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Hurricane Emily Slams into Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula; Three of Four Suspected London Bombers Recently Traveled to Pakistan

Aired July 18, 2005 - 07:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Miles O'Brien. A story that's been breaking throughout the night: Hurricane Emily makes a direct hit, slams into the resort towns of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. More than 100,000 tourists told to evacuate as the storm hits with category-four winds. A live report ahead.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Carol Costello, in for Soledad this morning. An important development in the London terror investigation coming within just the last two hours. Three of the four suspected bombers recently traveling to Pakistan. We're live on the investigation ahead.

O'BRIEN: And an extremely violent weekend in Iraq. Suicide bombers killing more than 100 people. What can the military do when the enemy is bent on suicide? A U.S. general in Baghdad explains the strategy, on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning. Welcome to Monday. Good to have you with us. Are you pleased to be back from vacation?

COSTELLO: Of course I am.

O'BRIEN: That's a trick question.

COSTELLO: It is a trick question. But I am happy to be back. And thanks for all of your nice e-mails missing me. That was cool. Didn't expect that. Always love that.

O'BRIEN: Always nice to hear that.

COSTELLO: You know, a lot of people vacationing in Mexico, though, are wishing they were at home this morning.

O'BRIEN: I bet they are. I bet they are. That's where we begin this morning. The storm Emily grinding across Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula right now, as we speak; 130,000 tourists have been asked to evacuate the beach resorts around Cancun. Many are now hunkered down in shelters waiting out the storm. The winds have slowed to category two, but were much stronger, category four, when Emily crashed ashore while you were sleeping. For example, a mobile home can survive category-two winds with serious damage, but category-four winds would destroy it.

Two helicopter pilots were killed trying to evacuate an offshore oil rig on Sunday. A family of four died in their car as the storm passed over Jamaica the day before. Hurricane winds up for southern Texas and northern coast of Mexico.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Karl Penhaul live on the phone in Playa Del Carmen, about 35 miles south of Cancun, right near where the eye of the storm hit.

Chris Lawrence is in South Padre Island, Texas, where hurricane preparations continue.

First, let's go to Karl of course. What's going on right now, Karl?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, what we're seeing now is the tail end of the storm. It's only just starting to get light. But the winds have dropped down now, I guess, to tropical storm force, and there's very little sign of rain.

At the height of that storm, we were hunkered down in hotel rooms. Hotel workers simply put up wooden boards against the doors and windows of the room that we were staying in, in an oceanfront villa, in fact, and they left for the night. But after we emerged, what we can see is there is plenty of trees that have been ripped up and torn down by this storm. Some of the power lines are also down. But the authorities did take the precaution of cutting power to the whole town of Playa Del Carmen before the storm struck, just to avoid any accidents there.

Now talking to police on the ground, what they do say is that they have no reports of any casualties amongst the human population so far, neither amongst the residents or the thousands of tourists on holiday in this region, known as the Mayan Rivera.

In fact, in the beachfront hotel, where we were staying, there were a couple -- two couples, in fact, from Oklahoma. We just talked to them a few moments ago, and they said, in fact, they spent much of the storm asleep. They say that they fear much more the tornadoes back in Oklahoma than this hurricane as it went through. As I say, there does seem to be damage to trees and such like, but police so far say there are no casualties and no major structural damage -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Karl, that's a good first report. Of course first light might bring some additional news. I'm curious, how did the evacuations go? Did it go pretty smoothly?

PENHAUL: The evacuations were a mixed bag. In fact, some tourists, yes, were bused out. And bear in mind, some 130,000 tourists are on vacation this weekend in this part of the Yucatan Peninsula, half of those Mexicans, and some -- the other half either from the U.S. or from Europe. Some were taken by bus to temporary shelters further inland. But many of the tourists were simply evacuated from their hotel rooms and moved to more solid structures inside the hotels themselves, the buildings such as the ballrooms and also the convention centers -- Miles.

Karl Penhaul, thank you very much. Let's move along now to Chris Lawrence. He's in South Padre Island, Texas. Chris, folks there obviously paying close attention to this storm as it passes across the Yucatan Peninsula. What are they doing to get ready there?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It depends on who you ask, Miles. Officially, the officials are doing a lot to get ready for this storm. I mean, taking a look at some of the damage there, you can see why. They are clearing a lot of the ditches to eventually deepen some of the storm drainage. They have tens of thousands of sandbags ready for families to pick up when they need them.

They're also trying to clear a lot of the debris from construction sites and things like that, because once that wind starts whipping things up, they don't want a lot of that debris flying around.

But when you talk to the actual people who live here, a lot of them are telling us, you know, it's not like Florida. We don't see a lot of people boarding up. We haven't heard of people, you know, lots of people trying to leave the island and leave the area, trying to get away. There is one bridge that leads right here to South Padre Island, one bridge in and out. That bridge closes when the winds get to be about 55 miles an hour, and right now they don't plan to have any evacuations at this point -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Chris Lawrence in South Padre Island, thank you very much. Stay with us all morning for continued coverage of Hurricane Emily. We are your hurricane headquarters -- Carol.

COSTELLO: New developments this morning in the London terror investigation. CNN has learned that three of four suspects traveled to Pakistan. Nic Robertson joins us now live from London with more details.

Nic, what do we know?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Pakistani intelligence and immigration officials are confirming, indeed have released photographs of three of these suspected bombers arriving in the town of Karachi. Two of them arrived in November last year, we're told spent a week in Karachi, then took a train to another Pakistani city, Lahore. Those two left the country about three months later. The other, the youngest of the suspected bombers, he went to Pakistan, arrived in Karachi on a flight from Saudi Arabia back in July last year.

There's a lot that's unknown about their visits, however. What did they do inside Pakistan? That, of course, great interest to the British police, who are investigating these bombings. They want to know, is there a link with Al Qaeda? What did these men do? There's not much speculation in the British media that, while they were in Pakistan, they visited some of these madrases, the religious schools, where it is believed, at least in some of those schools, they espouse -- they do espouse and teach a very radical version of Islam -- Carol. COSTELLO: Another question for you, Nic, on a related topic. The British government begins debating new antiterrorism legislation. What kinds of measures are they considering?

ROBERTSON: Well, they would like -- at the moment, the terrorism laws allow them to detain people for up to 14 days. One of the considerations that they're looking at is the introduction of an identity card in Britain, is a toughening of the laws.

They're also considering how stiff and how tough the laws regarding what can be said that might instigate violence, that might instigate ethnic, religious hatred. There's a lot of attention in this debate being focused on what some of the more radical clerics in Britain have been saying publicly that could incite violence. That's the sort of thing they'd like to try and stop -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Nic Robertson live in London this morning.

In Iraq, a special tribunal begins the first formal charges against former dictator Saddam Hussein. Correspondent Aneesh Raman is in Baghdad.

Aneesh, when will we possibly see Saddam Hussein stand trial?

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As early as September, Carol. There's a minimum 45-day period that must pass in between the charges being filed and the start of any trial. But for Iraqis, yesterday was a critical moment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RAMAN (voice-over): Justice now one step closer.

RAID JUHI, CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE JUDGE (through translator): The Iraqi Special Tribunal has entered a new phase, the phase of the actual trial of these accused, and we ask the almighty to support us.

RAMAN: Iraq's chief investigative judge Sunday issuing the first formal charges against Saddam Hussein and other members of his former regime. They could face trial as early as September, on the first of what is expected to be multiple cases, beginning with the alleged atrocities in the northern village of Dujail, Where In 1982, more than 150 people were killed after a failed assassination attempt against then-President Hussein.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ladies and gentlemen, we got him.

RAMAN: Since Saddam's capture in December of 2003, Iraqis have eagerly awaited the moment their former dictator would come to trial. But it took nearly seven months for the special tribunal to put Saddam in a courtroom and, under the world's watch, listing the various crimes he would face. And then again, a period of silence as the tribunal staff traveled throughout the country gathering evidence, conducting interviews, meticulously preparing. A tug of war ensued, tribunal officials fearing a rush could weaken their case at trial. Iraqi political figures bowing to public pressure, publicly demanding Hussein face trial as soon as possible, often suggesting it would be a matter of months.

But in this, the latest video released in June, Saddam was interrogated about the events in Dujail, an indication that his case was moving forward.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

RAMAN: Now, Carol, Saddam could face up to 12 trials, each for other cases beyond Dujail. All of these proceedings will be televised here in Iraq and throughout the world. Many here saying that humanity itself is being put on trial -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Aneesh Raman, live in Baghdad this morning.

In the next hour, we'll speak with one of Saddam Hussein's legal advisers about what lies ahead for the former dictator.

Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, an amazing story of bravery out of Iraq: A U.S. soldier survives a sniper's bullet, and then he turns around and helps his wounded attacker.

O'BRIEN: Wow.

Also, an American rock climber goes missing in the mountains of Pakistan. What's being done to find her? We'll have the latest on that.

COSTELLO: And we are tracking the path on Hurricane Emily.

Stay with us, on this AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In Iraq, a U.S. Army medic is shot by a sniper, but survives to give medical aid to the man who tried to kill him. True story. PFC Private Steven Tschiderer is seen in this video hit in the chest. There you see him. But it's deflected by his body armor, so he's OK. What happens next is nothing less than extraordinary. This soldier's story now from Jessica Weinstein of our Rochester New York affiliate WHEC.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DEBBIE TSCHIDERER, MOTHER: Chased the van, shot out the tires. That sounds kind of like a Bonnie and Clyde type.

JESSICA WEINSTEIN, WHEC REPORTER: Debbie Tschiderer doesn't often get long e-mails from her son.

TSCHIDERER: Not usually.

WEINSTEIN: Twenty-year-old Steven Tschiderer is just too busy. He's an Army medic stationed in Baghdad. TSCHIDERER: For years, he talked about wanting to be a doctor, and he's very level headed.

WEINSTEIN: And the proof is not only in his e-mail accounts, but on a tape the army obtained from insurgents. The sniper's bullet knocks him down, but doesn't keep him there.

TSCHIDERER: And you see him flagging to his unit, where the insurgents were.

WEINSTEIN: And once his unit captures the insurgents, Steven does something that still suns his mother. He helps the man who tried to take his life.

TSCHIDERER: He actually handcuffed the guy who tried to kill him, and then he administered medical attention to him. He had a broken leg and three gunshot wounds.

WEINSTEIN: Steven's girlfriend says this is the man she admires.

JACKIE HOLLIDAY, SOLDIER'S GIRLFRIEND: It's not a surprise. It's all part of who he is.

TSCHIDERER: And to me, that shows incredible strength of character. So we're very proud of him.

WEINSTEIN: Only later did Debbie and Jackie discover that the whole attack was supposed to be training for other terrorists. Now it's evidence of how an American soldier used goodwill to combat the enemy. And in his e-mail, Steven tells his mother he was just doing his duty.

TSCHIDERER: He ends it with, "Treating the man who shot me didn't really sink in until after. At the time, I just did my job and didn't really think about it too much."

WEINSTEIN: It's an act Steven hopes will be just as significant in the battle for hearts and minds than anything else he does.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Jessica Weinstein reporting. What a story.

O'BRIEN: You talk about the battle of hearts and minds. Those stories are the stories that could change things in Iraq if people see that and that's -- wow.

COSTELLO: And hopefully they will, the right people at least.

O'BRIEN: Yes, something. I hope he gets a medal. I'm sure he will. He deserves it.

In sports, Tiger Woods. I don't know if he gets a medal. He gets a big check. Cup? I don't think they do medals. He can get a medal if he wants. The British Open, won it for the second time. Woods finished with a five-stroke lead. I guess he has the A game back. Wouldn't you say?

COSTELLO: I think so.

O'BRIEN: I think so. It was at St. Andrews in Scotland.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TIGER WOODS, BRITISH OPEN WINNER: You look at that leaderboard today going out there. I mean, it was a who's who, pick 'em. Toss them in a hat and pick 'em. It was going to be a battle out there, and that's what -- it was just so much fun to go out there with that excitement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: He shot a 14 under par, 274 for the tournament. That is just on fire. That's not easy golf over there. That's where they invented golf, especially just a bunch of goat paths, pretty much. Don't say that about St. Andrews. I'll never get a tee time there. It's his 10th major victory that puts him eight behind the record 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus, who -- did you see that wonderful tape of jack on his last walk?

COSTELLO: Yes, tears in his eyes.

O'BRIEN: Tears in anybody's eyes who was watching that. I don't know how many British Opens he won, but that was a very special place for him.

COSTELLO: A lot.

O'BRIEN: A lot is the answer.

COSTELLO: Exactly.

O'BRIEN: Testimony expected to begin today in the country's first Vioxx-related trial. Will a company insider take the stand? We're "Minding Your Business" next.

Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: In automotive news this morning, two big luxury cars survived crash tests with top safety ratings. The 2005 Audi A6 gets a double best pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The 2006 Infiniti M35 got a best-pick rating. The cars were tested for their performance in front end and side-impact crashes. As you can see, both cars are equipped with side-impact airbags.

Testimony in the first Vioxx trial begins, and a Merck insider, a controversial one, could take the stand. Ellen McGirt of "Money" magazine is in for Andy Serwer this morning, she's "minding Your Business."

This could be interesting. ELLEN MCGIRT, "MONEY" MAGAZINE: It really could. And there's a lot at stake here. This is the first of about 4,000 lawsuits in the Vioxx painkiller trials set to go across the country. We're going to be -- Merck is hungry for their fingernails right now. They need a good outcome for this. There's a potential liability of about $30 billion for all these lawsuits if they don't prevail.

COSTELLO: So tell us about the victim in the case, and then this controversial doctor who might take the stand.

MCGIRT: You know, he's a triathlete, recently married, 59 years old, Robert Ernst, who had died after -- of arrhythmia, and that's one of the big issues here. This has not necessarily been proven to be part of what the Vioxx controversy has been all about. But his wife, Carol, the widow, is very sympathetic, and she's got a terrific attorney, who's known for her storytelling in an emotional way. So it's going to be a very interesting trial.

COSTELLO: So this Merck insider that's going to take the stand, is it a doctor?

MCGIRT: Yes, she's one of the few doctors, Dr. Nancy Sentanello, and she'll be taking the stand. Now one of the problems is she had her name removed from a study, a big study specifically on Vioxx a couple of years ago, because she said that the analysis was incomplete. So that's going to be a big issue.

COSTELLO: Interesting. Of course we'll follow that. Ellen McGirt, thank you -- Miles.

MCGIRT: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, Hurricane Emily slams into Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. We'll talk to one American family that rode out the storm. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Get the latest news every morning in your e-mail. Sign up for AMERICAN MORNING Quick News, at CNN.com/am. Still to come on our program, the search for a young American rock climber missing in the mountains of Pakistan. Her parents tell us what's being done to find her. A little later on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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