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Impact of Hurricane Katrina on South Florida; Allegations Lance Armstrong Used Performance-Enhancing Drugs

Aired August 26, 2005 - 08:00   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Following new developments this morning as South Florida wakes up to the destruction. Hurricane Katrina knocking down trees and power lines, even a highway overpass. Well, now the storm, back over water and gaining strength, Katrina could become a major hurricane when she hits land again in just a few days. We're live with the very latest.
President Bush making a direct and personal appeal to Iraqi negotiators to bring all sides together on the constitution. Can he help break weeks of deadlock?

And can Lance Armstrong silence his critics? More from his exclusive interview, firing back after new accusations of doping 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.

O'BRIEN: Good morning.

Welcome back, everybody.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

I'm Carol Costello in for Miles today.

Happy Friday.

O'BRIEN: Oh, I love to hear that, don't you?

COSTELLO: Oh, yes.

O'BRIEN: Let's begin this morning with the aftermath of that mess -- and that's a pretty fair word to call it this morning -- in South Florida.

CNN is your hurricane headquarters and we are closely tracking Katrina. Residents from one end of South Florida to the other are waking up this morning, trying to assess the damage that's been left behind by the category one hurricane. At least three people were killed by falling trees. Power lines down all over the place. And about 1.3 million customers are in the dark. They have no power.

We begin with Jason Carroll, he's in Miami for us this morning; and Susan Candiotti, who's in Hollywood Beach. And then we have Chad Myers. He's at the CNN Center. In fact -- Chad, let's begin with you, because we want to talk a little bit about the future of Katrina.

How does she look? Where is she going?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, we're going to start using the term major hurricane here this weekend. And that means 111 miles per hour or greater. That turns it into a category three. We're going to throw these cat one, cat two, cat threes at you all weekend, too. All you need to know is that the stronger these storms and this storm gets, the more you ramp up in category, all the way to category five, kind of like what Andrew was. A category three is 111 all the way up to about 130. And this storm is going to get there. I am almost convinced that at this point in time, we move it into the Gulf of Mexico. It's a very, strong storm. And then it turns to the right and heads either to the Florida -- the western Florida Panhandle, possibly as far west as New Orleans, possibly as far east even as Apalachicola. We'll have to see.

This thing isn't done spinning yet, so I don't think the models have a great idea of where it's going yet. As it gets stronger, they probably will, because we'll have a better chance to take a look at what the models say in the Gulf of Mexico rather than like this thing. It just didn't act very well over the Bahamas.

Here's the storm line right now, a squall line. One of the feeder bands smashing into the Keys from about Big Pine Key through Shark Key right on up here. And even No Name Key, and the No Name Pub really getting hammered this morning. Anybody who's been to the Keys knows that it's basically wood frame structures there. The good news is at least the heaviest rain, the flooding area has died off. The rain is done for you, South Dade County -- back to you.

O'BRIEN: A little teeny bit of good news there.

MYERS: A little bit.

O'BRIEN: All right, yes.

Chad, thanks.

We'll check in with you, of course, throughout the morning.

Let's get right to Jason Carroll now.

He's in Miami. He's near that highway overpass that Katrina pretty much ripped to shreds, I think it's fair to say.

How does it look this morning?

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think it's very fair to say that, because that's exactly what it did, Soledad.

You can take a look. We're just standing about 100 yards from where it happened. It was last night at about 9:00 p.m. We kept talking about those strong wind gusts. Well, one of those blew through here and knocked out one of the beams supporting an overpass that was under construction here, the overpass covering the 836, commonly known as the Dolphin Expressway.

This is a major expressway that runs east-west through Dade County.

Again, it was late last night. One of the strong gusts came through here, blew out one of the beams. That created a domino effect, knocking down the other beams which supported this overpass, about 16 of those beams.

Right now emergency crews are out here trying to clear away the concrete. They're using torches to cut through it. They're also using a crane to try to cart off the heavier pieces of concrete, trying to get it off the 836.

At this point, they have no idea when they're going to be able to get it reopened, but they're going to be working 24-7 until they can -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: OK.

Quite a mess there.

Thanks, Jason.

Let's get right to Susan Candiotti.

She's in Hollywood Beach -- Susan, what's the power situation like? Because it actually doesn't look so bad behind you, but I know people are struggling getting their power back.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And here, at least, people are out and about, getting a walk, because a lot of these people that you're seeing behind me do not have power. More than a million customers of Florida Power and Light, as you indicated, are in the dark this day. And who knows how long it's going to take to get them back on line.

Most of those people are in Miami-Dade County, a half million in Broward County, about 100, 000 in Palm Beach County. Both those areas, of course, north of here.

Now, they've got about 4, 000 utility workers lined up ready to go to restore power to people and Florida Power and Light saying this day that, of course, they're going to work this on a grid basis, starting with, for example, hospitals, police departments, people who need to get their power back on first and foremost to get their lives back in order.

And besides the power outages, we have at least three fatalities that are related to hurricane Katrina, people who were killed by fallen trees, one man who was crushed in his SUV. Another man who was swerving to avoid hitting a tree in his car wound up striking another. And a third man who went outside during the storm to check on damage was also hit and killed by a tree. So we've got a major cleanup ahead of us. A lot of flooding, particularly in South Dade County, Soledad. People walking around in knee deep water, flooding in homes even here in Broward County. So that is all also going to be a major headache -- back to you.

COSTELLO: Yes, a major mess and lots to do today as they try to clean up.

All right, Susan Candiotti for us.

Susan, thanks.

You want to stay with us all morning for updates on Katrina.

CNN is your hurricane headquarters.

Time to get a look at some of the other stories that are making headlines this morning with Kelly Wallace -- hey, Kelly, good morning again.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, again, Soledad.

Now in the news, everyone, President Bush hoping a personal phone call can break the political deadlock in Iraq. CNN has confirmed that the president called a Shia leader on Wednesday, encouraging him to keep up with the negotiations on a new constitution. A third deadline passed Thursday without a compromise. Talks are expected to continue today.

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan is taking her protest on the road. Sheehan says she's planning a bus tour across the country next month. She also wants to set up camp in Washington.

Meanwhile, dozens of Bush supporters are arriving in Crawford. They're part of what they call the "You Don't Speak For Me, Cindy" Tour. A major rally is planned for tomorrow.

At least six children are believed to be among those killed in an apartment fire in Paris. Authorities say the fire broke out overnight, while most residents were sleeping. About 30 people were injured. Investigators are looking into what caused that fire.

And actor Russell Crowe has apparently settled his phone home mishap with a hotel worker in New York. The Oscar winning actor was arrested back in June, you'll recall, for allegedly striking a worker with a telephone. The undisclosed settlement ends the civil case. Crowe, though, still faces a second degree assault charge and he's due back in court next month. So we'll see if we hear more about this.

COSTELLO: Ooh, he could serve some jail time, too, couldn't he?

WALLACE: He could. Yes, he could.

COSTELLO: He could.

O'BRIEN: That's so not going to happen. COSTELLO: I don't think it's going to happen.

WALLACE: I don't think it is either.

O'BRIEN: But he'll pay a lot of money to that man, even though they may never disclose how much.

COSTELLO: I bet that man has already quit his job in that hotel.

O'BRIEN: And I bet he's working on his book.

COSTELLO: Let's talk about this now. Plans to shut down two major air force bases are on the agenda today, as the federal base realignment commission gets back to work. On Thursday, the panel approved shutting down the historic Walter Reed Medical Center.

National security correspondent David Ensor looks at the reasons why.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The commission voted 8-0 to close the medical center and move most of its operations to the Bethesda Naval Medical Center in Maryland, which will change its name to Walter Reed. The existing Walter Reed is the crown jewel of Army medical facilities on the East Coast. In recent years, it has been the main destination for American soldiers who have lost limbs to roadside bombs in Iraq. They go there to be fitted with the latest in prosthetic legs and arms.

ANTHONY PRINCIPI, BASE CLOSINGS COMMISSION CHAIRMAN: I strongly support this proposal. You know, the kids coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan, all of them in harm's way, deserve to come back to 21st century medical care. The care that's being provided at Walter Reed is extraordinary. It's not just bricks and mortar, it's the people who bring those facilities to life. And I think we can be very proud of the care that these young men and women are getting at Walter Reed. But the facility, as Secretary Skinner said, is old. It needs to be modernized.

ENSOR: The move does not save money. It costs almost $1 billion, balanced against a saving of only $300-plus million. But it would permit a significant and needed upgrade in the medical facilities for soldiers, officials say. Part of it is a factor of space. There's little room to expand on the 100-acre Walter Reed campus in Washington, and city height limits forbid tall buildings. By contrast, at the Bethesda site, higher buildings are possible.

The decision likely marks the end of an era and a proud hospital that has treated thousands of soldiers, plus Presidents Reagan, Eisenhower, Truman, as well as British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.

(on camera): Veterans groups are saying they do not object to the change as long as it's done seamlessly. Because of Iraq, there are badly injured soldiers coming to this area all the time. David Ensor, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

COSTELLO: And today the commission takes up proposals to shut Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota and Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico. The commission is expected to wrap up its work late this afternoon.

O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, Lance Armstrong fires back at a French newspaper accusing him of doping. Will his appearance last night on CNN silence his critics?

COSTELLO: Also, one of the Americans who survived that plane crash in the Peruvian jungle, she will join us live.

O'BRIEN: She was on her honeymoon.

Then later, Dr. Drew Pinsky joins us for our special series. It's called "School Days." He's got some advice to help your kids make the right choices when it comes to sex and drugs and alcohol.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Lance Armstrong is firing back against accusations he used performance enhancing drugs. The allegations reemerged Tuesday, when a French newspaper reported that Armstrong tested positive for doping in his first Tour de France in 1999.

Armstrong appeared last night on CNN's "LARRY KING LIVE" and he addressed those allegations.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE")

LANCE ARMSTRONG, TOUR DE FRANCE CHAMPION: I have never doped. I can say it again, but I've said it for seven years. It doesn't help. But the fact of the matter is I haven't. And if you consider my situation, a guy who comes back from, arguably, you know, a death sentence, why would I then enter into a sport and dope myself up and risk my life again? That's crazy. I would never do that. That's -- no. No way.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Joining me now is Steve Malley, deputy editor of "ESPN, " the magazine.

STEVE MALLEY, "ESPN" THE MAGAZINE: Hi.

COSTELLO: You know, when I hear Lance Armstrong say that and those words, you know, with heavy emphasis, I can only think of Rafael Palmeiro.

MALLEY: And that... COSTELLO: That image just pops into my head.

MALLEY: And that's unfortunate. I think that from watching the show last night, I feel that if you are skeptical of Armstrong, you still can be skeptical. And that's unfortunate because he has no other recourse to take other than to come on and say I've never done this.

And to compare -- and it was compared in the newspaper this morning, to the baseball situation. And that's unfortunate because to be caught in baseball, you need to have a few strands of DNA missing. Baseball doesn't put its players through a very fine net.

Cycling and all the Olympic sports put their athletes through a very fine net when trying to test for drugs. They have to work very hard to evade that testing.

COSTELLO: So really if it proves not to be true, somehow, some way -- because French officials have certainly made it seem true, right?

MALLEY: They've made it...

COSTELLO: I mean they just came out -- and Lance Armstrong said last night, he said, you know, I didn't even get a chance to defend myself.

Before we get into that, let's listen to what he said about the science behind these findings.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE")

ARMSTRONG: If you considered the science, if you consider the protocol involved in drug testing, if you consider the standards that have been set over dozens of years, you know that none of that was followed here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And he has a point. I mean what standard was there? These documents were leaked to a French newspaper and then everybody just talked about it to the world publicly.

MALLEY: It's very unfortunate. There's a standard that the anti-doping agencies have set for their testing procedure for drugs. And none of it was followed here. You have to have two samples. There's an A sample and a B sample. If the A sample comes back positive for drugs, they go to the B sample and retest it. There was no A sample in this case. They only found the B sample from 1999, so that there was no follow-up testing. There was no proof that the original sample was positive.

COSTELLO: So where does the scientific phrase come from, then? If everybody in France is saying science has proved this...

MALLEY: I think it's because the lab that tested this used a protocol that has been accepted. The problem is the protocol was just testing whether there was EPO in his urine from 1999. The other protocol was not followed. So you could argue that science was followed, but the procedure wasn't followed. So that invalidates the science.

COSTELLO: Something else he said last night that was interesting is what happened one night at his girlfriend's house, Sheryl Crow.

MALLEY: Right.

COSTELLO: Tell us about that.

MALLEY: When he came to New York for the 2012 Olympic meeting, celebration, and he went home to Sheryl Crow's apartment and he found one of the drug control officials at Sheryl Crow's apartment waiting for him to give a test. And that's the -- that's what he lives with. He is subject to testing at any time, randomly, so-called, at the whim of the Olympic officials, the cycling federations. They can show up and test him at any time and he has to supply urine or blood.

COSTELLO: So, you know, this 1990 test aside, they've tested him ever since, tested and tested and tested. To that extreme, he's never tested positive at...

MALLEY: And that's the only, that's the only example that he can give. That's the only recourse he has, the only argument that he's clean, is that I've taken every test you've offered. And that's why compared to cycling -- I mean, to baseball -- baseball just does not put its athletes through that same testing protocol.

He was tested -- he's been in the yellow jersey 85 times in the Tour de France. He's tested every time he's in the yellow jersey. He's tested every time he wins the stage, which adds additional days. He's tested out of competition when he's not racing. So he's tested year round consistently, constantly and nothing has ever showed up.

COSTELLO: And has been clear.

MALLEY: He has.

COSTELLO: And the sad thing, and you said it before, was these allegations have been made and if you believe that athletes use steroids or performance enhancing drugs, you're going to believe that. His reputation has been smeared no matter who he sues or how many lawsuits he files.

MALLEY: That's right. There's nothing he can do. All he can do is come on and say honestly, as he did last night, and I thought he was very good last night, was I haven't done anything. There's nothing that I've done. It's not just that I've passed all the tests, I haven't done anything to find negative tests, to find that I've done anything wrong. There's nothing more that he can do.

COSTELLO: Yes.

Steve Malley, thanks for joining us. MALLEY: Thank you.

COSTELLO: Steve Malley from "ESPN, " the magazine -- Soledad.

O'BRIEN: Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING, our special series, "School Days."

Today, we're talking about sex, drugs and alcohol and how to help your kids act responsibly. Dr. Drew Pinsky joins us up next on AMERICAN MORNING.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Making the leap from elementary to middle school can be a pretty tricky transition for kids. It's the first time that many of them are going to confront drugs and alcohol and sexual issues.

Well, this morning in part five of our "School Days" series, how do you make sure your child steers clear?

Dr. Drew Pinsky is an expert on addiction. He's also the co-host of "Love Line."

He's in L.A. this morning.

Nice to see you, Dr. Pinsky, as always.

It's nice to have you back.

DR. DREW PINSKY, SEX AND ADDICTION EXPERT: Thanks, Soledad.

I appreciate that.

O'BRIEN: Well, from our previous talks, I know that your advice always focuses on talking, talking, talking, talking, talking. And you've got three kids in this age range. You've got triplets who are 12 years old.

PINSKY: Yes, I do, god bless them.

O'BRIEN: So what are you telling them and kids that age at this point?

PINSKY: Well, there's good evidence that if you begin a dialogue with them between the ages of eight and 12, that dialogue will sustain throughout adolescence, in fact. So it's really not so much about what you talk to your kids about. In fact, I do not advocate "the talk," plumbing lessons, that sort of thing; rather, more open-ended kinds of questions, establish that dialogue. Keep it on their terms.

For instance, you should always be asking your kids, you know, what is it you specifically want to know? Is this enough? Do you want me to keep going? And please come back and ask me more any time. And that's the way you're going to shape their behaviors. Unfortunately, a lot of us sort of miss that eight to 12-year-old window and if you do, you can use the culture that we all, as parents, complain about so much, use it as an opportunity to talk about issues that sort of are bombarding us all the time.

O'BRIEN: I know that people will advise that when you have little kids, you should use, you know, the actual names of the body parts as opposed to making up sort of funny names.

PINSKY: Sure.

O'BRIEN: And that's kind of the way you start. But is there something, a version of "the talk" you should give? I mean let's say your kid doesn't come to you with natural curiosity or you've sort of missed that window.

Should you sit down, as they head into junior high school or high school and say, you know, we need to have a frank discussion about drugs or sex or drinking?

PINSKY: Absolutely. It's worthwhile sitting down and talking about it. One of the extraordinary things that we sort of hear these days is there's fear in our culture that by talking to kids about sex and sexual behaviors, you're going to somehow encourage those behaviors. And, in fact, if that logic held true, the same would be true of drugs and alcohol -- we shouldn't talk about that, lest that encourage the use.

The reality is what you shouldn't do is talk to your kids specifically about what you did. You'll hear kids say well, my dad or mom told me this is what they did and it's hypocritical of them to think that I would not do the same thing.

O'BRIEN: Oh, but, but...

PINSKY: Which...

O'BRIEN: Let me stop you there and let's turn from talking about sex to talking about drugs then, in the same vein. So if they say, well, mom, did you ever smoke pot? You're supposed to do what?

PINSKY: You're supposed to say, you know what? We're not discussing that. The fact is here's what I expert from you.

O'BRIEN: My mother used to say you and I are not the same person, missy.

PINSKY: There's that kind of thing. But the important thing is to say look, I'm not here talking about what I did or not. And then, of course, they'll go oh, you did it. Well, you know what? When a kid approaches that that way, it has an entirely different impact on their behavior than you sitting down and putting an arm around them going no, here's what I did. That is issuing them a license to start there, whether it's your sexual behavior at that age or whether it's drugs and alcohol. And, really, these are illegal activities. What other illegally activities are we endorsing in our kids? I mean it's just not open for discussion.

O'BRIEN: I know these statistics won't surprise you, because this is what you do, but they are surprising to me. We found that 28 percent -- we didn't. I mean this -- there was a study that found that 28 percent of middle school students said drugs are easily available in their school. Sixty-two percent of high school students said the same thing, drugs are easy to get in my school. Twenty-six percent of teens said they knew somebody who's abusing prescription drugs.

I found that just shocking.

PINSKY: Yes, I can see where people would be shocked by that. They do not, as you mentioned, shock me. You know, when I go to a group at a high school and I say and how many of you kids could get a hold of pot or LSD by the afternoon if you needed to? Every hand in the room goes up. It's rather extraordinary.

But I'll tell you what, the reality is we have been making some inroads in terms of these behaviors. It's not normative for kids to be engaging in sexual activities and drugs and alcohol. They perceive it as normative because it's talked about so prevalently and they all know where to get it, but the reality is it's not normative and kids should be made aware of the fact that it is, in fact, disturbed behavior, deviant behavior, a sign of trouble.

O'BRIEN: OK, so then let's say you suspect that your child is using drugs or drinking more, you know, drinking on the weekends at parties or things like that.

What do you do?

PINSKY: Well, I'll tell you what, the two biggest pieces of advice that I give parents and where I see them fail most miserably is use the school. The school is there to help you. These are professionals who deal with the kids your age every day of their life and they -- when they give you information are giving it to help you. I see parents blame the school for kids' behaviors. The fact is you need to work with the school.

The other thing is if these things are coming to the surface, whether it's -- whatever behavioral issues they might be, where you are seeing evidence of problems -- they're changing their behavior, they're becoming erratic, they're sleeping excessively, they're dropping grades, you notice a change in their dress or their hygiene, that is a serious problem. And so the second piece of advice is please get professional help. Never say to yourself not my kid. That is the most dangerous statement a parent can make.

What harm could it be to take them to a pediatrician and go please, I'm concerned about my child. I've seen these behavioral changes. Is this something normal I should expect or is there a problem here?

O'BRIEN: Should you ever -- and this is my last question because we're out of time, so I want sort of a yes or a no. PINSKY: OK.

O'BRIEN: Should you ever sneak through their room, go through their stuff, rifle through their belongings?

PINSKY: Yes, but not their written belongings. It is your house -- we usually say to keep the diaries and the written material as their sort of sacrosanct area.

O'BRIEN: All right, well, that wasn't a one word answer, but I appreciate the explanation.

PINSKY: I apologize.

I'm sorry.

O'BRIEN: I'm joking with you.

Dr. Drew Pinsky, and nice to have you as our guest.

We appreciate it.

PINSKY: My pleasure.

O'BRIEN: Carol.

COSTELLO: Still to come, we're closely tracking Katrina, now gaining strength as a category one hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.

Where is it going next? An update just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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