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Over 1,000 Missing in Phillipines Mudslide; U.S. Military Confirms Reports of Iraqi Death Squads

Aired February 17, 2006 - 14:30   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: In the eastern Philippines, death, devastation, shock. What used to be a village now looks like the aftermath of the South Asian tsunami, but today's killer was a monster mudslide.
So far 18 people are confirmed dead, but the Red Cross estimates 300 people were killed. More than 1,000 people are still missing, many of them children. Correspondent Harry Smith has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRY SMITH, ITN REPORTER (voice-over): This was once a village where more than 3,000 people lived. It is now just a vast sea of mud. All that's left standing are a few coconut trees, scattered among them the wreckage of hundreds of homes. Those who survived were away from the village when it was destroyed.

They returned to find a scene of utter devastation. Above the village, what remains of the mountain which brought such destruction. Witnesses said they heard something like an explosion before the mountain disintegrated, and an unstoppable slide of mud engulfed their homes.

Among those buried were hundreds of children gathered in the village school. Many have been pulled from the mud. Many, many more are now thought to be dead. Being rushed to safety in the shovel of this mechanical digger, one survivor who had a remarkable escape. She was at home when the landslide hit, buried alive. Rescuers managed to free her in time.

The cause of the disaster is thought to have been days of torrential rain which weakened the hillside. The Philippines' president described this as a national disaster and promised urgent general help for this remote region.

PRES. GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO, PHILIPPINES: Our thoughts and our prayers are with the people of southern Leyte today. The full resources of the government are being harnessed to bring the biggest possible rescue and relief resources to you the fastest way possible. Help is on the way.

SMITH: But for now the rescue effort is being hampered by a lack of equipment and getting it to this remote area is likely to be no easy task with many roads and bridges swept away.

Harry Smith, ITN News. (END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: No letup in the public rage in Pakistan. Muslim demonstrators marched through the capital Islamabad today. Once again, they are venting anger over cartoons depicting Mohammed which they consider blasphemous.

The protest turned violent in the southern city of Karachi, where police fired tear gas to disperse a rally of about 5,000 people. The drawings were first published last fall in a Danish newspaper. Denmark has closed its embassy in Pakistan as a security precaution.

Adding to the tension, now there is a bounty on the head of the cartoonist behind the Mohammed caricatures. A Muslim cleric in Peshawar, Pakistan, Maulana Yousef Qureshi said that his mosque and the religious school he leads will offer $25,000 and a new car to anyone who kills the cartoonist behind the drawing.

We should note the cartoons were actually drawn by 12 different people. The cleric also says that a jeweler's association in Peshawar is offering a $1 million bounty, but that has not been confirmed.

Also weighing in on the Pakistan protest, former President Bill Clinton. He is in Islamabad today to highlight relief efforts for victims of Pakistan's devastating earthquake.

Clinton criticized the cartoons depicting Mohammed, but he also condemned the violent protests that have followed. He said most Americans and Europeans respect Islam and Muslims, he says, are wasting an opportunity to build better ties with the West.

It's become almost a daily part of life in Iraq, gunmen wearing government uniforms killing or kidnapping Iraqis. The victims often are Iraqi Sunnis. It happened again last night when a banker and his son were abducted, their five bodyguards killed.

Now, as we told you, the U.S. military confirmed reports yesterday of death squads inside Iraq's Interior Ministry. Today the ministry announced an investigation into those reports.

CNN's Aneesh Raman is in Baghdad with the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The human cost of Iraq's sectarian strike. Last November a prominent Sunni sheikh and his three sons were gunned down in their Baghdad home. Their assailants allegedly wore Iraqi security force uniforms and grieving relatives were quick to accuse.

"The Iraqi National Guard shot them," screams this women. The government denied the security forces were involved. But it is hard to ignore the emergence of death squads on both sides of the divide.

In cities and villages throughout the country Shia murdering Sunni, Sunni killing Shia, and now there is for the first time evidence a Shia death squad may have infiltrated Iraq's security forces. The Iraqi Interior Ministry is investigating an alleged plot in which 22 security personnel were planning to kill a prominent Sunni.

SALEH MUTLAG, SUNNI POLITICAL LEADER: These groups are inside the Ministry of the Interior, which is becoming worrying to everybody. Today I have been told that many accidents happened in the same way, also a group wearing uniforms. They went to the houses. They took the people, and they killed them.

RAMAN: It was U.S. forces here that first uncovered the plot. And this is not the first time that Iraqi security forces have been accused of human rights abuses or worse.

Just a few months ago a bunker was found in an Interior Ministry compound in the Judria (ph) neighborhood of Baghdad where detainees, mostly Sunnis, were being tortured by Iraqi security forces, resulting in calls for the resignation of Iraq's interior minister because of his alleged ties to the country's biggest Shia militia, the Badr Organization, something he and his ministry deny.

(on camera): With virtually every political party here in control of a militia, building security forces that are loyal only to the country is one of Iraq's biggest hurdles and has the potential to either keep the country together or help tear it apart.

Aneesh Raman, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Don't wait for the Hollywood movie version. We have the real stars of an amazing love story.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She was my angel. She was the angel that my mother sent me, because my mother told me in my dream that I'm sending you an angel.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Their childhood romance began along the fence of a concentration camp in Nazi Germany, one helping the other to survive. Find out how they met years later. LIVE FROM chokes back the tears straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, it could be like winning "American Idol," an Olympic gold medal and the Daytona 500 all at once. A lot of folks hope that they'll win the Powerball tomorrow night, $365 million dollars. The biggest jackpot in American history is at stake. There are long lines nearly everywhere that sells Powerball tickets.

Kimberly Osias is near one of those lines in Washington's Union Station. And probably all day people have been asking you if you bought a ticket, right? Cliche.

KIMBERLY OSIAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, I have to tell you, yes, of course I have bought tickets -- tickets, plural. Because you know, you have to get in it to win it, right? But we are not actually at Union Station. I'm actually in the District of Columbia, about stone's throw from Union Station. It's very, very busy, as well.

But check this out. Here is the line. It snakes all the way outside. And it kind of ebbs and flows, depending on the time. It was really, really busy at lunch. But as the excitement builds before tomorrow night's drawing, it is expected to kind of be a pretty steady flow.

Come on inside. People have been buying up these tickets. And forget about spending just about a dollar, because as you mentioned, $365 million is on the line, the biggest ever. So the average in my sort of informal poll is about $15 to $20 million that folks are actually spending. Well, people getting scared. I hope not yet.

This gentleman came in, jumped the state line. It's not a huge deal to do that because Virginia and Maryland actually don't have Powerball. It's in 28 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. But you bought some tickets already, or are you waiting to get yours?

JEFF JONES, POWERBALL HOPEFUL: Waiting to get tickets.

OSIAS: Now, I know you have bought tickets before, you had mentioned to me. But how much are you going to spend now? A little more?

JONES: Probably about $30 or $40 bucks. So keep my odds good. Hope I win.

OSIAS: Well, speaking of those odds, they're pretty remarkable, about 150 million to one to actually win the whole thing. But that doesn't deter you or a lot of these folks.

JONES: Nope, just keep my fingers crossed, and if I'm real lucky, I can retire.

OSIAS: Yes, definitely so. Fingers, toes, everything crossed. What would you do if you won the money?

JONES: It would be nice to buy my own island and retire.

OSIAS: Now, just, Kyra, interestingly, taxes do take a chunk of change out of this. But it's still a pretty hefty sum, $177.3 million after taxes.

PHILLIPS: Wow. All right.

You mentioned odds. Listen to this, Kimberly. Before you dash out to the store to line up to buy tickets for the largest Powerball jackpot like everybody there with Kimberly, well, we thought it might be worth getting a little perspective on the odds of winning. Here's what we found.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS (voice-over): The odds of winning the grand prize of a Powerball with a single ticket are one in 146,107,962. Compare to that to some other odds. The odds of dating a supermodel are one in 88,000. The odds of being on a plane with a drunk pilot are one in 117. The odds that a celebrity marriage will last a lifetime are one in three.

You may think your odds of winning are much better when you buy a bunch of tickets, but if you buy 50 tickets a week, statistics show you'd still only be likely to win once every 30,000 years.

Some say you can't win if you don't play. But what about the drive home? Statistics show if you drive a mile to the store and a mile back, the odds of being killed in a car accident are five times higher than the odds of hitting the jackpot.

There's at least one thing that's less likely to happen than winning the lottery. Your odds of being killed by a shark are one in 300 million. Remember that the next time you go to the beach.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: All right. Straight ahead, entertainment news with A.J. Hammer of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." A.J., it's Friday.

A.J. HAMMER, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": It is Friday. Welcome to the weekend, Kyra, and everybody. A former "American Idol" makes history, Hollywood is doing it up right and Lisa Marie can't help falling in love. Also "Desperate Housewives" travel to Latin America, sort of. I'll have all the scoop when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Husband number one is the best man for husband number four. It's the wedding of singing idol's daughter. And speaking of idols, an "American Idol" is making history on the music charts.

Here to try to decipher today's entertainment headlines, A.J. Hammer, host of Headline Prime's "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." Hi, A.J.

HAMMER: Hi, Kyra.

Yes, I have to sort of explain these stories in great detail so you fully understand where we're coming from. Now, last season's "American Idol" winner Carrie Underwood definitely seems to have Jesus on her side these days.

(MUSIC)

Her sentimental tune that you're listening to right now, "Jesus Takes the Wheel," is now in a record-setting sixth week at number one. Her double platinum CD, "Some Hearts," number one for an eleventh week on billboard's country singles and album charts.

Now, this is history making. Her song has achieved the most weeks ever in the top spot from a new artist's debut album. If you follow that. The Oklahoma native's disc earned an all-time fasted double platinum certification of any debut country record, as well, which is a pretty big deal.

PHILLIPS: I got to tell you, I love the song. I bought the CD. I think she's terrific. Did you vote for her?

HAMMER: I'm afraid that information is confidential. She happens to be lovely, and I'm really pleased. She's been here on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." I'm really pleased for her that this is happening.

PHILLIPS: But you didn't vote for her?

HAMMER: I didn't say I didn't vote for her. I'm just saying it's -- I can't tell you whether or not I voted for her.

PHILLIPS: Top secret. You're taking the fifth.

HAMMER: I am, indeed. Now, don't underestimate this accomplishment, Kyra, because the record that she broke was previously held by Gretchen Wilson's "Redneck Woman," which I'm sure you know. Leann Womack's "Hope You Dance" also held the record.

PHILLIPS: Wow. Oh yes.

HAMMER: Lee Ann Womack's "Hope You Dance" also held the record. You know, this all coming from a woman who was not known to anybody before a reality television show.

Well, let's move now from one celebration to another. The Governor's Ball is the party to attend after the Academy Awards. Oscars of course coming at us on March 5th. Already prepped in the works for this particular party, which is all about glitz, glamour, and grub.

Now, the ballroom is going to be draped with this white fabric, which will be sprinkled with colored lights. It will be accented with Asian-inspired flower arrangements.

But we can't forget the meal. Anything but low calorie, but it is Oscar night, time for a celebration. Famed celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck is at it again this year. He is serving a variety of treats.

Now, listen to this. One of these specialties on the menu, apple and celery root soup with real 24 karat gold dusted on top. I wasn't aware it was a delicacy. I wasn't even aware you could eat the stuff.

PHILLIPS: You don't want to swallow gold. You would rather wear it on your finger, right?

HAMMER: I would think so. I don't know. Is it good for you? Is it, you know, a delicacy in some countries? PHILLIPS: That is a great question. I don't know. I know that I have seen it sprinkled on different types of desserts before, but not soup.

HAMMER: Yes, but it just seems strange. I will have to ask Mr. Puck about it on Oscar night.

Well, let's move then from eating gold to someone who has certainly worn a lot of gold on one of her fingers talking about Lisa Marie Presley's "Dirty Laundry." Well, that's her singing "Dirty Laundry."

This isn't so dirty. Of course she is only the child of Elvis Presley. Lisa Marie apparently can't help falling in love. The singer said I do for the fourth time. She married her guitarist and music producer Michael Lockwood. It happened in Kyoto, Japan, on January 22nd. We are just finding out about it now.

You might recall she was married to Oscar winner Nicholas Cage for a short time. Before that pop star Michael Jackson. Her first marriage was to Danny Keo. He is the father of her two children.

Now, this was a true family affair. When the wedding took place in January, her daughter, Riley, was maid of honor. Her son was a groomsman. Her mother Priscilla walked her down the aisle.

And are you ready for my favorite detail of all of this? Her first husband, Kyra, Keo, the best man at the wedding. Now, that is a family that can all get along.

PHILLIPS: That's one big happy family. That's impressive.

All right. I understand the women of Wisteria Lane may be moving.

HAMMER: Well, in a way. Let me explain this here. They are going international. Actually the show is going international. You are going to be able to catch the Emmy Award winning comedy "Desperate Housewives" now in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Chile.

So it goes to say there must be desperate housewives around the world. These will be adaptations. It will be an adaptation of the show that we see here in the states.

In fact, Mr. Solis, the actor who plays this guy, right there. There he is. This guy coming on Showbiz Tonight tonight. So we are going to find out who he thinks should be playing him in the Latin adaptation of this particular program.

PHILLIPS: I think he's kind of hunky.

HAMMER: All right.

PHILLIPS: Yes.

HAMMER: I will tell him you said so when he drops by. PHILLIPS: All right. So I guess everyone loves cheating, blackmail, scintillating women.

HAMMER: I think it works all around the world. It is the universal language.

PHILLIPS: All right. What are we going to see tonight, A.J.?

HAMMER: Well, tonight there's some outrage, Kyra, over the Oscar nominated movies that have Israelis and Palestinians trading angry words. Showbiz Tonight is going to get into that. Are the terrorists being glorified? Are they being shown in a sympathetic manner?

We are going to talk about that tonight on Showbiz Tonight, 7:00 p.m. Eastern and 11:00 p.m. Eastern on Headline Prime.

Kyra, have a lovely weekend.

PHILLIPS: I sure will, A.J. Thanks so much. I will see you Monday.

HAMMER: All right.

PHILLIPS: Well, do you think an Arab nation should take control of several U.S. ports?

There is a deal on the table. Good idea or a threat to U.S. security? We are going to talk to a Coast Guard captain in charge of port security. More LIVE FROM after a break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: We see stories from all over the world here at CNN. And this is one of the most beautiful. Lauren DeFranco of our affiliate WABC attends a Bar Mitzvah for a man who met and lost his angel when he was a little boy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAUREN DEFRANCO, WABC CORRESPONDENT (voice over): It is a long- awaited day of joy and celebration for 76-year-old Herman Rosenblat. He is far from your typical Bar Mitzvah boy.

You see 63 years ago, Rosenblat was trapped in a concentration camp, denied perhaps the most significant right of passage in the Jewish religion.

HERMAN ROSENBLAT, HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR: It is one of the most special days of my life. My very special day is when I met Roma.

DEFRANCO: Herman and Roma Rosenblat's amazing story of love and hardship started when they were both children growing up during the war in Germany. She was only nine, in hiding as a Christian. And he was 13, a prisoner starving and struggling to survive.

H. ROSENBLAT: She was my angel. She was the angel that my mother should send me. Because my mother told me in my dream that I'm sending you an angel.

DEFRANCO: For several months Roma risked her own life by tossing food over a barbed wire fence at the camp.

R. ROMA ROSENBLAT, WIFE: He looked so handsome and tall and skinny, you know, and that's about all.

DEFRANCO (on-camera): So you liked him then?

R. ROSENBLAT: Yes, I liked him, yes.

DEFRANCO (voice over): Rosenblat was finally transferred, and the two thought they would never see each other again until years later. They were set up on a blind date here in the U.S., and they realized fate had brought them together.

(on-camera): And what did you say when you realized it was her?

H. ROSENBLAT: I said that's it. I says now that I found you again, I'm not letting you go.

DEFRANCO (voice over): Six months later the Rosenblats were married. And today he officially became a man.

R. ROSENBLAT: There is a Jewish word besheayat (ph). You know, it is meant to be.

DEFRANCO (on-camera): The next step for Herman Rosenblat is Hollywood. They are making a movie about his amazing life story called, "The Fence."

In Long Island, Lauren DeFranco, channel 7, eyewitness news.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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