nine, where she had bogey on four out of those six holes. And she'll obviously talk about after the round is over and tell us exactly what went wrong today.

But just from watching, yesterday she was a hallmark of consistency, and her playing partners called her a machine today. She was very consistent, and you have to wonder just how much of a toll all of the scrutiny that she was under, not just yesterday, not just this week, but for the past couple of months might have taken on Annika Sorenstam. Miles.

O'BRIEN: Oh, say it ain't so, Josie.

KARP: I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news if that's what you were hoping for, but we'll hear from her.

O'BRIEN: Yes, we're looking forward to hearing from her. I'm sorry to hear it. Anyhow, we will check in with you later. As soon as you hear from her, let us know, will you?

KARP: We will do that, Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right. If you don't follow golf as Josie does, you probably hadn't heard of Annika before the current controversy. So, who is she? Where did she come from? CNN's Jennifer Coggiola has the answers for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER COGGIOLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's kind of golf's battle of the sexes with a media flurry, fans...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's great for women's golf.

COGGIOLA: ... and critics.

VIJAY SINGH, GOLFER: This is a man's tour, and there are guys out there trying to make a living. So, you know, it's -- and it's not a lady's tour.

COGGIOLA: The lady behind all the hype? Thirty-two-year old Swede, Annika Sorenstam, is taking the sports world by storm as the first woman to compete on the PGA tour in 58 years.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM, GOLFER: I'm overwhelmed at the attention. I must say I didn't expect this, and maybe I was a little naive.

COGGIOLA: Perhaps naive, but not clueless, trying to edge out her male opponents' driving distance advantage, Sorenstam made a strategic pick for her PGA debut. The Colonial is among the shortest PGA course.

Sorenstam is the first woman to ever post a round of 59. The leading lady in golf known for her lethal accuracy, Sorenstam won 13 tournaments last year, and with four majors under her belt, she's got an LPGA record that rivals even Tiger Woods in the PGA.

Annika teed off her first PGA event Thursday morning, not missing a fairway until well past lunch, ending first round one over par. A whirlwind week that she calls an unforgettable experience.

SORENSTAM: This is a week that I will never forget. When I'm 60 years old, I'm going to, you know, show grandkids or whatever, you know, I played in the PGA tour event, and I'll never forget.

COGGIOLA: Jennifer Coggiola, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: For the latest on Annika mania, we invite you to go to cnn.com, click on "Scorecard," and follow her progress hole by hole, and stay close to your TV set as well. We'll keep you posted.

A story of survival is up next. Three decades after his chopper was shot down, a Vietnam vet reunites with a soldier he thought he left behind. We'll tell you this amazing story of a reunion in just a bit. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Here's an incredible story about incredible odds during and after the Vietnam war. A young helicopter pilot is shot down in a dangerous mission to rescue fellow American soldiers. Returning to states, he anguishes over fate of the crew member he thought he left behind.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN (voice-over): For Larry Kern (ph), the fog of war lasted more than 30 years. July 21, 1970, Kern, a 22-year-old helicopter pilot with the elite Ghost Riders from the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division. Their mission is told in a new History Channel documentary, to rescue Americans under attack at a landing zone near the notorious fire-based ripped cord, a U.S. outpost surrounded by North Vietnamese.

The fire is intense. Kern says Rocket Propelled Grenades hit his Huey helicopter. The chopper goes down. According to the documentary, Kern, his co-pilot, and crew chief escaped, but Kern says his gunner, Mack MacFarland (ph) was pinned underneath the fallen aircraft. Before they could do anything about it, U.S. ground troops rushed them out of the zone.

Kern thinks his gunner is dead. After being evacuated, he says he learned MacFarland was alive, but in bad shape.

LARRY KERN, FORMER ARMY HELICOPTER PILOT: It was probably the worst feeling I have had in my life because he was my responsibility.

O'BRIEN: March 1971, Kern leaves Vietnam not knowing the fate of Mack MacFarland. For more than 30 years, Kern says he lives with guilt and depression, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. At one point he contemplated suicide.

Through a slow recovery, he could not get Mack MacFarland out of his mind. He searches for Mack for about two years with no luck. Then producers of the History Channel program, "Operation Reunion" learned about Kern's story. They put him in touch with a private investigator.

June, 2002, the fate of Larry Kern's gunner, a man whose real first name he hadn't even known, is revealed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: And on that cliffhanger, we bring you to Larry Kern live from San Diego. Larry, tell us about the meeting.

KERN: Well, it's phenomenal because not only did I get to see Mack for the first time in 32 years, but also my crew chief from that day who met us and about 30 other Ghost Riders I hadn't seen in 32 years.

O'BRIEN: We're looking at a still picture. To see the moving version, you have to watch the documentary. You can almost see the emotion just as well in that still picture there. Can you recall what was going through your mind?

KERN: Well, listening to what you just showed kind of brought some of that back. It was incredible. It was a feeling of relief. The fact that I now know where he is today and, actually, a lot of the other guys.

One of the things about this -- the History Channel doing this reunion show, "Operation Reunion", I'm hoping that when people see this on Sunday, they're going to -- maybe a few Ghost Riders will see it, and we will find some of our guys we're still searching for like I was, and maybe other men who haven't found or are haven't been trying to find people served with might find that a thing to do.

O'BRIEN: I'm sure there are so many stories just like yours out there. I've got to ask you a question, have you thought much about this, if you hadn't had this reunion, if you hadn't that that closure and that ability to know what happened, where would that have left you?

KERN: Still wondering. Still searching. I'd been lucky enough to find a lot of the guys over the Internet with the help of my daughter about two years ago, actually, almost three years ago now. Once I found them, I tried for two years to find MacFarland and, actually, Epps (ph), my crew chief from that time too, and the guys -- every once in a while I would send an e-mail out. Does anybody know? Check your old records and see if you can find a Social Security number, and it never happened, and then the History Channel was looking for stories like this, and Robert Owens, Goober, the man who runs our web site -- told me to throw him a kiss. Hi, Goob.

Anyhow, he told them about what was going on with me, and they contacted me, and this is how this all came about.

O'BRIEN: Well, what -- can you try to explain, this bond that is forged. You know, some 30 years later, is their there a unique connection there?

KERN: You know, the amazing thing is for 28 of those years, the last thing I wanted to do was talk to anybody about Vietnam or even find these men, and what I found out at that reunion is not just from MacFarland and Epps (ph), but everybody else, all the other guys. I was Crash. We have Goober (ph). We have Itty-bitty (ph)and Barfy (ph). All of us had call signs, and that's why we couldn't remember -- I couldn't remember his real name, his first name. You just knew call signs, but what I found out is you see these guys after 32 years, and within a few minutes, they would morph right in front of your face, and you'd remember them at 19, 20, 21, 22, and you remember all these other things and found out what a really strong bond there is.

It's not having to call them every day, but to know they're out there is very important, and I'm hoping that this History Channel reunion, the "Operation Reunion", will allow other men and their families who -- a lot of families will probably know that their husbands and fathers have this problem, that maybe it might be good for them to find those people from their past because these are brothers.

We're brothers in a different kind. It's not blood. It's a tie that's almost as strong, if not stronger in many ways, and you don't know that until you find it.

O'BRIEN: Great words to begin a Memorial Day weekend. Crash, give our best to Itty-bitty and Goob and all of the rest of them.

KERN: Barfy.

O'BRIEN: And Barfy and all of the others. We wish you a happy Memorial Day weekend and remembering those you can't connect with as well. We appreciate you being with us, Larry Kern.

KERN: Thank you very much.

O'BRIEN: Back with "Our Web Question of the Day" results in just a moment. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: We are out of time. The answer is yes. Here's Lou Dobbs.

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





Issues New Caution on Travel to Toronto Due to SARS>


Aired May 23, 2003 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Could Saddam and sons still be hiding out in Baghdad?

GEN. TOMMY FRANKS, CENTCOM COMMANDER: We're searching for everybody that's on the blacklist to include his family.

O'BRIEN: U.S. troops do make one extraordinary find. Is it Saddam's secret treasure?

Israel moves to let the U.S. chart a course toward peace.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Prime Minister Sharon accepted the road map and that's progress.

O'BRIEN: Is the Middle East summit the next step?

While police search for evidence linking Scott Peterson to his wife's murder, the defense searches for a mysterious brown van seen before Laci disappeared.

Three decades after his chopper was shot down, a Vietnam vet, one of the Elite Ghost Riders tries to put his own ghost to rest.

And round two. Can Annika make the cut?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: It's Friday, May 23, 2003. Hello from the CNN center in Atlanta. I'm Miles O'Brien. Wolf Blitzer is off today.

Right now we bring you a breaking story. We have reports from Maryland of an accident involving at least 150 vehicles on Interstate 68. Two are known dead. Interstate 68 is closed down as a result. It occurred in Garrett County, Maryland. As many as 150 cars involved.

There you see, clearly, the remnants of that fog that was -- helped precipitate this chain reaction accident. It occurred over a 20-mile stretch in Allegheny and Grantsville and Garrett Counties. Visibility near zero. And this clearly was the initiating factor in this 150 car pile-up. A spokesperson for the State Highway Administration in Maryland said numerous injuries have been reported as well. She doesn't know the conditions of those injured. But once again, we have confirmed two fatalities on this. We're going to try to get a few more facts together. This is just coming in to us now and we'll bring you those facts as they become available to us.

We also have another breaking story that's going to right now. We've just learned that the Centers for Disease Control and prevention has reinstated its travel alert for Toronto, Canada because of reports of possible new cases of SARS. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joining us now with the latest in all this. Elizabeth, this is a big surprise.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is a surprise, Miles. What happened is that on May 20 the CDC took off its travel alert. They say there hasn't been new cases in Toronto, we're going to take our travel alert away. Well today they're saying we're putting it back on because of a cluster of five new probable cases of SARS. That's what they're calling it, five probable cases of SARS.

Now I want to be clear. A travel alert is not saying don't go. They're not saying don't go to Toronto. They're saying if you choose to go, if you go there's certain precautions you that ought you to take, precautions like bring masks with you. You don't need to wear them, but bring them with you, just in case. For cautions like monitor your health and monitor Web sites so that if something does change, you're aware of it.

So again, the CDC is saying you can go to Toronto, but if you go, there are certain precautions that you want to take -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Well now Elizabeth, the last time we were involved in -- I don't want to say a travel ban, but an advisory on going to Toronto, the World Health Organization was involved. Are they involved this time around or is this strictly a CDC advisory that's going down?

COHEN: This time around it appears to be just the CDC. Now sometimes in issuing all these alerts and advisories in Canada and other areas, one of those bodies has followed the other one. It'll be interesting to see what the WHO does.

O'BRIEN: Now up in Canada, there was a lot of controversy over this and there was numerous statements by Canadian health officials, and for that matter, business people in Toronto, that they felt that the advisories initially were unfair in singling out Toronto. I know it's very early but can we expect more of the same?

COHEN: Oh, absolutely. I think you can expect more of the same, Miles. I mean people in Toronto were very upset when the WHO and the CDC put on their original advisories. They said, look, it's not necessary, our outbreak is pretty much confined to hospitals and to close clusters.

So the travelers don't need to worry. They're not going to go into those hospitals, probably. And they're nor going to -- insert themselves into those families or into those clusters where it's happened. And the WHO said, well, we don't agree with that and they kept it on and then they removed it as well.

But, yes. I am sure that we will hear from Canadians with this. My guess is they will not be happy.

O'BRIEN: All right. It's worth reminding people because we haven't talked about Toronto's link to this in a little while because that advisory has been lifted. It's worth reminding people, I think of the suspected link between Asia and Toronto and how it became such a problem there.

COHEN: Right. Exactly. SARS -- it's thought that SARS started in Guangdong province in China and spread to Hong Kong and other regions from Asia.

A traveler from Asia went to Canada in March and that's how this whole thing started. And that one person, slowly, through -- actually not so slowly -- through a chain of people infected many, many more people. So, right, this did not erupt newly in Canada. It came from a traveler, one traveler from Asia to Canada.

O'BRIEN: And obviously, this one traveler was in some sort of position where as they say kind of a super spreader.

COHEN: Right. I don't know actually if it was that one original traveler, someone who that person then subsequently infected. But, right, we've talked a lot in our SARS discussions about super spreaders. And that's one person who sometimes gives it to 10, 20 or even 30 or more people. They don't know why some people are super spreaders. They really are looking into that. They just don't know.

But Canada did have at least one super spreader and that's one of the reasons why that epidemic got so much bigger than it did say here in the United States where there have been no super spreaders.

O'BRIEN: All right. Let's -- people who might be just tuning in right now. Restate exactly what the advisory states from the CDC.

COHEN: Right. What the CDC says is if you do go to Toronto and the surrounding area there are certain precautions you ought to take. Wash your hands a lot, bring masks with you, you don't need to wear them, but bring them with you in case you have to. Avoid areas like hospitals where there have been many SARS cases. Monitor your health, and if you get a cough and a fever then you need to call the health authorities.

So you need to be taking those kind of precautions. They are not saying don't go to Canada -- don't go to Toronto. And that's a very important distinction to make. The CDC is not saying we don't want you to go there, they're just saying if you go there, take these precautions.

O'BRIEN: Elizabeth Cohen in our newsroom, thank you very much. Let's tell you a little bit more about that other braking story we're watching right now. A series of accidents in Maryland, around Finzel, Maryland, over a series of counties, precipitated, we believe, by some heavy fog in that area.

Right now what we're -- as you can see it is in the far western portion of Maryland, near the Pennsylvania border. And there were more than 150 cars involved in this. Obviously, a lot of heavy holiday traffic combined with some thick fog. Not a good combination. We have confirmed fatalities of two people. And we're told by various authorities in the region that there are numerous other injuries, but we don't know the extent of those injuries.

About a 20-mile stretch of Interstate 68 in that part of the world, Western Maryland near the Pennsylvania border, not too far from West Virginia, either. And we will be tracking that very closely all throughout the evening and we'll keep you posted on what's going on there. Obviously if your plans involve Interstate 68 right now you should seek an alternate route.

Now, more on holiday travel for you. With officials concerned that a terror attack may be imminent, all that holiday travel is taking place under very close watch of law enforcement agencies. Let's go live now to CNN's Jeanne Meserve joining us from Washington for the big picture on what's going on -- Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Miles, with an estimated 35 million Americans on the move this weekend, authorities are upping security all across the transportation sector.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE (voice-over): For air travelers, a long weekend means long lines. Maybe even longer this Memorial Day by threat level Orange security measures, parking restrictions, more thorough searches and more of them.

An estimated quarter of a million people will get all aboard Amtrak before Tuesday. There's no screening of passengers or bags, but there is other security.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are more officers on patrol at any given time, but many of the countermeasures that have initiated are invisible to the traveling public. Things like monitoring the infrastructure, key bridges and tunnels and the like.

MESERVE: Washington's Metrorail system has canceled leave for transit police officer. other employees are in high visibility orange vests so riders can find them with questions or concerns.

Passengers are asked to be vigilant and are given advice on how to stay safe. In New York, National Guardsmen are augmenting police patrols of Penn Station and other transportation hubs. Security at bridges and tunnels and key interchanges may be apparent to drivers. And in some states commercial vehicles will be subject to increased inspections. But for the most part, the biggest headache for drivers will be the sheer number of people on the road, an estimated 29.4 million nationwide.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MESERVE: AAA estimates that air travel is down 2 1/2 percent from last year. Our economy is believed to be the principal reason though concerns about terrorism may be a factor. As for how long we'll be at threat level Orange, officials say the level of intelligence chatter is still high, but otherwise, things are, quote, "eerily quiet" -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: And that in and of itself could be a clue, couldn't it?

MESERVE: That's right. When thing goes quiet like this they're afraid that everything could be set for some kind of activity. So, yes, they're still very much concerned about what may be happening. That is why the threat level remains right where it has been since Tuesday, at orange.

O'BRIEN: All right. We'll have to leave it on that ominous note. Jeanne Meserve, thank you very much. Have a good holiday weekend.

That holiday weekend tradition, the great Friday escape once again under way. We hope it's going safely in most of the region. We're telling you about a big pile-up in Western Maryland, but here's the story in new England.

Soggy weather hasn't stopped the exodus to the Cape and those taking the ferry out to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard can expect tighter security along with a fair amount of weekend rain.

Several million people are expected to take to the skies. You're looking right now at live pictures from Los Angeles International Airport, among the five busiest in the world -- 660,000 people expected to leave and arrive between now and Monday. That would be down 20 percent from two years ago, referenced back to Jeanne's piece.

There's a new piece of equipment helping keep the waters around New York City safe this holiday weekend.

CNN's Jamie Colby took a ride on the boat they call the Moose. I guess -- does the moose go along with the squirrel?

JAMIE COLBY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Some thing like that, Miles.

They're really pretty excited about it because the responsibility of the U.S. Park Police, the federal agency that will patrol the waterways over the weekend and they've been patrolling the waterways pretty seriously since 9/11 -- they need oftentimes to get to some of these landmarks like you can see behind me a bit the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Sometimes they need to get there quickly to investigate perhaps a suspicious boat or group of people. This particular vehicle, the Moose, a vessel, will get them there quicker than any thing they've have. So they're testing it out in New York, and if it works here they may use it elsewhere.

It has a catamaran body. That's really the most unique part -- and no propeller. It's propelled by water jets, Miles, so it can go in water as low as a foot.

And here's what Sergeant Grant Arthur, who took me for a spin today, has to say about why the vehicle or vessel is so important.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SGT. GRANT ARTHUR, U.S. PARK POLICE: We're very confident this boat's going to meet all our needs and if it does we're going to try to get as many as we can to replace some of our older boats that have been in service for a long time.

But a boat like this with its -- with all the different aspects where it can get into the shallow water, it can go into rough water -- it can replace a lot of our smaller boats or bigger boats.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLBY: And that could be very important, Miles, in the event of an aircraft disaster, a plane crash. Oftentimes to rescue people they would have to go in very shallow water, very narrow areas and the moose can help them get there.

The other interesting thing about it is that it can actually go up on shore. It can go up on the beach so if they did make a rescue, they would be able to deliver people for help much quicker. So that's one of the reasons they're looking forward to giving it a try over the holiday weekend. Despite the inclement weather, they are expecting record crowds. It is Fleet Week.

And in addition, if it works, these patrols, the U.S. Park Police, who take it as a personal mission, so to speak, to protect the beautiful landmarks like the Statue of Liberty -- they're really hoping to have all of the equipment they need to get the job done and keep every one safe.

In fact, when I asked the sergeant about the Statue of Liberty, here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARTHUR: It's kind of a big responsibility, you know? People, especially New Yorkers, take it for granted. You see it every day out there and it's just -- just kind of another view in the skyline. But, you know, it's pretty much the symbol of our country. You know, it's a major target which, you know, we've spent a lot of effort and time trying to protect it.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COLBY: They'll also keep a close watch from the water to the airports to some of the bridges -- like the Verrizano is one they have their eye on this weekend as well, as I said, the Statue of Liberty and also Ellis Island.

So they will be out in force. There's only one moose right now and I can tell you going out on it, it's fast, it's furious and it is definitely state-of-the-art -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right. Sounds like you had a fun ride. Jamie Colby joining us from the southern tip of Manhattan. Appreciate that.

It's time for us to take a break. We've got a lot going on on this holiday Friday version of the WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

Coming up, we're going to tell you a little bit more about that crash in Western Maryland. No less than a hundred vehicles involved. Multiple accidents, a combination of heavy traffic and heavy fog. We'll bring you the latest on that.

And then SARS rears its ugly head once again in Toronto. The Centers for Disease Control issuing a travel advisory once again for that city. We'll bring you details on that as well.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back.

Tracking two breaking news stories for you right now. Western Maryland, the dateline on the first one, 150 vehicles involved in a series of accidents there. Heavy holiday traffic combined with some heavy fog causing the scene you're seeing here right now. As we say, 150 vehicles. Two confirmed fatalities, numerous injuries. The extent of those injuries still unclear to us right now. Interstate 68, that part of the world in three counties there. Garrett County, primarily is shut down. So if Interstate 68 is a part of your route this evening on your way to some holiday plans, you should seek some sort of alternate.

Our other breaking story that we're looking at. Toronto, Canada the dateline on that one. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reissuing a travel advisory for Toronto. The concern is new SARS cases that are being tracked there. You'll recall that travel advisory that had been placed on Toronto, the source of quite a bit of controversy north of the border was lifted on May 20, but that evening, the CDC, kind of late in a holiday weekend getaway day issuing a travel advisory for Toronto. We'll keep you posted on that as the details unfold.

Now there was a tantalizing report today about one of those topping the most wanted list in Iraq. "The Wall Street Journal" suggested Saddam Hussein's eldest son and a rather notorious character, Uday, is hiding out in Baghdad and exploring a surrender to U.S. forces. Our national security correspondent, David Ensor, explores the reaction in Washington.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: U.S. officials say it is just not true, despite the reports that they've been contacted on behalf of Uday Hussein. Not true he's trying to negotiate terms for his surrender. Officials are also denying some suggestions that the U.S. might already know where Saddam Hussein's oldest son is. Not true, says a senior U.S. official.

That said, Uday, with his reputation for cruelty is high on the most wanted list. He's No. 3 in the Pentagon's famous deck of cards. U.S. officials are definitely looking for him, but reports they've found him or that he's found them are exaggerated, says a senior U.S. official, unfortunately.

David Ensor, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: Unfortunately, indeed.

Con Coughlin of "The London Sunday Telegraph" is in Baghdad, has been for some time. He is the author of an excellent book, "Saddam: King Of Terror" and he knows a lot about the man, his family and the territory.

He joins us with from the Iraqi capital.

Con, good to have you with us.

CON COUGHLIN, AUTHOR, "SADDAM: KING OF TERROR": Good evening, Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right. First of all, let's talk about the possibilities of Saddam Hussein and his two sons, possibly being in Baghdad. Is that a likely scenario? Are there safe houses there and people that would protect that trio? Or are they in jeopardy in a city like Baghdad where they would have so many enemies?

COUGHLIN: I'm sorry, I've lost the sound there. But Saddam and his family have many safe houses around the country. I'm told they have literally thousands of safe houses in Iraq scattered throughout the country. They also spent a lot of money before the war to make sure that the tribal leaders and people like that looked after them in the event of their defeat.

So it is possible that Saddam and his sons are still in Baghdad. I think it's actually unlikely. I think they're more likely to be in the north of the country. And certainly people here in Baghdad are picking up signs of activity among Saddam's loyalists.

O'BRIEN: That's an interesting point. Now, when you say north of Baghdad, certainly Tikrit will be high on the list, because certainly there will be a number of allies of Saddam Hussein and his clan is located there. But after a certain point in time, it seems unlikely that they could remain hidden.

COUGHLIN: Yes, well one of the thins I've picked up in the last couple of days is that before the war, Saddam paid out $1.3 billion to people in Iraq who he thought he might need to call on to look after him. That's a lot of money. That's a lot of protection money. That will buy a lot of loyalty. So with that kind of money in the hands of people that he wants to trust, he could hide out for some time.

And of course, the other issue here is that there are members of Saddam's family literally commuting between Iraq and Damascus. The latest person I've tracked to Damascus is Saddam's granddaughter who's Qusay's daughter. She arrived in Damascus some time this week.

Other members of the family have come back to Iraq and the whole scene on the border between Iraq and Syria is very confusing. And it begs the question why aren't coalition forces doing more to close that border and moreover to detain these people? Because these are key members of the family and they will have information that could lead to the coalition forces to Saddam and his sons.

O'BRIEN: And the quick point here. Do you have the sense that Syria, President Assad, is encouraging this despite U.S. pressure to the contrary?

COUGHLIN: Well the Syrians officially deny this, but there's no doubt in my mind that Syrian intelligence is running this. I'm sure large sums of money are involved. Perhaps some of that $1.3 billion dollars that I was talking about.

O'BRIEN: All right, Con Coughlin with the "London Sunday Telegraph." Always appreciate your insights. Thanks for joining us live from Baghdad.

COUGHLIN: Pleasure, Miles.

O'BRIEN: Lost in California, the mystery of a 2-year-old found wandering the streets.

And we'll talk to a Vietnam vet who after decades of anguish is reunited with a soldier he thought he left behind. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Authorities in Western Maryland trying to clean up a really terrible series of accidents on Interstate 68, far western portion of that state, kind of a panhandle portion of the state very near the Pennsylvania line. A hundred and fifty cars involved, two fatalities reported, numerous

injuries. We're trying to get you more information on the extent of those injuries. We'll keep you posted. At the root cause of this, apparently some heavy fog combined with some heavy traffic, people speeding along trying to get to their holiday destinations, wherever they might be. Rob Marciano joining us from the Weather Center to give us a sense of what lies ahead in that part of the world and whether some more grim weather lies ahead for people trying to get to where they want to be.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Wet weather, Miles, definitely will be ahead for folks in this area. For the folks who live through the Allegheny and the Potomac River which runs right along I-68 out towards Cumberland and western parts of Maryland and obviously in valley locations fog can develop quite rapidly.

And what we have today is a pretty intense area of low pressure, what will be a developing area of low pressure offshore. Here's D.C., Maryland, Delaware. It lowers offshore and it's kind of throwing light east wind. So it's really throwing in that ocean moisture into that valley and it gets trapped in there, so they've got low visibilities in that area. They've got wet roads as well. And the low visibilities from the fog expected to stay, I think through tonight. There's a dense fog advisory out tonight.

So I think scenes like this will continue. Hopefully won't be as bad as we go through tonight. But obviously a lot of folks on the roads. And this scene is just hard -- hard to watch. Dense fog advisories up tonight through at least midnight tonight.

Once we get the winds to shift, Miles, and I think that will happen during the day tomorrow as this low really gets cranking, and in New York, the winds will switch westerly. That will start to clear out that valley location. We won't see the fog nearly as bad by this time tomorrow. back to you.

O'BRIEN: All right. Thank you, Rob Marciano in the Weather Center. Appreciate that.

A mysterious tan van. Just one of several new twists this hour in the Laci Peterson murder case as police continue to search for clues in and around San Francisco Bay. CNN's Mike Brooks is in Richmond, California, where he has been for quite some time. He has the latest for us. Mike, those divers still in the water?

MIKE BROOKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, the divers are out of the water after their eighth straight day of diving. They've wrapped up dive operations for now and they will not dive over the holidays. They hope to come back some time soon, but that has not been determined exactly when they will be back. So it's been suspended for now.

But in another twist, CNN has spoken to a potential defense -- excuse me, to a potential defense witness who says that the morning of Laci Peterson's disappearance at 9:30 at a gas station near their home he saw a suspicious brown van with a man in it, also acting in a suspicious manner.

Now a few blocks from there, on his way home, he saw a pregnant woman that he said looked like Laci Peterson with a dog. The dog was jumping up him, that's what made him notice it. He now says that he talked to Modesto Police a short time after that when they found out that she was missing. They dismissed his theory out of hand. And right now it's another twist to the Laci Peterson case that remains unanswered.

Now he is a potential witness. The defense team has spoken to him. They've interviewed him, videotaped his statement and right now just another twist to the case. We'll hope to find out more soon -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Mike Brooks telling us every twist and turn as the Laci Peterson murder case unfolds out there in San Francisco Bay. Thank you very much. Appreciate that.

Another mystery case has officials baffled in southern California. A little boy wandered the streets of Bakersfield before finally being picked up by police. They know him as "Mateo" but beyond that they're in the dark. CNN's Charles Feldman is following this story from Los Angeles. Charles, this is a very odd one, isn't it?

CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Extremely, Miles. In fact, officials in Bakersfield say they've never seen anything like it in recent memory. He's apparently a 2-year-old boy who was discovered wandering around the streets of Bakersfield, California, that's about 110 miles from Los Angeles, Sunday night. No one has come to claim him.

They're looking at a number theories that perhaps his parents are from Mexico and left him off in California. Perhaps he's a runaway. Perhaps his parents met with some sort of foul play, but there's no evidence for that.

But they have this mystery. Who is Mateo? He speaks Spanish, maybe a couple of words of English. He has told them that he has two brothers and a dog, but he has been very unresponsive to any questions about a mother or a father.

Right now he is at a foster parent home. He'll stay there for about a week and then probably shift to a more permanent home, and if no one comes to claim him, in about six months' time, he could be put up for adoption.

So, the big question tonight in Bakersfield is who is Mateo, who does he belong to, and what are the circumstances of his being found mysteriously wandering around the streets of Bakersfield California. Miles?

O'BRIEN: Well, presumably, someone knows this little boy and might call in having seen the coverage we've been giving. Any word as to the number of calls they've been receiving as this has unfolded?

FELDMAN: Yes, I talked to the police about 45 minutes ago, Miles. They've gotten a number of tips, but so far, none have panned out. They've gotten a lot of e-mail from people who think they saw the kid, they think they saw the kid with a mother or a father, but, again, nothing yet seems to be hitting the nail on the spot. So, it's still a mystery.

O'BRIEN: Well, let's hope it gets off soon. Charles Feldman, thanks very much. Appreciate it.

Could it be a step towards peace? President Bush and his plan for peace in the Middle East.

Out from the rubble from a deadly earthquake in Algeria, meanwhile, an amazing rescue.

And all eyes are on the world's number one-ranked woman golfer who is beating an awful lot of men in Texas. We'll take you back to the Colonial for an update on round two. Will Annika make the cut?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Welcome back to CNN's WOLF BLITZER REPORTS. I'm Miles O'Brien. Wolf is off today.

Coming up, the surprise U.S. troops got at the Iraqi border, but first the latest headlines.

Police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, are pursuing a new angle in their search for a serial killer. They are looking for a black man described as very attractive and personable. He's suspected of three attacks last year on woman, none of whom were killed. Five murders are blamed on the serial killer in that area.

An amazing rescue in Algeria, a two-year-old girl trapped for almost two days under a collapsed building. She's been rescued, but the death toll from Wednesday's 6.8 quake is climbing. Officials now say almost 1,500 were killed.

And we are also tracking a couple of breaking news stories for you. Western Maryland is the place where authorities are focusing on a series of crashes occurring in dense fog on Interstate 68, 150 vehicles involved. Two known fatalities, numerous injuries. We don't know the condition of those who are injured. We are working on that.

And another breaking story, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. health agency, has issued a travel advisory for people headed to Toronto, Canada, this after apparently additional cases of SARS have popped up in that area. A previous advisory on travel to Toronto was lifted on May 20, and in this case, that advisory is reinstated.

President Bush found something to cheer about in the Middle East, and those -- there were a series of things related to moves by Israel's prime minister that may set the stage for a summit in the region.

But for now, the President is in Crawford, Texas, and so is CNN's Chris Burns, where he is spending the holiday weekend working. Hello, Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's right, Miles. Hi. It really came as a relief to the White House. They did -- were very concerned that the road map for peace that President Bush has proposed was almost dead in the water because of all these militant attacks by Palestinians in almost recent days.

But this two -- little two-paragraph message and announcement by the White House, the western White House here in Crawford, and a lot of intense diplomacy appeared to have jumpstarted that process.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BURNS (voice-over): Trying to smooth over a rocky road map to peace, the President sends a message to the Israelis and gets at least initial positive results.

BUSH: Prime Minister Sharon accepted the road map and that's progress.

BURNS: That, despite a new wave of militant attacks against Israelis that threatened to send Mr. Bush's road map to the ash heap of countless other peace initiatives.

BUSH: He accepted it because I assured him that the United States is committed to Israel's security.

BURNS: Also expressing support for the road map, Japan's Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, as he visited the President's Crawford ranch, and the rest of the group of eight industrialized nations meeting with Secretary of State, Colin Powell, in France.

The U.S. assurance came in a two-paragraph White House statement expressing understanding of Israel's significant concerns about the road map and that the United States will address them fully and seriously in its implementation. White House officials say the statement was the result of considerable diplomatic contacts in the Middle East aimed at nudging the Israelis and the Palestinians to start implementing the road map, a plan that's to lead to an independent Palestinian state by 2005.

The next step could be a three-way summit, possibly in early June in the Egyptian ski resort of Sharm al-Sheikh, a site of previous peace efforts.

BUSH: I'm exploring the opportunities as to whether or not I should meet with Prime Minister, Abu Mazen, as well as Prime Minister Sharon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BURNS: Now all of that, U.S. officials say, depends on whether the Palestinian prime minister can rein in the militants and whether the Israelis can ease some of those restrictions on the Palestinians. Miles?

O'BRIEN: CNN's Chris Burns in Crawford, Texas. Thank you very much.

U.S. troops in Iraq today stopped a truck at a checkpoint near the Syrian border. You can just imagine the looks on their faces when they peered inside and found 2,000 bars of what appears to be gold, perhaps a half billion dollars worth. Let's go live now to our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, for more on all this.

Did they figure out if it was in fact gold, Jamie?

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Not yet, but if it is, as you said, it will be worth about $500 million.

It happened near Al Qaim, which is a border town right near Syria, during what the Military calls a routine traffic control search. They found in the Mercedes truck driven by two individuals about 2,000, 40-pound bars, each of these about 4 by 5 by 10 inches. The occupants of the truck told the soldiers that they'd been paid 350,000 dinars, that's about $350 U.S., to pick up the truck in Baghdad and then drive it to an unnamed individual in Al Qaim. The two said that they had been told the bars were made of bronze.

Again, they'll be tested now, but depending on the karat weight and purity, it could be $500 million worth of gold. The truck, the two individuals, and all the perhaps gold bars are in the custody of the Third Armored Cavalry Division -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, sounds like grist for a screen play. CNN's Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon. Thank you very much.

With Baghdad still plagued by crime and chaos, the U.S. is taking steps to quell the violence by getting guns off the streets. Let's go live now to CNN's Jane Arraf who is in the Iraqi capital -- Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: Miles, the top U.S. Military official here says things are getting safer every day in Baghdad, that they are coming up with a plan that they hope will help stop Iraqis from shooting at U.S. soldiers and from shooting at each other.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARRAF (voice-over): It's a plan aimed at helping stop crimes like this one. This man was shot dead in the Iraqi capital by a carjacker this week, his body left overnight on the pavement. In the aftermath of the war with no police and no government, but lots of guns on the street, there's been a wave of shootings.

GEN. DAVID MCKIERNAN, U.S. ARMY: As all of you know, this country in the ensuing 30 years of Saddam Hussein's regime has become one large ammo and weapons cache, and there's got to be an immediate reduction in the number of weapons in Iraq.

ARRAF: As a start, the U.S. will offer an amnesty within the next two weeks allowing Iraqis to turn in guns before the weapons become illegal. There will be no more gun market like this one where automatic weapons and more are sold in the street, no questions asked.

ARRAF (on camera): Iraqis would be allowed to keep small arms, but only in their homes and shops. Anyone carrying a gun in the street would need a permit. There would be limits on private armed bodyguards, and militias would be disbanded, except in Kurdish- controlled northern Iraq where Kurdish fighters provided support for U.S. troops. The regional government there says it needs to retain those weapons.

MCKIERNAN: The Peshmerga are a little different story. The Peshmerga fought with coalition forces during this, and we're looking at leaving them with some of their weapons north of what is now called the freedom line, previously called the green line.

ARRAF (voice-over): McKiernan and other officials say, with more military police in Baghdad, more police stations, and more patrols, security is getting better every day in the capital. But for most Iraqis, unfamiliar with common crime in a city where almost all the violence was permitted by the regime, it isn't getting better quickly enough.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ARRAF: One new worry, what happens to almost 400,000 soldiers from the former Iraqi Army? That army was officially dissolved today by the coalition throwing all of those people out of work -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: CNN's Jane Arraf in Baghdad, thank you very much.

We are going to Fort Worth soon for an update on how Annika is doing. Will she make the cut? That's the big question.

And it's an incredible story about incredible odds during and after the Vietnam war. We'll talk to a Vietnam vet about how he was reunited with a soldier who was haunted by one he thought he'd left behind.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Time now for an update on Annika Sorenstam's historic bid to make the cut in a PGA tour event being played right now in Fort Worth, Texas. CNN's Josie Karp is live at the Colonial course. Is this the part we have to whisper?

JOSIE KARP, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I don't have to whisper too much because Annika Sorenstam is pretty far away right now, Miles, but maybe you should whisper because what we have to say probably isn't going to be music to the ears of a lot of people who are hoping that Annika Sorenstam would make history again today and stick around for the weekend by making the cut. That appears, at this time, to be very unlikely.

She has completed 11 holes, and she's three over for the day and four over for the tournament, and it looks right now that the cut is projected at one over, and that's where Annika Sorenstam started they day, she actually had a pretty good start to her round. She birdied the second hole, but then, what she'll look back on most is a six-hole stretch from 5 to 10 on the front nine and continuing on the back nine, where she had bogey on four out of those six holes. And she'll obviously talk about after the round is over and tell us exactly what went wrong today.

But just from watching, yesterday she was a hallmark of consistency, and her playing partners called her a machine today. She was very consistent, and you have to wonder just how much of a toll all of the scrutiny that she was under, not just yesterday, not just this week, but for the past couple of months might have taken on Annika Sorenstam. Miles.

O'BRIEN: Oh, say it ain't so, Josie.

KARP: I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news if that's what you were hoping for, but we'll hear from her.

O'BRIEN: Yes, we're looking forward to hearing from her. I'm sorry to hear it. Anyhow, we will check in with you later. As soon as you hear from her, let us know, will you?

KARP: We will do that, Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right. If you don't follow golf as Josie does, you probably hadn't heard of Annika before the current controversy. So, who is she? Where did she come from? CNN's Jennifer Coggiola has the answers for us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JENNIFER COGGIOLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's kind of golf's battle of the sexes with a media flurry, fans...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it's great for women's golf.

COGGIOLA: ... and critics.

VIJAY SINGH, GOLFER: This is a man's tour, and there are guys out there trying to make a living. So, you know, it's -- and it's not a lady's tour.

COGGIOLA: The lady behind all the hype? Thirty-two-year old Swede, Annika Sorenstam, is taking the sports world by storm as the first woman to compete on the PGA tour in 58 years.

ANNIKA SORENSTAM, GOLFER: I'm overwhelmed at the attention. I must say I didn't expect this, and maybe I was a little naive.

COGGIOLA: Perhaps naive, but not clueless, trying to edge out her male opponents' driving distance advantage, Sorenstam made a strategic pick for her PGA debut. The Colonial is among the shortest PGA course.

Sorenstam is the first woman to ever post a round of 59. The leading lady in golf known for her lethal accuracy, Sorenstam won 13 tournaments last year, and with four majors under her belt, she's got an LPGA record that rivals even Tiger Woods in the PGA.

Annika teed off her first PGA event Thursday morning, not missing a fairway until well past lunch, ending first round one over par. A whirlwind week that she calls an unforgettable experience.

SORENSTAM: This is a week that I will never forget. When I'm 60 years old, I'm going to, you know, show grandkids or whatever, you know, I played in the PGA tour event, and I'll never forget.

COGGIOLA: Jennifer Coggiola, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: For the latest on Annika mania, we invite you to go to cnn.com, click on "Scorecard," and follow her progress hole by hole, and stay close to your TV set as well. We'll keep you posted.

A story of survival is up next. Three decades after his chopper was shot down, a Vietnam vet reunites with a soldier he thought he left behind. We'll tell you this amazing story of a reunion in just a bit. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Here's an incredible story about incredible odds during and after the Vietnam war. A young helicopter pilot is shot down in a dangerous mission to rescue fellow American soldiers. Returning to states, he anguishes over fate of the crew member he thought he left behind.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN (voice-over): For Larry Kern (ph), the fog of war lasted more than 30 years. July 21, 1970, Kern, a 22-year-old helicopter pilot with the elite Ghost Riders from the U.S. Army's 101st Airborne Division. Their mission is told in a new History Channel documentary, to rescue Americans under attack at a landing zone near the notorious fire-based ripped cord, a U.S. outpost surrounded by North Vietnamese.

The fire is intense. Kern says Rocket Propelled Grenades hit his Huey helicopter. The chopper goes down. According to the documentary, Kern, his co-pilot, and crew chief escaped, but Kern says his gunner, Mack MacFarland (ph) was pinned underneath the fallen aircraft. Before they could do anything about it, U.S. ground troops rushed them out of the zone.

Kern thinks his gunner is dead. After being evacuated, he says he learned MacFarland was alive, but in bad shape.

LARRY KERN, FORMER ARMY HELICOPTER PILOT: It was probably the worst feeling I have had in my life because he was my responsibility.

O'BRIEN: March 1971, Kern leaves Vietnam not knowing the fate of Mack MacFarland. For more than 30 years, Kern says he lives with guilt and depression, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. At one point he contemplated suicide.

Through a slow recovery, he could not get Mack MacFarland out of his mind. He searches for Mack for about two years with no luck. Then producers of the History Channel program, "Operation Reunion" learned about Kern's story. They put him in touch with a private investigator.

June, 2002, the fate of Larry Kern's gunner, a man whose real first name he hadn't even known, is revealed.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

O'BRIEN: And on that cliffhanger, we bring you to Larry Kern live from San Diego. Larry, tell us about the meeting.

KERN: Well, it's phenomenal because not only did I get to see Mack for the first time in 32 years, but also my crew chief from that day who met us and about 30 other Ghost Riders I hadn't seen in 32 years.

O'BRIEN: We're looking at a still picture. To see the moving version, you have to watch the documentary. You can almost see the emotion just as well in that still picture there. Can you recall what was going through your mind?

KERN: Well, listening to what you just showed kind of brought some of that back. It was incredible. It was a feeling of relief. The fact that I now know where he is today and, actually, a lot of the other guys.

One of the things about this -- the History Channel doing this reunion show, "Operation Reunion", I'm hoping that when people see this on Sunday, they're going to -- maybe a few Ghost Riders will see it, and we will find some of our guys we're still searching for like I was, and maybe other men who haven't found or are haven't been trying to find people served with might find that a thing to do.

O'BRIEN: I'm sure there are so many stories just like yours out there. I've got to ask you a question, have you thought much about this, if you hadn't had this reunion, if you hadn't that that closure and that ability to know what happened, where would that have left you?

KERN: Still wondering. Still searching. I'd been lucky enough to find a lot of the guys over the Internet with the help of my daughter about two years ago, actually, almost three years ago now. Once I found them, I tried for two years to find MacFarland and, actually, Epps (ph), my crew chief from that time too, and the guys -- every once in a while I would send an e-mail out. Does anybody know? Check your old records and see if you can find a Social Security number, and it never happened, and then the History Channel was looking for stories like this, and Robert Owens, Goober, the man who runs our web site -- told me to throw him a kiss. Hi, Goob.

Anyhow, he told them about what was going on with me, and they contacted me, and this is how this all came about.

O'BRIEN: Well, what -- can you try to explain, this bond that is forged. You know, some 30 years later, is their there a unique connection there?

KERN: You know, the amazing thing is for 28 of those years, the last thing I wanted to do was talk to anybody about Vietnam or even find these men, and what I found out at that reunion is not just from MacFarland and Epps (ph), but everybody else, all the other guys. I was Crash. We have Goober (ph). We have Itty-bitty (ph)and Barfy (ph). All of us had call signs, and that's why we couldn't remember -- I couldn't remember his real name, his first name. You just knew call signs, but what I found out is you see these guys after 32 years, and within a few minutes, they would morph right in front of your face, and you'd remember them at 19, 20, 21, 22, and you remember all these other things and found out what a really strong bond there is.

It's not having to call them every day, but to know they're out there is very important, and I'm hoping that this History Channel reunion, the "Operation Reunion", will allow other men and their families who -- a lot of families will probably know that their husbands and fathers have this problem, that maybe it might be good for them to find those people from their past because these are brothers.

We're brothers in a different kind. It's not blood. It's a tie that's almost as strong, if not stronger in many ways, and you don't know that until you find it.

O'BRIEN: Great words to begin a Memorial Day weekend. Crash, give our best to Itty-bitty and Goob and all of the rest of them.

KERN: Barfy.

O'BRIEN: And Barfy and all of the others. We wish you a happy Memorial Day weekend and remembering those you can't connect with as well. We appreciate you being with us, Larry Kern.

KERN: Thank you very much.

O'BRIEN: Back with "Our Web Question of the Day" results in just a moment. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: We are out of time. The answer is yes. Here's Lou Dobbs.

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Issues New Caution on Travel to Toronto Due to SARS>