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American Morning

Wilma Slams Into Yucatan Peninsula; DeLay in Court; Bay Tragedy

Aired October 21, 2005 - 09:01   ET

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

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: The eye of Hurricane Wilma begins to slam ashore in Cozumel. Florida could be Wilma's next port of call. People there are boarding up and getting out of town, too.
The young mother who is accused of tossing her three children in the San Francisco Bay faces a judge today as the search for two of those children continues.

And Congressman Tom DeLay all smiles for his mug shot. He's going to face a judge, making his plea 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, everybody.

Wilma is what we're talking about this morning. And I guess the outer edge of the eye wall appears to have begun making landfall. And it's such a giant eye wall that it really could take hours and hours before it crosses across one area.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I guess you could call it the mother of all eye walls. About six hours for a full diameter passage. And there's some concern that people in the midst of that, if they're beneath the eye wall, might get lulled into a sense it's all over, when, of course, it is not.

S. O'BRIEN: Because once you're under the eye wall things calm down.

M. O'BRIEN: The sun shines.

S. O'BRIEN: And then all of a sudden the eye wall passes and things get bad again.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes.

Jacqui Jeras watching it for us.

Jacqui, as the eye wall pass -- comes in, how significant is that moment in time? I mea, I know you guys, you know, you pick the middle of the eye as the actual landfall, first of all, right?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. Right. Absolutely.

Well, it's very significant. And the problem here with the direction that the storm is moving and where it's bumping up with Cozumel is it is moving north-northwest, and they may never actually see a direct hit here with the center of the storm. So they may stay within this large eye wall for hours and hours to come.

So this is a real slow mover. We're talking six miles per hour. And overall, the Yucatan peninsula is going to be under the influence of Wilma probably for another two days.

So this is going to be lingering for more than 24 hours, out on the tip as it gets there. And they're just going to be getting lashed. So they may or may not get the eye pass over them.

And like you said, they'll get the calm if that happens, but then the back edge may not quite make it there, as the storm is moving a little bit too far to the north. So still a little bit uncertain, exactly.

But once we get back into the Gulf of Mexico I think we'll have a lot more confidence as to where this storm is exactly going. It should take that right-hand hook that we've been advertising.

Already plenty of rain has been hitting parts of the Keys. And there you can see some of those bands. Our Key West radar already reaching Cuba. So conditions starting to go downhill with the clouds and the rain, and it's just going to get worse from here -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Jacqui Jeras, thank you very much.

Let's take a look one more time at where Wilma is, where Wilma is headed, using our Google map technology here. And as you can see -- unfortunately, it's not in the telestrator, otherwise I would augment this somewhat. But nevertheless, there you see the eye wall just as it reaches the Yucatan peninsula, Cancun.

And then imagine, if you will, a red arrow now going to the right toward Cuba, and then ultimately Florida. We've got people everywhere along the way.

Let's get to Susan Candiotti right now. She's on the phone right now because of the obvious technical difficulties in covering a hurricane.

Susan, what are you seeing and hearing?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, as we try to get that video camera back up, one of the most visual aspects of all this, of course, are the palm trees. And they are just turning every which way as the wind speed definitely has increased. I walked down to a platform at this hotel which is right on the water. The platform being about 10 feet above the water's edge. And unexpectedly, a big wave came up.

I had been walking down there successfully before, and it just knocked me off my feet. I was able to hold on to the railing. No harm, no foul, in any case, other than getting soaked. But the -- there are no guests here. There is a skeleton staff here trying to keep things afloat. They still have power at this hotel. Normally it's about 70 percent full this time of year, but authorities ordered people out not only at this hotel, but at all of the hotels that line the seaside resort on these white sandy beaches that are anything but at this hour.

People were able to get out. Some of them from that report yesterday. But by now, those who could not have been moved to downtown hotels or schools that are doubling as shelters at the hotels. They are situated in the ballrooms and have been given whatever power they can.

Now, they have cut power to the downtown hotels, which is standard operating procedure here to preserve the lines as best they can. Here cable is out, but we still have power, as I said. And even though that eye wall is just (INAUDIBLE), you can certainly feel the effects here.

Bad news we're hearing from Jacqui that it might be lingering for at least a couple of days. But people here obviously are going to have to see how things progress and hope the eye wall stays at speed -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Susan Candiotti, who is in Cancun. Thanks very much. Stay safe -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Let's move from Mexico now to Florida. The Florida Keys completely exposed. It's obviously a very dangerous place to be during any hurricane. The talk there this morning is not about whether or not to leave, it's about when to leave.

Kareen Wynter is in downtown Key West.

Kareen, good morning to you.

They have not yet ordered any mandatory evacuations. Is that expected, though?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Soledad. The problem is right now the wavering path of Wilma. Officials are having a hard time pinning down when to issue those mandatory evacuations.

It was moved from today at noon, to tomorrow, Saturday at noon. But according to the mayor, that could all change. There's a meeting under way right now between the city and the county to determine that, but if those orders are issued tomorrow they're going to start with the low-lying areas, going to the middle part of the Keys, and then the higher areas just to make sure that there isn't a traffic jam, a backup, as was evidenced with Rita.

But in the meantime, we're here on the very popular downtown Duvall Street in Key West. I can tell you, Soledad, that the weather conditions are changing slightly. We're feeling the wind pick up. There were some sprinkles early this morning, but nothing significant in terms of the weather activity. What is significant? Well, all the boarded up businesses just along this one stretch alone. And many business owners are very frustrated, angry. They're wondering if this was a premature move.

They're losing a lot of dollars. This is a heightened time in terms of tourism. So we're seeing some frustration on that part.

Also frustrated, residents not knowing if they should evacuate. There were buses that left several points yesterday all across the island, headed away from the island and to a shelter near Miami. Families basically packed up their belongings, choosing not to ride out the storm here at home. They didn't want to take any chance.

In the meantime, again, lots of frustration here. But the mayor of Key West just urging everyone to be patient.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR MORGAN MCPHERSON, KEY WEST, FLORIDA: We've had obviously a little bit more time than planned in putting it -- implementing it and making sure that it goes forward. So -- and the best thing we have going for us is that we've had a frequency this year that we haven't had in the past. So everybody's kind of used to it and getting ready, and they're not ignoring it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WYNTER: And this is something that we saw all across the area yesterday, residents boarding up, not wanting to take any chance with Wilma. Even those who decided to stay put, they just wanted to make sure that at least their property would be standing after this storm passed through here.

It remains to be seen, Soledad, as we tour the island today to see if anyone is boarding up in light of the evacuation orders that once again have been moved -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Well, that's all going to change, isn't it, as the storm approaches? Thanks, Kareen.

Kareen Wynter reporting for us this morning.

We're going to continue to update you on Hurricane Wilma's path all morning, all through the afternoon. CNN is your hurricane headquarters.

M. O'BRIEN: Well, this is a little bit of a political storm now. Tom DeLay a little closer to showdown time in Texas. The congressman with a mug shot. That's the mug shot. Your book shot, mug shot, pretty much the same in his case.

Something of an "in your face" to his enemies, you might say. There you go, I'll smile.

DeLay will be arraigned in court not long from now.

Sean Callebs is there, and he will keep us posted on that.

Sean, what do we know?

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, indeed, you're right, really no love lost between Tom DeLay and the prosecutor in this case, Ronnie Earle, a Democrat from here in Austin. We're expecting DeLay to appear inside the courthouse sometime within an hour. He will hear the charges against him, that of conspiracy and money laundering.

And what kind of ticket is this? Well, let's look down there in the lobby. You can see there are right now about 15 or so tripods out in front of the criminal justice center here in Austin.

Look at the top of the frame there. You can see all the microphones they are setting up, hoping to hear from either lawyers or perhaps DeLay, although the information we have, the former majority leader is going to speak, but at 11:00 at the state capital.

Now, yesterday, a couple of significant filings very late in the day. First, DeLay's attorney is asking that this trial be moved from Austin, Travis County here, basically the last Democratic stronghold in the state. And they also want the judge, Bob Parker, removed from this case. Parker, a Democrat, has made financial donations over the years to the Democratic Party.

How about that mug shot? Let's take another look at that. A couple of things really stand out.

No numbers at the bottom here. You are used to seeing those in so many mug shots. That's because Harris County doesn't use that system anymore. It is all digital now. But there on the lapel is the congressional pin as well.

So what kind of day it was yesterday when DeLay had to have his mug shot taken? Well, his attorney explains.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DICK DEGUERIN, TOM DELAY'S ATTORNEY: It's been like a walk in the park for him. He's tough. He's ready for the fight. He's ready to get into court and prove his innocence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CALLEBS: I'm sorry, it was Bob Perkins, the judge -- I misspoke a second ago, not Parker -- in the case.

Also, he was -- well, he will appear before the judge in just about one hour. He will hear the charges against him, that of conspiracy and money laundering in connection with a 102-year-old state election code.

So Miles, we'll be out here. And hopefully when he makes some remarks, scheduled remarks later in the day, we'll bring those to you as well -- Miles. M. O'BRIEN: Thank you, Sean Callebs.

You'll see the arraignment for Tom DeLay live on CNN at the top of the next hour. So stay with us for that.

Let's get some other headlines in. Carol Costello with that.

Good morning, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Miles.

Good morning to all of you.

President Bush will be at the Ronald Reagan Library in southern California this morning. He's planning to lay a wreath at former President Reagan's grave. He'll also be on hand for the opening of a new exhibit featuring the Air Force One airplane.

Syria's leader is calling a new United Nations report baseless and far from the truth. U.N. investigators say there's evidence senior Syrian officials were involved in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. The report recommends that Lebanese authorities continue the investigation. The issue may also be raised by the U.N. Security Council.

Gruesome details coming out about the killing of attorney Daniel Horowitz's wife in California. We've been following that story all week.

A law enforcement official tells us a 16-year-old boy used a piece of crown molding to beat Pamela Vitale to death, and then he carved a symbol on her back. The teenager apparently lived near where the couple was building their dream home. News of the teenager's arrest came as Horowitz was preparing to bury his wife. Investigators still looking into the case to determine exactly -- to determine a motive.

And lawmakers looking into the government's response to Katrina, hearing a firsthand account from the only FEMA worker in the city of New Orleans when the storm hit. The FEMA worker stressed officials and former director Michael Brown did not understand how serious things were even after he told them the levees had broken.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARTY BAHAMONDE, REGIONAL DIRECTOR, FEMA: At approximately 11:00 a.m., the worst possible news came into the EOC. I stood there and listened to the first report of the levee break at the 17th Street canal. I do not know who made the report, but they were very specific into the location of the break and the size. And then they added, it was very bad.

I immediately called FEMA's front office to relay the news. Their reaction was shock and disbelief. As I passed on minute-by- minute information, I was always under the assumption that it would then be passed to Undersecretary Brown and others. I do not know if this ever happened.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Thursday's hearing also made public an e-mail from one of Michael Brown's aides who was insisting on blocking out enough time for Brown to be able to sit down and eat dinner in Baton Rouge.

Back to you.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, it's all going to come out, isn't it, eventually?

COSTELLO: It is.

S. O'BRIEN: It's going to be a long and ugly investigation.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. And I think his reply was, I just had an MRE, kind of sarcastically.

S. O'BRIEN: Carol, thank you.

COSTELLO: Sure.

S. O'BRIEN: Still to come this morning, a live report from Florida, where people, as we've been showing you all morning, getting ready for Hurricane Wilma. They sort of got an extra day now because we are mapping the storm. We can show you just when we think it's going to hit Florida.

That's ahead.

M. O'BRIEN: Also ahead, we'll hear from the San Francisco police chief. We'll get the latest on the search for those two young person presumed drowned, or at least presumed dead in the waters of San Francisco Bay after apparently, allegedly their mother threw them off a pier.

Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Take a look at this picture. And we have to ask the question, what was Lashaun Harris thinking?

Witnesses say she went to Pier 7 in San Francisco with her babies -- take a look at their pictures, 16 months old, 2 years old, 6 years old -- and dropped them into San Francisco Bay. There are reports of schizophrenia and drugs to control it, and perhaps a lack of use of those drugs recently.

Nevertheless, we have very sketchy details on what sort of a motive there might be. But I think we can all agree this morning that it would be difficult for a sane person to do this to their own children.

Let's listen to the San Francisco police chief. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: Heather Fong is the San Francisco police chief.

Chief Fong, good to have you with us. Give us an update on the recovery effort, first of all.

CHIEF HEATHER FONG, SAN FRANCISCO POLICE: The recovery effort continues. About shortly before 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday evening, when this incident happened, we did recover one of the victims. However, there are two that we are still searching for.

M. O'BRIEN: And of course at this point, given the water temperature and the currents, they are presumed dead and might be very difficult to find.

FONG: Absolutely. We know that we have moved past the rescue stage. However, we feel that it is important to continue searching as much as possible in order to try to recover both of the victims, not only for the family and for all of our benefits, but also in terms of the evidentiary information for this case.

M. O'BRIEN: Trying as best as we can to understand this is a difficult thing. And we're trying to piece it together from our end.

You've had -- your people, at least, have had a chance to talk to the suspect, Lashaun Harris. What has she said? What have witnesses said? What have you been able to -- what sort of narrative have you been able to piece together here?

FONG: As you are aware, this is an active criminal investigation. And yes, our investigators have had the opportunity to speak with the suspect in this case. However, I would not want to compromise the investigation. And so it's really inappropriate for me to share the context of their interview and conversations.

M. O'BRIEN: Are you satisfied with the response? Given the water temperature there, clearly you would have had to act quickly to save these children.

FONG: Absolutely. We have units that patrol San Francisco Bay, and they were here within minutes of the call, both on the land side and on the water side. And we initiated the search, and until today we still have not stopped searching.

M. O'BRIEN: Pier 7 is a popular place. A lot of people there, typically. Did anyone jump in and try to help?

FONG: To the best of our knowledge, no. However, a citizen did call 911 to alert us to the situation, and that resulted in resources immediately being responding out to the bay to look for the child -- the children.

M. O'BRIEN: Final point here, the father of these children is supposedly cooperating with authorities. What can you tell us about that? FONG: We have been in contact with the father, and he has been helpful in this investigation.

M. O'BRIEN: Can you elaborate at all?

FONG: No, it would not be appropriate, because I do not want to compromise this investigation.

M. O'BRIEN: Heather Fong is the San Francisco police chief.

Thank you for your time early this morning.

FONG: Thank you very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, that is just a brutal story. I mean, her family has been interviewed and talked about the suspect's history of schizophrenia, and even said -- there was one report that says the day of the incident she said she was going feed the kids to the sharks. There was someone quoting her on that in one report. Oh, just brutal. Just brutal.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Hearing voices. You know, this is a person, it appears, very disturbed.

S. O'BRIEN: Oh, those little children.

Still to come this morning, a Katrina volunteer says she just has to lend a helping hand.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL HELGE, RED CROSS VOLUNTEER: I wanted to be a part of it so I can feel what they're feeling inside.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: Far from her family and her friends, this grandmother says she cannot imagine being anywhere else. We have her story just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

S. O'BRIEN: OK, everybody. You're looking at some live pictures of smoke that's coming from a New York City subway station. We are unclear exactly what has happened. Here's what we know.

The B, D, F and V subway lines are now stopped in both directions over a fairly large area between Broadway, Lafayette, which is downtown, and 34th Street, heading toward Midtown. The Sixth Avenue Corridor, which would be that train line, has no service. It was stopped at about 8:15 a.m. Eastern Time.

There is smoke coming up apparently at the West 4th subway stop. There are reports that it is a fire in a store room. A lot of smoke. We actually haven't seen any flames, but you can see the number of firefighters who are on the scene, and the vehicles as well, and you can see that the traffic clearly going to be snarled there.

We're getting this picture from WABC coming to us. And the call came in, we're told, at just after 8:00 this morning. Videotape now just after 8:00, 8:06 this morning, reports of smoke.

Now, you'll see that this area right here, again, 6th Avenue subway line in New York City, huge commercial and residential area. And also, the traffic for commuters would be massive at this time. And what they've closed down now between Broadway and Lafayette, which is further downtown, and then up to 34th Street, which is further uptown, is a massive area. It's going to really complicate anybody who's trying to commute this morning.

Looking at a wider shot of the downtown region, their parked actually right in front, essentially, of this -- you know, we talked about how I was running off to do preschool interviews. This is in front of the preschool where I was yesterday morning.

M. O'BRIEN: Oh, it is, yes.

S. O'BRIEN: So you have a lot of schools in this region. A lot of area.

We're going to continue to follow this story as soon as we get more information. We haven't seen much in the way of flames, just a lot of smoke coming up from the subway line. And as we're telling you, subway line rerouted now from 34th Street, down as far as Broadway, Lafayette.

As soon as we get more information, we're going to bring that to you live. And we'll break into our coverage.

Wow. All right. We're going to continue to follow that.

Let's talk a little bit, though, about compassion and sacrifice. Certainly the norm if you're a Red Cross volunteer. But in Lafayette, Louisiana, one woman who is on the Red Cross team really stands out.

Alina Cho this morning has our "Extra Effort" report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Carol Helge is 62, and yet people half her age have trouble keeping up with her. She is always on the go, moving mattresses, folding up cots and cleaning up after others. She's a Red Cross volunteer at the Cajun Dome in Lafayette, Louisiana, a shelter for those who fled hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

HELGE: I just wanted to see what it was like here for these poor people, what they were going through. And I wanted to be a part of it so I can feel what they're feeling inside.

We need to clean this. CHO: Carol is a long way from home, Bullhead City, Arizona. She's a mother of two, a grandmother of four, and a wife of 45 years. This is the first time she's ever been away from her husband.

That's been tough, she says. What's even tougher are the stories she hears from evacuees.

HELGE: This one lady says it looked like they lifted the roof off her House and they just poured mud into it and mixed it around.

CHO: Carol listens and tries to stay strong.

HELGE: And you can't break down in front of them because you want to be -- cheer them, you know? So mine will probably happen when I get home. I'll be able to release everything.

CHO (on camera): Perhaps what is most extraordinary about Carol's story is that there are thousands of others just like her. Since Katrina hit, more than 92,000 people have worked in the affected region for the Red Cross. And 99 percent of them are volunteers.

(voice over): Carol admits it's hard work.

(on camera): You think you've lost weight since you've been here?

HELGE: I think so. My clothes are getting loose. And I sweat so much.

Hi, Mary.

CHO (voice over): But she has made friends. And the people, she says, couldn't be more polite.

Yet, Carol says she's always happy to see them go, because that means they've found a home.

HELGE: Do you know if these guys left yet?

People don't know how blessed they are until they see something like this. And I'm a part of it, because I'll never complain again about what I have.

CHO: Carol says she's doing what she should be doing. She can't imagine being anywhere else.

Alina Cho, CNN, Lafayette, Louisiana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

S. O'BRIEN: Miles spoke a little bit earlier this morning to the president and CEO of the Red Cross, and she says they're still in need of donations to cope with Hurricane Katrina and Rita, and now, of course, Wilma, as Wilma bears down on Florida as well -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, Hurricane Wilma, the strong Category 4 storm, is now slamming Mexico as we speak. An update from the weather center just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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