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CNN Live Sunday
President Bush Reacts to Anniversary of War; Antiwar Protest in New York City; Tropical Cyclone Slams Australian Coast; Bird Flu Preparations
Aired March 19, 2006 - 15:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush offers an optimistic assessment of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Mr. Bush says the United States is implementing a strategy that will lead to victory. This, on the heels of Iraq's former prime minister saying his country is slowly descending into civil war.
An unexpected financial storm may be on the horizon for the thousands who weathered Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. FEMA is now asking an estimated 50,000 storm victims to return money they may have received in error.
New details are emerging about that high-seas gun battle involving the U.S. navy ships off the coast of Somalia. Navy officials said yesterday that two American warships returned fire after being attacked by pirates. Today, those alleged pirates say they are Somali militiamen and that the Navy ships fired first. The militiamen say they were on patrol, trying to stop illegal fishing, when the gunfire started.
And take a look at these pictures we just got in from Omaha, Nebraska. Snow, a winter storm warning is in effect for much of the cornhusker state, where heavy snow is in the forecast. Some predictions are calling for as much as a foot or more of snowfall by tomorrow, which is the first official day of spring.
Hello, I'm Fredricka Whitfield, this is CNN LIVE SUNDAY. Three years into the war of Iraq, President Bush assured the nation a victory today. But in many major U.S. cities, calls to bring the troops home. While in Iraq, U.S. forces are fighting again, in the Sunni strong holds north and west of Baghdad.
North of Baghdad, Operation Swarmer is ending its fourth day of assault. CNN's Nic Robertson was embedded with troops this past week. He was also in Iraq at the start of the U.S. war in Iraq three years ago. Nic joins us live from Baghdad. First, Nic, let's talk about Operation Swarmer. Mission near accomplished?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We believe so, at this time, Fredricka. We were told earlier in the week, on Thursday, that there were another about 100 or so houses to go.
But they did say they would continue as long as it took. But it must be wrapping up about now. We have been told that 60 people have been taken into detention. It's not clear yet if there are any high- value targets there or if there are any local insurgents who were involved in that bombing of the shrine in Samarra, four weeks ago.
That was the bombing that precipitated a lot of the sectarian violence that surged after that. But at the moment, that operation does appear to be ongoing. But it would appear to be winding down soon -- Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right, and Nic, now to the anniversary. You've witnessed many events over the last three years. What do people there consider progress or perhaps persistent problems?
ROBERTSON: There's both. When I talk to Iraqis, absolutely, they see both. They see that they've had elections, that they have a new parliament. They're frustrated that the new parliament hasn't formed a new government yet. They're frustrated that they think their politicians are playing for power when they need to consolidate and get that government up and running, to end the vacuum that the insurgents are trying to use to create more and more violence.
They're encouraged when they look around and see that, perhaps, they have a little bit more money in their pockets. But then they also see that the cost of living has gone up. Cooking oil, up 30- times, gas gone up for their cars, gone up over 10-times in the last three years. The cost of tea for them, something everyone here drinks quite a lot of, gone up six times. So there are sort of pluses and minuses.
But the big concern for everyone, and this is something they didn't expect and didn't have three years ago, is the real risk and horror of violence every day. And that is people's biggest concern and it has a mental strain on people. I talk to people here, families, and they told me, "You know, we don't know why all this is happening. We don't know who's behind it. We don't know really know what Iran's involvement is, what Syria's involvement, what is the United States really here for?"
They're worried about when all the violence is going to end. So a lot of mental pressure, if you will -- that's often hard to read on people's faces, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Nic Robertson, thanks so much, from Baghdad this evening.
Meantime, one of Iraq's former leaders issued this dire warning, as insurgents attacked a government office in the city of Ramadi. Former interim prime minister Ayad Allawi said Iraq is nearing what he called a point of no return. And here's a quote, "If this is not civil war," Allawi said, "then God knows what civil war is."
Meantime President Bush said today he's encouraged by the progress Iraq is making. And Vice President Dick Cheney said efforts by insurgents to ignite a civil war have failed. With us now from the White House, CNN's Elaine Quijano -- Elaine?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Fredricka. President Bush made some brief comments to reporters, as he returned here to the White House from Camp David. The president says that on this third anniversary of the Iraq war, Americans should offer their thanks to U.S. military personnel and their families. Mr. Bush also said that this morning, he spoke to the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, and the president gave a short, but positive assessment of the political climate in Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Iraqi people voted for democracy last December. About 75 percent of the eligible citizens went to the polls to vote.
And now the Iraqi leaders are working together to enact a government that reflects the will of the people. And so I'm encouraged by the progress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now the president made no mention of the sectarian violence that has erupted in Iraq in recent weeks. And he ignored a question about former Prime Minister Allawi's comments about a civil war. But Vice President Dick Cheney was asked about that. He said terrorists are to blame for fueling the sectarian violence. And he said they have not been successful in sparking an all-out civil war.
Now the Bush administration says the wider view of Iraq shows an encouraging response to the sectarian violence, by Iraqi leaders and Iraqi forces. And the president said because of that, he is optimistic.
Now tomorrow, of course, Iraq will again be President Bush's focus, when he delivers a speech in Cleveland. Officials say that it will be an attempt to broaden the lens, in the words of one senior administration official, on what is actually happening on the ground in Iraq.
They say it will offer concrete examples of progress being made. This comes though at a time when officials here readily acknowledge that of course those images of violence out of Iraq are having an impact, are having an effect on the American people. But the speech tomorrow, Fredricka, is the second in a series of addresses this month, as the White House tries to appeal to the American people for patience -- Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right, Elaine Quijano at the White House, thank you so much.
Well meantime, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld cautioned today against abandoning Iraq. In a column for "The Washington Post," Rumsfeld said that turning away from Iraq would be the modern equivalent of handing post-war Germany back to the Nazis. But a former U.S. general penned a column for "The New York Times," heaping scorn upon Rumsfeld. In it, retired Army Major General Paul Eaton says, quote, "He has shown himself incompetent strategically, operationally, and tactically and is far more than anyone else responsible for what has happened to our important mission in Iraq." He goes on to say, quote, "Mr. Rumsfeld must step down." General Eaton was in charge of training the Iraqi military for 2004 on.
Well some of the people opposed to the war in Iraq took to the streets of major cities today in the United States, and even abroad. With that part of the story, let's go to CNN's Chris Huntington, who is in New York where there were already some arrests right, Chris?
CHRIS HUNTINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, that's right. I'm in Times Square right now. Just a short time ago, a group of protesters that marched about 15 blocks, essentially to make a statement about protesting here in front of a recruiting station, right in the middle of Times Square.
They had progressed quite peacefully, in fact, with the cooperation of the police, until they got down here to Times Square. And then, if any of you've been to this area know, you've got major intersections here of Broadway, Seventh Avenue. Right here at 44th Street, a group of the protesters went out into the street, laid down and got arrested.
Seventeen arrested, according to the police. The protest organizer said that this was not part of the plan, and he called this particular group of aggressive protesters, an affinity group. Still, though, he did not go so far as to completely oppose their action. He said that anybody who's willing to lay down for such a cause shows their feeling for it.
Indeed, he said earlier, this is a gentleman from the War Resisters League, which is a group that has a storied history here in New York, dating back to the 1920s. He said that even though their march was relatively small in numbers today, only about 150, he feels that their support around the country is growing. And perhaps, indeed, Fredricka, the polls would suggest that. That, indeed, the direction of many of the polls shows that support for the war is declining fairly rapidly -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Chris Huntington, from Times Square, thank you so much.
Well coming up, the story of newlyweds who didn't want war to get in the way of love. So what did the wife do? Well she moved to Iraq to be with her husband. But together, time is not what they got.
Meantime, this just in. Australian T.V. is reporting that a powerful tropical cyclone has slammed into the northeastern part of the Australian coast. Let's check in now with Bonnie Schneider. What's going on, Bonnie?
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well if we take a look at Cyclone Larry, unfortunately this has turned into a major storm. What happened was the storm formed on Saturday, as a Category 2, then gradually increased and eventually became classified as a Category 5.
As put this map into motion, you'll find that the cyclone is bearing down right now here down on the northeastern corner of Australia. And as we take a look at this, as it loops around, you'll find that the storm isn't a Category 5. And remember, that's the most powerful that we can see at this point.
And according to the weather bureau, out in Australia, they're saying this could be the most devastating cyclone that they potentially have seen on the East Coast on Queensland for decades. So obviously lots of destruction will be caused by this storm.
We're still kind of getting these reports in. And coming up, we'll have a closer look at Cyclone Larry. Remember, even though we're moving into our winter season -- from our winter season into our spring season down in the Southern Hemisphere, unfortunately it is tropical cyclone season. And we're already seeing such an active one, with a Category 5 storm, bearing down on Australia, at this hour. Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right, Bonnie, thanks so much. We'll check back with you.
Kenneth Hinson is behind bars in South Carolina. What's next for this convicted sex offender, now accused of more crimes? That story straight ahead.
And the battle against bird flu becomes more urgent every day. Find out if the U.S. is doing enough to prepare. That's straight ahead on CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCHNEIDER: I'm CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider with a look at your cold and flu report for Sunday. Well today's the last day of winter but unfortunately, it's not the last day of cold and flu season. We have widespread activity across much of the eastern half of the country. Even through much of the nation's midsection, as well. You'll find that for Texas, as far north as the northern plains.
Regional outbreaks right here in the nation's center for Kansas and Nebraska and Missouri. And then once you start heading out to the West, you're seeing across the Rockies some sporadic outbreaks of the flu so far. Now remember, cold and flu season runs normally through March, sometimes a little bit after that. So we're still looking at a lot of activity across the country. That's a look at your cold and flu report for Sunday. I'm CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider. Stay tuned, your forecast for Monday is coming up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: In other news across America now, accused sex offender Kenneth Hinson faces a bond hearing this week on burglary charges. Hinson is being held in a South Carolina jail right now, accused of kidnapping two 17-year-old girls, assaulting them and leaving them tied up in an underground room. A judge denied bond for Hinson on the assault charges yesterday.
In Houston, Rusty Yates remarries. The Saturday ceremony was in the same church as the funeral services for his five children. His ex-wife, Andrea Yates, goes on trial tomorrow for allegedly drowning the children. She is expected to plead insanity at her retrial.
In New Jersey, convicted serial killer Charles Cullen will be allowed to donate one of his kidneys to someone needing a transplant. A judge ruled the former nurse could make the donation. Cullen is in prison, he has admitted to killing 29 patients in his care.
And near Atlanta, Bill Lester will add to race history tomorrow. He'll be driving the No. 23 car in NASCAR'S Golden Corral 500 at the Atlanta Motor Speedway, delayed today because of rain. Lester is the first black driver to qualify for the highest level of NASCAR racing since 1986.
And let's take a look at the weather picture. We're talking about Cyclone Larry in Australia and we're talking about some weird snow weather in Nebraska. Bonnie Schneider is in the Weather Center. It's all over the map, isn't it, Bonnie?
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: All right, good advice, thanks so much, Bonnie. Straight ahead...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT SECHLER, OWNER, BELL AND EVANS: We have to treat this serious. This is our livelihood and you know, this is what we've been feeding our customers for years and years and years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: ... How one chicken farm in the United States is already preparing for the bird flu. That story, still to come.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: There's another crisis gripping the Middle East today, the spreading bird flu virus. In Egypt, a second human infection reported two days after the first case died. In Israel, mass culling of turkey and chicken flocks, as that country waits for confirmation of tests for the disease there. Israeli officials says up to a half million birds will be killed. The acting prime minister says there is no indication that the avian flu has spread to people there.
Well experts say there is no way to keep infected wild birds from carrying the infection to this country. But there are things farmers are doing to prepare. As Mary Snow found out, they're using the lessons of the last big bird flu outbreak in the U.S., as their guide.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Behind the serene scene at this Pennsylvania farm, restricted vehicles have to be disinfected. Protective suits have to be worn, all before entering a chicken house holding 30,000 birds.
Scott Sechler says he's policing his business to prevent an outbreak of bird flu.
SECHLER: After the avian influenza episode we had back in the early '80s, you know, bio-security is very, very important. And, so, we don't want to drag anything in the building.
SNOW: In 1983 and '84, a strain of avian flu, not the strain of H5N1 that we are seeing today, spread through poultry in Pennsylvania. Seventeen million birds had to be destroyed, costing the economy tens of millions of dollars.
At the time, Sechler's business was just starting out. It's now worth about $170 million. He says migrating birds make bird flu's return inevitable. Health officials agree, predicting that wild birds could bring the deadly H5N1 strain into the U.S. in months.
SECHLER: We have to treat this serious. This is our -- our livelihood. And, you know, this is what we have been feeding our customers for years and years and years.
SNOW: While the threat to humans is low, the chicken industry is bracing for the day when bird flu shows up on a U.S. farm.
RICHARD LOBB, SPOKESMAN, NATIONAL CHICKEN COUNCIL: All the chickens on that farm will be destroyed. None of them will go to market. None of them will enter the food supply in any way.
SNOW: Pennsylvania veterinarian Sherrill Davison is using tracking systems to impose quarantines on farms.
DR. SHERRILL DAVISON, SECRETARY-TREASURER, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA LABORATORY OF AVIAN MEDICINE AND PATHOLOGY: If we have an outbreak, we can very quickly identify a farm.
SNOW: Despite the assurances, Sechler still worries, not about bird flu, but about consumers shying away from chicken.
SECHLER: If five or 10 percent of the people quit eating chicken, we've got a problem.
SNOW: Mary Snow, CNN, Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well the government's top infectious disease expert says if the bird flu comes to this country, it won't only be a potential public health risk, it will also be a real economic problem. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a part of the National Institutes of Health, joins me now from Washington. Dr. Fauci, good to see you.
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NAT'L INST. OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Good to be here. WHITFIELD: So why is it this would be equally or more so an economic problem than a health one, potentially?
FAUCI: Well, it certainly is a potential health problem. But the first thing, if in fact you get chickens infected, or even migratory birds landing in this country, just the perception on the part of the general public about the dangers of eating chickens.
Which, you know, cooked chickens are not a risk and certainly with the controls in this country, particularly in the Department of Agriculture as well as state and local controls, it is unlikely that you're going to see the kind of massive bird die off as you've seen in other countries.
But if you look at the example in western Europe, where there was some migratory birds that were infected and found in many western European countries, only in France was there a serious problem that was quickly taken care of, in turkeys and chickens.
But if you look at Italy, which had a swan infected, but no chickens infected, the consumption decreased by 60-to-70 percent, even though there were no chickens infected.
So it's become more of a perception, economic problem, in western Europe than a reality problem. And that's one of the things that could happen here, if in fact we have migratory birds that lide in or even if we have chickens infected.
WHITFIELD: Well, the reality check is, is it an issue of when and not necessarily if? Because there are going to be migratory birds that have been in some of these infected areas, that are going to make their way to the U.S., wouldn't they?
FAUCI: Well it is likely that we will see migratory birds who land on our shores, in the confines of the United States and the Western Hemisphere that will be infected. It's not 100 percent, but it's highly likely.
The critical issue is how that is or is not going to contaminate chicken flocks. And since we have good controls in this country, we would hope that even if migratory birds would get infected, that either we'd be able to segregate them and not to co-mingle with the industrial chicken flocks that we have here, or if it is, that we act on it quickly and cull the chickens so that we don't have the widespread spread and contamination, that we have seen in southeast Asia and that we're seeing now in certain countries in Africa.
WHITFIELD: And when we look at that spread, we've created a map that shows a number of the areas that have been affected by bird flu, whether it be human cases or strictly bird cases.
It is quite widespread and it almost would seem inevitable that the U.S. would be dealing with this very problem, because of migration. We saw in the piece just leading up to you that there are some chicken farms here in the states that are already starting to take some measures to try to keep their chickens, their poultry indoors. Is that the recommendation from the government to the chicken and other poultry farmers across this country?
FAUCI: I can't speak for a governmental recommendation, but I can tell you what we just saw on the piece makes very good sense because as the individual mentioned, in 1983, '84, Pennsylvania was hit with a similar type of highly-pathogenic bird flu.
One of the ways it spreads, not just by migratory birds, is that you have contamination of trucks that would go from one farm to another. And that's why we saw on that piece, they were spraying down or decontaminating the trucks, as well as making sure you have very high level of biosafety.
So you just can't walk into a chicken production facility. You have to put on the right clothes. You have to put on boots. You have to decontaminate yourself before you go in. So it's those kinds of controls, which will hopefully set us apart from what we've seen in the news about what has gone on in southeast Asia.
WHITFIELD: How concerned are you about the virus mutating, that instead of humans contracting it from birds, that it would actually be human-to-human, passing on?
FAUCI: Well that's the big issue that we're concerned about. And that's the thing that public health officials like myself and the Department of Health and Human Services and others, need to assume, though it may not happen, that the worst-case scenario, will happen.
Namely that the virus will assume the characteristics of being able to go efficiently from human-to-human, which would make for the worst-case scenario. That may not occur, perhaps likely not occur. But you certainly need to be prepared for it.
WHITFIELD: Dr. Anthony Fauci from Washington, from the National Institutes of Health as well as the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases -- thank you so much.
FAUCI: You're quite welcome.
WHITFIELD: Well here's a question for you, what would you do for love? Would you follow your husband to Iraq? Coming up, we'll tell you why this couple is spending their honeymoon in a war zone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Here's what's happening right now in the news.
A grim assessment of the situation in Iraq, on the third anniversary of the war. Iraq's former Prime Minister Allawi tells the BBC 50 to 60 people die everyday in Iraq. He says, "If that's not civil war, then God knows what civil war is."
A much different view today, from President Bush. He says the U.S. is implementing a strategy in Iraq that will lead to victory. As for the political process, in Iraq, Mr. Bush says the new parliament is making progress toward forming a new unity government. Conflicting accounts about the clash between two U.S. navy ships and suspected pirates off the Somali Coast. The U.S. military says the suspects opened fire on the ships yesterday. But a Somali militia group says it was the navy that first fired. It says members of the group were trying to stop illegal fishing. One person was killed in that clash.
And some sad news out of North Carolina. Long-time television anchorman Bill Buetel has died. He was probably best known for his 30 years at the anchor desk for New York City's affiliate, WABC TV. He also anchored the show that would become ABC's "Good Morning America." Bill Buetel, dead at the age of 75.
Now, the third anniversary of the Iraq war. A milestone that was marked, today by more violence. Two, separate gun battles broke out between U.S. troops and Iraqi insurgents. One in Ramadi, the other in a town north of Baghdad. Ten civilians were killed including a child. The U.S. military continues its crackdown on insurgents near Somalia. U.S. military officials say "Operation Swarmer" has uncovered 11 weapons caches in the last three days and 60 suspected insurgents have been captured.
The top commander of U.S. troops in Iraq concedes "Operation Swarmer" was probably over hyped. But General George Casey denies any political motive for the mission. The general also insists there's no civil war in Iraq. He says the sectarian violence there is "a long way from becoming a broad, civil conflict." General Casey predicts U.S. troops will likely remain in Iraq for a few more years. But says eventually they will be scaled back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GENERAL GEORGE CASEY, CMDR. COALITION FORCES: When you talk about the future, you always go back to assumptions. With an assumption that the political process, continues on the track that it's on. And we continue to have the success that we're having, with the development of the Iraqi security forces. I would expect that process, of gradual, coalition reductions to continue through 2006 and 2007.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Well separated by war, U.S. troops in Iraq, thousands of miles from their families, missing out on birthdays, graduations, even the birth of a child. Now, the story of one military wife who didn't want that kind of life. So, she got on a plane, to be with her husband in Iraq. But as CNN's Alex Quade reports, her plans went quickly awry.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX QUADE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: When Julian met Erik; it was love at first sight. She was a first grade teacher in Arizona. He was in the Army National Guard.
ERIK FROEHLICH: I can't believe how wonderful of a woman she is. JULIAN FROEHLICH, CIVILIAN CONTRACTOR: Love at first sight. It was.
QUADE: They married, a few days later, Erik Froehlich deployed to Iraq, for a year. So, the new Mrs. Froehlich followed him.
J. FROEHLICH: Many people asked if I had my head examined lately. But you know I am more than happy to follow my husband.
QUADE: She took a job with civilian contractor, KBR, Kellogg, Brown & Root, which sent her Tikrit, the same city where Eric was. Any second thoughts?
J. FROEHLICH: Like what the heck am I doing? Maybe just for a little bit.
QUADE: Their dream of being together their first year of marriage, was fulfilled. Almost.
E. FROEHLICH: She left the safety and security of her home, her family back home. She did that to be here with me.
QUADE: But Erik was at a different base, eight miles away.
J. FROEHLICH: It does feel like 8,000 miles, instead of just 8 miles.
QUADE: Because the constant threat on the roads the only contact the Froehlich's have with each other, is e-mail. Bases in Tikrit, are routinely targeted. At Erik's, they scrambled for cover after a mortar landed during a ceremony in November. Tikrit is Saddam Hussein's hometown; U.S. troops have taken over his palaces. One of which, Erik lives and works in. How difficult is it being apart?
E. FROEHLICH: Well, it's very difficult being apart. Being newlyweds, and being very much in love, she's always on my mind. I always think about her.
QUADE: Is there more threat at the location that she's at? More danger?
E. FROEHLICH: We actually had an incoming mortar attack there. And my immediate thought was, is she OK? Is everything all right? And unfortunately, I can't call her. You hop on e-mail. You say are you all right over there? And you wait to hear back.
QUADE: At Julian's base, her job is to help morale, by giving troops access to computers for e-mail. Something the couple says she could probably do at his base. So, I asked her company, at KBR, a spokesperson e-mailed, "KBR hires people to serve the defined needs of the client throughout the project. Our employees go where there are job assignments that match their qualifications. Which is how Mrs. Froehlich was assigned to her current position. Further, both the U.S. military and KBR have policies preventing fraternization."
E. FROEHLICH: The word back home, eight miles would be nothing more than a quick trip in the car. Or maybe even a nice, long jog. Here, it might as well be 1,000 miles away.
QUADE: We asked the military if the rules might allow a single visit. We fly to Julian's base by helicopter. It is a very short trip. We land.
J. FROEHLICH: All the way to Iraq.
E. FROEHLICH: Yes.
QUADE: Love, in a time of war. Alex Quade CNN, Tikrit, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, checking legal briefs, now. The fraud and conspiracy case against Enron's former chiefs returns to court. Fifteen more prosecution witnesses are scheduled to testify over the coming weeks. What remains uncertain is whether former founder, Ken Lay, or former CEO, Jeffrey Skilling, will take the stand. Both have indicated they might. But they could change their minds. The two are accused of deceiving investors about Enron's wobbly financial frame.
The closely-watched "Da Vinci Code" trial is expected to wrap up in London tomorrow at the heart of the copy write infringement case, shared religious themes. Author Dan Brown, says he completed his outline for his best-selling novel, before reading the book, the holy blood and the Holy Grail. The judge could take weeks to deliver a judgment.
After a dramatic save by the prosecution, the sentencing trial of Al Qaeda conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, resumes tomorrow in Virginia. A key FBI witness is expected to testify, as the government restores its case. Last week, the judge barred all aviation security experts from testifying, ruling they were coached by a government lawyer. But the lawyer relented on Friday; saying new aviation experts could be used. That is the judge relented.
Well millions wasted in worthless computer upgrades. That's the finding of a scathing, new investigation into how the FBI spent taxpayer money. Federal officials are defending their actions, but admit millions more will have to be spent, before the computer's working. Our Gary Nurenberg has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The FBI's computer systems were so out of date, the 9/11 commission said it could be one reason the agency failed to detect early signs of the Al Qaeda attacks.
MARK RASCH, COMPUTER SECURITY EXPERT: The system that they had in place was really designed to catch bank robbers and catch drug dealers. And it wasn't well suited to picking up little tips about things that people saw of behavior.
NURENBERG: So, an expensive plan already in the works to upgrade FBI computers was amended. JOHN MILLER, ASSISTANT FBI DIRECTOR: The pressure certainly came to bear on the bureau, to launch a computer system that was capable of connecting the dots and do it quickly.
NURENBERG: In that rush, the FBI concedes.
MILLER: Some things did fall between the cracks.
NURENBERG: A still unreleased government accountability office report obtained by CNN questions $17 million in spending by contractors working on the $500,000 project. Saying, for example, 1,200 pieces of equipment can't be accounted for. Cost more than $7.5 million. But the FBI says --
MILLER: We did a bureau-wide audit. Most every piece of that equipment was located.
NURENBERG: As problems with the computer upgrade mounted, the FBI changed gears and ordered a new system, for which it was awarded a contract this week. Total cost of all the upgrades now approaches a $1 billion. And the FBI says it's paying off citing an automated case management system and ACS.
MILLER: It can also search more than 1 billion counter terrorism records. Everything from pocket litter found in Afghanistan, to the things that are going on within the cases, contained in ACS.
NURENBERG: The FBI says it now has much stricter cost controls. But one of the legislators who ordered that GAO report, Senator Charles Grassley, wonders if the FBI has learned its lesson. Especially, he says, since the FBI is using on that new system two of the same contractors it used on the old one.
Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Spring break doesn't mean all-night parties and cocktails for all college students. At least not these. They're still having a good time, however, in the big easy. They're helping Katrina victims clean up. We'll meet two volunteers after the break. Stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: College students are flocking to the Gulf Coast again this spring break. But not all have parties and beach in mind. Many are heading for the New Orleans area, where they're helping residents clean up from hurricane Katrina. Here's CNN's Gulf Coast bureau correspondent Susan Roesgen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT (voice over): They could be lying on a Florida beach. But these kids are camped out on cots. It's a college church group that wouldn't take no for an answer. They wanted a base of operations to help rebuild the area. When FEMA offered to find room for 200 students, the students found this warehouse instead and made room for 2,000. They found a way to rig running water and brought in their own food. And in a place where most people don't have electricity, let there be light. Through sheer determination, this young group of aid workers has descended on New Orleans more than 10,000 students over 5 weeks.
And they are here to help. They may not be skilled workers. But they're hard workers. And for homeowner Kim David that's what counts. Ripped off by contractors who took her money and never came back, Kim stood in awe, watching a miracle.
KIM DAVID, NEW ORLEANS HOMEOWNER: As bad as Katrina was, this is how good it is to feel like, yes, we still have Americans that love and care, complete strangers. And step up to the plate.
RUTH GILLIAM, VOLUNTEER: I feel like we are only here for a couple days and we're making this much of a difference. But it's a huge difference to her.
ROESGEN: These students are making a difference for a lot of people here. They expect to work on as many as 3,000 houses.
Susan Roesgen, CNN, New Orleans.
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WHITFIELD: Well among the college students many from Howard University, in Washington, D.C. they've just returned from a week in New Orleans. They spent their spring break there, trying to make a difference. We spoke with some of them last week. And so, we decided to get a progress report this weekend.
Joining me is Ty Axson, one of the organizers of the trip. And Lisa Rawlings, a Howard University PHD. Graduate or candidate I should say. Good to see both of you.
Ty let me begin with you. We spoke with you first at the beginning of your journey last weekend. So, was it all that you expected?
TY AXSON, HOWARD UNIVERSITY STUDENT: Was it all I expected. It was all I expected and so much more. We -- I can't even begin to explain what we saw, the devastation, the residents, the stories. It was -- it was beyond my expectations. I was impacted in the best way, I would say. I would say that we -- the residents and the situation down there, did so much more for me, than I could have possibly --
WHITFIELD: Really? In what way? What do you mean?
AXSON: Well, I realize, in my life, we take so much for granted. We have a roof over our heads. We have a place to stay. And so many people down there don't have anything yet. They're so humble. And they're so willing to talk and to work with you. And just talking with the residents and beginning to hear their story, and being compassionate with them, it has changed my life. Because I now know how fortunate I am.
WHITFIELD: Lisa, what sort of things did you do? Did you come there with expertise, in how to clear out debris, rip down the walls? All that good stuff, what did you do exactly?
LISA RAWLINGS, HOWARD UNIVERSITY STUDENT: We had no expertise in that. We were involved in cleaning up debris from the external yard from people's homes but also in moving furniture, clearing out the walls. The cabinets. Moving refrigerators. Pulling out the ceilings that had fallen down and tearing up the carpets. It was, as you mentioned not skills that we came with. But certainly ones that we learned.
WHITFIELD: So be honest with me, Lisa. When you first laid your eyes upon your first project, were you thinking, huh? I have volunteered to do what?
RAWLINGS: Absolutely. I think I probably echoed the sentiments of most of the volunteer there's. We had to step back after looking at the internal of the homes that we were expected to remove the debris from. And it was quite an awesome sight to behold. But it was also little by little; we were able to work together. And the teamwork and the synergy that we brought together really enabled us to make it all happen. At the end of the day, we could stand back and look at the home that was prepared to be rebuilt.
WHITFIELD: I can tell from both of you, there was really life- changing experiences. But in the end, you've made it a huge contribution for the people there, in such great need. And I'm sure they're very grateful for you and the other college students to have given up your spring break to do something like this.
Ty Axson, Lisa Rawlings both of Howard University making the Bisons very proud. Thanks so much to both of you.
RAWLINGS: Thank you very much.
WHITFIELD: And we reported earlier, a cyclone by the name of Larry. Cyclone Larry, already batting down on northeastern Australia, after this short break, we'll bring you an update on that.
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WHITFIELD: Cyclone Larry has slammed into Australia's northeastern coast as Category 5 storms. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for thousands in the state of Queensland. Phil Wilmington of Australia's channel 9 TV is on the line with us now, coming to us from Innisfail. Phil what is happening right now?
PHIL WILMINGTON, CHANNEL 9: Well Fredricka we are right in the middle of the cyclone right now. We can hear the sound of metal tearing it is all around us and we have been listening to that for a few hours now. This is the worst cyclone ever to hit the Queensland coast. I think the authorities are quite well prepared for that. For the last few days they have been warning people. Telling people on the beach front, forcing them to evacuate. A lot of people were a little complaisant and wanted to stay in their homes. The authorities going around, telling them they had to move.
WHITFIELD: And for the most part people respected that? They have evacuated?
WILMINGTON: I think today, Fredricka everyone who is suppose to move is extremely glad they did. This cyclone has seen beyond anything that anyone has ever seen. The wind gusts are up to 280 kilometers per hour. Like I said, the eye of the cyclone passed over us about 15, 20 minutes ago. We went outside, and had a quick look. There was devastation everywhere.
WHITFIELD: What are you seeing?
WILMINGTON: Well, you see houses, their roofs are gone. In the central business district, there's hotels and businesses that have lost their roofs. The walls have been torn off some of them. Flooding now, because there's going to be high tide today, which will be two meters high at least. Never recorded here before.
WHITFIELD: Phil Wilmington, coming to us from Innisfail, Australia on this category 5 Cyclone Larry. Thank you so much for your update. Stay safe.
And for the latest on weekend weather, overall, let's check in with Bonnie Schneider in the Weather Center. Hi Bonnie.
SCHNEIDER: Hi Fredricka. We're going to start with Australia, just to show you what's happening with the cyclone. Remember, Australia is the middle of their cyclone season. And it's kind of winding down. Just like what we saw on our tropical season that goes until November and we see the worst storms just at the tail end.
Well for Australians, the tropical season goes from November to April. Remember the southern hemisphere is in the opposite of what we're experiencing in the northern hemisphere. So if you take a closer look actually the winds in this cyclone, are turning in a clockwise fashion, rather than counterclockwise one that we see with our hurricanes in our hemisphere.
A category 5 storm is very severe. This is what we classify as a category 5 in the northern hemisphere. Winds exceeding a 155 mph plus with a storm surge of 18 feet, you know it's interesting. I haven't brought up this map in months. But for Australians, this means that residents in industrial buildings destroyed, all shrubs, trees, and signs blown down. Massive evacuations on low ground within five to ten miles of the shoreline maybe required, and as you heard from that report earlier that certainly has been done already with the evacuations, already in place.
As we take a look at the forecast looking towards your work week here in the Unite States, here's what we can expect, a quick look at Florida. You'll see temperatures that will be warm 88 degrees, in Orlando, 84 in Miami. As we travel up further to the north, we have 50 for a high tomorrow in Washington. Back off to the west remember lots of rain coming in. We're watching for that rain. In fact down in Texas, the rain has made a turn for the worst. We are seeing some strong storms coming out of Texas and that is bringing about some flooding. This is in the Dallas area.
And in fact, the rain and the thunderstorms have gotten so strong. That what we're seeing is a tornado watch that's been issued for central Texas. This goes to 11:00 tonight Central Time. You can see the watch box here including the city of San Anglo, Texas. So some strong storms through Texas tonight.
Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks Bonnie. You mentioned a moment ago, when you showed that hurricane graphic, that you haven't seen the hurricane graphic in months. We know that you're going to get real familiar with it all over again, in the next 2 1/2 months. Because hurricane season, Atlantic hurricane begins June 1st. Thanks so much Bonnie.
We'll have more news in about 30 minutes. Coming up next, "CNN PRESENTS: 26 Hours of Terror, the Untold Story of the Atlanta Courthouse Shootings."
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