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CNN Live Sunday
HBO Film on Baghdad Hospital; Reaction to Nagin's Mayoral Win; Could the Northeast Be Next for Hurricane Season?; L.A. County Releasing Jail Inmates Early; Bush Touts Iraqi Cabinet as Progress Amidst Steady Sectarian Daily Body Count
Aired May 21, 2006 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RAY NAGIN, MAYOR, NEW ORLEANS: It's time for us to stop the bickering. It's time for us to start measuring things in black and white and yellow and Asian. It's time for us to one New Orleans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Well winning the election is easy compared to what Mayor Ray Nagin needs to do now. Complete live coverage of this historic race next.
And he won the Kentucky Derby, but right now, Barbaro is fighting for his life. He's been in surgery in the last few hours and we're going to hear what his doctors have to say.
Check this out, why did this man turn himself into a human torch? And why you don't have to worry about him.
This is CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Carol Lin, let's catch you up on the big headlines now.
New Orleans stays the course. Mayor Ray Nagin has won re- election and the change to rebuild New Orleans. We've got full coverage coming up in just a moment.
A suicide bomber kills 13 people at a Baghdad restaurant. Three people were killed when a roadside bomb blew up at a crowded Baghdad market. Iraq's new prime minister vowed maximum force today against terrorism.
And a horrible scene today in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Police say a gunman entered a church and shot four people dead and then kidnapped his wife and three children. One other person was hurt, and later the wife was shot to death. But the children are safe. The alleged killer is in custody
An arrest in the Netherlands. And what does that have to do with missing Natalie Holloway? Well, a source says the person knows Joran Van Der Sloot. He was the last person to her alive last year. It is the eighth arrest so far, but still no charges.
And the champion racehorse Barbaro in surgery today. The Kentucky Derby winner suffered three life-threatening breaks to his rear leg at the start of yesterday's Preakness.
"The Da Vinci Code" is a world-wide hit. The movie has grossed more than $220 million this weekend alone.
Our top story, New Orleans, Mayor Ray Nagin, after his narrow re- election yesterday over Mitch Landrieu, he's promising big things for his city today. The work resumes in earnest tomorrow. But as for Nagin, it's fair to say he seems confident, calm, even at peace with the challenge ahead.
We're going to start in New Orleans with our Gulf Coast correspondent Susan Roesgen -- Susan.
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, the mayor is in good spirits today. He says he only got about six hours of sleep last night and then he was just getting out of the shower this morning when the White House was on the line, a call from President Bush, offering congratulations.
So, quite a way to spending the morning. And then like any good politician on the Sunday after Election Day, the mayor went to church, he went to his church, a Catholic church, where the priest joked that usually the mayor likes to sit in the back of the church, but today, he and his wife and his 6-year-old daughter were in the front pew.
And I don't know if you can see it in our video here, but as the choir started to sing, I saw the mayor actually wipe away a tear. Today, he thanked God for his victory. He thanked the voters for the victory, and he thanked Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu for being a very gracious challenger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR RAY NAGIN (D), NEW ORLEANS: It was a hard-fought battle, and I want to reiterate my thanks to Mitch Landrieu for running a very good campaign, and we stayed on the high road, so, I think that was pretty unusual for New Orleans, because, you know, everywhere we would go, people were saying, when are you all going to mix it up a little bit more? And we decided to kind of stick with the issues, since people were dealing with so many tough issues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: And some of those tough issues that people are dealing with here are rebuilding neighborhoods and the city's evacuation plan. The mayor admitted today that he can't really count on having trains and buses take people out of the city if he doesn't know yet where they are going to go. Not a single shelter outside of New Orleans has been identified yet. So that is something the mayor certainly has to work on.
So what do people here in New Orleans think of the new old mayor? Here are some thoughts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's a good man. He runs a beautiful city, and I'm so proud of him. Go Ray Nagin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just hope he can bring the city up to standards, where we can get large companies to come back in town.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was looking for Mitch, because I go way back with his father, Moon Landrieu. And he was a good mayor -- his dad was a good mayor during those days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People of New Orleans, united with Nagin, can definitely move our city forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: Now, Carol, I'll be back with more on the election, and what people think of it the day after in about 20 minutes.
LIN: Susan, let me ask you this right now. Why do you think people backed Ray Nagin again? Why did he get a second chance from folks there?
ROESGEN: I think you were asking me about why people backed Ray Nagin or why he was elected, you hear lots of different reasons. One of the ones that I heard most often in this city was, well, he was here. He stayed. He didn't leave in the middle of the hurricane. The other reason that I hear is that he was overwhelmed, and any politician would be overwhelmed, that he faced this great crisis.
And we have to give him a break, because he was simply overwhelmed. And he didn't do anything badly. It is just that it was a very tough situation. And finally people say that before the hurricane, they thought he was doing a pretty good job. Those are the people that voted for him. But as you know, Carol, you watched it last night with me. It was a very, very close race.
LIN: Very close. Very exciting. Susan, thank you so much. We have got much more on this big story out of New Orleans. Susan Roesgen is going to be back with us later. And we're also going to hear from New Orleans political analyst Silas Lee. And there's plenty more coverage on the New Orleans election and where the city goes from here at cnn.com.
In the meantime, the FBI has finished an overnight search of the D.C. offices of Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson, and court documents show federal agents found $90,000 cash when they searched his Washington home last year. Now, Jefferson is under investigation for bribery, and he says he is innocent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. WILLIAM JEFFERSON (D), LOUISIANA: I will take full responsibility for any crimes that I committed, if that were the case. But I will not plead guilty to something I did not do, no matter how things look and no matter the risk.
(END VIDEO CLIP) LIN: Well, the Justice Department is investigating Jefferson's relationship to some telecommunications deals, the House Ethics Committee launched an investigation last week.
Well, some of the worst criminals in L.A. County are back on the streets, the reason? There's no place to put them.
Kareen Wynter investigated.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's Friday afternoon in Los Angeles, California. And at the county jail, it's time to hit the streets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's up, G?
WYNTER: Inmates like Rudy Shane count on getting an early ticket out.
RUDY SHANE, INMATE: The judges, they should give us more time, they should be more harder on us.
WYNTER: Shane was sentenced to one week for a drug parole violation and he still got out early.
(on camera): You described it a slap on the wrist.
SHANE: It is a slap on the wrist, because time ain't nothing to us in there. I mean, it's easy for us, you know, we are totally thinking criminal thoughts once we get out. I have seen people come back in for murder after a couple of hours.
WYNTER (voice-over): L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca says his jails have become meaningless in stopping crime: too many criminals, not enough cells.
SHERIFF LEE BACA, LOS ANGELES COUNTY: We have a criminal justice system that is severely broken.
WYNTER: The county's early release program for low-level offenders began nearly 20 years ago, a stopgap measure to ease overcrowding. But today, roughly 40,000 of the county's inmates are released early each year. That's 10 percent of the jail population. The remaining 90 percent are state prison transfers and those awaiting trial.
BACA: I've been basically handcuffed from doing the things that I know are the most important, and that is to keep people in jail.
WYNTER: The sheriff says the crunch began in 2002, when a multimillion dollar budget deficit forced jail closures, jamming existing facilities beyond capacity wasn't an option. A federal court ruling in 1988 stopped the common practice of allowing inmates to sleep in hallways, on floors, where ever they could find room.
BACA: If there were no court order, I would have everybody in the jail serving full sentences.
WYNTER: What started as a temporary fix became a troubled tactic, put some offenders back on the streets to free up space.
ROCKY DELGADILLO, L.A. CITY ATTORNEY: It makes our job harder to try to keep the streets safe.
WYNTER: L.A. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo fears shaving sentences will boost crime.
(on camera): So these inmates are figuring out a way to beat the system?
DELGADILLO: Yes. For some of them, as I have said, it's the cost of doing business.
WYNTER (voice-over): Darrell Derrick (ph) was a homeless man living in the alleys of Los Angeles. He was murdered in 2004 by an inmate who was released early. Derek's mother, Gladys says she often wonders about the murderer.
GLADYS DERRICK, SON MURDERED: If they had kept him in for his time, he wouldn't have been out there killing, Darrell would still be alive.
WYNTER: It's Rudy Shane's third release from jail. He can't wait to get home to his 3-year-old daughter, Brianna (ph). But if he has to come back, he says, it's easy time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WYNTER: Sheriff Baca hopes voters approve a $500 million bond measure that will be on the November ballot to fund jails. But, Carol, he says even if this passes, there's still a long way off from turning around a broken system.
LIN: Yes, because it would be years to be -- before can you build another jail. I mean, isn't there any kind of agreement between other counties, Ventura County, San Bernadino County, to transfer some of these inmates until trial?
WYNTER: Well, Baca says that that's really not an option right now. That is -- he's basically putting this responsibility also, Carol, squarely on the shoulders, believe it or not, of voters. They've defeated previous measures when it comes to improving the jail system. So it's going to be a wait and see game.
I asked him if he could look ahead, how much support is this getting right now, he said it's really hard to say. So November will be very important month when it comes to the future of the jail system and the county as we know it.
LIN: Kareen, all we can do is shake our heads. Thank you very much.
Now, in Washington, President Bush is thrilled Iraq finally made an official government. Ed Henry is at the White House.
Ed, finally, the president has some good news to talk about.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Good evening, Carol. You know, with the war dragging the president's poll numbers down to historic lows, he's pouncing on that opportunity to try to tout some good news out of Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY (voice-over): With the first lady at his side, President Bush delivered some rare Sunday morning remarks, touting good news out of Iraq.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The formation of a unity government in Iraq is a new day for the millions of Iraqis who want to live in freedom.
HENRY: The president was celebrating the Iraqi parliament's approval of most of a new cabinet.
BUSH: I fully understand that a free Iraq will be an important ally on the war in terror, will serve as a devastating defeat for the terrorists and al Qaeda, and will serve as an example for others in the region who desire to be free.
HENRY: But violence on the ground still threatens to overshadow formation of a new government with more Iraqis killed Sunday in a spate of attacks in Baghdad.
SEN. RON WYDEN (D), OREGON: Sectarian violence over the last three months has been higher than at any time in the last couple of years. The Iraqi police, we saw stories about this today, clearly doesn't have things under control.
HENRY: Critics also note the new Iraqi government has still not filled three of its cabinet posts, including the critical slots of defense and interior which oversees the police.
SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I don't want us to get too optimistic. We have still got a couple of important posts to fill. But it's certainly a significant step forward, and now let's hope they start governing.
HENRY: That caution explains why the president made no mention of bringing U.S. troops home.
ZALMAY KHALILZAD, U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: If we withdraw our forces from Iraq before the Iraqis can take care of their own security, the consequences for the region and the world would be indeed very grave.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: And with rumblings in Italy and Japan that they may start bringing their troops home soon, U.S. boots on the ground may be needed in Iraq now more than ever -- Carol.
LIN: And, Ed, when the president talks about continued American support, what does he mean? More tax dollars going to the effort?
HENRY: Oh, absolutely. It's billions upon billions of dollars. And, you know, what the president has continued to say is that he's not going to let the mid-term elections or election, frankly, dominate this decision. He's going to let commanders on the ground make that decision about when these troops start coming home. Obviously we still have more than 130,000 U.S. troops on the ground -- Carol.
LIN: Ed Henry, live at the White House, thank you.
Ed Henry, part of the best political team in television news. And in fact, that team is going to be on "LARRY KING LIVE," his guests, a special edition of "LARRY KING LIVE" tomorrow at 9:00 Eastern.
Now, we are on the scene of that Kentucky mine explosion up next. And also, "Da Vinci" dominates. Looks like the Catholic Church ban isn't working.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SIR ELTON JOHN, MUSICIAN: I'm talking you (expletive deleted).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Yes, that's what Elton John has to say, as his song says, "Saturday Night's All Right for Fighting." Elton John fights with the press, when CNN LIVE SUNDAY continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: And this is what all you Web surfers are voting for on cnn.com as the most popular stories there. This is new from the Dixie Chicks, in the line of fire again. The country group is back with a new album, and it's called "Not Ready to Make Nice." Now the group was banned from radio for saying they were ashamed of President Bush.
That's in Oregon, a cloud of dust and a pile of rubble, as demolition crews bring down a nuclear power plant's cooling tower. The plant was closed for more a decade -- or at least a decade ago for safety and financial reasons.
And the death of the naked guy. Andrew Martinez has died at the age of 33. He was found in a jail in Santa Clara County, California. The former college student got the name "naked guy" back in the early '90s for going to class in the nude.
All that stuff is so interesting, and you can find it on cnn.com. More details there.
All right. New developments to tell you about in that deadly Kentucky mine explosion. CNN's Sumi Das joins us live from Holmes Mill, Kentucky. SUMI DAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I don't hear anything.
LIN: All right. Let's get back to Sumi as we get her audio checked out. But the situation there is that five miners died over the weekend. There was an underground explosion, and already the governor is declaring that it was perhaps a methane gas leak. Let's hear what's going on on the ground now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAS (voice-over): Saturday should have been a joyous celebration for Tilda and Paris Thomas of Clothesplint (ph), Kentucky, the first birthday of their only grandchildren Bryson (ph). But that morning, Tilda received news that her husband was one of five miners who died in the Darby Mine explosion. Tilda says she felt sick and lost.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think of all I'm going to have to do without him. I've just been with him since I was 16. The only man in my life I've ever known.
DAS: A sixth miner, Paul Ledford, who the others called "Smiley," survived the accident. The cause of the explosion is not yet known. But state officials say they are looking into the mine's methane levels, and it appears some of the miners used or tried to use self-contained rescue devices after the blast.
Paris Thomas' brother-in-law, Russell Taylor, also works in the industry, though, not at the Darby Mine. He says the emergency breathing devices for miners just don't cut it.
RUSSELL TAYLOR, TILDA'S BROTHER: I think they need to be improved. One hour's not long enough. If a man works eight hour shift, he should be able to last eight hours.
DAS: Taylor says the mine where he works has taken steps to improve safety. But he questions why the U.S. government isn't doing more.
TAYLOR: If they had to do what we have to do, the laws would change real fast.
DAS (on camera): Do you think they're dragging their feet a little bit?
TAYLOR: I think they are dragging their feet because they don't want to spend a dollar.
DAS (voice-over): The Darby Mine has been cited 10 times in the last month by federal regulators, the Mining Safety and Health Administration says the figures aren't unusual for a mine of Darby's size.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Our thanks to Sumi Das, who is reporting to us from Holmes Mill, Kentucky. That investigation continues out there. Now, wrapping other news around the world this Sunday night, yesterday, Israel attacked a car carrying an Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza. Well, today, the country is sending $11 billion in medical supplies to that Palestinian-controlled territory. Palestinians would claim it's their money anyway since it's coming from frozen Palestinian accounts.
Iran still insisting that it's pursuing nuclear power for energy, not weapons. But Israel is confident Iran is only months away from making a nuclear bomb. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told CNN's "LATE EDITION" that Israel would not take preemptive action but would urge the world to act quickly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
EHUD OLMERT, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The question is, when will they cross the technological line that will allow them at any given time, within six or eight months, to have a nuclear bomb. And this technological threshold is nearer than we anticipated before.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: As for what the U.S. plans to do with terror suspects held in Cuba, well Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says there is no way they can release prisoners who are still vowing to kill Americans. More that 400 prisoners have been at Guantanamo Bay for the last four years.
Two Australian miners who were trapped underground for two weeks say they thought they were going to die. They told an Australian news channel that they talked about using box cutters to amputate their legs, which were pinned under rocks. But the men say the hardest part of the ordeal was writing farewell messages to their loved ones.
Hard to imagine something much worse than 9/11. But there is a new warning for New York. That story in 20 minutes.
But first, Elton John takes a shot at photographers. Wait until you hear him when CNN SUNDAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What?
JOHN: You should all be shot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Somebody took a grouchy pill. Sir Elton John screaming at photographers at the Cannes Film Festival. Now last night he was presenting an award to a young Canadian actor and photographers kept interrupting. Now it looks all like the talk about "The Da Vinci Code" is paying off. The made $224 million worldwide this weekend. That's the second-biggest global film debut ever. And in Grand Forks, North Dakota, someone stole 20 projectors so the theaters had to close, and fans and protestors of the movie were pretty upset about that.
Now that movie was all the talk at the Cannes Film Festival, but Brooke Anderson tells us there's another really cool film, this one starring Penelope Cruz, and she got to talk to her.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Another exciting day here at the Cannes Film Festival. Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone is in town. He's here to give a glimpse of his upcoming emotionally charged movie "World Trade Center," he is also here to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of his film "Platoon." He is joined by "Platoon" stars Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, and Tom Berenger.
Now, two decades ago, "Platoon" didn't play here at the festival. It was deemed too controversial, but not anymore. It will be screened here tonight. Oliver Stone told me it's extremely meaningful that "Platoon" is finally getting this recognition here at Cannes.
OLIVER STONE, DIRECTOR: This is a great honor to actually -- it was unasked for. And it has just been 20 years, and they don't do this often. A classic -- they consider it a classic, and tonight's going to be very special. It's going to be emotional, too.
ANDERSON: Prior to the screening of "Platoon," stone will be showing the first act of his movie "World Trade Center." He told me that the film, starring Nicolas Cage, is almost complete. And he also addressed the concerns that some have that it's just too soon for this film.
Why now? It's been close to five years since the tragedy. What would you say to people who think it's too soon to see a film like this?
STONE: I think it's high time. Many of the -- I mean, 9/11 is an enormous event, consequences everywhere in the world, all the politics of the world are now dominated by 9/11. So, if filmmakers can't start to ask these questions, then who the hell can?
ANDERSON: "World Trade Center" is scheduled to be released in August. By the way, Charlie Sheen, who has been involved in a bitter divorce and child custody battle with Denise Richards, told me how he's feeling.
Charlie, I know media attention has been tough, everything OK?
CHARLIE SHEEN, ACTOR: Everything's great.
ANDERSON: We're glad to see you here. Glad to see you here.
SHEEN: I've dealt with much worse. I'm tougher than that. Thank you, I'm thrilled to be here. Thank you.
ANDERSON: Reporting from the 59th Cannes Film Festival, I'm Brooke Anderson.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Stay tuned for the next hour because I think that's when you are going to see the Penelope Cruz interview. But anyway, that was a great piece.
Now Mayor Ray Nagin, the chosen man with a huge mission.
ROESGEN: I'm Susan Roesgen, live in New Orleans, getting to know the new old mayor, coming up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The most dangerous thing in New York is the New Yorker. And the New Yorker thinks they've been tested by everything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Ah, but some researchers think New York remains in the danger zone. We're going to tell you why next. You're watching CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Here's the latest news right now.
In New Orleans, a report implying that the levees were designed so badly that they were bound to fail. Most of the water actually came through the breaches in the flood walls. And Ray Nagin gets four more years to lead New Orleans. His second term starts the day before hurricane season begins.
In Afghanistan, fierce gun battles and a car bomb outside Kabul kills two people. Elsewhere, a member of the U.S.-led coalition was killed in a battle with insurgents along with three Afghan soldiers.
And gas is cheaper, down 1.5 cents over the last week. The Lundberg survey says the average price now for regular hit $2.93.
And in Washington, FBI agents have wrapped up an overnight search of Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson's office. And court papers say agents found $90,000 stashed in a refrigerator in his Washington home. Now during a search in 2005, Jefferson was under investigation for bribery.
Natalie Maines from the Dixie Chicks is taking back an apology to President Bush. In 2003 she said she was sorry for criticizing him. She said she was ashamed of him. Well, now she tells TIME magazine she doesn't think President Bush is owed any respect whatsoever. Country radio blacklisted the Dixie Chicks three years ago after Maines said that the group was ashamed of the president. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAGIN: I will bet anybody any dollar that at the end of the year, New Orleans will have at least 300,000 people living and working in the city.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: That's New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin today. One of the biggest tasks in America is his for the next four years. Susan Roesgen is in New Orleans to tell us how Nagin won the mayoral runoff and where the city goes from here.
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: Well, hopefully, the city goes forward. I've got tell you Carol that the mayor is in such a good mood today that however much he might have couched his words during the campaign, he is back in fine form now, shooting again from the hip. Today at an informal news conference after he went to church, he was asked by a reporter what the nation should think about what this city has gone through and why the nation should think that he's the man to continue lead this city. And here's what the mayor had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NAGIN: I think the nation is being entertained. I think this is a big reality T.V. show for the nation. And I just think they don't get it. They don't get the uniqueness of New Orleans. They don't really get what really happened during Katrina. All they saw was the awful images, and they really don't get Ray Nagin.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: Now, the mayor said it himself today. When he goes up the script, he really goes off the script. But after that answer, I asked him to give us a serious answer, Carol, about who he is and how he's going to move the city forward. He said he's an honest, hard- working man who has a big plan for this city and he's going to get to work first thing tomorrow, Monday morning.
LIN: Do you know what's on the agenda yet?
ROESGEN: Yes, he says he's got three things to start with. First of all, a 100-day plan. He says he's going to get a commission together and talk about what needs be done in the first 100 days. Then, he's going to talk about neighborhood rebuilding. This is something that is so critical. The neighborhood rebuilding process has basically stopped since February. He wants to get that back on track. And he also says that he's going to evaluate his staff. We understand that he may be laying off some of his people. So three things, at least to focus on first tomorrow, Carol.
LIN: Susan, thank you so much. On Bourbon Street and throughout New Orleans, even voters who didn't support Nagin are trying to be more optimistic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's a good man. He runs a beautiful city. I'm so proud of him. Go Ray Nagin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just hope he can bring the city up to standards where we can get large companies to come back in town.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was looking for Mitch because I go back with his father Moon Landrieu and he was a good mayor. His dad was a good mayor during those days.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People of New Orleans, united with Nagin can definitely move our city forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: All right, we want to get more on this race because there is so much work for this new mayor -- not new mayor, the re-elected mayor to do. Silas Lee is a political analyst like no other. Silas? What was your reaction when you heard that Ray Nagin was re-elected?
SILAS LEE, POLITICAL ANALYST: Well a lot of people were surprised to some degree. We knew it would be a very close race, but the reality was that the momentum at one point favored Mitch Landrieu. Then within the last week or so, we started to see a lot of movement towards Mayor Nagin. And one strong reason as to why Mitch Landrieu was not successful is because Mitch Landrieu pretty much ran his race as the alternative to Mayor Nagin and not as a strong challenger to him.
LIN: So, people want to know, is this really going to make a difference? Are the cars and the rubbish going to be taken off the streets? Are we going to see rebuilding in earnest, in neighborhoods like the lower Ninth Ward? What is really going to change fundamentally in the next couple of months as hurricane season begins?
LEE: Well, right now, the voters were waiting to get some stability in reference to leadership. Now that Mayor Nagin -- and he articulated this quite often during the campaign, do not change leaders in the middle of the stream, because it would disrupt the progress.
Now that we have that issue settled, hopefully that means this will expedite the rebuilding initiatives. And certainly, right now, voters want to see a plan articulated, an agenda and a timetable. Resources definitely critical. Housing, essential, as well as addressing the rebuilding of the levees.
LIN: Did you see the speech last night, Ray Nagin's speech?
LEE: Yes.
LIN: All right. So, he talked a lot about healing. He talked a lot about working with the president, working with even Mitch Landrieu, and certainly a crack at the governor, waiting, confident that the governor was going to do what she needs to do. What did you derive from that speech in the terms of the kind of mandate that Ray Nagin is going to have in his second term?
LEE: Right now, the mayor must reach out to those voters who did not support him. Keep in mind, this is a very divided city, due to the fact that 48 percent of the voters did not support him. So the mayor must be part visionary, part image builder for the community, part political Houdini and also part spiritual healer, because this is a community where a lot of citizens are still shocked and traumatized from the dramatic events of Hurricane Katrina.
And they are trying to rebuild their lives. This is a long-term project. This project and the rebuilding process will take more than five-to-10 years and extend beyond his political leadership.
But what's critical is that Mayor Nagin understands that this becomes part of his political legacy. Unfortunately, Katrina happened on his watch, and he definitely wants to be part of the solutions toward addressing the issues in reference to Katrina.
LIN: So is it fair to say that he will have no one else to blame but himself if people don't get to move back in the next four years, if businesses aren't rebuilt, if lives aren't able to be rebuilt and families pulled together?
LEE: No, it's not really fair to say that because so much of the rebuilding process, in terms of resources, we are dependent upon federal resources. That's what people must remember. The levees breached and the levees basically failed the responsibility of the federal government. So the mayor should not be blamed unfairly for what happened. The citizens were misled because they really assumed that the levees would protect them and they were not adequately designed to protect the residents here.
LIN: Silas Lee, I bet we're seeing a rebirth here in Ray Nagin. A second term, voted into office once again. Silas Lee, thank you so much.
LEE: Thank you.
LIN: Now again, for the very latest on the New Orleans election and where the city goes from here, always you can check at CNN.com.
Tomorrow, the National Hurricane Center releases its forecast for the new hurricane season coming up. Now in recent years, storms have punished Florida, Louisiana and Texas. But could the northeast be next? John Zarrella takes a look from New York.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Steve and Debbie O'Sullivan and their three children live in Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York. A tranquil setting, a beautiful, wide shoreline. They never really worried about hurricanes until now.
STEVE O'SULLIVAN, NEW YORK RESIDENT: We never really understood, you know, the greater impact of it. We never really had a great fear of them. We used to play out in them. ZARRELLA (on camera): What's changed?
S. O'SULLIVAN: Katrina.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): For the first time, the O'Sullivans, whose house sits just one block from the ocean with the Atlantic on one side and Jamaica Bay on the other, are thinking about stocking up on hurricane supplies.
DEBBIE O'SULLIVAN, NEW YORK RESIDENT: I really am seriously considering getting more supplies of water and dry goods. It is a worry for me. He's not as worried as I am.
ZARRELLA: There may be good reason for concern. New York City hasn't experienced a big hurricane since 1938. With the increase in hurricane activity, combined with the law of averages, many experts believe another major storm may be coming, and soon.
(on camera): Is it going to be a slow rise?
NICHOLAS COCH, QUEENS COLLEGE CUNY: Yes. It's going to come up slowly, about the rate that you fill a bathtub.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): Coastal geologist Nick Coch, himself a New Yorker, believes it would be catastrophic. Deaths might surpass Katrina.
COCH: Because the most dangerous thing in New York is the New Yorker. And the New Yorker thinks they've been tested by everything, but very few New Yorkers have been in the eye of a hurricane, and know how uncontrollable the energy is.
ZARRELLA: National Hurricane Center computer models and comprehensive studies are chilling. The water is pushed into lower Manhattan, steadily rising. Sea water pours through the Holland and Brooklyn Battery tunnels. JFK goes under an astounding 20 feet of water.
(on camera): This is the famous Fulton Ferry boat landing in Brooklyn. It's a popular spot for young couples to come and take wedding pictures. But if a major hurricane hits, all this will be under water.
(voice-over): Water in the Wall Street district could be seven feet deep. The subway is knocked out.
COCH: There's going to be glass all over the street, glass flying through the air.
ZARRELLA: One study puts economic losses from a Category Three hurricane at $100 billion. That threat is causing Allstate to stop writing new insurance policies in the New York area and even canceling some customers.
JEANNE SALVATORE, INSURANCE INFORMATION INSTITUTE: Metropolitan areas have high population density and very expensive properties. So you throw a hurricane into that scenario and the results can be really catastrophic.
ZARRELLA: City officials are in the midst of a major preparedness campaign. Part of the plan? Move 2.3 million people out of coastal zones. But how many will go? Dolores Orr heads the community board in Rockaway.
DOLORES ORR, ROCKAWAY COMMUNITY BOARD: For those that were raised here, I hear them today talking that, they're not going anywhere. And that's a concern.
ZARRELLA: For the O'Sullivans, being prepared just makes sense. Even here in New York, where hurricanes are as unheard of as the Yankees not making the playoffs. John Zarrella, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: And of course, you can stay tuned to CNN, your hurricane headquarters. Tomorrow on "AMERICAN MORNING," John Zarrella is going to show you what you should buy to prepare for hurricane season, prepare in your home. That starts at 6:00 a.m. Eastern.
Now battered and bloodied and keeping up the fight. Up next, my conversation with two filmmakers who take you inside a Baghdad combat hospital.
But first, from Triple Crown favorite to a fight for life. Up next, the latest on Barbaro, the champion racer who suffered a life- threatening injury.
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LIN: A powerful athlete starts the contest as a favorite, but quickly suffers an injury doctors call life threatening. Barbaro broke three bones in his leg at yesterday's Preakness and today the Kentucky Derby winner underwent surgery. Ray Riley of our affiliate WGAL is live at the New Bolton Center near Philadelphia. Ray, is it safe to say that Barbaro is still alive?
RAY RILEY, WGAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, at this point it is. Just a short time ago, a hospital staff held a press conference here to tell us surgery was still going on and that it should be wrapped up shortly. So that is a good sign.
Let me tell you, the three-year-old Barbaro broke and shattered a bone in his lower leg and doctors say he also dislocated a joint. Now the horse was brought here to the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine last night. The surgery started this afternoon, about 12:30. Staff says the horse was resting comfortably until that surgery started.
Now, surgeons say this injury is one of the worst they've ever seen, and under any other circumstance, the horse could have been put down on the track. But staff here is fighting to save that horse's life. We're told the chief surgeon in here will be holding a press conference when this surgery is over to give us the very latest on Barbaro's condition. Carol? LIN: Ray, the surgery started at about 12:30. I mean, this has been going on for more than six hours. What do they think they can hope to accomplish? Is this horse ever going to -- well, it's never going to ride again, but what do they expect the best hope for Barbaro to be?
RILEY: Well the reason they are performing the surgery is very simple. There's big money in the horse-racing business. This horse is a Kentucky Derby winner. It can stud to make other horses and hopefully keep that blood line going. So big money there, some horses in the industry are charging up to $500,000 to stud. So, there's big money wrapped up in this horse. It's not just your average everyday horse that you see on a farm.
LIN: Do they have any idea what happened, how he broke that bone?
RILEY: You know, at this point, I'm not sure. Doctors have not led to that at this point. We're hoping to ask some of those questions when the surgery is over. Again, we spoke to some of the staff here and asked if they had idea how long the surgery would take. They said they have no idea because they have never seen an injury this extensive, one, and two, they have to find out once they get in there, how much damage was actually done.
LIN: Ray Riley, thank you very much -- Ray Riley with our affiliate WGAL.
Other news across America now. The burning question you might ask yourself with this question is why did he do it? Ted Batchelor set himself on fire and plunged over this waterfall in northeast Ohio. So what's behind his lunacy? Well he's a professional stuntman celebrating the 30th anniversary of the first time he did it.
Toni Morrison's 1987 "Beloved" novel earns top-shelf distinction from the latest "New York Times" book review. The newspaper asked prominent writers and critics and editors what is the best fiction written in the past 25 years?
A quick look now at some of the news that will shape the week ahead. And you can depend on CNN to bring you live coverage tomorrow. The National Hurricane Center unveils its predictions for this year. The hurricane season starts in 11 days.
The immigration debate continues in the United States. So Mexican President Vicente Fox is crossing the border. He plans to visit California, Utah and Washington state beginning Tuesday.
And Christie's auction house travels overseas. On Wednesday, it's going to hold its first auction in the Middle East in Dubai.
And speaking of firsts, Pope Benedict XVI is going to Poland Thursday. That's where John Paul II was born. Benedict has him on the fast track to sainthood.
And Friday, the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas opens in New Orleans, nine months after Hurricane Katrina.
On the front lines in a Baghdad emergency room. Up next, an up close and personal look at the medical teams fighting to save the lives of U.S. troops.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASPER P. JONES, COLONEL: Here in the medical task force 86, we have over 700 soldiers. You learn more and more by walking through this facility. But we do our best to make sure our people survive and make it back to their homes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: That clip from a gripping new HBO film, "Baghdad ER." It is a gritty look of life on the frontlines in the medical care in Iraq. The 86 combat support hospital treats U.S. soldiers, Iraqi troops, even the insurgents.
Earlier I spoke with the film's directors about the graphic nature of their project.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Matthew, were you prepared for the graphic detail that you were about to see in this emergency room, the death, the amputations, the seriousness of the situation?
MATTHEW O'NEIL, CO-DIRECTOR, BAGHDAD ER: I was prepared for the heat; I was prepared for the dust; I was prepared for the long hours. I wasn't prepared for seeing these devastating injuries on people who were five and eight years younger than I am.
LIN: What did you expect?
O'NEIL: I didn't know what to expect. I knew that there were a lot of people getting injured. I never realized the volume that would be coming through the combat support hospital because they're not just taking care of the American soldiers. They're also taking care of Iraqi soldiers, Iraqi police, Iraqi civilians and even Iraqi insurgents.
LIN: Doesn't that seem, you know -- that must be surreal, Jon, to be there, when you have the bomber and the victims?
JON ALPERT, CO-DIRECTOR, BAGHDAD ER: There's nothing that can prepare you for anything that you're going to see in this hospital. The absolute horror, the extent of the injuries, arms dangling, blood spurting out, and extraordinary heroism of the people who are serving there. It's like nothing anybody has ever seen and you'll never experience anything like that in your life.
LIN: It's intense, it's bloody. In many ways, it's very difficult to watch. You realize that the army is actually warning soldiers and families that seeing this film may actually trigger post traumatic stress syndrome. What's your reaction to that?
O'NEIL: Well, I mean, there are triggers that can trigger post traumatic stress syndrome that soldiers encounter every day. I talked to one soldier last week who actually drove past a car accident and when he saw that car accident, all of a sudden, he was right back in his Humvee exploded on the side of the road. And I think that this film can help Americans understand what some of these soldiers have seen and understand the mental anguish that a lot of soldiers are still recovering from.
LIN: Conceptually we know that -- I mean, conceptually we know that, but what do you think the film brings to the table that Americans may not realize?
ALPERT: It brings the true nature of this war home in a very realistic way. If you want to understand the cost of this war, this is probably the first thing that brings this back very, very clearly, and it's something that the army really wants you to see.
I mean, the army gave us total access to this facility. They've been showing it around the country at the military bases. We've been getting phone calls all day long from soldiers thanking us, and saying this is the first time the American people will get a chance to see the reality of the war and they really want everybody to watch.
LIN: There's a lot of footage of the chaplain, Major David Snyder. Why is he such an important subject in this film?
O'NEIL: You know, one of the things we were struck by in the hospital is the importance that the army puts on spiritual care. It's not just physical care. One of the first people every soldier sees when they come into the hospital is the chaplain. And it's also one of the last people they see as they are leaving, or if they don't make it, the chaplain prays over them.
I mean, in one section of this film, you hear Chaplain Snyder say that he doesn't know how many people he's prayed over, how many dead soldiers he's prayed over because he can't account, he could do his job anymore if he counted them.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: HBO's top brass says the U.S. military initially expressed enthusiasm for the film, but the documentary's disturbing footage may have bothered the Pentagon. It does not endorse the project.
Well, there's still much more ahead on CNN this evening. Coming up at 7:00, all the day's headlines on CNN LIVE SUNDAY, plus CNN's Jeff Flock, who's been through plenty of bad weather. He's going to be here to tell us five things that we need to know if we're ever in the path of a hurricane. And at 8:00, "CNN PRESENTS: How to Rob a Bank," how modern-day thieves steal identities and ruin lives. What you need to do to protect yourself.
And at 9:00 Eastern, "LARRY KING WEEKEND." Larry talks to Robert Redford and the top man at Chevron on America's oil addiction. And I'll be back, actually, at 11:00 Eastern tonight -- are we going to be back at 11:00 Eastern? I don't think so. There's a sleep special tonight. Sanjay Gupta's going to tell you all you need to know about how to get a good night's sleep. The hour's headlines when I come back, and then "CNN PRESENTS."
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