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American Morning

Westerners Pouring out of Lebanon; Northern Israel Being Hit by Hezbollah Rockets

Aired July 18, 2006 - 07:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Westerners are pouring out of Lebanon, but the U.S. State Department taking heat this morning for being too slow getting Americans out. Only a handful are now safe in Cyprus. French and Italian ships have already evacuated over 1,000 people. Most westerners leaving Lebanon are crossing the Mediterranean to Larnaca, Cyprus. CNN's Chris Burns is there.
Chris.

CHRIS BURNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, it is true that quite a few Americans that are in Lebanon are angry that they're pinned down, unable to get out. Only up till now the U.S. military has evacuated about 50 people by helicopter. But now that effort, the major evacuation operation, is under way with that Greek ship, The Orient Queen, escorted by the USS Gonzalez, the destroyer.

What we're being told at this point is that it is headed towards Lebanon right now. They're not giving us any exact times. His is under heavy security and that is what they're saying is the reason why this whole evacuation operation has taken so long to get underway. They need to put the security any place.

Now over my shoulder is an Italian destroyer that arrived last night with some 400 people. And a couple docks down is a French chartered cruise liner that took on some 950 people. They wanted to take 1,200, but they said, they're telling us, that the Israeli government had told them to pack out of there early last night because of planned air strikes. So it is very difficult to have a very fixed schedule for these evacuations as this conflict goes on.

And, of course, there is and was fear among these evacuees. Here's what one of them had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I say no, I am liar. Everybody's scared because it's not something to be (INAUDIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BURNS: Meanwhile, the list is growing on the number of countries that are planning to evacuate. We're hearing that the Norwegian are expecting to send a ship here from Lebanon either tonight or tomorrow. The U.N.-chartered Serenade, the ship, is supposed to arrive sometime on Thursday. So the list is growing at the number of countries that are evacuating. Back to you, Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: Chris, the State Department saying there are 25,000 Americans in Lebanon. Those are the 25,000 they know about or who registered with the embassy or whatever. Could it be that there are much greater number there's?

BURNS: Well, yes. In fact, it is believed that there are thousands of people there on vacation. We talked to one, a student, who was there, not actually living there, but there doing research when he had to pack out of there.

But also consider among the 25,000, there are a lot of dual nationals, Lebanese-Americans. Many of them are not going to move out of there. We have seen Israel and Hezbollah exchange fire over the last few years since the civil war ended back in '91. It has happened repeatedly. So many of them, perhaps, are putting that in perspective and sticking around. It really depends on whether things really deteriorate beyond what the conditions are right now.

Miles.

M. O'BRIEN: All right, Chris Burns in Larnaca, thank you.

Soledad is on her way to Larnaca right now. She'll be joining us live throughout the morning. We'll check in with her a little bit later, as soon as she gets there.

On Capitol Hill, some calls for the Bush administration to do more to get Americans out of harm's way. Senators Harry Reid, Karl Levin and Ted Kennedy have written a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and the Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. It says, in part, "given the intensity of the conflict and the need to ensure the safety of American citizens, we would ask that the decision to evacuate Americans be made at once and that sufficient resources to expedite the evacuations be made available, ensuring the safety of these Americans must be our top priority."

Now it you have a loved one visiting Lebanon, instead of calling the embassy in Beirut directly, even if you can get through, the State Department would prefer you do this. Call this number on your screen. It's 888-407-4747. Or you can log on to that website there. The URL is www.travel.state.gov.

Carol.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And the violence continues right now. Northern Israel being hit by Hezbollah rockets. The country's third largest city, Haifa, again the target. CNN's Paula Hancocks heard the Hezbollah rockets hit.

Tell us more, Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, just about an hour ago we had at least two more rockets that hit here, possibly three. We know that there were no casualties in these particular rocket attacks and very little damage done. But these rockets have been coming into northern Israeli towns and Haifa pretty consistently over the past three days.

On Sunday, the deadliest Hezbollah attack, which killed eight here in Haifa. On Monday, we had at least 10 rockets here, 50 across the whole of northern Israel. Today, it's Tuesday, has been slightly quieter, but we are still seeing the rockets being launched.

Now we've also heard from the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, saying that the time has come that Israel will not any longer be held hostage to terror, to terror groups or to countries, sovereign states, that support terror. He also said that they are doing everything they can to stop these rockets coming into Haifa. At this point, though, it doesn't appear as though that has worked.

But we are hearing from the Israeli air force on Monday saying that they have destroyed at least 10 of these long-range missiles, Iranian-made long-range missiles, that is believed could reach Tel Aviv, the most popular city here in Israel. Now we know that the alerts, heightened alerts, has gone all the way down to Tel Aviv. So half of the country is on heightened alert at the moment.

Carol.

COSTELLO: The Israeli prime minister has softened the rhetoric just a bit, as you've kind of hinted at, Paula. He's no longer asking that Hezbollah be dismantled, but he still is calling for those soldiers to be released.

HANCOCKS: He has definite conditions for a cease-fire, which he reiterated last night. One was to make sure that these two soldiers who were abducted last Wednesday on the Lebanese-Israeli border are released safely. Also he wants to make sure that Hezbollah does disarms and is not able to be on that southern Lebanese, northern Israeli border and cause more trouble in the future. That's his main target.

Obviously, the Israeli military's targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, Hezbollah rocket launchers, to make sure it's not going to be a threat in the future. And he also wants Lebanese army troops to be on that southern border in Lebanon to create a buffer zone. He's rejected plans by Tony Blair, the U.K. prime minister, and Kofi Annan, the U.N.'s secretary general, suggesting there could be an international force in that area. He wants a Lebanese force and that's what he was saying Monday evening in this speech.

Carol.

COSTELLO: Paula Hancocks live in Haifa this morning.

There have been calls for the U.S. secretary of state to travel to the Middle East. President Bush said he will send Secretary Rice, but not right away. The administration wants to be sure that her mission will be successful and the president is trying to keep out of Middle East politics an getting fully engaged.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FORMER SECRETARY OF STATE: I think it's a good idea. I think that it's something that I said I hoped she would do. I think the timing has to be discussed very carefully. But, you know, in the end, every secretary of state, whether he or she wants to, gets involved in the Middle East. It's really what the job is about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: But both the Lebanese and Israeli governments stay it is too soon for Secretary Rice to try her hand at defusing the situation.

M. O'BRIEN: Here in the U.S., in New Orleans, word of three arrests in the investigation of alleged mercy killings at a hospital in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. This is a story that CNN broke last October. Our investigative correspondent, Drew Griffin, was the person who did that. He joins us live in New Orleans with the latest on this story.

Drew.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Miles, the latest coming in just moment ago. CNN hearing from a source very close to the investigation that two nurses and one doctor have been charged now with second-degree murder in this case, as you said, of mercy killings. Really deliberate killing of patients at this hospital to expedite the evacuation of Memorial Hospital in those days after Katrina.

Let me talk you back to the situation. Memorial Hospital, shortly after the storm, surrounded by water, had about 2,000 people in it. They were running out of supplies. It was incredibly hot. The staff was running short on patience. Wanted to know when the evacuations would begin.

Finally, the Wednesday after the storm, everybody was ordered out. By Thursday morning, the staff and some patients were left in there. That is when, we believe, according to our sources, that this event occurred.

Of course you said, Miles, in October is when Dr. Bryant King came to CNN, a contract physician, and said, doctors and nurses were openly discussing on that Thursday morning whether or not to kill patients, to eliminate patients so they could evacuate the hospital. The attorney general of Louisiana has been investigating those charges for the past 10 months now. Seventy-three subpoenas issued and findings are to be released today at a news conference in Baton Rouge by Attorney General Charles Foti in this investigation.

But again, we've learned, according to a source very close to the investigation, that two nurses and one doctor have been charged with a serious charge of second-degree murder in this case. That is all we know at this time. We don't know the number, Miles, of patient whose may have been killed according to the attorney general. M. O'BRIEN: Drew, give us a sense -- you talk about a 10-month investigation and 70-some subpoenas. Obviously an extensive investigation. Why did it take so long?

GRIFFIN: Well, first you had the problem with the physical evidence on the scene, Miles. There was 45 bodies found inside Memorial Hospital after the storm. And they had been lingering there, dead, for many, many days. So there was just the physical evidence of testing these bodies.

Then, for a while, the owner of that hospital was, according to the attorney general's office, kind of stifling the investigation. Advising staff of that hospital that they did not need to talk to investigators. So that's when subpoenas were released and issued in this case trying to get staff to come forward.

And, quite frankly, I think that the attorney general's office, and its investigators, knew these are very serious charges against people who generally have spent their life caring for people. They wanted to make sure they were sure. They didn't have any kind of flight risks going on. So they just took a long time with this investigation to make it right.

We will learn the results of that investigation later this afternoon here in the state of Louisiana. But, obviously, a case being closely followed across the world. A case of actually patients being killed. Perhaps not mercy killing here. I know we're saying that, Miles, but really the charge here is a killing to expedite the evacuation of the staff.

M. O'BRIEN: Drew Griffin in New Orleans following this story for us. Thank you.

Carol.

COSTELLO: Let's talk about the weather now because it is hot, hot, hot, in much of the nation. Today's forecast for New York, in the upper right of your screen. You can see it there, 97 degrees and really high humidity. Transit officials in New York actually say the excessive heat yesterday caused the rail on the subway system to buckle. Long Island reported a peak power record and a four-hour power outage at La Guardia Airport terminal and that was blamed on that high demand for electricity.

A shout-out to residents of Chicago. The forecast is for a high of only 83. A cold front is sweeping through. In Chicago, an all- time demand for electricity in the late afternoon yesterday caused power outages. City workers are still delivering water and checking on older residents today.

Today's forecast for Philadelphia, 98 degrees. Some kids are getting relief, you see, by playing in the spray from a fire hydrant. The heat is blamed for the death of a 60-year-old woman in the city. Much of Pennsylvania under a heat advisory. So we want to know when we're going to get relief and we want to know now and we want to know where and Chad's got the toys now to tell us. CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: How about tomorrow?

COSTELLO: Fabulous.

MYERS: Is that OK?

COSTELLO: Well I guess we'll have to take it.

(WEATHER REPORT)

M. O'BRIEN: Coming up on the program, unlocking the puzzle that is the Middle East. Is the U.S. doing enough to try and find a solution? We'll ask that question ahead.

COSTELLO: Also, more bad news for Boston's troubled big dig project. We'll tell you why the problems may be worse than we thought.

M. O'BRIEN: And the battle over stem cells. Doctors are certain they could be lifesavers, but some believe using them is tantamount to murder. What do you think? Ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BECCA BOONE, EVACUEE: It's hard to see the Lebanese people rebuilding their country and, after so many years of civil war, and it's looking great now. They have so many buildings redone and yet, here again, they have more bombings and more war and it's just like yet again these people are going through it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

M. O'BRIEN: Just one of the U.S. citizen who made it safely out of Lebanon to Cyprus. One of only about 70 there. A French ship carrying evacuees from Lebanon arrives in Cyprus early today. Among the evacuees onboard, 38 Americans. The Pentagon trying to speed up the evacuation process. A cruise ship is steaming towards Lebanon now to do just that.

In Iraq today, at least 45 are killed, 60 others wound by a suicide bomber. It happened south of Baghdad. Following that attack, Iraqi police found a dozen bodies near a Shia shrine right nearby. Possible reprisal killings.

Carol.

COSTELLO: The death toll from a major earthquake off the southwest Java coast and the tsunami that followed climbed quickly today as the Indonesian Department of Social Affairs pegged the death toll at 305 with 431 injured. The government also says 115 people were missing and more than 35,000 displaced.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's calling the damage from a massive desert wildfire devastating. He has visited Pioneertown where many of the destroyed home were located. Firefighters hope to have the combined 80,000 acres Sawtooth and Millard fires contained in the next few days.

More sizzling heat for much of America today. Temperatures in the high 90s in several regions. The heat is being blamed for buckling a rail on the New York subway system on Monday forcing about 300 passengers to get off the train and walk to the nearest station.

The Senate is expected to approve a controversial bill today that would expand federal funding for stem cell research. Lawmakers began the emotional debate yesterday. The house has already approved the measure, but the president is promising to veto it. CNN congressional correspondent Dana Bash joins us live from Capitol Hill with more on this political intrigue.

Good morning.

DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

You know, conservatives have complained that President Bush should use his veto pen on things like controlling federal spending or limiting government programs. Instead, the president, who has been in office for five and a half years, will wield his first veto pen, exercise his first veto on an issue that is incredibly emotional and divisive a one that is already a factor in some of this year's tightest congressional races.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BASH (voice over): In stem cell labs like this at Johns Hopkins University, scientists hope to find cures for diseases like Parkinson's and diabetes. Dr. John Gearhardt says progress is stymied by limits enacted by President Bush on federal funds for research using excess embryos from in vitro fertilization.

DR. JOHN GEARHARDT, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: The current set of cells that we have will never see a patient. There are too many issues about those cells. If we want to work with the better material, that's the key in all of this.

BASH: The Senate is poised to pass legislation lifting those restrictions, setting the stage for a dramatic political moment. The president's first veto ever on an issue supported by a majority of the American people and some fellow Republicans.

REP. MIKE CASTLE, (R) DELAWARE: I don't know how you can really turn your back on research that could potentially help one out of three Americans who have some sort of affliction out there, particularly when you're using nothing but excess embryos.

BASH: It is an intensely emotional and politically dicey debate, especially wrenching for Republicans. Majority Leader Bill Frist is one of several self-described pro-life Republicans who says science is paramount.

SEN. BILL FRIST, (R) MAJORITY LEADER: To limit on cell lines available for federally research, those original limits, given what has happened in science today and what we have learned, is too restrictive.

BASH: Others call research with any embryo immoral.

SEN. SAM BROWNBACK, (R) KANSAS: Since when do we look at human life to the point that we would use taxpayer dollars to destroy human life? Innocent human life.

BASH: Both sides opened the debate with human stories to make their case. Opponents of embryonic stem cell research, like Cathy Pell, says her daughter's birth defect was helped with stem cells from cord blood, not embryos.

CATHY PELL, HAS CHILD WITH BIRTH DEFECT: Two weeks after we came back from Duke (ph) -- she looked up at me and smiled for the first time ever.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BASH: Now the politics at this issue are about as complicated as the science. But Republicans are concerned about the ramifications of a Bush veto, especially three and a half months before election day. So along with the embryonic stem cell bill that they know that President Bush will veto, Republicans plan to send him two measures that he will sign. One of those, Carol, is aimed at promoting methods of researching stem cells without destroying embryos. Critics, though, say that that is unnecessary and nothing more than political cover for Republicans.

Carol.

COSTELLO: Should be an interesting day. Dana Bash reporting live from Capitol Hill this morning.

M. O'BRIEN: A chartered cruise ship is now steaming toward Lebanon. There to rescue American citizens stuck in that country as it faces all the violence. Seven hundred fifty citizens at a time will be taken out of Lebanon on that cruise ship. A lot of family members of a lot of the people trapped, quite frankly, are wondering why the U.S. can't move any faster? Joining us now from the State Department is Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, top aide to the secretary of state.

Secretary Burns, why haven't we moved any faster? Isn't this a little embarrassing?

NICHOLAS BURNS, UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE: Miles, I think we've moved very fast. And if you focus on what we've been doing, I think you'd agree with me. We've had an air bridge from Cyprus to Beirut over the last couple of days. We've taken out elderly people and sick people and children.

We've also contracted with cruise ships to come in. There's one at the docks in Beirut right now and American citizens are boarding it. We have another cruise ship coming in this evening that will take another 900 to 1,000 people out.

We've acted very fast, Miles. There are over 25,000 Americans in Lebanon and 15,000 of those Americans have registered with the embassy. So I just think you have no grounds in saying that we haven't acted fast enough.

M. O'BRIEN: But it's day seven and there are less than 70 Americans in Cyprus. Why?

BURNS: And the reason is, Miles, is because the great majority of the American citizens in Lebanon are dual national. They're Lebanese-Americans. We're not ordering people to evacuate. People go out when they want to go out.

We have an open line to all American citizens. We're in touch with them by a website. Those Americans who wish to leave will, obviously, go out. Those who were in critical need of leaving over the weekend have left through the air bridge.

And so we're highly organized, we're very efficient, we've been very active. We're on this one and I think we're doing a good job.

M. O'BRIEN: But clearly the demand to leave exceeds the capacity as it stands right now?

BURNS: I think what you're seeing, Miles, you're seeing lots of other European nationals and foreigners who don't have ties to country who want to get out. The American community is very different because, as I said, the vast majority are dual nationals. They have two passports. And many of them are not in Beirut. They're in other Lebanese towns that have not been affected by the fighting.

So our advice to Americans is, if you feel you're safe and you feel that the best thing for you is to stay, you'll be the best judge of that. It you're in a dangerous area, obviously, we want to get you to safety. We will work with Americans to do that. We are working overtime, 24/7, in Beirut and here to do that.

M. O'BRIEN: Now you have so far advised Americans not to try to escape via Syria. In other words, an over land route.

BURNS: That's right.

M. O'BRIEN: Other countries have done that and so far that has gone with success. Now do you feel that that's a gamble Americans should not take?

BURNS: Well, as you know, there have been -- there's been military action on the main road from Beirut to Damascus. In fact, there were significant air strikes there just a couple of days ago. It's our view that that's a dangerous thing to do. And so, therefore, we think the best thing is for American citizens to go out and by air through the helicopter bridge or by sea. And the vast majority of people who want to leave are going to have to go out by sea.

You've seen over the last couple of days the cruise ships coming in. They've all been leased by foreign governments. Our government is doing that. We also have U.S. military assets in the region to provide protection for those commercial ships that carry Americans. This departure of Americans, those who want to leave, has been very well thought out, it's very methodical and it's highly prepared.

M. O'BRIEN: All right. Let's shift gears here. The secretary of state, we are told, we overheard the president saying that she will make her way to the region. The timing is in question here. I don't think there's any specific time. The Israelis indicating they don't think this is the right time. But whenever she finally makes that trip, isn't it important, would it be important to include, somehow, the Syrians in some sort of negotiation?

BURNS: Well, I think our focus is going to be, and the world's focus is going to be on Hezbollah and on Syria and on Iran. And everyone believes that Syria and Iran are, of course, arming Hezbollah. The longer-range rocket attacks on Haifa, and Acre, and Safed and Tiberius are from the Iranian and Syrian inventories. It's up to those countries to cease and desist from arming Hezbollah. And, frankly, Hezbollah started all this.

M. O'BRIEN: But should the U.S. engage directly Syria?

BURNS: It's up to Hezbollah to stop the rocket attacks and to return the Israeli soldiers. We have diplomatic relations with Syria. We have an American embassy in Damascus. We are talking to the Syrian government. There's a Syrian ambassador in the United States. So there's no lack of communication between Damascus and Washington.

The problem is, we disagree with them. They prefer to arm and finance a terrorist group and we oppose that terrorist group. And so, therefore, the Syrian government is the one that has to change its stripes here.

M. O'BRIEN: Got to leave it there. Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, thanks for your time.

BURNS: Thank you very much. Thank you.

M. O'BRIEN: Up next on the program, meet an American family desperate for news of loved ones in Lebanon. We'll tell you about their tearful vigil as they're forced to just watch and wait. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The fighting is again intense in Lebanon and Israel this morning and Americans are finally getting their chance to get out after seven days in the war zone. The Orient Queen, a cruise ship chartered by the United States, left Cyprus about an hour ago. The trip to Lebanon takes about five hour. The ship carries about 750 passengers at a time. And keep in mind, there are thought to be 25,000 Americans in Lebanon. At least 3,000 of them are expected to leave. Every moment that it takes to get people to safety is torture for their families waiting here at home.

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