Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Fierce Fighting in Southern Lebanon; Some Experts Warning Heatwave Just the Beginning
Aired August 03, 2006 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: For one more day, the deadly heat wave is going to keep a grip on the eastern half of the country.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Record highs across the Northeast -- 99 today in New York City, 100 in Washington, D.C. And one more thing, Tropical Storm Chris completely fell apart overnight. Great news for folks in Florida.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: An amazing development.
Thanks so much, Chad.
We'll be looking forward to your reports on that.
Also, a mysterious flash over the skies of Central Texas. Police flooded with calls as people wonder exactly what is it that they saw.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Matthew Chance on the Israeli-Lebanese border. Stay tuned and I'll give you all the latest information on the fierce fighting taking place still between Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters in Southern Lebanon.
O'BRIEN: And the price of orange juice nearing an all time high. But why? Is a dwindling workforce the answer?
We'll take a look ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
Welcome back.
Good morning, everybody.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.
SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez, filling in for Miles.
Good to be here with you again.
O'BRIEN: it's nice to have you helping us out.
We appreciate it.
People on the East Coast, as we've been telling you all morning, are suffering, really, through this third day of record breaking heat. Chad says -- Chad promises relief is on the way. Cooler temperatures, in fact, are expected tonight. Until then, though, people basically just have to find a way to cope.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oppressive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Cruel is a good word. Yes, brutal, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hot. It's really hot.
O'BRIEN (voice-over): From the Mississippi on east, swelter is the name of the game and people are doing their best to deal.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have to take a shower like three times a day.
SANCHEZ: The oppressive heat is taking its toll on commuters desperately trying to keep their cool above and below ground. One young woman passed out on a Boston subway train, while an elderly passenger needed a collective fanning from her fellow straphangers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We stopped at every station with the doors open for about 10, 15 minutes each station. It's no wonder why people are dropping.
Open doors, 100 degrees. It was hot as hell in there.
O'BRIEN: At Boston's South Station, some passengers needed oxygen and a blood pressure check. And their final destination was a hospital emergency room. A commuter train out of Washington didn't make it much past Union Station before breaking down, leaving passengers stuck on the tracks with no A.C.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We sat on that train for almost an hour- and-a-half.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hot. You couldn't breathe. I mean it was just dead air.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was hotter on the trains than it was outside.
O'BRIEN: Commuters stepping off buses in Newark may have been dripping wet, but they were happy to see people handing out bottles of ice cold water.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why did you shut your air conditioner off, huh?
O'BRIEN: In New York, residents of a Harlem high rise were hot and bothered about the building's elevators being shut down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have asthma. I can't walk up 29 flights.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What are we supposed to do, sit out here all night with a baby and little kids? That's not right. O'BRIEN: While forecasters saying it'll be another day of intense heat before the calvary comes in, in the form of a cold front, there's still a record demand for power and for patience.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm burning up. It's ridiculously hot here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's my first day on a new job and I have to wear a new suit on the hottest day of the year. How's that?
(END VIDEO TAPE)
O'BRIEN: Ooh, he is angry.
High temperatures also are straining the power grids. Thousands of people here in New York and in the surrounding areas are without power this morning.
That brings us right to Allan Chernoff.
He's been sweating it out all morning. He's on the West Side -- hey, Allan, good morning.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
You know, because of this heat wave, yesterday we had the tri- state New York Metro Region reporting record usage of power. And can you believe it, 8:00 in the morning and already our digital thermometer is showing more than 90 degrees.
Absolute misery for people who are just walking the street. But think about doing heavy labor in this type of weather, like construction. Plenty of guys behind us putting up a luxury high rise here on the West Side of Manhattan.
We have the superintendent of the job with us now, Joe Corvino.
Joe, first of all, I see that you're actually smoking a cigar on a day like this?
JOE CORVINO, SUPERINTENDENT, DIFAMA CONCRETE: That's my favorite thing to do outside of the work we do.
CHERNOFF: So no matter how hot, you've got that cigar going?
CORVINO: That's it. That's about it.
CHERNOFF: All right, what's it like working in this temperature?
It's got to be miserable.
CORVINO: It's hot. You start sweating the minute you get up and get into the car to go to work or drive on the train. But we're dealing with it.
CHERNOFF: Joe, you've got guys working on the deck 33 stories up. This is a huge complex. Right up on the top there, it's going to be frying, really got to be terrible.
CORVINO: Oh, yes. It's a frying pan up there.
CHERNOFF: how do you keep them cool?
CORVINO: Lots of water and they keep themselves, you know, they keep their -- they keep what bare minimum they're allowed to keep on them, insurance purpose wise. But, you know, it is what it is. We always work on the roof in this business.
CHERNOFF: Joe Corvino, thanks so much for joining us.
CORVINO: Thank you.
CHERNOFF: Stay cool.
Soledad, certainly not an easy way to make a living, especially on days like today -- back to you.
O'BRIEN: Yes, you've got to wear the jeans and you've got to wear the helmet and all the other stuff that just makes you hotter.
All right, Allan, thanks.
Stay cool -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Throw in the cigar and you've got a trifecta.
Time to check the forecast now.
Chad Myers at the CNN Center with the very latest on the weather -- what do you think of that guy? On a day like that, it does seem like somehow not a good mix, a cigar and a hot day, does it?
MYERS: Well, you know, I've had a breakfast cigar in my life a couple of times, especially if you're on vacation. But not when I'm at work.
LaGuardia, 102.
Newark, 100 yesterday.
All record breaking temperatures here; Atlantic City, as well.
Now, you remember that the temperatures you see, that we post here, those are always measured in the shade, and typically over a grassy surface at a -- or on a runway somewhere, at some airport.
But the problem is if you're working outside, you're standing on the asphalt, obviously you're not over a grassy surface where it's nice and cool, or cooler, like Central Park. Central Park was actually six degrees cooler yesterday than it was at Newark.
A hundred degrees in Washington, D.C. today. Ninety-nine in New York City. Now, look at tomorrow. A cold front does come through New York City. It comes through Boston, not quite to D.C. by the heat of the day, but still, much better tomorrow than today.
But the problem is this cold front is going to make a significant severe weather event today across the Northeast.
This was Tropical Storm Chris. It still is a tropical storm technically, 40 miles per hour. But it is traveling a little bit farther to the south. And it really fell apart overnight.
Notice the center of circulation. It's right there. But all of the thunderstorms went way to the south. They just completely dissipated around the center of the storm, making this storm much less of a threat for Florida and the Gulf.
But it still is in very warm water. We have to keep watching it anyway -- back to you guys.
SANCHEZ: Hey, thanks, Chad.
A lot more on the heat and ways to stay safe.
The director of the Centers for Disease Control is going to be joining us to talk about it and we'll be talking to her, it's scheduled for about 10 minutes from now.
And now to the Middle East.
Israel is battering Southern Lebanon once again with artillery rounds and, as well, air strikes. Hezbollah firing back with dozens of Katusha rockets. Reports now from the Al-Arabiya network saying that two Israeli soldiers have been killed in fierce fighting near the border, as well.
Anthony Mills is joining us now.
He's following the story from Beirut -- good morning, Anthony.
ANTHONY MILLS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rick.
Beirut itself had been quiet for several days, but that calm was shattered last night with a series of loud explosions that echoed across the city. Those were strikes, aerial strikes targeting again the southern suburbs, the Hezbollah stronghold part of the city, what had taken a pounding already throughout the course of this now more than three-week-old conflict. Widespread damage in that part of the city -- pancaked buildings and destroyed houses.
And, also, further air strikes in the east of Lebanon, as well -- the Bekaa Valley, getting over toward the Syrian-Lebanese border. And in the north, where a bridge was reportedly destroyed on another route north toward Syria and the Syrian-Lebanese border -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Anthony Mills following the story from Beirut.
We take you now to the other side of Israel and its expanded ground offensive, as you've been hearing.
CNN's Matthew Chance is in northern Israel, has that for us.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's still a great deal of fierce fighting underway across the border here into Lebanon from Israel. In the south of Lebanon, of course, thousands of Israeli ground troops have been deployed as Israel widens its operations there. The attempt is trying to establish a broad strip of territory between Israel and Lebanon that the Israeli troops can clear of Hezbollah activities. They're really striking hard at Hezbollah strongholds there, trying to degrade what they call the infrastructure -- the tunnels, the fortresses, the bunkers that have been built by the Lebanese militia over the course of the past six years, since Israel ended its occupation of Southern Lebanon.
Once they've established that strip of land, the intention, according to Israeli military officials, is to hold onto it, to protect the people of Israel from Hezbollah attacks until such time as a multinational force can be agreed and then deployed on the ground to take over from the Israeli military, at which point we're hearing from the Israeli officials that Israeli troops will withdraw back into Israel.
In the meantime, still, a great deal of Katusha rocket strikes on Israeli towns and cities across its north, coming from Southern Lebanon, from Hezbollah positions. Dozens landing over the course of this day. It seems that even as this ground operation continues and intensifies -- you can hear the artillery going off behind me. But even as that intensifies, Hezbollah is still able to strike at towns and cities across Israel.
Matthew Chance, CNN, on the Israeli-Lebanese border.
O'BRIEN: Happening in America this morning, Mel Gibson's arrest may do more than just damage his reputation. The entertainment Web site, tmz.com, what is owned by our parent company, Time Warner, has released video of Gibson to CNN. It was shot on a cell phone at the Moonshadows Restaurant the night of his arrest.
The actor/director now faces several charges, including misdemeanor driving under the influence. If he is convicted, he could spend up to six months in jail.
The San Francisco-Bay Area may be a little bit on edge this morning. A moderate earthquake struck there three miles west of Glen Ellen, in Sonoma County last night. The magnitude 4.4 quake didn't do any serious damage. No reports of any injuries.
The governor of Arizona is expected to issue an emergency declaration in response to this week's heavy floods. Severe rain pounded a wide area of two counties, caused roads to close, left a lot of people stranded. The declaration would trigger federal aid to that region.
People in South Central Minnesota are cleaning up today after a round of violent storms. Tornadoes touched down, flattening everything in sight. So far, no reports of any injuries there.
A mysterious sight in the skies over Central Texas to tell you about. People described it as a fireball streaking by. Some even said that they saw it split into pieces. One amateur astronomer thinks it was a meteor fireball. Some people speculate, though, it might have been space junk re-entering the atmosphere. We're not completely clear yet on what it is.
SANCHEZ: And still no call from Miles.
Still to come, three weeks into the Middle East conflict and President Bush still hasn't called Israel's prime minister.
Is their relationship a little too close for comfort?
We're going to take a closer look as we examine that.
O'BRIEN: Plus, we talk to the head of the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control. Some important tips on how you can stay safe while the country swelters.
SANCHEZ: And then later, have you noticed your morning O.J. costing you a little bit more lately? Find out why you're getting squeezed with your orange juice.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: is it hot enough for you?
The mercury is going to hit 90 degrees in Boston today. A head advisory is in effect. Amtrak is cutting the speed on the Acela trains, worried that the heat is actually going to warp the tracks.
In New York, we're expecting 96 degrees. You saw the picture there. There's a lot of pictures, in fact. Ninety-six degrees is what we're expecting. Energy demands pushed to the max. Some 7,000 customers right around here are without power, in fact.
Philadelphia is heading for 98 degrees today. The heat is also taking its toll on the farms in the surrounding areas. Apparently, milk and egg production is down.
And in Washington, the temperature there aiming for 100 degrees today. An extreme heat warning is in effect until this evening.
The oppressive heat isn't just uncomfortable. It's not only just inconvenient, it's also deadly. Two hundred people, more or less, have died as this heat wave passed west to east over the country.
Let's get right to Dr. Julie Gerberding.
She is the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
She's in Atlanta this morning.
Nice to see you, Dr. Julie Gerberding, as always.
Thanks for talking with us.
DR. JULIE GERBERDING, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: Good morning.
O'BRIEN: Let's begin with who is at risk.
Is it always, essentially, the same populations that you and I will talk about at risk for other things? It is the elderly and the young?
GERBERDING: Well, those are the highest risk populations, and anyone with a chronic medical condition that might have them give a problem in terms of cooling down.
But we are also seeing this issue in athletes and other people who are outside exercising in this extreme heat. They get dehydrated and they're vulnerable to the same dangers.
O'BRIEN: Well, that's just ridiculous. I mean it's just way too hot to be out there exercising today, certainly.
How do -- you know, we talk about people who die from the heat. But how literally do you -- I mean are you really dying from dehydration? Are you literally dying because your body temperature just gets too high?
GERBERDING: The main problem is the high body temperature. Your body just can't cool down fast enough to keep up with the outside temperatures. And what happens is your central nervous system begins to fail, your cardiovascular system doesn't pump blood accurately or appropriately. And you basically go into a state of collapse.
This is very dangerous and people need to recognize the signs and get help early.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk about some of those signs.
For heat stroke, you know, you hear a lot about it, but I'm not even sure I could recognize heat stroke in somebody.
What does heat stroke look like?
GERBERDING: Heat stroke is the worst case scenario. In heat stroke, the body temperature is very high, usually over 103 degrees. The heart beat is very strong because your body is desperately trying to cool off. And often people are beet red or appear very hot and uncomfortable. They may be dizzy. They may be very confused. Or they may even be unconscious.
So on a hot day, if you see someone who is down or not able to really think accurately, it's important to get help and get them into a cool spot as quickly as you can.
O'BRIEN: is it enough to get them into a cool spot or is it something where they need to go to an emergency room?
GERBERDING: Well...
O'BRIEN: I mean, can you self-treat it?
GERBERDING: It is -- at the stage of heat stroke, it's a medical emergency. It's important to call 911, to get people out of the sun, but then, if possible, to do some things to help cool them down, including cold water or ice packs or if you're in an environment where there is a cold bath or a shower, that can help, too, if they're conscious enough to tolerate that.
O'BRIEN: Literally just try to bring that body temperature down?
GERBERDING: Absolutely.
O'BRIEN: What's the difference with heat exhaustion?
GERBERDING: Well, heat exhaustion is just a milder version of this. The body temperature may not be as hot. Usually in heat exhaustion, people are really sweating. So the clue there is excessive sweat. People can also be confused. Their heart rate may be fast, but it may be a little bit thready. Often this is associated with dehydration, so the people don't look like they're in the state of extremeness that you may see with heat stroke. But they're very ill and they, too, need to get cooled down, re-hydrated and out of the heat.
O'BRIEN: With all those signs that we have up on the screen, is this the kind of thing if you notice that you can self-treat or just, you know, bring them into your house? You don't necessarily need to take them to the emergency room?
GERBERDING: You don't necessarily need to bring people to the emergency room. But it's always a good idea to get help or advice, because there are other things that could be confused with heat exhaustion.
I think the most important thing is if a person is alert and able to describe what's going on, to get them cool, get them hydrated. And if you have any doubt, get help.
O'BRIEN: Let me ask you about some of these tips. And I think they're really obvious, although I'm always baffled when people choose to go out and run-or get exercise on such a hot day. And yet you're right, you always see them. You say drink more fluids. Everyone should be doing that. And they were handing them out in New York City yesterday. Make sure you find a place with some air conditioning. Reduce your physical activity.
When you sweat, you lose salt.
Should people be concerned about that? I mean should you also be worried about trying to regain that salt intake? Or is that something your body will just regulate? GERBERDING: Well, in general, when you do exercise, you lose both water and salt. But the best way to replenish those minerals is through what you eat and not by taking extra salt tablets. We would advise against that, because that can lead to a state where your sodium level is too high. And that also is dangerous.
O'BRIEN: Dr. Julie Gerberding is the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nice to see you, as always.
Dr. Gerberding, thanks for being with us.
GERBERDING: Thank you.
O'BRIEN: Rick.
SANCHEZ: Of course, one of the big stories that we're following throughout the morning, an air raid this morning in Southern Lebanon making the delivery of humanitarian aid to the area difficult and dangerous, meaning children, the elderly, civilians are getting caught. We're going to show you how workers are trying to make it happen.
But first, Cuban President Fidel Castro's exiled sister talks to CNN about his condition. We're going to tell you what she knows.
Stay with us on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And we welcome you back to AMERICAN MORNING.
Still no hint of a cease-fire in the Middle East. Israeli leaders say their offensive could last several more weeks. U.N. ambassadors say some movement may come today. But U.S. leaders say very little.
CNN's Ed Henry is live at the White House.
He's been following this story for us and trying to put it all together -- good morning, Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Rick.
It's what the White House is saying and not saying to Israel that's really raising some eyebrows.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY (voice-over): President Bush made a surprise visit to the ratty, old White House briefing room before it gets nine months of massive renovations.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So this is like the end of an old era. And let me just say we felt your pain. HENRY: Plenty of laughs, but the president took no questions, leaving Press Secretary Tony Snow to face a barrage of queries about why the U.S. has not stepped in to end the Mideast crisis.
TONY SNOW, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: As I've said many times, we would love a cease-fire yesterday. We want an end to violence. We think that what has happened is a tragedy not merely for the people of Lebanon, but the people of Israel.
HENRY: But Snow acknowledged three weeks into the war, the president has still not called Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, leading critics to charge the U.S. has given Olmert tacit approval to obliterate Hezbollah, regardless of the toll it's taking on innocent victims in Lebanon and Israel.
SNOW: We don't have a green light. I mean it's -- the idea that the United States government is saying go, go, go, I think, is a disservice both to the Israeli government, which operates independently, and to this government.
HENRY: After a White House meeting Wednesday, Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres did show independence by saying the campaign will continue for weeks, not days, the opposite of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's prediction. But Peres also highlighted Israel's close ties to the administration when asked if the White House is privately urging him to stop the bombing.
SHIMON PERES, ISRAELI VICE PREMIER: I don't feel any pressure. I feel a real sincere dialogue. And we appreciate very much the words of the president, who says Israel has the right to defend ourself.
HENRY: Some Republicans are raising questions about whether the relationship is too cozy.
SEN. CHUCK HAGEL (R), NEBRASKA: The United States and Israel must understand that it is not in their long-term interests to allow themselves to become isolated in the Middle East and the world.
HENRY: This stands in stark contrast to the president's father who appeared to be more neutral in Arab/Israeli conflicts.
AARON DAVID MILLER, FORMER MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR: The priorities that he has set in the Middle East, Iraq, Iran and preventing another attack on the continental United States by a terrorist group in the wake of 9/11, automatically, by definition, pushes the United States into a posture where it's going to be extremely supportive of Israel.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENRY: The president spoke by telephone last night with British Prime Minister Tony Blair for 10 minutes, trying to iron out the final details for a U.N. resolution that will stop the violence. Both leaders are hopeful they can get that passed this week. But right now it's looking like an uphill climb -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Our Ed Henry filling us in.
We thank you so much, Ed -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Anderson Cooper has got a look at what's coming up on his program tonight -- Anderson.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Soledad, tonight on "360," the Middle East on fire. Iraq exploding. Iran and North Korea threatening to erupt.
What's a superpower to do? What can the United States do against a firestorm of global challenges?
"360" live from the war zone, tonight, 10:00 p.m. Eastern -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Anderson, thanks.
Still to come this morning, the summer scorcher. More triple digit temperatures expected today and some people say this heat wave is just the beginning. We'll tell you why.
And take a look at this, a little snowstorm. That looks good about now. We'll tell you where you can find it, right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Good morning.
Welcome back, everybody.
I'm Soledad O'Brien.
SANCHEZ: And I'm Rick Sanchez.
I'm filling in for Miles this week.
O'BRIEN: One of our top stories this morning, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld -- he is heading to Capitol Hill this afternoon. He's going to testify about Iraq. Secretary Rumsfeld originally turned down the Senate Armed Service's panel's invitation to answer questions. That decision, though, drew some sharp criticism and last night he changed his mind.
Let's get right to Barbara Starr.
She's at the Pentagon for us this morning -- hey, Barbara, good morning.
He said it was a scheduling conflict, he was just too busy.
True or not true?
BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, both, sort of true and not true. In fact, the Secretary was going to be on Capitol Hill today anyhow, conducting a closed door briefing for members of Congress, to brief them about the latest situation in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But what the Senate Armed Services Committee wanted was him front and center in a public, open hearing, to answer questions about the war because they have not had the chance to have him in an open hearing since February.
Secretary Rumsfeld yesterday said that he thought it would be sufficient just to appear at this closed session.
Members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, making it very clear, that wouldn't be enough.
And so, in about an hour from now, he will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee to answer their questions, to face some of the strongest critics in the Senate, including Senator Kennedy, about the war in Iraq.
But what we will also be watching, Soledad, is one of the other men sitting at the table -- General John Abizaid, head of the U.S. Central Command. He doesn't appear in public very often these days, either. So we'll be watching to see what he's asked.
In fact, these days some of Rumsfeld's aides have been known to call General Abizaid "The Scarlet Pimpernel," one of the lowest profile characters in history. So everybody these days seems to be trying to stay out of the limelight.
O'BRIEN: oh my goodness, that's quite a nickname.
What -- realistically, what do they want to get with this hearing?
STARR: You know, this was the timeframe with which the military and Pentagon leaders should have been talking about troop withdraws from Iraq. It was just a couple months ago they were floating the notion that maybe as many as two brigades would be headed home this year, but instead, of course, the news is very different. More troops being sent into Baghdad, trying to get security under control in that city. So, it's an issue that is really front and center for the senators when they go home to their states for their summer vacations. The troop levels in Iraq, that is probably going to be topic No. 1.
O'BRIEN: Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us. Barbara, thanks as always.
(NEWSBREAK)
SANCHEZ: Well, you know, there's fierce fighting in Southern Lebanon, and it has the remaining civilians there are on the run. They seem to be caught in the middle of this thing. Israeli troops pounded away at suspected Hezbollah targets this morning, and many of those targets are believed to be mobile, which is making the delivery of humanitarian aid to the area a very dangerous if even possible endeavor.
CNN's Karl Penhaul is joining us now live from Tyre. He's in Southern Lebanon to bring us up to date on this.
Good morning, Karl.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Rick.
It's exactly that, as you've described there. This is a very fluid, very mobile war, without any defined lines, certainly for Hezbollah. They're not fighting on any particular front. They're kind of reacting, moving, reacting, moving. And when they're not carrying out offensive actions firing these rockets, then they've got these launchers on the back of mobile trucks. They fire; they leave. The Israelis have a battle line, but because the Hezbollah are on the move, then the airplanes have to strike in different targets, and that's what's making it difficult for the aid convoys to get through.
Yesterday we saw the International Red Cross ship come over with 200 tons of aid. The United Nations world food program convoy came down again with food aid, but once again, here in Tyre it's kind of bottlenecked. They then, from here on out to get those outlying villages down to the border, have to look for permission from both sides, from the Israelis and the Hezbollah to say, hey, we need to go through, can we go through. And it just depends on the dynamic of the fighting as to whether either side give them the green or red light -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: We'll probably do more on this. In fact, the U.N. believes about a million Lebanese civilians have been forced out of their homes by the fighting. Nearly half of them are children.
Dan Toole is the director of the office for emergency programs for UNICEF, just returned, as a matter of fact. Good enough to join us now. Thanks for being with us.
DAN TOOLE, UNICEF: You're welcome.
SANCHEZ: What did you see? I understand you went to several places where they're trying to, I suppose shelter is the right word, for the children and the civilians, but I'm not really sure they're getting much shelter, though, are they?
TOOLE: Yes, the situation's pretty desperate, Rick. I saw thousands of kids living in parks, living in schools, families, 30 to a classroom that was never meant to house people actually living there, very little water. People, neighbors, others bringing in the food, but the situation is hitting kids the hardest.
SANCHEZ: So they're like giant camps?
TOOLE: Camps, but in your city. I mean, imagine, you said that a million people are on the move. That's almost 1/3 of the population. That's like twice the state of California in the United States moving and staying with relatives in parks. It's just packed, and people really don't know what to do. SANCHEZ: What's it like for the kids in particular? What did you see when you looked at them and tried to get their stories?
TOOLE: You see really desperate kids. I talked to one little girl named Yola (ph), for example, and she had lost her grandmother; she didn't know where her grandmother was. Luckily, her brothers and sisters were there, but you know, she was relying on neighbors for food there. There was water coming out of little plastic bottles. She had never had that before. She was scared. She was frightened.
SANCHEZ: It must be so difficult for them to try to figure out what's going on.
Let me ask you about this. This is a "USA Today" article, and what they seem to be saying in "USA Today" is that the Lebanese relief effort has hit a roadblock, and it's because they say aids groups say Israel won't protect the convoys. Did you find that to be true?
TOOLE: It's a very typical situation. So far, UNICEF has been participating in about seven convoys to the south. That's not very many. We guess that there's still about 20 percent of the population in the south stuck. Yesterday we delivered about 10,000 liters of bottled water. Normally we provide like water mattresses that you fill with water and people get their own. This time we're delivering bottles because there isn't any clean water. Medicines are essential.
SANCHEZ: But is there any way in a war situation, and have you dealt with this in the past, where you could say to one side -- which in this side seems to be Israel that seems to be controlling that area, certainly in terms of the airstrikes -- can you give us some reprieve from the fighting? Can you create a corridor for us? Can you do something for us? Have you had a conversation with them, and what's been the reaction?
TOOLE: We have. We've been pushing very hard for both sides to stop the fighting. The first priority is stop the fighting. Stop the missiles going into Israel. Stop the fighting into Lebanon. Then we can get in. Even if it's 72 hours, to get in, provide assistance, get the elderly out, move kids so they can be with their family in safe places. Children are bearing the brunt. We've got to get to them quickly.
SANCHEZ: And what did they say when you made this proposal? Have you got any response from them?
TOOLE: They said yes, we can go in. That's how we got seven convoys in, seven so far, but we need individual access each time. We've got to say we've got a convoy today to Tyre, we've got a convoy tomorrow to Sidon, and we need clearance to get that through so we don't get shot.
SANCHEZ: If you could say to Israel or to Olmert right now, please, we need this. What would it be?
TOOLE: Stop the fighting. Give us 72 hours so we can get in water, medicine, get out the elderly, make sure kids are being taken care of. That's the most urgent.
SANCHEZ: When you talk to the people in Lebanon, and you talked to people, I imagine, they didn't come up to you and say I'm Hezbollah, right?
TOOLE: No.
SANCHEZ: But did you get a sense that people are angry or angrier now at what's going on?
TOOLE: Rick, I was surprised. When I talked to particularly women, they were more resigned. They were saying this is life, we'll get through this; we'll get back to our homes. What was frightening, I think, were the young men, the young girls who were indeed very frustrated, very angry. They see their homes bombed. They've had to move out of their communities.
SANCHEZ: So are they angry now at Israel? We're hearing these reports that people are feeling more people now seem to be feeling more positive about Hezbollah, as ironic as that may sound.
TOOLE: I think they're very angry at Israel. They've very angry at United States, that they see as supporting Israel, and my fear that's not just inside Lebanon. I visited Syria. I visited Jordan. I visited Gaza as well, and that anger is spreading, and that's something that doesn't stop tomorrow.
SANCHEZ: And of course UNICEF is an organization that -- I think we have the Web site we can put up. UNICEF is an organization that receives donations, does it not?
TOOLE: Yes, and that's one of our biggest constraints right now, we don't yet have enough money. So far governments have been pretty slow. People are responding, people from Germany and the U.S., but we need more money, as does World Food, as does the Red Cross. They're all doing great work. They need support.
SANCHEZ: And there you have the number that we put up for you, as well as the Web site, in case you need to be able to reach them in one way or another. Dan Toole, thanks so much for coming and talking to us.
TOOLE: Thank you. I appreciate it.
SANCHEZ: Soledad, over to you.
O'BRIEN: The heat is burning itself into the record books. Triple-digit temperatures should trail off this evening, we're told. Some experts are warning, though, that this heatwave is just the beginning of what's to come.
CNN's Rob Marciano has our report this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): If it feels hotter than ever, it is.
DENNIS FELTGEN, NATL. OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMIN.: It has been excessively hot in many states across the country. In fact, there hasn't been a single state this summer that hasn't been affected one way or another with the heat.
MARCIANO: Probably didn't need an expert to tell you that. But you may not know the first seven months of 2006 have been the hottest on record ever. That's right, the hottest ever.
This unusually intense heat wave started in California last week where at least 160 people died. Then it moved through the Midwest. Overburdened air conditioners left thousands without power. And finally, it hit the northeast.
At 10:00 a.m., it was already 97 in Nashua, New Hampshire. In Boston, where the mercury climbed to 98, city pools were kept open late. Further south, the fish died in an overheated New Jersey lake. And in New York City, they dimmed the lights on the Empire State Building to send a message, use less electricity. But in nearby Queens, the power still went out.
And if you thought this was just one bad summer, you're wrong.
DR. JAMES HANSEN, DIR., GODDARD INSTITUTE/NASA: We're in for more than a couple of hot seasons. It's going to continue, on the average, to get warmer.
MARCIANO: James Hansen has been studying climate change for 30 years. He says global warming is at least partly to blame for the high temperatures.
HANSEN: The climate dice are now loaded because of the greenhouse gases that humans have added to the atmosphere.
MARCIANO (on camera): And don't forget the temperature is measured in the shade. Combine it with the humidity and the heat index, or what it feels like, can be 10 to 20 degrees higher.
(voice-over): There's at least one more day of scorching temperatures before things finally start to cool off on Friday.
Rob Marciano, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(WEATHER REPORT)
O'BRIEN: While most Americans are struggling through a heat wave or just getting out of one, very different story below the equator. It actually snowed in South Africa yesterday, and, in fact, South Africans are facing their harshest winter in years; the first time snow's fallen in the area in at least eight years. If only we could switch things, just temporarily.
SANCHEZ: Yes, exactly. O'BRIEN: Might be nice.
SANCHEZ: Then you'd be asking for the other. Give me some heat.
Still to come, the immigration debate is making its way to the breakfast table. How it's affecting your morning glass of O.J.
O'BRIEN: And later this morning, our week-long series, "Inside Autism." The sacrifice and the struggle can take a toll on the entire family. We'll take a look at what one family goes through each and every day when they have a child who is autistic. That's ahead. Stay with us. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Happening in America this morning, Mel Gibson's arrest may do more than just damage his reputation. The entertainment Web site tmz.com -- owned by our parent company Time Warner, by the way -- is releasing videotape of Mel Gibson to CNN. It was shot on a cell phone at the Moon Shadows Restaurant the night of his arrest. Gibson now faces several charges, including misdemeanor driving under the influence. And if he's convicted, he could spend up to six months in jail.
The San Francisco Bay area, a little bit on edge this morning after a moderate earthquake struck there. About three miles west of Glen Ellen in Sonoma County. The magnitude 4.4 didn't do any serious damage. No reports of any injuries.
The governor of Arizona expected to make an emergency declaration in response to this week's heavy floods. Severe rains pounded a wide area in two counties. Roads were closed, people were stranded. The declaration would trigger federal aid into the area.
People in the south central Minnesota cleaning up today after a round of violent storms there. Tornadoes touched down in the area. Take a look at these pictures. Flattened everything in sight. So far, no reports of any injuries.
SANCHEZ: Have you noticed that you're paying a little extra for that glass of orange juice in the morning? Well, like oil, the prices are near record levels these days. Hurricanes are partly to blame, but so is the increasing shortage of migrant farm workers.
CNN's Susan Candiotti has this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT MCLEAN, ORANGE GROWER: This is the premier juicing orange in Florida. Most people know the Valencia because of its dark orange color.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): But those juicy Valencia oranges you know may be harder to find. The official projection, about one-third fewer oranges this year from Florida, the biggest producer in the U.S. Blame it on two crippling hurricane seasons, canker disease, and groves lost to development. But lately, there's a new and potentially more troubling reason: not enough pickers to do the work. Migrant farm worker activists estimate half as many as last year.
(on camera): How many acres do you have all together?
MCLEAN: We have about a thousand acres, whether it's organic or in transition to organic.
CANDIOTTI (voice over): Matt McLean is a fourth generation orange grower. He figures about 3,000 boxes went unfilled. A lot for a small organic farmer.
(on camera): And what happens to this?
MCLEAN: Well, it will fall on the ground and become plant food.
CANDIOTTI: But they're perfectly good.
MCLEAN: They're perfectly ripe.
CANDIOTTI (voice over): In the past, there's been no trouble finding migrant workers to do the back-breaking job.
Not this year.
TIRSO MORENO, FARMWORKERS ASSOCIATION: They need to pay better. They need to take care of the workers' needs. They need to treat them better in order to have a more steady workforce.
CANDIOTTI: Workers rights group say some migrants have found better-paying construction jobs in hurricane-ravaged states. Others are being replaced by machines. Still, others have been deported.
This migrant says he's legal and in the U.S. for 12 years, sending every cent he makes to his family in Mexico. In his case, orange-picking machines cut down on available work.
"The money is for my wife and children," he says, to pay the rent, for food. "It is very important. They need it to live."
If immigration laws get tougher, grower Matt McLean says farmers face an even tighter squeeze.
MCLEAN: What we don't want, obviously, is for there to be no labor and none of the fruit get picked.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): Even though Florida orange production is down for the second season in a row, demand and prices have stayed high. Consumers willing to pay whatever the price for orange juice.
(voice over): So, for now, farmers aren't hurting too much, but if orange groves continue to go unpicked...
(on camera): So what's a grower to do? MCLEAN: Like we do every year, dig in and keep fighting.
CANDIOTTI (voice over): Susan Candiotti, CNN, Clermont, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: The worker shortages aren't confined to Florida's orange industry, by the way. An American Farm Bureau study estimates that immigration problems could put 1/3 of the country's fruit and vegetable growers out of business.
Andy Serwer's "Minding Your Business," up next. Good morning, again.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Soledad.
Barry Bonds' home run baseball, vulcan jewelry from "Star Trek" and Audrey Hepburn's black dress from "Breakfast at Tiffany's" -- what do theyall have in common, they're all being auctioned off, and it's hot stuff. We'll tell you about that, coming up next on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
