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American Morning

Dozens of Tornadoes Sweep Across Midwest; Senate Debates an Exit Strategy

Aired November 16, 2005 - 08:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A terrifying night of severe weather, as dozens of tornadoes sweep across the Midwest. Homes and cars damaged. More violent weather on the horizon today. We'll have a live report.
Mounting pressure to bring U.S. troops home from the war in Iraq as the Senate debates an exit strategy. Republican lawmakers in the hot seat. Are they sending a warning to the president?

And President Bush under pressure at home and dishing it out on his Asian tour. His challenge to China 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.

SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.

Welcome, everybody.

It's turning out to be a pretty nice day here in New York, at least now. Although apparently the weather is going to disintegrate quite a little bit. We'll get some information on those storms according to Bonnie.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, buckle your seatbelts, folks, because those tornadoes that we saw all through five states through the Midwest, 35 tornadoes in all, 200 tornado warnings, a lot of scared people yesterday. The end result, we now have two fatalities linked to the storms, 32 injuries, some of them pretty series. But as you can see, look at the damage that was in evidence in the wake of all those storms.

S. O'BRIEN: Yes, and the National Guard now is trying to help with rescue and recovery. You're looking at pictures from Madisonville, Kentucky. This is the aftermath yesterday. And now power is out, obviously, and they are working on the cleanup. Homes knocked down, trees knocked down. I mean just an absolute mess.

Let's get right, in fact, to Bonnie Schneider.

She's at the CNN Center -- Bonnie, what's the forecast, tornado- wise, for today?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, ATS METEOROLOGIST: Well, for today, the area that was hit yesterday won't be having to worry about more tornadoes. They will be worrying about some chilly temperatures. Right now in Nashville it's about 42 degrees. The winds are gusting as high as 17. So that takes the wind chill factor way down.

It'll be cool, as well, in Clarksville, Tennessee. That was the spot where also they're cleaning up this morning from a severe system that moved through there. We had tornadoes reported in Cunningham, which is about 10 miles south of Clarksville.

So sunshine for today, but brisk winds and definitely not the best weather.

Here's where we're expecting some of the stronger storms to break out. It looks like we're heading to the Northeast next, and also further to the south and the Mid-Atlantic states.

Heavy rain currently sweeping its way across central Pennsylvania through West Virginia, on into Maryland, Delaware, later on today. And this is going to make a big, big change in our temperatures for today and for tomorrow in the Northeast.

Today's highs in New York City and Boston near 70. That front comes through. It pulls down the cooler air. Look at the change we're expecting -- 49 for Thursday.

We really need to get ready for that big change of seasons. I think this is the end of the warm weather, at least for now -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Meteorologists always say that, at least for now.

That's what I'm saying.

All right, Bonnie, thanks for the update.

In fact, let's take everybody right to the map so they can see the five states that we're talking about.

The town of Clarksville is just south of the Kentucky state line. It's in Tennessee.

And that's where Rick Sanchez is for us this morning -- Rick, just how bad is the damage where you are?

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're finally able to see it, Soledad. Daylight has finally broken here. Remember, this thing came in late last night, when a lot of these people were in their homes. Now we're able to see what the damage actually looks like and, you know, it's rough, Soledad. It's tough for some of the people out here, going all the way up and down Highway 13, just to my right.

It's home after home that has been at least destroyed, in some cases, or severely damaged in others.

Let's begin by the home that you see directly behind me.

There was a couple living here last night, an older woman and her son. They were in this home. And they just managed to get out. They've been taken to a nearby shelter. You can see, as we pan the camera over, that is also a trailer on wheels. But, look, the wheels aren't facing upward. In other words, it has been turned upside down. It's not the only one. There is literally, as you go down the highway, school busses, a tanker trailer, car after car after car turned upside down.

Now, this is an area of Tennessee that has a hilly terrain, as I think you can tell. What happens is the cars will get overturned then they'll just start rolling down the hill. And if there are people inside the trailers or inside the cars or inside those large trucks that we've seen, obviously they're affected by it.

In fact, there was a 12-year-old girl just across the street over here who was actually in a trailer last night when it got picked up by the wind. And it started rolling with her inside of it. We're going to be able to get you more on that information, as well, because we've been talking to some of the officials.

People are just now starting to come back to this area from the shelter. We've been able to talk to a couple of fire officials, as well, who were here, and they've been telling us that it's really bad. A lot of injuries, but thank goodness, at least here, no fatalities.

However, in different parts of the state -- as a matter of fact, we have some pictures we can show you now from Paris, Tennessee. In Paris, Tennessee, they report as many as 20 injuries and some of the video that we've been getting out from there is pretty stark, as well. You see that police officials had to go into the area late last night. The National Guard were called into that area, as well.

They say there, too, there was a trailer park that was affected and they're saying that there were three homes at least completely destroyed. So, again, that's in Paris, Tennessee. And I think Miles alluded to this earlier, that there were two fatalities. There may be a third. We'll be working on that for you -- Soledad, back over to you.

S. O'BRIEN: All right, Rick, thanks for that update.

What sad news there. And, as you say, it's a little bit of a silver lining and that it could have been much worse. But, wow, the damage is very striking.

Rick, thanks -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: President Bush in South Korea today. The president and first lady arriving in Busan, South Korea this morning.

Earlier, the president was in Japan meeting with the prime minister there, also reacting to Senate demands on Iraq.

White House correspondent Dana Bash traveling with the president.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Nearly 7,000 miles from home in Kyoto, Japan, President Bush disputed the idea that overwhelming U.S. Senate vote was a repudiation of his Iraq policy from within his own party.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: That's to be expected. That's what the Congress expects. They expect us to keep them abreast of a plan that is going to work.

BASH: The Republican measure demands the Bush administration regularly explain the plan for success in Iraq. Mr. Bush focused on what he called a positive step, the defeat of a Democratic amendment for a specific timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops.

BUSH: The only reason we won't succeed is if we lose our nerve and the terrorists are able to drive us out of Iraq by killing innocent lives.

BASH: The president offered his latest defense of the increasingly unpopular war standing next to the Japanese prime minister, his closest ally in Asia, who was non-committal about whether Japan's small contingent of non-combat troops in Iraq would stay there. Though the two men did not resolve ongoing disputes over Japan's ban on U.S. beef and the controversial American military presence here, the president was clearly at ease with his host, who took the Bushes on a tour of one of Kyoto's most famous and spectacular ancient temples.

Later, the president held up Japan and China's archrival, Taiwan, as models for democracy in Asia, as he urged China to grant more rights to its 1.3 billion citizens.

BUSH: By embracing freedom at all levels, Taiwan has delivered prosperity to its people and created a free and democratic Chinese society.

BASH: Mr. Bush is under intense pressure from home to take China to task not just on human rights, but on trade and currency practices that experts say cost thousands of U.S. jobs each year.

BUSH: China needs to provide a level playing field for American businesses seeking access to China's market.

BASH (on camera): But ahead of meetings later this week in Beijing, the president's remarks amounted to gentle prodding rather than a list of demands, a sign the White House does not want to overly antagonize the Chinese, whom they need on crucial issues like the North Korean nuclear talks.

Dana Bash, CNN, Kyoto, Japan.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

M. O'BRIEN: It's overnight now in South Korea. The president is resting.

Tonight, our time, he will meet with South Korea's president.

Of course, we'll keep you posted every step of the way.

Let's check some other headlines.

Carol Costello -- hello, Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, Miles.

Good morning to all of you.

Right now we're following the number one story on the Web this morning. It's of that teenaged romance that turned deadly. David Ludwig, 18 years old, is now in Pennsylvania. He's being held without bail. Police are still saying he killed his girlfriend's parents and then abducted her.

In the meantime, the girl, 14-year-old Kara Borden, is back with her family. And some interesting e-mails are coming to light. According to a Lancaster newspaper, Kara's friends were concerned about her relationship. She replied: "It doesn't have anything to do with you. We know what we are going to do."

Police still investigating the kidnapping angle of this story.

The FBI's new most wanted list -- it's not just for criminals, it's for art. The list includes a Cezanne, a Da Vinci, the famous painting "The Scream," a couple of Van Goghs. Art theft costs the industry about $6 billion a year. The agency is asking the public's help in finding these great pieces of art. There's even a tip line on its Web site at www.fbi.gov.

The leak into who exposed CIA operative Valerie Plame's name continues. This time the focus is on "Washington Post" editor Bob Woodward. He says a senior White House official casually mentioned Plame's name in a conversation in June of 2003. If true, Woodward's testimony changes the time line in the case, possibly making the unnamed official the leak and not Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who was indicted earlier this morning. So the plot thickens.

And we now know more about that death in Disneyworld. Remember that, back in June? A 4-year-old boy died after riding on the rocket ship Mission Space at the Epcot Center in Orlando? Well, it seems he had a heart condition his family did not know about. The autopsy report was released on Tuesday. And though the ride had warnings, the family still may consider a lawsuit. We'll keep you posted.

And major league baseball bulking up its steroids policy. The new deal raises the penalty for a first offense to a 50-game suspension, 100 games for a second and a lifetime ban for a third. But players can apply to be reinstated after two years. The deal is set to go into effect before spring training next year and for the first time, it will also included screening for amphetamines. And, of course, the hope here is, is that other leagues will consider this policy.

We'll see -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: It's about time, honestly. I mean you know...

M. O'BRIEN: Yes, they've finally toughened up, you know?

S. O'BRIEN: I think that's good news.

M. O'BRIEN: But let me ask you this. You can appeal your lifetime ban? Is that what...

COSTELLO: After two years.

M. O'BRIEN: So, what kind of a lifetime ban is that?

COSTELLO: Well, I guess you'd have to...

M. O'BRIEN: That's a two year ban.

S. O'BRIEN: That's a short lifetime.

M. O'BRIEN: That's a short life -- yes.

(CROSSTALK)

COSTELLO: It's a compromise.

S. O'BRIEN: Exactly.

M. O'BRIEN: Not to quibble, but at least they're moving in the right direction.

S. O'BRIEN: It seems like it's going the right way.

M. O'BRIEN: Yes. All right.

S. O'BRIEN: Carol, thank you.

COSTELLO: Sure.

S. O'BRIEN: Coming up this morning, much more on that Senate demand for regular war updates from the president. Is Mr. Bush losing support from his own party? We'll talk to a GOP senator just ahead.

M. O'BRIEN: Also, what is it like to track down twisters for a living? We'll meet a professional storm chaser. And this is the part where we say, kids don't try this at home, this stuff, right?

S. O'BRIEN: Right.

And then a CNN "Security Watch." Your luggage is screened when you fly, but what about the other cargo on board? A closer look on what could be a critical flaw in airport security.

Those stories all ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

We're back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) S. O'BRIEN: As we've been telling you all morning, President Bush is on the road in Asia. But he took time to comment on what they did in Congress on Tuesday. Congress overwhelmingly passed an amendment that demands regular updates on what is happening, progress, in Iraq from the president.

Let's listen to what the president had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: I, first of all, appreciated the fact that the Senate, in a bipartisan fashion, rejected an amendment that would have taken our troops out of Iraq before the mission was complete. To me, that was a positive step by the United States Senate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

S. O'BRIEN: Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison joins us from Capitol Hill this morning.

Nice to see you, Senator.

Thank you for talking with us.

SEN. KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON (R), TEXAS: Thank you.

S. O'BRIEN: A little spin coming from the White House, I think it's fair to say, as the president calls what Congress did yesterday a positive step and he appreciates what the Senate did.

At the end of the day, do you think that this is a warning, essentially, to the president?

How do you read what Congress did?

HUTCHISON: Soledad, it was not at all that. It was Congress exercising its responsibility to ask for reports on progress in Iraq. That is exactly what Congress does any time we're in a conflict overseas. And I think the fact that there was not some artificial deadline put in place was very important. That would have been the wrong signal to our enemy and the wrong signal to our allies, frankly.

S. O'BRIEN: But, Congress doesn't always ask for a progress report. Certainly they haven't asked for one on Iraq up until now. And it has to be read, to some degree, don't you think, Senator, as an indication that things aren't going particularly well?

HUTCHISON: Actually, Soledad, I think that it is pretty routine that we ask for reports on progress and what are we going to look at for the next year. We did it when we were in Bosnia. We have done it from time to time in the war on terror. And that is, I think, fairly routine. It is something that Congress should do. Under the constitution, we are required to provide the funds for war. We are in a war on terror. And I think that it is very clear from what the Senate did yesterday that we are not going to cut and run. We are not going to set an artificial deadline, which would send a signal to our enemy when we were going to leave and really embolden them.

So we're not going to do it and that's what Congress said yesterday.

S. O'BRIEN: How much of what was done yesterday in the passing of this amendment was an understanding of a growing public frustration by the senators?

HUTCHISON: You know, there is a growing public frustration. You see that in the polls. And that is probably to be expected. We're seeing horrible things happen. We're seeing suicide bombers and Americans and Iraqi children being killed. So it is a tough time.

But that's when leaders need to step up to the plate, do the right thing, make sure that America's reputation abroad is that we will stick with our allies, we will stick with what we say we're going to do and we will not cut and run when things get tough.

This is a hard time for our country. But I think the president is saying to the American people, I see the polls, I know that there is frustration. But here's why we must stay, do the right thing, stabilize Iraq, and it will make a difference in the war on terror and the whole Middle East.

S. O'BRIEN: If the president is telegraphing that he sees the polls, he must be unhappy with some of the recent polls, certainly. Approval rating at 37 percent, an all time low, as you know. And also this one, which is a CNN/"USA Today"/Gallup poll. The question was: "Are you likely to vote for candidates if President Bush campaigns for them?" fifty-six percent of people hold -- 56 percent said I'm less likely to vote for a candidate if President Bush comes out to stump for that candidate.

As you head into the 2006 elections, that's got to be a big concern.

HUTCHISON: Well, Soledad, we're not into the election year. I think the president -- what -- the one thing the people of this country know is that our president is resolute. When he says he's going to do something, he does it. He follows through. He doesn't take America's reputation and wave it back and forth in the wind.

And people like that about him. It's one of the reasons that he was elected. This is a tough time. I can't put a smile on that. But we are doing the right thing by sticking with our guns, making sure that we fight the war on terror so terrorists will not come to our country and harm Americans again.

And it's going to take time.

S. O'BRIEN: Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is a Republican from Texas.

It's nice to see you, Senator.

Thanks for talking with us. HUTCHISON: Thank you, Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: Thanks -- Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, more on Tuesday's deadly twisters. We'll talk to one man who's made a career, a career -- this isn't a hobby -- he actually makes a living tracking them down and coming back with videotape like this. A professional storm chaser ahead.

But first, a question for you. We're rather quizzical today, aren't we? Too quizzes in one day. Two for the price of one, folks.

What does the F stand for in the F Scale? No, it's not that. This is a family show. It is, A, Fahrenheit; B, funnel; C, Fujita; or D, Ferma, who was a French mathematician, by the way?

And we'll have an answer for you after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

M. O'BRIEN: All right, before the break, we asked you what does the F stand for in the F Scale? No, it's not that "F" word. You have a very dirty mind. No. The answer is Fujita. Chicago University Professor Dr. Ted Fujita developed this scale to rate the intensity of a tornado, the Fujita Scale. It examines the damage caused after it's passed over a manmade structure. It's kind of tantamount to Richter on the earthquake department. I don't, you know, I don't know if they knew each other or anything, but, anyway, I don't think they were around at the same time.

All right, let's bring in our expert.

Jim Reed is an expert and he is an expert on tornadoes by watching them up close and personal.

By the way, he's out with a book. He doesn't chase just tornadoes. He spent a little time chasing Katrina, as well. Out quickly with a book called "Hurricane Katrina Through The Eyes of Storm Chasers," a book we recommend to you.

Let's get right to Jim and talk about this deadly business.

Jim, we've got three examples of your -- well, handiwork? I don't know if that's the way to call it, but your hard work. And let's roll this first tape. I'm hopeful you're going to be able to see with me -- first of all, where are we right now? Do you know where this first shot comes from?

JIM REED, STORM CHASER: Yes, Miles. This is in Kansas, near Pretty Prairie, Kansas, on April 11, 2002.

M. O'BRIEN: And who are you with in these cases? In each case I hear a woman's voice.

REED: I'm actually with my chase partner, Katherine Bay, who's shooting the video at this time. It was one of her earliest chases.

M. O'BRIEN: And a dramatic scene there. Imagine being near that. I'm sure there's a lot that's going through your mind here.

Let's listen to you and Katherine for just a moment as this storm kind of bears down on you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REED: Oh my god, look at the funnel! This is incredible. We're backing up.

KATHERINE BAY, STORM CHASER: We are. Oh, I hope he backs up. He's going to be right in the middle of that.

REED: Oh my god, it's getting speedier.

BAY: I'm getting it.

REED: I've got to get some shots. I've got to get some (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: You know, Jim, I've got to give you credit, you say there you're looking at this thing, which looks right out of that movie "Twister" we all saw, and you're saying "I've got to get some shots" instead of "I should, you know, be getting out of here."

Is that really -- is it all about business for you in those moments? Or are you pretty scared?

REED: No, we, you know, I pride myself in doing this as safely as possible. So safety first, photographs and video second.

M. O'BRIEN: OK. Safety is a relative term here.

Let's go to the next scene. I want to listen to it first and then we'll press on after that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REED: East.

BAY: Yes, we're east.

Yes, I've got you.

REED: OK, right now we've got it at Lance Down or Gustado (ph), just to our east. It's about five miles east of Pretty Prairie, getting ready to cross the road.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: All right, Jim, in our business we call that a stand up. That's a risky stand up you just did with the tornado kind of heading your way.

Why is it important to get so close?

REED: Well, I think if we're going to learn as much as possible sometimes you've got to know how to get up close where you can record different data, different pictures. The more we know about these phenomenon, the better prepared we can be and perhaps even help with the warnings.

M. O'BRIEN: Now, this one right here, a very dramatic sky here.

Where was this taken?

REED: This is near Attica, Kansas on, I believe, May 12th of just last year. And, sadly, it -- I believe as this is being shot, it is destroying a house. Thankfully, very few people were directly impacted by this tornado, but it was a very close call.

M. O'BRIEN: Let's listen for a moment.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REED: Everybody on board? Let's go. Go! Better get going. We'll miss it.

BAY: Go, go, go, go, go!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: Go, go, go, go, go!

Here you're making a decision that it is wise to move on.

Are you fleeing or are you trying to get closer to it as it gets away from you?

REED: No, not at all. At this point we were concerned that we were too close. So we're not afraid to admit that we're willing to back up or change position in a second's notice if we feel like we need to concentrate on safety at that point.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, a final thought here. You've shifted gears, you've spent a little time in the wake of Katrina. Just draw some, in your book, draw some parallels or analogies or differences.

The thing that always strikes me about tornadoes is they're so pinprick type damage. It's capricious. One neighborhood can get hit, across the street, no problem.

You go to Katrina, you drive mile after mile after mile and there's just nobody home. There's damage that's so extensive.

Do you have the same response?

REED: Tornadoes and hurricanes, for me, are very different. But you can learn from each. All the tornado chasing I have done has helped me prepare for the hurricanes, especially hurricane Katrina, which partner Mike Theiss and I just covered, which you mentioned the book we just finished just a few weeks ago.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, storm chaser Jim Reed, out with the book, "Hurricane Katrina Through The Eyes of Storm Chasers."

Thanks for sharing with us.

And this, you know, we've just got to button this up.

Jim's been doing this for 15 years. This is not something you should just grab your handi-cam and head out to a tornado. Don't worry, people like Jim will be out there to get the pictures.

REED: Yes, I've got the gray hair and the circles starting to come under my eyes to prove it.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, thanks for being with us -- Soledad.

S. O'BRIEN: He can have them and we'll just watch the pictures when he gets them back to us.

M. O'BRIEN: We'll watch. Yes.

S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Miles.

Coming up this morning, an update on the recovery in New Orleans. We're going to talk to one mayor who went through rebuilding his own city after a hurricane and he'll tell us what advice he has for New Orleans, just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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