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CNN Live Sunday

Dramatic End to Hostage Standoff in Saudi Arabia; Storms Rip Through Midwest

Aired May 30, 2004 - 11:00   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.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It is 11:00 a.m. in Washington, 10:00 a.m. in Oklahoma City, 7 p.m. In Najaf, Iraq. I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
A dramatic and daring end to the hostage standoff in Saudi Arabia. The latest on what happened to the hostages, including some Americans.

Also, more powerful storms ripped through the Midwest and the danger is far from over.

And later...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Do you think you are a hero?

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: No, not at all. I think, to me, I was doing my job that day. I'm very lucky to be back home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Memories of war after being nearly shot down. A pilot's survival. And why she plans to return to Iraq. That coming up.

But first, the top stories.

We could learn the makeup of the new Iraqi government tomorrow, so said the key member of the current Iraqi Governing Council, Adnan Pachachi. He made the comment on the ABC program this week.

The status of a temporary truce is in question as fighting continues in the Iraqi city of Najaf. Part of the deal calls for Iraqi police to begin joint patrols. But about 100 Iraqi police have now deserted their posts in Najaf. U.S. military officials say it's not clear why.

In the war on terrorism, new fighting in Afghanistan has taken the lives of four U.S. troops. They were assigned to a special forces unit in the south of the country. The Taliban led insurgency has been operating in that region.

We begin with the end of a hostage standoff in Saudi Arabia, but an Islamic Web site is claiming the ordeal was a victory for Al Qaeda. Authorities believe the terrorist network's top man in Saudi Arabia engineered the attack that left at least 11 dead, including one American. Saudi security forces brought the Khobar standoff to an end with a final blaze of gunfire. David Clinch reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CLINCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Saudi special forces leaping from helicopters on to the roof of a building in which American, European and other western hostages were being held by a group of heavily armed gunmen. Sounds of heavy gunfire and then silence.

Hours later, Saudi newspaper quotes officials as saying the rescue operation has ended. Most of the hostages are safe; the gunmen are either dead or in custody. But few details as to any of their deaths. Ambulances stream into the building as the special forces move out.

Details still sketchy, as they have been throughout the just over 24 hours since the armed group opened fire on compounds housing western workers in the oil port of Khobar. Officials report one American and a Briton were among those killed in that shoot-out, just before the assailants moved on to seize a high-rise building. Declaring the attack was inspired by Al Qaeda, Saudi officials said the group's goal was to disrupt their economy and destabilize the kingdom.

At a time when the Saudis have pledged to work to bring down soaring oil prices, the targeting of oil workers brought a promise from the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Prince Bandar, to destroy the terrorists. As the U.S. embassy in Riyadh passed on the State Department's advice for all Americans to leave Saudi Arabia, one American who had already decided to leave was caught up in the crisis for hours before being taken to safety.

MERWAN MOWAD, AMERICAN HOSTAGE: It was a company decision as well as a person decision and family decision. And not specifically because of the threat, but add all this together made the decision easier to leave.

CLINCH: As the Saudis wrapped up the rescue operation, the British Foreign Office warned the oil-rich kingdom is likely to see more such terrorist attacks in the very near future.

David Clinch, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The information director for the Saudi Embassy in the U.S., Nail Al-Jubeir, will join Judy Woodruff as the special guest on "LATE EDITION." That's coming up at noon eastern right here on CNN.

A new development involving a former U.S. informant's fall from grace. Ahmed Chalabi's group in Iraq has been ordered out of its office. It's the latest insult for a man once thought to be a possible national leader in post-Saddam Iraq. Two weeks ago U.S. and Iraqi forces raided Chalabi's compound in Baghdad. Now police are working out the details for his Iraqi National Congress to vacate its Ramadi office for good. The police have asked the group to be out of the office by the end of the day.

More information on the war in Iraq with the latest battle reports on CNN.com. Keep up with the information there 24/7.

Some areas of the Midwestern U.S. saw some wicked weather overnight. Twisters from a storm in eastern Oklahoma rattled trailers and damaged a dozen homes. Officials say most of the damage was confined to the eastern part of the Creek County. No reports of injuries. A half-dozen counties remain under tornado warnings. Tornadoes also touched down in parts of Kansas. The National Weather Service reported sightings of hail the size of baseballs. Trees were uprooted and power lines were down.

A state of local disaster is declared in Republic County, Kansas, where homes were damaged there. Harper County in south central Kansas was also expected to declare a local emergency. No injuries have been reported, however, in Kansas.

More violent storms are expected across much of the Midwest today. Meteorologist Rob Marciano has more on the weather threats. Rob?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Fredricka.

We talk about the tornadoes, we showed that video, we talk about the hail, golf ball, baseball-sized hail. We even had one report of over four-inch diameter hail and then you often forget about the heavy rainfall. So heavy the past several days, the big rivers, the Missouri, lower parts of the Ohio, and much of the Mississippi River in spots has been flooding. Just all of this coming together.

Already we have a tornado watch out for central and northern Illinois. Just to the south and east of Peoria. There's a tornado warning out meaning there's a Doppler radar indicating there's a tornado dropping out sky there. This is the hot spot for the next couple of hours. I do anticipate that the storm prediction center will increase that hot spot as we go through the afternoon.

Kind of see the center of the circulation right here. This is the mother of the storm. Slowly moving off to the east and north. Des Moines and Kansas City seeing less activity today than they saw overnight last night. Here's where the storm threat is today. Everything has shifted off to the east. This is where we saw the tornadoes yesterday. Cool dry air in to fill that spot. Warm moist air out ahead of this. Where you get those two air masses combining, that's where you get the clash. Little Rock, to not only Springfield, Illinois, but St. Louis, Illinois, as far north and east as Chicago later on today, we'll see some strong to severe weather.

Tomorrow, Memorial Day, it will be a nice day across the northeast today. The rains get to about New York. Thankfully most of the severe weather will be done tomorrow. Just isolated spots and cool dry air in to replace the rough weather you are seeing in the central plains yesterday and today. Living on the west coast looking for warm and tranquil conditions out in California.

Let's break down a couple of cities for you the next two days, because it is holiday. Boston, New York, and Philly looking good today. As mentioned, the showers will be getting to New York for tomorrow afternoon. Atlanta will see isolated thunderstorms today. Better chance of stronger ones tomorrow. Chicago the strong thunderstorms and could be tornadoes in and around the Chicago area later on tonight.

Denver, 61; it'll be 91 degrees in Houston and 91 degrees in Dallas. And on the west coast, Los Angeles 73. 70 in San Francisco. And rain showers expected in Seattle, a little bit drier weather expected tomorrow.

Fredricka, 91 tornadoes touching down yesterday over a six-state area, and this afternoon might be similar conditions.

WHITFIELD: That is huge. Huge number. All right. Thanks very much.

MARCIANO: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Back to talk of Iraq now. New concerns. The U.S. coalition cease-fire agreement in Najaf may not hold. The plans suffered a setback when Iraqi police recruits disappeared. Officials have said they were the key to a peace agreement with maverick cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr.

Guy Raz is with the U.S. forces in Najaf and joins us via videophone. Guy?

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, we're in day three of what is shaping up to be a rather tenuous truce that was declared by Muqtada Al-Sadr on Thursday. A pledge to withdraw his Mehdi militia from the towns of Najaf and Kufa. But fighting has continued steadily since Thursday when Sadr made the pledge.

Indeed, this morning there was more fighting in both Najaf and the neighboring town of Kufa. In Najaf, a U.S. patrol that was manning a checkpoint near the cemetery on the northern side of this city was approached by several suspected fighters carrying rocket- propelled grenades. U.S. forces fired on that group and dispersed them. Now in Kufa, the nearby town of Kufa, a U.S. reconnaissance patrol came under small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire. U.S. forces there as well returned fire. Now in both of those instances it's unclear whether there were any Iraqi casualties. We do know there were no U.S. casualties in either of those clashes today.

Meanwhile, Fredricka, as you mentioned, disappointing news coming out of Najaf. 100 Iraqi police officers simply vanished. Today was the day U.S. forces were expected to begin joint patrols with Iraqi police. The idea behind it was to get Iraqis patrolling the center of Najaf, patrolling the center of Kufa, and allowing U.S. forces to withdraw. The Iraqi police simply vanished. They abandoned their post and returned to Baghdad.

Now, it's unclear at this point why they left. But there is some speculation among senior military commanders here at this forward operating base where I'm located that these Iraqi police officers were simply scared. They didn't receive the proper protective training. They didn't receive the proper body armor or housing. And these officers have often been the target of radicals like Muqtada Al-Sadr who regard them as collaborators.

Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Guy, back to the Al-Sadr militia. What is it believed that they want, exactly? Why the continued conflict?

RAZ: Fredricka, I'm not so sure it's what they want but what they don't want. What Muqtada Al-Sadr doesn't want is to lose his profile. In many ways, this conflict, the six-week conflict with U.S. forces has more than bolstered his popularity and increased his potential base of supporters. Now, Sadr has come under some pressure, and in part the reason behind this truce last week was that he simply lost so many fighters to U.S. forces. Rival Shiite groups have simply called on him to rein in his fighters. But at the same time, as I say, the truce really hasn't helped. Fighting has continued. So at this point it's really unclear whether Sadr has complete control over these militia members at all.

WHITFIELD: Guy Raz, traveling with U.S. forces in Najaf. Thanks very much for that report.

In the west now, facing another season of fire. Coming up, what is killing thousands of trees that add fuel to those wild fires?

Also, what is being done to help thousands of people left homeless by floods in the Caribbean?

And later, this man has 5 million reasons to smile. Meet the improbable champion as this weekend's World Series of Poker.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Memorial Day weekend is generally considered the beginning of fire season. This year experts are using words like grim and dire to describe what they expect, especially after five years of drought in the American west. Miguel Marquez reports from one of last year's hot spots.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is one of millions of dead and dying trees in just one forest.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Now the work starts.

MARQUEZ: Southern California's San Bernardino National Forest was racked by fire last year, and with hot, dry weather approaching, it could be another season of fire. MIKE DIETRICH, FIRE CHIEF, SAN BERNARDINO NATIONAL FOREST: All the conditions are lined up, in terms of extremely dry field moistures, another year of drought.

MARQUEZ: Another year of drought, another year of the bark beetle, a minuscule bug which is slowly devouring forests from Alaska to New Mexico. An infrared image of just one section of the San Bernardino shows just how much of the forest is damaged by fire and bugs.

LIZ HARRIS, MAYOR, BIG BEAR LAKE, CALIFORNIA: There is a certain amount of fear because we know we're sitting on a tinderbox.

MARQUEZ: Last year fire never reached the resort town of Big Bear, but the bark beetle infests trees that surround it.

HARRIS: Everybody is working to remove dead trees. And to manage the fire situation, but the worst-case scenario, of course, would be another fire for us.

MARQUEZ: Researchers say one fire at the right time in the right place could wipe out entire forests.

THOMAS BONNICKSEN, PROFESSOR, TEXAS A&M: The people who live in our forests are in danger because we have not been good land stewards.

MARQUEZ: Too many years, say researchers, of not allowing the forest to burn and regrow naturally. So the idea now, return forests to a more natural state by reducing trees, in some cases from as many as 2,000 per acre to about 50.

DIETRICH: This is probably quite a bit closer to what was here several hundred years ago.

MARQUEZ: The cost is staggering. $16 million is being spent in the San Bernardino National Forest this year to cull trees, but the Forest Service estimates the cost at about $300 million over ten years. Multiply that over the entire western United States.

BONNICKSEN: It would cost about $60 billion over the next 15 years just for the initial restoration of 73 million acres of land.

MARQUEZ: Researchers say it would take billions more to maintain the forests and with little to no profit to be made from dead trees, most of the tab would have to be picked up by the taxpayer.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Elsewhere, firefighters in New Mexico are finally getting a handle on a giant fire near Capitan. The 29,000-acre blaze is now 30 percent contained. Winds of up to 45 miles per hour were fanning flames and forcing the grounding of a water-dropping helicopter there. It was only a demonstration for the public in New York, but it certainly looked like the real deal. Using two helicopters, U.S. Marines staged a mock attack in Manhattan. Later the 'copters were opened up for the tours and those interested.

In Nashville, Tennessee, a 10-year-old boy, James Milan, planted flags in front of military headstones. He has a rare spinal disease and has used a wheelchair since he was age two. He's one of hundreds of scouts who placed flags at 34,000 gravestones.

And in Las Vegas they are loading up the Brinks truck for the winner of the world series of poker. Greg Raymer, a lawyer from Connecticut, beat all the pros to walk away with the jackpot. $5 million, and the honor of being called the champ.

They are gearing up for Rolling Thunder in Washington. A preview of the annual biker gathering designed to help U.S. veterans. The story after a break.

Also, what spark add wave of violence in Pakistan and threatens to cause more attacks? And why thousands of people in Hong Kong are protesting actions by the Chinese government.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The rumble of thunder, the power of a gathering storm. The rolling thunder motorcycle ride and rally will be underway momentarily. For the 17th year, this Memorial Day weekend tradition drives home the needs of veterans and the plight of those still listed as missing in action. President Bush will greet the leaders of Rolling Thunder next hour at the White House, and General Richard Myers, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will accompany riders on their pilgrimage to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

Also this weekend, the dedication of the national World War II memorial. It is now open officially to the public. Tens of thousands of veterans and their family members gathered for what is likely their last large scale gathering. World War II veterans dying at a rate of more than a thousand today. President Bush, born a year after the war's end, praised them as, quote, "modest sons of a peaceful country."

Plans for the memorial first gelled nearly two decades ago, but Congress authorized its construction just 11 years ago. Join us this afternoon for a replay of the World War II memorial dedication; it begins at 3:00 eastern right here on CNN.

The passage of time has also claimed two leading figures of the Watergate investigation. Archibald Cox was a special prosecutor fired by President Richard Nixon for refusing to end his pursuit of White House tape recordings. Cox's firing stoked public outrage and impeachment proceedings that ultimately led to Nixon's resignation. Cox was 92. He died in Maine.

Also passing yesterday, Sam Dash, the former chief counsel for the Senate Watergate Committee. Last decade, Dash served at ethics adviser in the Whitewater investigation but resigned in protest when Kenneth Starr, the special prosecutor, advocated the impeachment of President Clinton.

Tensions are high in southern Pakistan after the killing of an Islamic cleric known for speaking out against American foreign policy. The cleric was killed today in Karachi when unknown gunmen opened fire on his vehicle. He had called for jihad, or holy war, against the United States after the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. His son, driver and bodyguard were wounded in today' attacks. So far there's no word of a motive.

World of the attack sent angry mobs into the streets of Karachi. They clashed with police and set fire to at least ten buildings, including a police station.

Elsewhere in the world, international relief is trickling in to Haitian and Dominican Republic villages decimated by flooding. Heavy rains have only added to the problems of delivering supplies and the collection of bodies. At least 900 have been killed.

In the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is threatening to dismiss cabinet members who don't support his withdrawal plans. Members of Sharon's own Likud party gathered outside today's meeting to protest the withdrawal of Israeli troops from settlements in Gaza and the parts of the West Bank. The cabinet's vote, first expected today, has been postponed now indefinitely.

In Hong Kong, thousands of people marched to remember the 1989 rallies in Tiananmen square and the students killed in the pro- democracy uprising. Demonstrations are held every year despite China's take over of Hong Kong, but this year's 15th anniversary has made it even more politically charged.

A pilot's remarkable story of survival from the war in Iraq. Straight ahead, how a female fighter pilot managed to make it back to base after being hit with a missile. Her story gets even more interesting when you hear about her future plans now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The war in Iraq has produced several heroes who don't fit the traditional military mold. One example, a U.S. fighter pilot nearly shot down over Baghdad. Gary Tuchman introduces us to the 28- year-old woman with quite a story to tell.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): During the peak of the air war over Iraq, A-10 pilot Kim Campbell's life hung in balance on a cloudy April night over Baghdad.

TUCHMAN (on camera): Do you think you're a hero?

CAPT. KIM CAMPBELL, U.S. AIR FORCE: No, not at all. I think, to me, I was doing my job that day and I'm very lucky to be back home. TUCHMAN (voice-over): Luck had something to do with it but air force colleagues say heroism did, too. Captain Campbell, also known as "Killer Chick," or KC, was hit by Iraqi fire over Baghdad. Her attack jet lost its hydraulic power. CNN was embedded with her squadron at the base on the Iraqi border where she safely landed.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Did you think you were going to able to make it back, or that you would have to eject from the plane.

CAMPBELL: There was a quick second there where I knew it was a possibility, but in my mind I knew I had no desire to eject over Baghdad.

Experts believe that a surface to air missile impacted somewhere in this area. And then as it hit, it sent shrapnel from the missile into both the inside of the right tail and also the fuselage here.

TUCHMAN: KC is now back at North Carolina's Pope Air Force base with her new A-10. Home since July, she says she remains a strong supporter of the U.S. role in Iraq.

CAMPBELL: No one said this was going to be easy. And, you know, we know it's going to be tough, and we'll be there as long as the mission calls for it.

TUCHMAN: The 28-year-old has received awards and accolades. She makes two to three speeches a month while continuing her training.

CAMPBELL: Our squadron will most likely be deploying later on this year, and I'm more than happy to go back.

TUCHMAN: Would your family like to see you not fly combat missions anymore?

CAMPBELL: They know that I love what I do. And they know I'm willing to take risks and this is something I am willing to give my life for because I believe in it. My parents aren't going to tell me that I can't do it, certainly not at age 28, anyway.

TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN, Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Still to come on CNN Sunday, "RELIABLE SOURCES" is next. Howard Kurtz has a preview now.

HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, RELIABLE SOURCES: Coming up, covering the wives of presidential candidates. Are the media giving the same tribute to Laura Bush as to the controversial Theresa Heinz Kerry?

Plus, the "New York Times" admits big mistakes in its pre-war reporting.

And a new survey adds more fuel to the notion of a liberal press.

All that ahead, on "RELIABLE SOURCES." TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired May 30, 2004 - 11:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It is 11:00 a.m. in Washington, 10:00 a.m. in Oklahoma City, 7 p.m. In Najaf, Iraq. I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
A dramatic and daring end to the hostage standoff in Saudi Arabia. The latest on what happened to the hostages, including some Americans.

Also, more powerful storms ripped through the Midwest and the danger is far from over.

And later...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Do you think you are a hero?

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: No, not at all. I think, to me, I was doing my job that day. I'm very lucky to be back home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Memories of war after being nearly shot down. A pilot's survival. And why she plans to return to Iraq. That coming up.

But first, the top stories.

We could learn the makeup of the new Iraqi government tomorrow, so said the key member of the current Iraqi Governing Council, Adnan Pachachi. He made the comment on the ABC program this week.

The status of a temporary truce is in question as fighting continues in the Iraqi city of Najaf. Part of the deal calls for Iraqi police to begin joint patrols. But about 100 Iraqi police have now deserted their posts in Najaf. U.S. military officials say it's not clear why.

In the war on terrorism, new fighting in Afghanistan has taken the lives of four U.S. troops. They were assigned to a special forces unit in the south of the country. The Taliban led insurgency has been operating in that region.

We begin with the end of a hostage standoff in Saudi Arabia, but an Islamic Web site is claiming the ordeal was a victory for Al Qaeda. Authorities believe the terrorist network's top man in Saudi Arabia engineered the attack that left at least 11 dead, including one American. Saudi security forces brought the Khobar standoff to an end with a final blaze of gunfire. David Clinch reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CLINCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Saudi special forces leaping from helicopters on to the roof of a building in which American, European and other western hostages were being held by a group of heavily armed gunmen. Sounds of heavy gunfire and then silence.

Hours later, Saudi newspaper quotes officials as saying the rescue operation has ended. Most of the hostages are safe; the gunmen are either dead or in custody. But few details as to any of their deaths. Ambulances stream into the building as the special forces move out.

Details still sketchy, as they have been throughout the just over 24 hours since the armed group opened fire on compounds housing western workers in the oil port of Khobar. Officials report one American and a Briton were among those killed in that shoot-out, just before the assailants moved on to seize a high-rise building. Declaring the attack was inspired by Al Qaeda, Saudi officials said the group's goal was to disrupt their economy and destabilize the kingdom.

At a time when the Saudis have pledged to work to bring down soaring oil prices, the targeting of oil workers brought a promise from the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Prince Bandar, to destroy the terrorists. As the U.S. embassy in Riyadh passed on the State Department's advice for all Americans to leave Saudi Arabia, one American who had already decided to leave was caught up in the crisis for hours before being taken to safety.

MERWAN MOWAD, AMERICAN HOSTAGE: It was a company decision as well as a person decision and family decision. And not specifically because of the threat, but add all this together made the decision easier to leave.

CLINCH: As the Saudis wrapped up the rescue operation, the British Foreign Office warned the oil-rich kingdom is likely to see more such terrorist attacks in the very near future.

David Clinch, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: The information director for the Saudi Embassy in the U.S., Nail Al-Jubeir, will join Judy Woodruff as the special guest on "LATE EDITION." That's coming up at noon eastern right here on CNN.

A new development involving a former U.S. informant's fall from grace. Ahmed Chalabi's group in Iraq has been ordered out of its office. It's the latest insult for a man once thought to be a possible national leader in post-Saddam Iraq. Two weeks ago U.S. and Iraqi forces raided Chalabi's compound in Baghdad. Now police are working out the details for his Iraqi National Congress to vacate its Ramadi office for good. The police have asked the group to be out of the office by the end of the day.

More information on the war in Iraq with the latest battle reports on CNN.com. Keep up with the information there 24/7.

Some areas of the Midwestern U.S. saw some wicked weather overnight. Twisters from a storm in eastern Oklahoma rattled trailers and damaged a dozen homes. Officials say most of the damage was confined to the eastern part of the Creek County. No reports of injuries. A half-dozen counties remain under tornado warnings. Tornadoes also touched down in parts of Kansas. The National Weather Service reported sightings of hail the size of baseballs. Trees were uprooted and power lines were down.

A state of local disaster is declared in Republic County, Kansas, where homes were damaged there. Harper County in south central Kansas was also expected to declare a local emergency. No injuries have been reported, however, in Kansas.

More violent storms are expected across much of the Midwest today. Meteorologist Rob Marciano has more on the weather threats. Rob?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Fredricka.

We talk about the tornadoes, we showed that video, we talk about the hail, golf ball, baseball-sized hail. We even had one report of over four-inch diameter hail and then you often forget about the heavy rainfall. So heavy the past several days, the big rivers, the Missouri, lower parts of the Ohio, and much of the Mississippi River in spots has been flooding. Just all of this coming together.

Already we have a tornado watch out for central and northern Illinois. Just to the south and east of Peoria. There's a tornado warning out meaning there's a Doppler radar indicating there's a tornado dropping out sky there. This is the hot spot for the next couple of hours. I do anticipate that the storm prediction center will increase that hot spot as we go through the afternoon.

Kind of see the center of the circulation right here. This is the mother of the storm. Slowly moving off to the east and north. Des Moines and Kansas City seeing less activity today than they saw overnight last night. Here's where the storm threat is today. Everything has shifted off to the east. This is where we saw the tornadoes yesterday. Cool dry air in to fill that spot. Warm moist air out ahead of this. Where you get those two air masses combining, that's where you get the clash. Little Rock, to not only Springfield, Illinois, but St. Louis, Illinois, as far north and east as Chicago later on today, we'll see some strong to severe weather.

Tomorrow, Memorial Day, it will be a nice day across the northeast today. The rains get to about New York. Thankfully most of the severe weather will be done tomorrow. Just isolated spots and cool dry air in to replace the rough weather you are seeing in the central plains yesterday and today. Living on the west coast looking for warm and tranquil conditions out in California.

Let's break down a couple of cities for you the next two days, because it is holiday. Boston, New York, and Philly looking good today. As mentioned, the showers will be getting to New York for tomorrow afternoon. Atlanta will see isolated thunderstorms today. Better chance of stronger ones tomorrow. Chicago the strong thunderstorms and could be tornadoes in and around the Chicago area later on tonight.

Denver, 61; it'll be 91 degrees in Houston and 91 degrees in Dallas. And on the west coast, Los Angeles 73. 70 in San Francisco. And rain showers expected in Seattle, a little bit drier weather expected tomorrow.

Fredricka, 91 tornadoes touching down yesterday over a six-state area, and this afternoon might be similar conditions.

WHITFIELD: That is huge. Huge number. All right. Thanks very much.

MARCIANO: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Back to talk of Iraq now. New concerns. The U.S. coalition cease-fire agreement in Najaf may not hold. The plans suffered a setback when Iraqi police recruits disappeared. Officials have said they were the key to a peace agreement with maverick cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr.

Guy Raz is with the U.S. forces in Najaf and joins us via videophone. Guy?

GUY RAZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, we're in day three of what is shaping up to be a rather tenuous truce that was declared by Muqtada Al-Sadr on Thursday. A pledge to withdraw his Mehdi militia from the towns of Najaf and Kufa. But fighting has continued steadily since Thursday when Sadr made the pledge.

Indeed, this morning there was more fighting in both Najaf and the neighboring town of Kufa. In Najaf, a U.S. patrol that was manning a checkpoint near the cemetery on the northern side of this city was approached by several suspected fighters carrying rocket- propelled grenades. U.S. forces fired on that group and dispersed them. Now in Kufa, the nearby town of Kufa, a U.S. reconnaissance patrol came under small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire. U.S. forces there as well returned fire. Now in both of those instances it's unclear whether there were any Iraqi casualties. We do know there were no U.S. casualties in either of those clashes today.

Meanwhile, Fredricka, as you mentioned, disappointing news coming out of Najaf. 100 Iraqi police officers simply vanished. Today was the day U.S. forces were expected to begin joint patrols with Iraqi police. The idea behind it was to get Iraqis patrolling the center of Najaf, patrolling the center of Kufa, and allowing U.S. forces to withdraw. The Iraqi police simply vanished. They abandoned their post and returned to Baghdad.

Now, it's unclear at this point why they left. But there is some speculation among senior military commanders here at this forward operating base where I'm located that these Iraqi police officers were simply scared. They didn't receive the proper protective training. They didn't receive the proper body armor or housing. And these officers have often been the target of radicals like Muqtada Al-Sadr who regard them as collaborators.

Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Guy, back to the Al-Sadr militia. What is it believed that they want, exactly? Why the continued conflict?

RAZ: Fredricka, I'm not so sure it's what they want but what they don't want. What Muqtada Al-Sadr doesn't want is to lose his profile. In many ways, this conflict, the six-week conflict with U.S. forces has more than bolstered his popularity and increased his potential base of supporters. Now, Sadr has come under some pressure, and in part the reason behind this truce last week was that he simply lost so many fighters to U.S. forces. Rival Shiite groups have simply called on him to rein in his fighters. But at the same time, as I say, the truce really hasn't helped. Fighting has continued. So at this point it's really unclear whether Sadr has complete control over these militia members at all.

WHITFIELD: Guy Raz, traveling with U.S. forces in Najaf. Thanks very much for that report.

In the west now, facing another season of fire. Coming up, what is killing thousands of trees that add fuel to those wild fires?

Also, what is being done to help thousands of people left homeless by floods in the Caribbean?

And later, this man has 5 million reasons to smile. Meet the improbable champion as this weekend's World Series of Poker.

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WHITFIELD: Memorial Day weekend is generally considered the beginning of fire season. This year experts are using words like grim and dire to describe what they expect, especially after five years of drought in the American west. Miguel Marquez reports from one of last year's hot spots.

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MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is one of millions of dead and dying trees in just one forest.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Now the work starts.

MARQUEZ: Southern California's San Bernardino National Forest was racked by fire last year, and with hot, dry weather approaching, it could be another season of fire. MIKE DIETRICH, FIRE CHIEF, SAN BERNARDINO NATIONAL FOREST: All the conditions are lined up, in terms of extremely dry field moistures, another year of drought.

MARQUEZ: Another year of drought, another year of the bark beetle, a minuscule bug which is slowly devouring forests from Alaska to New Mexico. An infrared image of just one section of the San Bernardino shows just how much of the forest is damaged by fire and bugs.

LIZ HARRIS, MAYOR, BIG BEAR LAKE, CALIFORNIA: There is a certain amount of fear because we know we're sitting on a tinderbox.

MARQUEZ: Last year fire never reached the resort town of Big Bear, but the bark beetle infests trees that surround it.

HARRIS: Everybody is working to remove dead trees. And to manage the fire situation, but the worst-case scenario, of course, would be another fire for us.

MARQUEZ: Researchers say one fire at the right time in the right place could wipe out entire forests.

THOMAS BONNICKSEN, PROFESSOR, TEXAS A&M: The people who live in our forests are in danger because we have not been good land stewards.

MARQUEZ: Too many years, say researchers, of not allowing the forest to burn and regrow naturally. So the idea now, return forests to a more natural state by reducing trees, in some cases from as many as 2,000 per acre to about 50.

DIETRICH: This is probably quite a bit closer to what was here several hundred years ago.

MARQUEZ: The cost is staggering. $16 million is being spent in the San Bernardino National Forest this year to cull trees, but the Forest Service estimates the cost at about $300 million over ten years. Multiply that over the entire western United States.

BONNICKSEN: It would cost about $60 billion over the next 15 years just for the initial restoration of 73 million acres of land.

MARQUEZ: Researchers say it would take billions more to maintain the forests and with little to no profit to be made from dead trees, most of the tab would have to be picked up by the taxpayer.

Miguel Marquez, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Elsewhere, firefighters in New Mexico are finally getting a handle on a giant fire near Capitan. The 29,000-acre blaze is now 30 percent contained. Winds of up to 45 miles per hour were fanning flames and forcing the grounding of a water-dropping helicopter there. It was only a demonstration for the public in New York, but it certainly looked like the real deal. Using two helicopters, U.S. Marines staged a mock attack in Manhattan. Later the 'copters were opened up for the tours and those interested.

In Nashville, Tennessee, a 10-year-old boy, James Milan, planted flags in front of military headstones. He has a rare spinal disease and has used a wheelchair since he was age two. He's one of hundreds of scouts who placed flags at 34,000 gravestones.

And in Las Vegas they are loading up the Brinks truck for the winner of the world series of poker. Greg Raymer, a lawyer from Connecticut, beat all the pros to walk away with the jackpot. $5 million, and the honor of being called the champ.

They are gearing up for Rolling Thunder in Washington. A preview of the annual biker gathering designed to help U.S. veterans. The story after a break.

Also, what spark add wave of violence in Pakistan and threatens to cause more attacks? And why thousands of people in Hong Kong are protesting actions by the Chinese government.

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WHITFIELD: The rumble of thunder, the power of a gathering storm. The rolling thunder motorcycle ride and rally will be underway momentarily. For the 17th year, this Memorial Day weekend tradition drives home the needs of veterans and the plight of those still listed as missing in action. President Bush will greet the leaders of Rolling Thunder next hour at the White House, and General Richard Myers, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will accompany riders on their pilgrimage to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

Also this weekend, the dedication of the national World War II memorial. It is now open officially to the public. Tens of thousands of veterans and their family members gathered for what is likely their last large scale gathering. World War II veterans dying at a rate of more than a thousand today. President Bush, born a year after the war's end, praised them as, quote, "modest sons of a peaceful country."

Plans for the memorial first gelled nearly two decades ago, but Congress authorized its construction just 11 years ago. Join us this afternoon for a replay of the World War II memorial dedication; it begins at 3:00 eastern right here on CNN.

The passage of time has also claimed two leading figures of the Watergate investigation. Archibald Cox was a special prosecutor fired by President Richard Nixon for refusing to end his pursuit of White House tape recordings. Cox's firing stoked public outrage and impeachment proceedings that ultimately led to Nixon's resignation. Cox was 92. He died in Maine.

Also passing yesterday, Sam Dash, the former chief counsel for the Senate Watergate Committee. Last decade, Dash served at ethics adviser in the Whitewater investigation but resigned in protest when Kenneth Starr, the special prosecutor, advocated the impeachment of President Clinton.

Tensions are high in southern Pakistan after the killing of an Islamic cleric known for speaking out against American foreign policy. The cleric was killed today in Karachi when unknown gunmen opened fire on his vehicle. He had called for jihad, or holy war, against the United States after the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. His son, driver and bodyguard were wounded in today' attacks. So far there's no word of a motive.

World of the attack sent angry mobs into the streets of Karachi. They clashed with police and set fire to at least ten buildings, including a police station.

Elsewhere in the world, international relief is trickling in to Haitian and Dominican Republic villages decimated by flooding. Heavy rains have only added to the problems of delivering supplies and the collection of bodies. At least 900 have been killed.

In the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is threatening to dismiss cabinet members who don't support his withdrawal plans. Members of Sharon's own Likud party gathered outside today's meeting to protest the withdrawal of Israeli troops from settlements in Gaza and the parts of the West Bank. The cabinet's vote, first expected today, has been postponed now indefinitely.

In Hong Kong, thousands of people marched to remember the 1989 rallies in Tiananmen square and the students killed in the pro- democracy uprising. Demonstrations are held every year despite China's take over of Hong Kong, but this year's 15th anniversary has made it even more politically charged.

A pilot's remarkable story of survival from the war in Iraq. Straight ahead, how a female fighter pilot managed to make it back to base after being hit with a missile. Her story gets even more interesting when you hear about her future plans now.

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WHITFIELD: The war in Iraq has produced several heroes who don't fit the traditional military mold. One example, a U.S. fighter pilot nearly shot down over Baghdad. Gary Tuchman introduces us to the 28- year-old woman with quite a story to tell.

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GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): During the peak of the air war over Iraq, A-10 pilot Kim Campbell's life hung in balance on a cloudy April night over Baghdad.

TUCHMAN (on camera): Do you think you're a hero?

CAPT. KIM CAMPBELL, U.S. AIR FORCE: No, not at all. I think, to me, I was doing my job that day and I'm very lucky to be back home. TUCHMAN (voice-over): Luck had something to do with it but air force colleagues say heroism did, too. Captain Campbell, also known as "Killer Chick," or KC, was hit by Iraqi fire over Baghdad. Her attack jet lost its hydraulic power. CNN was embedded with her squadron at the base on the Iraqi border where she safely landed.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Did you think you were going to able to make it back, or that you would have to eject from the plane.

CAMPBELL: There was a quick second there where I knew it was a possibility, but in my mind I knew I had no desire to eject over Baghdad.

Experts believe that a surface to air missile impacted somewhere in this area. And then as it hit, it sent shrapnel from the missile into both the inside of the right tail and also the fuselage here.

TUCHMAN: KC is now back at North Carolina's Pope Air Force base with her new A-10. Home since July, she says she remains a strong supporter of the U.S. role in Iraq.

CAMPBELL: No one said this was going to be easy. And, you know, we know it's going to be tough, and we'll be there as long as the mission calls for it.

TUCHMAN: The 28-year-old has received awards and accolades. She makes two to three speeches a month while continuing her training.

CAMPBELL: Our squadron will most likely be deploying later on this year, and I'm more than happy to go back.

TUCHMAN: Would your family like to see you not fly combat missions anymore?

CAMPBELL: They know that I love what I do. And they know I'm willing to take risks and this is something I am willing to give my life for because I believe in it. My parents aren't going to tell me that I can't do it, certainly not at age 28, anyway.

TUCHMAN: Gary Tuchman, CNN, Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Still to come on CNN Sunday, "RELIABLE SOURCES" is next. Howard Kurtz has a preview now.

HOWARD KURTZ, HOST, RELIABLE SOURCES: Coming up, covering the wives of presidential candidates. Are the media giving the same tribute to Laura Bush as to the controversial Theresa Heinz Kerry?

Plus, the "New York Times" admits big mistakes in its pre-war reporting.

And a new survey adds more fuel to the notion of a liberal press.

All that ahead, on "RELIABLE SOURCES." TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com