Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Dennis Brings Floods; London Terror; Travel Ban Lifted for U.S. Military in London

Aired July 12, 2005 - 09:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Dennis bringing serious flooding now as creeks continue to overflow in the South. The storm could bring rain for days. We've got a live report just ahead.
In the Atlantic, here comes another one. Tropical Storm Emily is born. And she's growing fast.

Well, they're desperate for rain in Colorado. Thousands chased from their homes as a wildfire there grows quickly. A live report from there as well.

And developments in Britain as police try to track down the London bombers. Raids in northern England. We're live with the latest on that investigation on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien.

S. O'BRIEN: Good morning. Welcome back, everybody.

Also ahead, we're taking a look at that investigation in now Los Angeles into that shootout. The suspect holding a baby girl, his daughter, apparently, opening fire upon police. They fire back.

In the end, the 19-month-old is killed. Really obviously lots of questions to ask today. And a tragedy, too.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: A lot of questions remain. And, of course, the police are saying they feel terrible about what happened. But as people look at the tactics that were employed there, you know, of course a lot of this is in hindsight. But nevertheless, there are certain ways to handle these situations, and there are many questions about them this morning.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, tons.

Before we get to any of that, though, there are other stories that are making headlines, too. Let's get right to Kelly Wallace. She's got a look at those.

Good morning again, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Soledad. Good morning again, everyone.

"Now in the News," a developing story out of Spain this morning. We told you about this a short while ago.

Four explosions in the Basque region of Spain. The blast taking place near a thermal power plant. Officials say the separatist group ETA placed a warning call ahead the explosions. No immediate word of injuries or damage.

Another explosion to tell you about. This one in Lebanon, where a Lebanese official is said to have more than a hundred wounds but none life-threatening.

The outgoing deputy prime minister, Elias Murr, was apparently the target of a morning car bombing in Beirut. He was one of a dozen people injured in the blast. Two people were killed.

Back here in the United States, a court hearing today for convicted sex offender Joseph Duncan. He is expected to face murder charges. Duncan is already accused of kidnapping 8-year-old Shasta Groene and her 9-year-old brother Dylan. You'll recall that Dylan's remains were found last week in Montana. Duncan is expected to face murder charges in connection with the deaths of the children's mother, older brother and the mother's boyfriend.

And Monaco's Prince Albert officially taking the throne. The day-long celebration began today with a mass in Monaco's cathedral. This is the same place where the prince's parents, Prince Rainier, and Hollywood star Grace Kelly are buried. The night will end with fireworks and a dance party under the stars. Another ceremony, a more formal one for heads of state, is planned for November.

And our viewers will recall a story here on AMERICAN MORNING just before this. Prince Albert acknowledging that he fathered a child out of wedlock with an African-born flight attendant. So a little controversy before this.

S. O'BRIEN: When you were talking about the celebrations, you talked about the dance party, I was like, wow, that's so unusual for an official.

M. O'BRIEN: Kind of a strange...

S. O'BRIEN: But I guess then you said...

WALLACE: Then the more formal, when the leaders, the heads of state are around.

S. O'BRIEN: Could you imagine?

WALLACE: Yes, it would be so weird. Yes, because I think it's music of Pink Floyd and U2.

WALLACE: I know. I want to see, you know, French President Chirac with...

S. O'BRIEN: Out there jamming it, yes.

WALLACE: That would be fun. S. O'BRIEN: That would be.

WALLACE: Maybe a change of pace.

S. O'BRIEN: That would be, I think.

M. O'BRIEN: A tape we will never see. Tape you want to see and will never see.

S. O'BRIEN: Stories you'd love to talk about but aren't going to happen.

Kelly, thanks for the update.

WALLACE: Sure.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's take you to Florida now. Emergency officials are holding a news conference this morning. They're talking about the aftermath of Hurricane Dennis. We're going to keep our eye on that. We'll bring you any updates they have to share.

Dennis is flooding parts of the southeast today. Areas of Florida and Alabama and Georgia and South Carolina all affected by heavy rains. In Georgia, though, people, hundreds of people, forced to evacuate their homes on Sunday and Monday. Some counties in the western part of the state recorded more than eight inches of rain in just a 24-hour period.

And then take a look at this. This is the Scream Machine Roller Coaster at the Six Flags Amusement Park in Georgia. That's not brown grass. That's muddy water. It has flooded out.

Denise Dillon of our Atlanta affiliate WAGA in Powder Springs, she's got the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DENISE DILLON, REPORTER, WAGA: Much of metro Atlanta is still waterlogged this morning. Hundreds of people were evacuated, and numerous streets around the city are closed, simply because the water is so high that trying to drive through it would be a really bad idea.

Now, all of this is much different from yesterday. That is when the Sweet Water Creek ran over its banks, turning yards and roads into raging rivers.

Homes seemed to disappear. Really the only thing you could see was the rooftops.

We found one couple who went to their barn, where they waited with their family pets until they were rescued. Apparently the cows were on their own.

Neither churches nor children were spared. One church which has been on dry ground for more than half a century here, well, that has all changed now. And we found some children who were stranded in their daycare until police and firefighters came and rescued them and brought them across the water to their parents. The little ones were a little bit nervous, as were their parents, as you can imagine.

It will be a few days now of cleaning up and drying out and hoping that Emily doesn't come this way.

In Cobb County, Georgia, for CNN, Denise Dillon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: With the remnants of Dennis already still wreaking havoc, already there's another tropical storm, and it's heading toward the Caribbean. Rob Marciano is at the CNN weather center with the very latest on that.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: In London, officials have identify the bodies of four more victims in last Thursday's terror attacks. All four were recovered from the bus bombing in Tavistock Square.

Also today, British terror police have raided five homes in Yorkshire, England, about 200 miles north of London. Officials say the raids are directly connected to the attacks. We don't know much more than that.

Paula Hancocks is outside King's Cross station in London.

Paula, do we know much about these searches or how they might have made a link?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, the police really aren't giving very much away at all. Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, did say this morning that these raids, five homes in west Yorkshire, as you say, about 200 miles north from here, were directly linked to Thursday's bombings in which more than -- at least 52 people were killed and more than 700 injured.

They're not saying much more beyond that, though, because they say that these searches are ongoing. We do know that there is a very heavy police presence up there. The houses are being guard guarded by policemen. Also, the roads themselves have been cordoned off, about 750 meters, we understand. That's why 75 meters, we understand, outside one house has been cordoned off.

We do have reports, I must stress, unconfirmed reports, that there has been a controlled explosion at one of the areas, but we do not know anymore than that. No arrests, as far as we know, have been made at the time being. So we're hoping for some more details to trickle through from leads just a little later on this afternoon.

Meanwhile, there are also reports that there could have been military-quality higher-grade explosives, we're hearing. So about four days, five days ago, investigators thought that they were quite rudimentary bombs, they were just 10 pounds. But now they understand that they could have been for military use or maybe a commercial use, like a precision bombing, for example, with bombing a building for demolition.

So that's a worrying development as well -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Paula Hancocks in London. Thank you very much.

Just after the attacks in London on Thursday, U.S. military forces in the U.K. were told by their commanders not to go to London out of concern for their safety. That angered many British officials. This morning, the travel ban has been lifted.

Barbara Starr at the Pentagon, was it lifted because there was some concern about the perception of that order?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, just a bit, Miles. In fact, it was earlier today that the ban on travel for the 10,000 or so U.S. military personnel in the United Kingdom was lifted. That ban put into place by local commanders, we are told, after the bombing attacks late last week. But now it did turn into a bit of a military faux pas, if you will.

A military official saying that once some of the senior commanders looked at this travel ban, which was really just part of the increased security and protection measures after the attack, but once the senior commanders looked at it, once Londoners themselves returned to their daily lives, returned to their work, it seemed a bit awkward for the U.S. military to say it would not travel to central London. As one official said, "What message are we sending? We have trust and confidence in the British."

So it was up to General James Jones, United States Marine Corps, the head of the U.S. European command. He now this morning ordered the ban lifted.

General Jones issuing this statement saying, "While all personnel are encouraged to be vigilant, we cannot allow ourselves to be intimidated by the acts of terrorists. All U.S. personnel are encouraged to continue with their normal routine."

And, of course, Miles, nobody had really anticipated that the 10,000 U.S. military personnel were about to get on the trains, highways and subways and go to central London anyhow. It was strictly a precautionary measure. But for public consumption it really became very awkward, and so the ban was lifted this morning -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon. Thank you very much -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Coming up a little bit later, we're going to have more from London. We'll talk to the friend of a New York City man. He's still missing. He's presumed dead now. His friend will tell us, though, what he's learned from London police.

M. O'BRIEN: Also, the disease that many say took the life of singer Luther Vandross. We'll look at why diabetes has become such a huge health issue for African-Americans. S. O'BRIEN: And the questions raised after that L.A. hostage crisis ended with a baby girl's death. Did police mishandle the situation? A look at that ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: What firefighters in Colorado need is a little bit of Dennis, but it's not happening. They'd like some help from weather in general to fight massive wildfires there.

The blaze is in the southern part of the state near the town of Beulah. The 12,000-acre wildfire has forced more than 5,000 from their homes.

Jeff Marcu with our affiliate KKTV live now in Pueblo County, Colorado.

Give us an update, Jeff. Is the fire contained?

JEFF MARCU, REPORTER, KKTV: Not right now, Miles. Thirty percent contained. But there is good news and bad news today.

The good news is, some cooler temperatures overnight in the 40s and 50s and some much-needed humidity this morning, much warmer than previous mornings. Now the bad news. A number of structures are threatened at this time: 900 homes, 20 commercial buildings, 100 out buildings.

Ironically, right now I'm standing in a ghost town, the town of Silen (ph). There used to be an old school and an old post office here. This morning, this entire area feels like a ghost town because so many people are evacuated.

Police and sheriff's deputies are standing by, guarding the homes, literally. No one out in the smoky area, the Mason fire in southern Colorado.

M. O'BRIEN: Jeff Marcu joining us from Pueblo County. Thank you very much -- Soledad.

MARCU: Thank you, Miles.

S. O'BRIEN: Medical news now. Diabetes may have contributed, we are told, to the death of singer Luther Vandross. The chronic disease has become a major health concern for African-Americans.

Dr. Joyce Richey is with the American Diabetes Association. She's in Los Angeles this morning.

It's nice to see you, Dr. Richey. Thanks for talking with us.

DR. JOYCE RICHEY, AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION: Thank you for having me. S. O'BRIEN: You are well aware several members, we're told, of Luther Vandross' family died from complications of diabetes. Luther Vandross himself said at one point that he regretted ignoring the problem for such a long time.

Why are so many African-Americans disproportionately affected by diabetes?

RICHEY: Well, first, I think it's very important that you know that diabetes has reached just epidemic proportions in the population in general. There are more than 18.2 million Americans with diabetes. And out of those, about a third of them don't even realize that they have the disease. And when we look at minority populations, we know that they are disproportionately affected.

So when we look at African-Americans, they comprise about three million of those afflicted with diabetes. And the reason being -- this is of great interest to us -- you know, being a diabetes researcher at the Diabetes Center at the University of Southern California Tech School of Medicine, we are intensively studying this, along with other factors related to the prevalence of diabetes in our community.

But there are several reasons that may give us a clue as to why African-Americans are more prone to this disease. And one may that because of dietary factors. We know that unhealthy eating, and that may be due to how we prepare our foods, it may be due to our portion sizes, and the types of foods that we eat, along with that...

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, I'm sorry. I didn't want to interrupt you there, but you're sort of pointing out lifestyle, and you're saying obviously it's a big problem for all Americans, not just African- Americans, who make up a big percentage with that problem. But outside of lifestyle, to what degree do you think genes might play a role in the problem?

RICHEY: Well, genes play a very important role. I mean, genes, that's the background.

It's these environmental factors when we talk about lifestyle changes. So we must have the genes that predispose us to this disease. So that would be a big factor when we consider why African- Americans, and why minority populations in general, are affected by diabetes.

S. O'BRIEN: Let me ask you some questions. And I want to show some graphics that we have. First, the complications, because I think they're really serious.

Stroke, heart disease, number one and two there. Blindness, kidney disease, amputations, those are sort of the list of the complications from diabetes. But many people, you say, don't know that they have it. So let's run through some of the symptoms, and then I'll ask you a question on the other side.

Increased urination, increased thirst, dry mouth, blurred vision, dry, itchy skin. Do you have to have all of the systems, kind of check them all off, before you say, oh, yeah, I got diabetes?

RICHEY: No. No, you certainly don't need to have all of the symptoms.

I think one of the hallmark signs for people with diabetes is that, if you have increased urination, if you're getting up in the middle of the night going to the bathroom, that should send out an alarm signal that you need to see what's going on with your body. And also, if you're more tired than usual, that's also a very prominent sign for people with diabetes. But...

S. O'BRIEN: We've -- I'm sorry for interrupting there.

RICHEY: That's OK.

S. O'BRIEN: We've seen lots of reports now about identifying pre-diabetes. What's pre-diabetes?

RICHEY: Well, pre-diabetes is a condition where you're considered borderline diabetic. So your blood glucose or your sugar, as known in our community, is not quite high enough to be classified as being diabetic. And the normal level for a fasting, so meaning that you haven't eaten for six to eight hours, is that if you go in and get tested, if you're below 100 milligrams per deciliter, that's considered normal. And if you're within -- if you're above 100 to 125, that's our pre-diabetic state. And that's...

S. O'BRIEN: What do you do, then? I mean, so when you get those numbers, oh, this could be a problem for me, as a doctor, what do you send your patients to do?

RICHEY: Exactly. Well, as a researcher, the first thing that I would point out, something that you must do, is that you must adhere to those lifestyle changes.

You know, we've heard all of the complications associated with diabetes, but there's good news in that, in that what you must do is that you have to increase your physical activity and you have to monitor your diet. Those are two critical factors that must be done. And you can prevent the onset of Type II diabetes with those factors.

S. O'BRIEN: Some good advice. Dr. Joyce Richey, you know, when you think about it, Luther Vandross, who was a superstar, it's terrible to think about him really regretting that he never dealt with a problem that's a huge problem for the African-American community, and really, as you say, for all Americans.

Dr. Richey, thanks for your time. Appreciate it.

RICHEY: Thank you so much for having me.

S. O'BRIEN: We're right back after this. It's our pleasure.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: In the wake of last week's terror attacks on London's trains, members of Congress asking whether enough is being done to protect Americans from a similar attack.

Ed Henry on Capitol Hill for us this morning.

Ed, what are lawmakers doing about rail safety in the wake of all of this?

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, critic says that Congress and the White House have focused too much on aviation security at the expence of transit security.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

HENRY (voice-over): As you stand in an airport security line, think of this. America's rail and subway systems carry 16 times more passengers than the airlines do. But since 9/11, $20 billion has been spent on aviation security and only $250 million to protect mass transit.

RICHARD FALKENRATH, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: The reason is we suffered an attack using the air system on 9/11, and that's what we responded to. There really hasn't been much effort for mass transit security.

HENRY: Last month, in fact, the Republican-led Senate actually slashed the transit security budget by $50 million.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Please start moving down. This is for your safety.

HENRY: In the wake of the London attacks, that has sparked outrage.

SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: Instead of building on what we need to be doing to ensure the safety and security of our transit and transportation systems, we're going backwards.

HENRY: Russell Square say they'll restore the money this week. But Democrats are now demanding millions more.

SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MINORITY LEADER: With what happened in London, maybe we can finally get the majority to agree with some of the basic needs of this country as it relates to first responders.

HENRY: Some frustrated Republicans worry new funds will be wasted after hundreds of reports chronicling government mismanagement.

SEN. JUDD GREGG (R), NEW HAMPSHIRE: If you take this pile there, which I probably can't even pick up, and this pile here and put it on top here, you end up with -- it'll all fall over, unfortunately. You end up with almost three feet, nine inches of reports about things that are not going that well at the homeland security department.

HENRY: The president's homeland security chief insists the administration has already beefed up transit security.

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: We've done a lot of vulnerability assessments. We've worked to have additional canine resources, dogs, explosive dogs, additional detection equipment out in the field. We've done a lot with respect to biodetection. Some of this is not visible and shouldn't be visible to the ordinary commuter.

HENRY: Even those sounding the alarm acknowledge the transit systems are relatively safe.

FALKENRATH: You have a much greater risk of slipping in the bathtub or being struck by a car crossing the street than you do of suffering a terrorist attack in the subway tonight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HENRY: But key lawmakers say this should be a wake-up call that al Qaeda could strike on America's rails -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Ed Henry, thank you very much.

And stay tuned to CNN day and night for the latest news about your security.

In a moment, a U.S. citizen missing and presumed dead after the London bombings. One of his friends will join us to talk about his search for his friend. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

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