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American Morning
Deadly Tornado; Bush's Vietnam Trip; Leadership Fight; Mission: Marriage; PlayStation 3
Aired November 17, 2006 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: States of emergency. A terrifying series of storms from that deadly tornado in North Carolina, to pounding rains and mudslides in upstate New York. Hundreds of people rescued. A travel mess up and down the East Coast.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Missing in Iraq. A desperate search right now for four American contractors feared kidnapped.
A security breach. A 45-year-old convicted felon living in a college dorm. We'll tell you how that happened.
S. O'BRIEN: And love conquers all. You'll never guess just who's in Italy this morning for the wedding of Tom Cruise and Katie Homes. A big surprise.
Also this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm running full out and the next thing I know I'm in the air and my face just collides with a pole. And I didn't have time to put my hand up or anything and I just land on the floor and I'm getting -- I'm laying on the ground getting trampled.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: He's talking about the mayhem for the fans who were trying to get their hands on those brand new PlayStation 3. Real-life video game violence to tell you about on this AMERICAN MORNING.
Good morning. Welcome, everybody. It's Friday, November 17th. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. Thanks for being with us.
We begin in North Carolina where this morning everyone is accounted for after that killer tornado touched down just about this time yesterday. At least eight are dead, 20 injured when the tornado hit without warning in Riegelwood. That's 20 miles west of Wilmington. A town not equipped with a siren to warn of an approaching storm.
The violent weather made its way north, derailing a freight train in Maryland, leading to a commuter nightmare there, Amtrak trying to restore service between Baltimore and Washington right now. And farther north, flooding and mudslides in Binghamton, New York. A state of emergency in place. Two hundred rescued from the rising water there.
Back in North Carolina. The people who survived that strong tornado may have lost everything but they are counting themselves lucky. CNN's Rick Sanchez on the scene in Riegelwood.
Rick.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know what's interesting, Miles, is this is an area that really prone to hurricanes. And it's probably what these folks who live in these parts are most prepared if for. That's why it may be somewhat ironic that the worst natural disaster in Columbus County history would end up being a tornado.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ, (voice over): The sheriff's department got the first warning at 6:29 in the morning. Fifteen minutes later, the tornado was on the ground. Mark Brown was home when it arrived.
MARK BROWN, TORNADO SURVIVOR: And it sounded like a train was coming. I said, let me get up and look out that door and see what's going on. When I looked out that door, the tornado was coming.
SANCHEZ: Brown's house was destroyed. He was lucky to have survived. Others in the town of Riegelwood, North Carolina, never had a chance.
JANICE WADDELL, TORNADO SURVIVOR: It was real terrible. I never seen anything like it before. And I hope I never see anything like it again.
SANCHEZ: The tornado was a killer. Among the dead, two children. The victims lived in this mobile home park, sheriffs say was disintegrated by the storm.
SHERIFF CHRISTOPHER BATTEN, COLUMBUS COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA: It is a major catastrophe. There's an area that's probably almost a half a mile wide. It reaches probably three-quarters to a mile in length, stretching northward, that is totally demolished. Homes turned upside-down. Vehicles completely destroyed.
SANCHEZ: Authorities say this tornado was so ferocious, its winds so strong that some of the deceased were found in the woods, a full 200 yards, two football fields, away from where they where when the tornado first touched.
BATTEN: We assume that the tornado created that kind of danger.
SANCHEZ: Literally took them from their home to the place where they were found.
BATTEN: Exactly.
SANCHEZ: Authorities say 20 people were injured. Four, including three small children, are in critical condition. Meanwhile, thousands are still without power. To look at the devastation, it's amazing the death toll isn't higher. And then there's this to think about. The town doesn't have a siren to alert residents of an impending tornado.
BATTEN: We do not have that type of system in this community.
SANCHEZ: So there is no siren?
BATTEN: None.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SANCHEZ: And if they have no sirens, that means the only way that people would know that something like this was coming is happening to have their radio or their television on at the time, to be able to hear some kind of advisory. Of course, at 6:30 in the morning, there are still an awful lot of people who may be asleep, may not have it on and may not be able to get the warning as was obviously the case here.
Miles, back to you.
M. O'BRIEN: Of course, there is one other way. It's those weather radios which turn on in the event of an emergency like this. And it's probably an opportunity to once again say those are a good thing to have. Why doesn't the town have the siren, though?
SANCHEZ: It's interesting. They're going through a bit of a transition right now. Their emergency management director was let go. They're in the process of getting another one and they, like many other little towns in this area, just don't have them, Miles. It's not something that they thought was a priority.
And as I mentioned earlier on, it's an area that's actually more prone to hurricanes. That's what they were more concerned about. And, obviously, in the case of a hurricane, you would have plenty of time to alert people that it's come. In the case of a tornado, you don't.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Rick Sanchez in Riegelwood, North Carolina. Thank you very much.
Chad Myers is in the Weather Center. He watched that all come through yesterday and he's looking ahead toward today.
That was quite a storm system that -- you know, it's kind of like an I-95 storm. It went right up the East Coast and caused problems all the way up into upstate New York.
(WEATHER REPORT)
S. O'BRIEN: President Bush has already put in a full day in Vietnam right now for the Asian Pacific Economic Conference. He is just the second president to visit Vietnam since the war ended 30 year ago. Thousands of people lined the streets of Hanoi to greet him and Mrs. Bush, who's traveling with him. CNN's Elaine Quijano also traveling with him. She's live in Hanoi this morning. Good morning, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Obviously a huge symbolic visit for President Bush, making his way here to Hanoi. But both President Bush and Vietnamese leaders are making clear that they really want to look ahead to the future.
Now, the president was welcomed here in Hanoi in an arrival ceremony at the presidential palace. He met with the president of Vietnam, as well as the prime minister. But an interesting image as well. President Bush, who, of course, has made promoting democracy a pillar, essentially, of his foreign policy, sitting down at communist party headquarters here in Vietnam with the general secretary.
Now Bush aides say that Vietnamese officials said that they wanted to put aside the past and look ahead to the future, not dwell on the Vietnam War. And that theme, of course, is not lost on President Bush, who preferred that people take the long view when it comes to Iraq.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We tend to want there to be instant success in the world. And the task in Iraq is going to take awhile. But I would make it beyond just Iraq. I think the great struggle we're going to have is between radicals and extremists versus people who want to live in peace. And that Iraq is part of the struggle and it's just going to take a long period of time for the ideology that is hopeful and that is an ideology of freedom to overcome an ideology of hate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: And President Bush again here for the annual summit of Pacific Rim leaders. The president coming here to Vietnam. Also recognizing, of course, Senator John McCain, who was held here in Vietnam, talking about -- when asked about his own reflections of the time, the president mentioning that as well.
Interesting to note though, of course, the president had hoped to come here with a gift of sorts for this country. That would have been the initiative that he said was a priority for him, and that was permanent, normal trade relations with Vietnam. As you know, Congress did not make that happen, but the president trying to reassure leaders here that it will happen, he believes, before the year is out.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Elaine Quijano is traveling with the president. She's in Hanoi today.
Thanks, Elaine.
A desperate search is on right now in Iraq for a group of civilian contractors who are believe to have been kidnapped in southern Iraq. Four Americans and their co-workers from Austria are missing after they were ambushed in Nasiriya. They work for the Crescent Security Group and their convoy was stopped at what they thought was a police checkpoint when they were attacked.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: House Speaker-Elect Nancy Pelosi beginning her historic tenure at the top with a stinging defeat. The Democrat she is now supposed to be leading overwhelmingly rejected her choice to be her chief lieutenant. She tried to put a good spin on it, saying let the healing begin. More from Dana Bash.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a moment in history. Democrats, for the first time, elected a female speaker of the House. But in Nancy Pelosi's victory, she also saw a stinging defeat because she had put her prestige on the line and supported her long-time friend and Iraq war critic, John Murtha, to be House majority leader, her number two. But in the end, Murtha lost. He lost big to Steny Hoyer for that job. The vote was 149-86. Now it was an embarrassing defeat for Pelosi because she had aggressively backed her close ally and tried to oust the person who was in line for the job in Steny Hoyer.
Now, there may be more surprises later today when it comes to the new leadership in the next Congress because Republicans are going to elect their leaders in the House. And GOP leaders are being challenged by some in the rank and file who say, in the wake of their big defeat at the polls, its's time for new direction and that means new leadership.
Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: Happening in America.
In Florida, the Mark Foley case now a criminal matter. New pictures from Foley who's out of rehab and in Florida. Authorities are investigating salacious e-mails the former congressman sent to teenage pages, trying to determine if any of them were minors. Foley resigned in September when those e-mails became public.
Two hundred U.S. Airways pilots picketing in Phoenix just a day after their company announced an $8.7 billion bid to buy Delta Airlines. The pilots still operating under separate contracts they signed before America West bought U.S. Airways. The pilots plan another picket in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Ketchup is a staple if you're in our hamburger-loving country, but it's not supposed to be like this. Students at a Wichita, Kansas, middle school finding staples in their ketchup. Police are investigating the rest of that batch of Red Gold ketchup sent back to the company. In Alton, Illinois, a clerk was shot during a stickup at a convenience store, caught on videotape. Police released the tape of two men walking into the store. One climbs over the counter, as you see there, while the other stands by the door firing shots. At one point the clerk is seen struggling with one of the men. The clerk lived to tell the tale.
And at Graceland they are finally embracing the men who would be king. Elvis wannabes invited to participate in Graceland's first official Elvis impersonator contest. It will happen next August as the 30th anniversary of the passing of Elvis. Of course some would say he's still alive. Until now, Presley's estate has kept the impersonators at arm's length.
S. O'BRIEN: I'm shocked that it's -- this is the first year.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, they just haven't like it. But the Elvis brand name was sold and they've got a different approach now.
S. O'BRIEN: And they understand the value of marketing suddenly of all the Elvis impersonators.
M. O'BRIEN: Apparently so. Yes, they do.
S. O'BRIEN: Also this morning, an update on a story we've been really following since February. Pet detectives, believe it or not, are seeing signs of Vivvy. Remember Vivvy, the wayward Whippet.
M. O'BRIEN: Of course I remember Vivvy. I hope they find her.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, the show dog. She's been missing since February, after the Westminster dog show. She bolted out of her crate at Kennedy Airport. Remember that? Then kind of disappeared.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, all of a sudden tracking dogs have been picking up her scent at a cemetery that's about eight miles away when she was last seen. The scent is said to be pretty resent and Vivvy's owners are really hopeful that this is going to be the big break that leads them to their lost dog.
M. O'BRIEN: Wow, that is just . . .
S. O'BRIEN: Can you believe it. If that is resolved.
M. O'BRIEN: To think she's still out there, you know, how she's been surviving.
S. O'BRIEN: I know. Amazing.
M. O'BRIEN: Wow.
S. O'BRIEN: Ahead this morning, we'll give you a new definition of the term home wrecker. Have you seen this videotape. Oh, my goodness. Yes, that would be a vehicle inside the home. The family gets an unpleasant surprise. A big scare too. We'll tell you exactly what happened.
Plus, you want to come out and play? PlayStation 3 finally went on sale overnight. All those people who were lined up outside, inside trying to buy the PlayStation.
M. O'BRIEN: All played nice and tame, we hope.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. And not in all cases.
And that's amore (ph). How's that for an Italian accent?
M. O'BRIEN: Nicely done. Nicely done.
S. O'BRIEN: Thank you.
Tom and Katie tied the knot. Some surprising guests are already on hand. You might be a little shocked to see who got invited. We'll tell you that story and much more. We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Top stories we're following for you.
Cleanup and damage assessment from a killer tornado in North Carolina.
President Bush on the ground in Vietnam right now. He says the war in Vietnam should serve as a reminder that an early withdrawal from Iraq could have disastrous consequences.
Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: The Hollywood wedding of the year is unfolding right now in Italy. Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes expected to marry this weekend at a 15th century castle somewhere near Rome. CNN's Alessio Vinci is in Bracciano, Italy, with all the details.
Alessio, good morning.
ALESSIO VINCI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
Actually, I am still in Rome where it feels that a piece of holiday has moved here besides, of course, Tom Cruise and Katie Homes, stars such as Brooke Shields, Jennifer Lopez and Jim Carey have arrived here and we expect John Travolta to drive his own 707 this morning into Champino (ph) Airport caring even more VIPs.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VINCI, (voice over): The shocked (ph) paparazzi and fans in Rome have been waiting for days. Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and daughter Suri making their first public appearance on Thursday night, walking inside one of Rome's best known restaurants.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of different kinds of pasta we are serving tonight for him and ravioli with truffles. Of course he likes ravioli with truffles. And there are artichokes, that he loves too.
VINCI: Until then, the only sightings were this night shot of holiday's hottest couple and a few seconds of the movie star in a hotel lobby. Meanwhile, there is frenzy in Bracciano, the small town north of Rome, where the two are expected to marry on Saturday in this 15th century castle. The world's media have taken this usually sleepy place by storm and locals are cashing in. Windows overlooking the castle are being rented out for thousands of dollars as journalists wander in search of juicy details.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're also talking to people like the caterers, like the people supplying the flowers. We know that there's going to be 6,000 scented candles of coffee and rose.
VINCI: Details of the wedding are a closed, guarded secret, but many here speculate that the couple will reach the castle through this tunnel. At the end of it, hordes of journalists will be waiting for them on this side, before the couple will disappear beyond this gate, off limits to anyone without an invitation.
There will be a lot of people disappointed here if all this was a ruse to keep reporters away from the actual wedding location. Starting with Bracciano's shop keepers, each trying to outdo the other with their window dressing skills.
"It's a great event for us," she says. "We have seen a lot of weddings, but this one really shakes us up."
Nearby, Tom Cruise's recent biography is a best-seller here and on prominent display in the local book store. And across the street, the manager of a clothing store selling American casual wear hopes the wedding will also brings good business.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The most important windows that we make is the top gown (ph) window, if you see. And we sell a lot of pilots jackets, like American "Top Gun" sales.
VINCI: And, of course, this being Italy, food is playing a prominent role. The restaurant across from the castle main entrance is already booked out for Saturday. The chef will prepare a special dish, the Tom and Katie risotto, with mushrooms and truffles, served in a Parmesan (ph) basket.
But despite all the niceties, there is one thing Hollywood's maverick won't be having his way, a request to close the air space above the castle, to keep paparazzi helicopters away, has been turned down.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VINCI: And speaking of food, we understand from an Italian newspaper this morning that Tom Cruise is actually on a diet and therefore he is not eating all the delicious food that's being prepared for him. We also understand, according to this report, that the suit that was prepared for him did not fit.
Soledad, back to you.
S. O'BRIEN: OH, maybe hence the diet. You can't be on a diet during your wedding. That's ridiculous.
Let me ask you a question. You started by saying all the celebrities, Alessio, who are there. You said Jim Carey, J. Lo and Marc Anthony and you said Brooke Shields, too? Didn't they have this massive dispute? Are they friends again?
VINCI: Yes, they did. Yes, they did. But she is her and we understand she is here at the invitation of Katie Holmes. But I also understand the two have apologized or actually Tom Cruise has apologized to her over his comments about pills and psycho therapy and, therefore, I think the two have mended fences as of right now and, therefore, she is here in Rome and she will be at Bracciano tomorrow.
S. O'BRIEN: Very exciting. And, of course, we're going to follow it. Thank you. Alessio Vinci in Rome for us this morning. In Bracciano, I'm sure, tomorrow.
Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Bracciano. You can say that all morning. Is Prince Charles going? Do we know? Prince Charles and his wife?
S. O'BRIEN: I don't know.
M. O'BRIEN: Probably not. If he's going, he may not be taking the royal jet because Prince Charles is turning green. Do you hear about this?
S. O'BRIEN: I did hear about this.
M. O'BRIEN: The heir to the British thrown putting his royal perks where his mouth is, I guess. The prince is telling his staff to fight global warming. Telling the chauffeurs to leave the Rolls behind. Instead, roll out to engagements on bikes.
S. O'BRIEN: Really?
M. O'BRIEN: Do you see the prince riding a bike, though? I wonder how that would look?
S. O'BRIEN: That might be a security thing, wouldn't it?
M. O'BRIEN: You would think. You would think. The prince says he will stop using the choppers and the jets whenever he can. He'll ride the commuter train, if need be, from his country palace to Buckingham. The worry, the queen might be a little green with envy over this. Her little red face if she continues to keep using all those carbon-creating perks of royalty.
S. O'BRIEN: Or she's be psyched she's riding in the Rolls and not care at all.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, really.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, it's supposed to be for construction, not destruction. Have you seen this? The crane makes a serious, serious mess. We're going to tell you what happened with that crane collapse straight ahead.
Also this morning, verdict in the shocking and vicious attack. A Hispanic young man is beaten and brutally assaulted. We'll tell you what happened in that case. That's one of the suspects.
And if you thought the guy who lived across the hall from you in college was a little weird, at least he wasn't a 45-year-old felon. Some surprising arrests in an Ohio dorm room. We'll tell you what happened there when AMERICAN MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. Happening in America this morning.
A truck slammed right into a home in Wichita, Kansas. It stopped just inches away from where a man was sleeping. The crash left a gaping hole in his house, killed two of his puppies as well. People in the truck apparently ran off into another car, took off. The home owner says he thinks they were drunk.
Disturbing revelation at the University of Akron in Ohio. A 45- year-old convicted felon with a violent history was discovered living in the dorms. He was a student. The university doesn't have age restrictions for its door residents and they don't conduct background checks either. The school has now suspended the felon's residency there.
A Houston jury convicts a white teenager for a brutal attack on a Hispanic boy. Today, jurors plan to hear more testimony before they sentence David Henry Tuck. He was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault in an attack that prosecutor says was racially motivated.
In Bellevue, Washington, a man was killed when a construction crane fell and hit an apartment building. The crane operator told police he heard a big crack just before the crane went down. It hit four buildings when it went down.
And press "play." The Sony PlayStation 3 finally for sale. It hit the shelves at midnight. Good luck getting one, though. Supplies are very, very tight. In fact, gamers were waiting in lines at the stores across the country. They're hoping to buy the console. It costs $600.
In some cases it triggered a big old fight. All the waiting had triggered a stamped at a Wal-Mart in West Bend, Wisconsin. A teenager was injured. Trying to beat other customers to grab one of the devices. They onto had 10 units available for sale. Can you believe that? They had hundreds of people waiting. Ten units. Anyway, the employee apparently said, hey, if you want one, you're going to have to run for it, which people did. And you can see the pictures right there. It was ugly. That wasn't the (INAUDIBLE).
M. O'BRIEN: Not good planning, I'd say there. You know, some stores did get smart and they either gave tickets or wrist bands for those who got there early enough to get a box and then told them to go home. No stampedes there.
So what is all this fuss about? The other day I gathered together a group of leading experts in this field and got a sneak peek.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN, (voice over): Past the long line of PlayStation fanatics, deep in the basement of the Sony store, we took our panel of experts to a place aptly called "The Dream Room."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So cool.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you're out of the TV, this is like the coolest thing every.
M. O'BRIEN: Meet the game boys, Robert, Dylan (ph), Harrison, and the one on my dole, Mira (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. Let's play.
M. O'BRIEN: The PlayStation 3 on a humongous HDTV was a near religious experience for them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, man, that's what I'm talking about.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look at that. It looks like - you can see him -- it looks like he's really looking at it. Like you paused television.
M. O'BRIEN: The graphics are astounding. You would think it would be enough to give Sony's competitors a cold sweat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sweat is like going down his forehead.
M. O'BRIEN: But maybe not. We went back to our place where Nintendo had shipped us a WII to take for a spin.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm in love with the console. It's beautiful.
M. O'BRIEN: The WII is cheaper, fewer bells and whistles, and definitely inferior graphics. So I figured the game boys would not be impressed. I was wrong.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can move the controller, Dylan.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Serious?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. See.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God.
M. O'BRIEN: The cool thing about the WII are the controller's. The player's movements match the action on the screen.
It was a hit.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is like nothing that's ever happened ever.
M. O'BRIEN: What did you say, Dylan?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, no one ever has done this before. No one's ever done anything like this before.
M. O'BRIEN: Bottom line, the game boys see advantages to both systems.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The PlayStation 3 is kind of almost -- it has amazing graphics and it's really for gamers. This is kind of, you know, like anybody can really kind of like pick up and play it and do the, you know, the WII.
M. O'BRIEN: But if they had to pick one right now, which would it be?
And what do you say, Robert, to your pals?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel alone and you're not gamers.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: All right. It was a surprising conclusion to that. They liked those little controllers. We took a look on eBay this morning because, you know, a lot of people that were waiting in line, they weren't there necessarily to play the game, they were there to make a little profit. The American way, after all. I can't read those numbers. Let's see, what do we got there. There's a bid for $5,999.99, $499.99, $3,050. There was one on there for -- yes, there's $66 million -- yes, they're having fun out there, obviously. $5,000.
So there you have it. If you didn't want to wait in line, now you just have to separate yourself from several dead presidents to get a hold of one of these. Just wait a little bit. I think this is kind of like artificial scarcity there to create the buzz that we're talking about here.
Anyway, the PlayStation 3 is now at the center of a political dispute. Former senator and vice presidential candidate John Edwards now has some explaining to do, why a staffer asked a local Wal-Mart for help getting one. Wal-Mart. Is that ringing a bell with you with John Edwards. It was a day after Edwards criticized Wal-Mart's labor standards in that teleconference. Wal-Mart jumped on this, of course, in a news release, saying Edwards was not willing to wait his turn. Edwards said the staff member is a young volunteer who made a mistake.
S. O'BRIEN: Who's being flogged, right now, I'm sure.
M. O'BRIEN: Apparently so.
S. O'BRIEN: The third straight day of records for the Dow. Andrew Ross Sorkin of "The New York Times" is back. He's "Minding Your Business" this morning.
Good morning. Nice to see you.
ANDREW ROSS SORKIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you.
S. O'BRIEN: Thank you.
SORKIN: Well, the economy and the market keeps chugging along. Up 54 points yesterday on the Dow. We're at 12,305. The S&P and Nasdaq were also up. And, you know, what's driving this? It's just -- it's unbelievable. The big thing that's going on right now, the buyout boom. We saw Clear Channel, the big -- the nation's largest radio station get bought out yesterday morning. Reader's Digest also got bought out. Everybody thinks that the next guy is a takeover candidate, so that's really kicking everything into high gear.
But, more importantly, oil. The prices down like crazy. A barrel of oil down $2.50 yesterday. And it's really stoking the stock market. So that's, I think, what's going on. And on top of that, we have consumer confidence there. It was an index that came out yesterday. Consumer confidence is at a two-month high at a moment. Unemployment, obviously, down at 4.4 percent. So all of these things are really just keeping us . . .
S. O'BRIEN: Perfect condition for good news.
SORKIN: Well, it makes no sense, really, because everything else in the world is not so hot. So who knows what's really happening, but that's where it's looking.
M. O'BRIEN: A rational exuberance maybe, huh?
SORKIN: You know, I was at a cocktail party last night with Felix Rohatyn who was, you know, the former ambassador of France. And we were talking the market's looking great, but the rest of the world doesn't, so how does this match up? At some point, this merry-go- round probably does stop, but at least for this week it's looking better than ever.
M. O'BRIEN: It's an "Alice in Wonderland" market.
SORKIN: It feels that way. Doesn't it? A little bit.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
All right. What you got next?
SORKIN: Well, we're actually going to talk about those buyouts that we were just talking about. You know, the media sphere is just getting taken out by all the private... S. O'BRIEN: The media sphere?
SORKIN: The media sphere.
S. O'BRIEN: What the heck is that?
SORKIN: Well, the Clear Channels of the world, the "Reader's Digest," the Univisions.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, I see.
SORKIN: Tribune. Everybody wants to -- you know, everybody wants a piece of the action that we're in right now, and we're going to talk about why that's happening.
So thanks so much.
M. O'BRIEN: All right, Andrew. We'll see you in a little bit.
SORKIN: Appreciate it.
S. O'BRIEN: You know, residents from the South to the Northeast are hoping for a breather today from a series of pounding storms, including that deadly tornado that we saw pictures of from North Carolina. We're going to have the very latest from the strike zone straight ahead this morning.
And then we'll tell you the story of some contractors who were ambushed in Iraq. The search now for a group of kidnapped Americans.
You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. We're back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Under siege. Wild weather slamming the country, from a deadly tornado in North Carolina, to floods and mudslides in New York State. Hundreds of people rescued there. The damage and today's forecast ahead.
S. O'BRIEN: Ambushed. A convoy in Iraq is attacked. Four American contractor are now missing. The search and the investigation on this AMERICAN MORNING.
M. O'BRIEN: Good morning to you, Friday, November 17th.
I'm Miles O'Brien.
S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien. Here's what's new this morning.
We begin with the severe weather we've been talking about. Cleanup and damage assessment after that powerful tornado struck without warning in Riegelwood, North Carolina. At least eight people are dead, four children are in critical condition.
Pounding rains and floods are suspected in a freight train derailment that happened in Maryland. It's led to a commuting nightmare. Amtrak is now restoring some service between Baltimore and Washington. That's happened just in the last hour.
And a state of emergency around Binghamton, New York. Two hundred people rescued from flooding and mudslides. Take a look at these pictures. Many roads have been washed out, and right now they're banning all unnecessary travel.
Let's begin this morning in North Carolina, where the search for victims from that tornado is going on through the night. Everyone now, though, they're telling us, is accounted for.
CNN's Rick Sanchez live in Riegelwood.
Rick, good morning to you. No warning at all, right? There's no siren in Riegelwood.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's a major problem for some of these people, Soledad.
Do the time if you can. The National weather Service essentially put out a warning at 6:29 -- at 6:29 a.m. The touchdown of the tornado was 6:44. So you have that 15-minute period where, well, you know, I suppose some people would say, well, 15 minutes isn't really a lot of time. It's an awful lot of time if you're in bed and all you need do is get somebody to wake you up and get you to move in this situation.
A lot of people never really had a chance to do that. Why? Because there's no siren. As a result of there being no siren, when I asked the sheriff, I said, "Sheriff, well then how are people ever going to be able to know that there's an impending tornado or storm or some kind of other natural disaster in the area?"
They said they just have to have either their TVs or their radios on at the time, and that's probably the only thing that they could have depended on yesterday when this thing came through as well. And it was very early in the morning.
This was a devastating tornado. I mean, when -- when I asked the authorities, I said, you know, "How would you characterize it when you went over and looked at the pictures, especially in the mobile homes?" -- some of the pictures that we're looking at right now. The word that the authorities used was "disintegrated". I'm not quite sure -- and I've covered a lot of storms, Soledad -- that I've ever heard somebody use a term like that for how these mobile home communities were affected by this.
They found people 200 yards away. That's 200 yards away from their homes. Those are the deceased in these cases. That's how far they were picked up and actually, according to officials here, thrown by the ferocious winds of this storm -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: I believe it. You look at those pictures. I believe that.
All right. Rick Sanchez for us this morning.
Thank you, Rick.
Let's get right to Chad with an update on the weather this morning.
Chad, good morning.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Soledad.
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M. O'BRIEN: In Iraq this morning, the hunt is on for some missing contractors. Four of them Americans. Apparently another kidnapping. And again, more questions about the murky line between the real authorities there and masquerading insurgents.
Arwa Damon is in Baghdad with more.
What's the latest, Arwa?
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Miles, the pieces are starting to come together right now as to how this attack actually took place. What we do know from a representative of Crescent Security Group, for whom -- who employed these contractors, is that their convoy was traveling from Kuwait to Tallil Airbase. That is located in southern Iraq between Basra and Nasiriyah.
The attack happened in the vicinity of Basra. The convoy pulled up to what a U.S. military source is saying was a fake checkpoint manned by the local militia that was masquerading as Iraqi police. What we do know is that the drivers were detained, along with these four American contractors, and one Austrian contractor.
The drivers, all of Asian origin -- South Asian origin -- were dumped a short distance away. The kidnappers then made off with the four American contractors and the one Austrian. The U.S. and British forces down there, coalition forces, are conducting an aggressive rescue operation, trying to identify the vehicles, as well as trying to rescue these kidnappees from those that took them hostage -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Arwa Damon in Baghdad.
Thank you very much.
Up next, the early days of a secret agent. Going back in time to see where Bond, James Bond, got his start. A whole new way of looking at the legend ahead.
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S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back. Some of the day's top stories we're following for you.
President Bush on the ground now in Vietnam. He says the American war in Vietnam should serve as a reminder that an early withdrawal from Iraq could have disastrous consequences.
In North Carolina, damage assessment teams are heading to the town that's been devastated by that powerful tornado. Eight people were killed there. Everyone is now accounted for this morning.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, first there was "Don't ask, don't tell." Now there's a new military guideline causing trouble for the Pentagon. It classifies homosexuality as a condition that could force retirement, a condition like bed-wetting, stuttering and sleepwalking. Gay rights activists call it a continued slap in the face, but it's a step up from the military's classification, which put homosexuality in the same category as disorders like mental retardation.
Here's a look at what CNN correspondents all around the world are covering today.
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ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Aneesh Raman in Tehran.
Iran's president set to speak to huge crowds outside the capital. Set as well to deliver the same message he's been saying all week: that Iran will complete its nuclear program by the end of the Iranian year, which is February. He hasn't specified what that means. But Iran remains in open defiance of a U.N. deadline to suspend its uranium enrichment that came and went on August 31st.
Iran has said it's pursuing peaceful civilian nuclear energy and by all indications will not back down.
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ANJALI RAO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Anjali Rao in Manila, at the home of the formal first lady of the Philippines. You may remember Imelda Marcos from her infamous spending sprees and her vast shoe collection. She and her husband Ferdinand were said to have plundered this country, amassing billions in their own personal wealth while the Philippines descended into poverty. Well, now she's back and using her celebrity to promote yet more bling -- this time launching her own jewelry collection.
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ALPHONSO VAN MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Alphonso Van Marsh in South Africa, where authorities are engaged in a high-seas battle with poachers whose over-fishing of abalone is threatening to deplete the sea snails off the coast of southern Africa.
It's a seedy world of smuggling Asian crime syndicates and a slimy seafood valued as an aphrodisiac across Asia. I'll take you on boat patrol with the anti-poaching police and introduce you to a poacher willing to risk life, limb, and jail time for profit. (END VIDEOTAPE)
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MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Max Foster on London's Carnaby Street, which 40 years ago was the center of swinging London in the 1960s, and back in the spotlight again with the release of a new album by The Beatles. It's called "Love," and it's been put together by The Beatles' producer, George Martin, who's now 80, and his son Jiles.
And it features many of the classics like "Strawberry Fields" and "Hey Jude". All re-mixed into what the promoters are describing as a unique soundscape. It's magical as well, according to Paul McCartney.
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M. O'BRIEN: For more of these or any of our top stories, log on to our Web site, CNN.com.
S. O'BRIEN: It is 46 minutes past the hour. If you're about to head out the door, wait. Chad Myers has a look at the weather for you, the traveler's forecast.
Good morning, Chad.
MYERS: Good morning.
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S. O'BRIEN: Some of the stories we're following for you this morning.
Missing your tax refund? Four thousand Los Angeles County, California, residents didn't get their money. We're going to tell you who's to blame for that this morning.
And an update on a story we followed for you for months now. A verdict finally in that horrific beating case in Texas. The victim assaulted with a pipe, doused with bleach. We'll take a look at that straight ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: Welcome back to the program. A Friday look at the news grid, sort of a Hollywood Squares of news, you might say. Let's take a look.
Incoming 20, that's Arwa Damon. You know, we have many other networks here at CNN, and right now she's actually doing some other reporting for other networks now. We call that -- well, she's just doing a previously recorded dispatch there from Baghdad.
We keep them very busy here. They earn their keep there in Baghdad and everywhere else. Incoming 301, the United States Capitol today. What a scene yesterday as history was made. The first woman to be speaker-elect of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. But with a stunning rebuke, her choice to be number two was voted down, John Murtha. And instead, Steny Hoyer will be her lieutenant.
Already Democrats having to move on from a little bit of internal debate.
Take a look at APTN. That's Bracciano -- Bracciano. It just rolls off the tongue. That's the TomKat wedding site. And really, that shot is kind of the calm before the storm, you might say.
That castle up there is where Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes will get married in a Scientology ceremony coming up this weekend. The paparazzi and the world celebrities all descending upon that place.
Soledad and I will be here in New York.
S. O'BRIEN: I'm going to this wedding. I was invited.
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, you're going?
S. O'BRIEN: No. Not.
M. O'BRIEN: You're so special.
S. O'BRIEN: No, not going to happen. But I'm going to find all the details.
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, I'm sure you will.
S. O'BRIEN: We'll talk about them on Monday.
Happening "In America" this morning, in New York, the next step in the construction of the Freedom Tower. In just a few hours they're going to start pouring concrete for the tower's core at the former World Trade Center site. The Freedom Tower is expected to be completed in five years.
In California, if you didn't get your federal tax refund do not blame the post office. The IRS says that checks didn't get to more than 4,000 people in Los Angeles County because of wrong mailing addresses. So if you're missing your refund, you'll want to contact the IRS and make sure they have your right address or you won't get your money.
In Massachusetts, a Cape Cod murder case is finally closed. A jury in the town of Barnstable says trash collector Christopher McCowen is guilty in the 2002 rape and murder of a fashion writer named Christa Worthington. The 34-year-old McCowen has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
One of the stories we're working on for you this morning, billions of dollars spent for Clear Channel, the nation's biggest radio conglomerate. It's just one of many big media buyouts lately. Why so many? We'll take a look at that straight ahead.
Stay with us.
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S. O'BRIEN: Ooh, I think I might like Daniel Craig.
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, come on.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. Bond, James Bond. A whole new Bond -- a blonde Bond.
It made its debut in the U.K. yesterday and it makes its debut here in the U.S. today. The movie is called "Casino Royale."
It looks awesome. And do you know in the U.K. $3.2 million worth of tickets sold the first day, up 54 percent from "Die Another Day" back in 2002. So a huge hit, first day.
M. O'BRIEN: Dollars or pounds?
S. O'BRIEN: I did the math for you.
M. O'BRIEN: You actually did the conversion. Thank you very much.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, I didn't, but someone else did and gave it to me.
M. O'BRIEN: Our crack staff did that. Yes.
S. O'BRIEN: That's good news there.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. Yes. It's got good buzz.
All right. So, what's behind the recent run of media buyouts, you may ask.
Andrew Ross Sorkin of "The New York Times" is "Minding Your Business." And interestingly enough, his specialty at "The Times" is mergers, acquisitions, deals.
SORKIN: Right.
M. O'BRIEN: So this deal that we're talking about just one of many that seem to be cooking in the media world. I guess there's a big shakeout.
SORKIN: Right. Well, you know, these private equity firms are everywhere, and they love increasingly to buy media. In fact, MGM, which is the producer of the film "Casino Royale," owned by private equity.
So, you know, yesterday we had this Clear Channel deal, $18 billion. "Reader's Digest" gets taken out for $1.6 billion. People are now looking at the Tribune Company which owns the "Los Angeles Times". People are looking at my employer, "The New York Times."
Time Warner, the owner of this network, is selling a whole host of magazines. And the buyers for all these things are not some rivals. You know, it's not that "The New York Times" wants to buy the Tribune Company or that Time Warner wants to buy Clear Channel. It's these money guys are out there, and they're everywhere, and they're picking up these assets.
M. O'BRIEN: So what are they seeing, what are they saying in makes these purchases?
SORKIN: Well, that's the funny part, because, you know, if you look at what the stock market -- the stock market believes these assets are dying assets. The newspaper business not a good one. The radio business not so great either.
But I think what's happening is the private equity guys are saying, listen, we can take a longer-term view. We're going to own this thing for a couple of years. Whereas, you know, the typical shareholder today, even though they think they're long-term shareholders, they own a company for no longer than seven, eight months.
So, you know, they're saying, listen, we think that three, four, five years out newspapers may have a future, radio may have a future. And they can actually suck these things for cash.
They all still produce a lot of cash. Even though we talk about these as dying businesses, they still produce an awful lot of amount of cash, and that's what's really driving this whole buyout craze.
M. O'BRIEN: Interesting. Interesting. All right. So we're going to see more of this probably?
SORKIN: We're going to see a lot more of this.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes.
SORKIN: We're going to see a lot more of it.
M. O'BRIEN: All right.
SORKIN: And let me give you a tease for coming up.
M. O'BRIEN: Please do.
SORKIN: This one is a lot of fun, but I don't want to giving it away. A California senator is proposing a law that may enend up getting called the "Ken Lay Law". I won't explain what that is just yet.
M. O'BRIEN: The Ken Lay Law.
SORKIN: The Ken Lay Law, but if you hang around...
S. O'BRIEN: I think I know. SORKIN: Well, I'll try to...
S. O'BRIEN: I've got a good guess. I'll tell you in the commercial break.
Here's a look at some of the top stories on CNN.com this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN (voice over): The mother of this Brazilian fashion model who died from complications of anorexia is begging other parents to keep a close eye on their children. Her daughter, model Anna Reston (ph), died on Tuesday. She was 21 years old, 5'8", and weighed just 88 pounds.
A children's book about a pair of male penguins who fall in love and raise a baby together is stirring up controversy in Shiloh, Illinois. That's about 20 miles east of St. Louis.
The book is called "And Tango Makes Three." Some parents want it moved to a section of the local elementary school designated for mature material. The school board committee is deciding what to do.
A major Los Angeles hospital accusing of dumping this homeless patient on downtown's Skid Row is in legal trouble this morning. The city is filing civil and criminal charges against Kaiser Foundation hospitals.
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