Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Severe Weather in the Midwest; Iraq War Update

Aired May 06, 2007 - 16:00   ET

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

MELISSA LONG, CNN ANCHOR: Unbelievable damage to be sure you're aware of, in the heartland today after a weekend of killer tornados. And there could be more storms in store. Also new attacks in Iraq, 11 U.S. troops and dozens of Iraqis killed in another violent weekend. And we have a winner! We're going to tell you who France has picked to be its next president.
Hello, I'm Melissa Long, in today for Fredricka Whitfield and you're in the NEWSROOM. Treacherous days in tornado alley. More than 120 reported twisters in at least 10 states. At least 10 people dead in a town in southern Kansas, all but blown off the map. All since Friday evening. President Bush has approved federal aid to help Greensburg, Kansas. But, some of the people who live in that town, are expressing doubt today, whether staying is even an option. With Greensburg largely destroyed, many speak of starting over elsewhere. After the first round of twisters Friday, a second wave hit the region yesterday. And more tornados are likely today. Mostly in Kansas, Oklahoma, and the Texas panhandle. The latest victim was killed overnight in the small town of Bennington in north central Kansas. Now, meantime, heavy rains left by the storms have caused localized flooding.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LONG: The devastation from that F-5 tornado and now the urgent calls for help from President Bush is now helping, committing federal aid to parts of Kansas. For more on that from the White House, CNN's Elaine Quijano. Elaine, the administration is quick now to offer help to Greensburg?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. President Bush, in fact, making that disaster declaration for the state of Kansas early this morning, after the governor of Kansas requested that federal help for her state. Now in addition to speaking with the governor, President Bush also spoke by phone with Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas. And today, this morning in fact after attending church with the first lady, the president said that their hearts are heavy for the loss of life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: It's going to take a long time for the community to recover. And so we'll help in any way that we can. There's a certain spirit in the Midwest of our country, a pioneer spirit that still exists and I'm confident that this community will be rebuilt. To the extent that we can help, we will. The most important thing now though is for our citizens to ask for the good lord to comfort those who are hurt. Thank you very much.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, President Bush was first briefed about the tornado in Kansas by his Homeland Security adviser Fran Townsend yesterday. That, of course, Melissa, in addition again to those conversations that he had with Senator Pat Roberts and the governor of Kansas. Melissa?

LONG: All right, let me also ask you about FEMA, that aid that is likely to help all the victims in Greensburg and likely to be expedited, I'm sure.

QUIJANO: Absolutely. This is a White House certainly that is sensitive to the perception of FEMA, post-Katrina. And today, in fact, the administrator of FEMA David Paulison addressed that head on saying that essentially his organization is not the same one that responded to Katrina. Here's what he had to say on CNN earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID PAULISON, FEMA DIRECTOR: The FEMA you're seeing now is different than the one you saw two years ago. We have been working with the state for the last day and a half. We have people on the ground. In fact the city's using one of our command posts for their command post, because there's no building standing. We're already moving mobile homes and trailers. We have food and water standing by if they need it.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: So as FEMA is on the ground there, the question, will President Bush visit the state, unknown. He's got a very full calendar. The Queen of England will be here for the next couple of days. No word yet if President Bush plans to visit the state, but I think, Melissa, certainly judging from past disasters, we have seen President Bush take a look at the devastation firsthand. It's likely we might see something like that in the days to come. Melissa?

LONG: All right, Elaine Quijano from the White House. Elaine thank you.

We will bring you live pictures from Greensburg a little bit later in our newscast. But of course the storms have been severe not just in that small community but another tornado touched down in Sweetwater, Oklahoma. That's in the western part of the state and it badly damaged a high school and several other buildings yesterday. Mark Upgrand of our CNN affiliate KOCO has this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARK UPGRAND, KOCO (voice-over): Checking right beside highway 30, the monster tornado bears down on the small town of Sweetwater, Oklahoma. As residents run for cover, the tornado tears through this school, ripping off the roof. A mobile home is crushed against a house. And two children took shelter seconds before their home took a direct hit. Power poles are toppled on their sides and a natural gas line spews into the air. As darkness falls, rescue crews survey the damage and look for survivors. The school is badly damaged and graduation plans for next week are now on hold.

DON RILEY, SWEETWATER SCHOOL SUPT.: Well, we just had about seven days left. We were going to have baccalaureate tomorrow in the (INAUDIBLE) building, we were already set up. I thought well, looked around and I said well we can have it in the gymnasium. Walked around there and said I don't believe we can have it in the gymnasium either. Graduation is Friday night and so we were due to get out the 15th. I don't know whether we'll try to even have anymore school, we might, we might meet for a little bit or something.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

LONG: Officials there in Sweetwater report only one minor injury from yesterday's storm. CNN i-Reporters, we rely on you and you're feeding in a flood of pictures of the twisters. Nicole Lapin of cnn.com is monitoring those reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NICOLE LAPIN (voice-over): The incredible destruction of Greensburg, Kansas leaves nothing to remind us of what that vibrant little town looked like before Friday night. Well, perhaps the biggest claim to fame was the world's largest hand-dug well. It served Greensburg's water needs up until the 1930s. Now each year, thousands of people would visit this engineering marvel, walking down those steps, where light illuminated the 15 feet of clear water at the bottom. Well, for now the big well is buried underneath a mountain of debris, (INAUDIBLE) by a giant water tank, that once towered over it. Also gone with the wind is the town's famous half ton meteorite. It was dug out from a nearby crater many years ago and also served as one of Greensburg's big attractions. No sign of it since the tornado. We continue to get new i-Report pictures in of the various places all across tornado alley. These images come to us from Jeff Robinson from the battered farmland of Havilland, Kansas. The American flag speaks the loudest of the resilience of the Midwestern spirit. Now if you have video or images of the tornado's wrath, just go ahead and send it to us by clicking on the i-Report logo on the home page of cnn.com. For the dot com desk, I'm Nicole Lapin.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

LONG: In Greensburg, Kansas, what was is gone. What's to come, some hard going? With the town of about 1500, about 95 percent destroyed. Greensburg faces two monumental tasks. Clearing tons of wreckage and then starting all over. Live now for us from the scene there of that giant tornado, reporter Jeff Flock. Jeff?

JEFF FLOCK: Good to see you. Sorry we're delayed. Perhaps you didn't recognize us as being delayed but we were, we had a torrential downpour. I don't want to try to spin around to get it right now. But we've got a lot of lightning coming down just to the south of Greensburg right now. I was listening to Jacqui's report about what's going on here right now, a lot of heavy weather. We just had I would say dime-size, perhaps quarter-sized hail. And I know you can't see it from as far away as I am here across the street, but I've got almost a quarter-sized piece of hail in my hand here. I'm perched on the corner of Main Street and the main thoroughfare through Greensburg. This the one that runs east/west from Topeka on towards Dodge City. This is the center of town essentially and perhaps you can see that there, what was once a thriving metropolis is no more. This is a sea of bricks that I've got with me here right on this corner. And I don't know, Derrick, if you could see it, we just had an issue with a camera getting soaked. We've got another camera here and I don't know if he can see it as well as I'd like him to, but it's one thing to have a trailer blow away. It's one thing to have a building that is made out of frame construction, wood frame construction. This is structural steel, a foot by about six inch i-beam construction building that is just in a shambles here that was effaced with brick. You see the huge street lights that are bent over. I mean this was a tremendous amount of force. I heard you talking earlier about F-5. That's what the National Weather Service is saying. But I was in Oklahoma City too in 1999. And of course what they thought was an F- 5, they now believe may be an F-6. I would say what I'm seeing in terms of damage here is something that is certainly similar to what we saw there. I'm going to try -- and I know Derrick's not going to like this because he's going to go in front of a pole, but if you can follow me Derrick, and I apologize for that pole there, but we're under a tent because of the rain that that had just been pouring.

This is the -- can you tell this is a museum. It's a museum to the tornado right now. This was the museum that featured the history of Greensburg right here on this corner. This was all of Greensburg history and not it is -- I can't even make out much of anything in there, it is all debris. As we said, this is the main street and on down this, there is not a single building undamaged. Many of them are not yet standing. They've asked us not to get too far down this way, so I just wanted to do that, give you that little peek. I'm going to head on back. We're obviously trying to stay out of the way of emergency management. You were talking earlier about this massive force that is headed to town and it is part already here. We just had a convoy of, I would say, maybe 20 front end loaders that just went by. This is what they're going to use to pick this debris up. They've already done an excellent job of clearing the streets here. You can picture this debris. Well, this was everywhere on Friday night. It was in the streets, it was everywhere. And now fortunately, at least, it is cleared out of these streets. So this is the picture of Greensburg at this hour on Sunday. Two days after this tornado, it's going to look like this for a long while but I'll tell you with the mobilization that we're seeing here on the part of all of the volunteers and everybody that have come in that has come in, I think it may be a surprise about how long it takes this town to start to get back to something already. That's the latest from Greensburg at this hour, back to you.

LONG: Jeff -- yes, you've done a terrific job of showing us just how that main street, how that community has been obliterated. You have mentioned so many of the crews are in town now to help with the rescue and recovery. Do you sense optimism that they may find more victims that are alive? FLOCK: No, I don't, any optimism that there would be anybody found alive. I mean if you look at these buildings, there are very few and again I apologize for going in front of the tent pole here but, Derrick, if you can go off to this building across here, very few buildings look like this one. This one with walls standing, with brick walls standing. Most of them in fact, are completely down. They've put dogs through already. They really feel they don't have anyone alive in there. Whether or not there is a body or two, or perhaps more that end up being found in the rubble, that is a possibility. But anyone else alive that is highly unlikely I think.

LONG: Jeff Flock from Greensburg, Jeff, thank you.

Also a somber Sunday for our troops in Iraq. As attacks in Diyala Province in Baghdad cost more American lives. The details straight ahead.

Plus, the wreckage of a Kenyan jetliner that disappeared yesterday has been found in Cameroon. All the details in this developing story about 12 minutes from now.

And later, a strange, small plane crash in Massachusetts. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LONG: On this Sunday, insurgent attacks took a deadly toll across Iraq. Nine U.S. soldiers were killed. Insurgents also took aim at Iraqi civilians killing nearly 50 in multiple bombings. They then took aim at Iraqi police headquarters. For the very latest, let's go to Nic Robertson, who's live for us in Baghdad. Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the deadliest attack today came north of Baghdad in the province of Diyala. There, a roadside bomb killed six soldiers and a journalist riding along with them. In the south part of Baghdad, one soldier was killed and one wounded when a roadside bomb hit their patrol. In the north of Baghdad, double roadside bomb hit another U.S. patrol, one soldier killed in that attack, two wounded. One other soldier reported killed of non-combat related injuries. Today as well we've also heard of several other U.S. fatalities. On Friday, one soldier killed, four wounded in the west of Baghdad. And on Saturday, two marines also reported dead, 25 U.S. fatalities so far this month. A very deadly toll. Deadly for Iraqis in the southwest of Baghdad today. A bomb in a crowded market detonated around about noon when the market was busy, 33 people killed, 74 wounded. And north of Baghdad in the town of Samarra, a bomb, a suicide bomb detonated outside a police station. We're told there that 11 policemen were killed, 13 wounded in that particular attack, targeting the police station. Melissa?

LONG: Nic, with the legislation passing through Congress and then being vetoed on the president's desk this week, what are the troops saying? Are they confused?

ROBERTSON: U.S. troops here are surging in their mission, still trying to control areas of Baghdad. What we're hearing from commanders here is that they remain very concerned about roadside bombs that they attribute in many cases to the Sunni insurgents here. They also say that they are seeing increased and strong connections between the Shia militias and their electronically, or explosively- formed projectiles. These very deadly bombs that penetrate the heavy armor of armored vehicles here. They say they're seeing increasing connections between those particular bombs and Iran. Melissa?

LONG: Nic Robertson from Baghdad. Nic, thank you.

And in Afghanistan, officials say one of their own turned on U.S. forces. An alleged Afghan soldier shot and killed two U.S. soldiers near Kabul. Two others were wounded. The incident happened outside of a high security prison, the site of deadly riots last year. The shooter was killed by Afghan national troops.

Now blogging from the front lines and why the Pentagon is concerned citing security reasons. The full story, live report about three minutes from now.

Plus, surviving hell. We're going to talk to a resident of Greensburg, Kansas, who survived the tornado that virtually wiped his community off the map. That's in about 15 minutes here live in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LONG: How much do we really know about what's happening in Iraq? One of the fastest growing sources of information is the internet and members of the military themselves. CNN's Lisa Goddard joins us now live with more about military bloggers who write and fight everyday. Lisa?

LISA GODDARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Melissa, what cameras can't reach in those small towns and hardened bases in Iraq, military service members and their families are increasingly putting online. With those stories comes a new set of questions and conflicts about this complicated war.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GODDARD (voice-over): Iraq, a war with little access to news on the ground but you can now access precisely that in seconds. Through the internet and blogs coming straight from the front lines.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd talk about anything.

GODDARD: Sean Dustman has been to Iraq twice as a navy corpsman. As the blogger dock in the box, he's direct. Writing of success and frustration. In October, Dustman described arriving at an air base, saying, "The staff sergeant told us, we never get attacked here. We wear no body armor. But half an hour later, Dustman wrote, we had one of the largest mortar attacks this base has ever seen." At a military blogger conference, Dustman is a cyber celebrity, who's site has drawn 200,000 hits with entries like this. "I was talking on the phone to my wife, and the guy next to me started sobbing uncontrollably."

(on camera): The internet is like nothing any military has ever seen. Instant information across the world, where friends and enemies can watch. And now the Pentagon is watching its bloggers more closely, too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's been an update to operational security policy.

GODDARD: Army spokesman Dan Bogio explains in the past month, the military has reminded bloggers not to compromise security with their posts. Dustman knows where he draws one line.

SEAN DUSTMAN, DOCINTHEBOX.BLOGSPOT.COM: When my guys die I don't talk about that at all.

GODDARD: Beneath their black and white keys, military bloggers walk some tough lines. Juggling facts with security. Struggling with very personal emotion while informing the world.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

GODDARD: Now U.S. commanders assert the power to review and reject blog items posted by their troops at anytime. But the bloggers we spoke to insist that that's rare. In fact, it seems most of the soldiers blogging from Iraq strictly censor themselves. Melissa?

LONG: Lisa, what about the families of those people that are blogging? How do they handle the tough information that they may be reading on a daily basis?

GODDARD: A lot of this is very tough stuff for people to read, but families tell me that they would like to see it. In fact, they say they urge their soldiers to say more and some of the most popular blogs come from mothers and other family members who are reporting what they're hearing through e-mail and other sources from their men and women in the field.

LONG: The internet's a wonderful way for them to stay in close touch, that's for sure. Lisa Goddard, thank you.

And it's time now to go global with headlines from around the world. Search crews believe they've found the crashed Kenyan Airways passenger jet. It went down just after takeoff late on Friday night in Cameroon. An aviation official says the wreckage is in a marshy area near Cameroon's capital city. One hundred and fourteen people were on board the flight bound for Nairobi. Rescue teams might have to wait until first light Monday before they can search for survivors.

The idea of France's first female president apparently wasn't enough to sway the voters today. Right-wing conservative candidate Nicolas Sarkozy has won today's runoff against 53-year- old socialist Segolene Royal. Sarkozy won roughly 53 percent of the vote. Royal delivered her concession speech about two hours ago now.

Turkey's foreign minister Abdul Gul is dropping his bid to become the country's next president. Gul supporters failed to win enough support in parliament to make him president. Thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets of Ankara and Istanbul in recent weeks. They don't want the prime minister to nominate any Islamist politician, including Gul, for president.

Greensburg, Kansas as we've been telling you, wiped out, essentially wiped off the map. We're going to take you there, show you 360 degrees of destruction straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

And then a live interview with a resident who survived that nightmare in Greensburg.

Plus, why the FDA is warning pharmaceutical manufacturers in the U.S. of contaminated drugs from China. All of these details about 20 minutes from now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MELISSA LONG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, half past the hour. And here is what's happening now in the news. Just a few more hours today for cleanup in Greensburg, Kansas. The second night of a 12-hour curfew goes into effect 8:00 p.m. local time. President Bush has declared Greensburg and the rest of Kiowa County a major disaster area. Making it eligible for Federal Aid.

This while America's heartland braces for more turbulent weather. That's possible today, even later tonight. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is tracking it all for us and will join us for the latest in just a few minutes.

Now Greensburg, Kansas, was just torn to shreds. Barely recognizable even to those who know it best. Jeff Flock offers this ground-level view of the devastation.

JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Emergency officials here in Greensburg, Kansas, will soon be locking this area down again, but before we get away, I want to give you a 360-degree look at the destruction in this town. Lets start here at this tree and remember this tree is a reference point. First of all take a look at the bark; having been shorn completely off, this is how intense the winds were. All over this town, maybe you see splinter, splintered wood. A lot of the homes in town were built of wood. And now reduced to largely splinters like this everywhere. An occasional wall remains standing. All of this wiped away off to the distance as well. As we come around here, you see our transition point here in the center of Greensburg, Kansas. Off here around to the other side, maybe you see a sign that says "big well." this as the big tourist attraction in town. It was the largest hand dug well back in the 1980s. The largest hand dug well in history and stood till this day. I say till this day, at least until Friday when it was destroyed here, back off in this, you can't even see it; I can see it, but the high school. That's destroyed as well.

Over here, take a look at these homes. These are some of the lucky homes. These are ones that are at least still standing. I don't think they'll stand for long. I don't think there is any way, any of these could be rebuilt but at least the walls remain. Some structural integrity remains here. Most of the homes, however, are completely leveled. You can't even tell in some areas that there even was a home there. Off in the distance even farther, maybe it's a point of order for you; you see that the grain elevator did stand. That is something, of course, constructed with steel and concrete. That's not a bad place to be if you ever get stuck in a tornado. And again coming back on around here in our 360-degree look, this is the tree where we started out.

Once again, 360 degrees of devastation here in Greensburg. They're going to be locking this area down again as they continue to go from house to house. They don't feel as though anyone is left alive in the debris but it is certainly possible that more bodies may be pulled from some of the debris before they're done here. That is the latest.

I'm Jeff Flock. Back to you folks.

LONG: Seeing such destruction, survivors feel fortunate to be able to tell the tale of how they rode out the storm. Among them, Charlie Herd who is an attorney in Greensburg. He joins us by phone with his story. Charlie thanks so much for your time.

CHARLIE HERD, TORNADO SURVIVOR (via telephone): Yes.

LONG: So Charlie, you've lived in the community of Greensburg for some 21 years. You've certainly experienced tornados before. How does this one compare?

HERD: Well, you've gone to the cellar many times and realized -- and never really had caused any damage. Just something that living in southwestern Kansas, you learn to live with. I guess you get a little jaded. You go to the cellar. My day as a tree belt or a farm shed. But this is as far as damage to a populated area, this is my first experience.

LONG: So Friday night, you are in your basement, if I understand correctly, with your loved ones. Tell me about that experience. Tell me what it was like.

HERD: Well, I was in the basement of a neighbor's home. Our house didn't have a basement. So I was with my youngest daughter, she's 13. And tornado siren sounded. And we went to their basement. And they had a TV in their basement. So we were watching the local news track the tornado and it started, I think, seven, eight miles south of Greensburg and kept hoping that would dissipate but it didn't. It just sat down and seemed to pick up strength and headed right to Greensburg. Then the siren was blowing. And the electricity went off. And the sirens stopped. So that was a bad sign.

LONG: When you came out of that basement, what did you see?

HERD: My daughter and I came out of the basement. It was just rubble. Kind of looked like some of the pictures you see of the cities in Europe during the war after they were bombed. It was just -- the trees were gone. The houses were gone. I mean, even in a small town where we walk the streets every day, it was hard to tell where you were at, because all of your landmarks were gone. So we tried to make our way to the sheriff's office.

LONG: So many of our viewers were learning about your community, we learned it has a prized well, a prized meteorite, a close-knit town of about 1,500 people. What is your hometown really like? What do you want people to know about Greensburg?

HERD: Well, it's a town that's endured a lot over the years. Oppression of the world wars and other things. And I think it will endure, it's changed over the last 20 years. A lot of these smaller rural communities affected by change. They're not -- the size and stature they were years ago. But these are hardy people. They're hardy stock and they have a way of serving.

LONG: Charlie we are just about out of time. I just wanted to ask you if you were in charge of the restoration, what would be your first step? What's your plan?

HERD: Well, planning. I think an opportunity to, you know instead of just kind of rebuilding in a haphazard way, look at -- have an overall vision. It could make the thing more streamline, more efficient. Something that's going to serve the people for years to come in a smart way.

LONG: Charlie Herd from Greensburg, joining us to talk about his experience with the tornados in his hometown of 21 years. Charlie thanks so much, and best of luck to you and your family.

HERD: Thank you so much.

LONG: >Thank you so much. Jacqui Jeras has been watching, of course, the severe weather that could be brewing in that region and we learned as well that was an F-5 that passed through the community of Greensburg.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah, EF-5 it is a new scale. We just started this new scale since February. So I you are what is the E for, it is called the Enhanced Fujita Scale, and the damage scale, not a wind scale. So the winds are just an estimate. But I talked to Larry and he's a meteorologist with the National Weather Service out of Dodge City, Kansas and he was out there yesterday and this morning assessing the damage. I had an incredible talk on the phone. We're trying to get him for a live interview later on this evening and he described that homes were wiped off their foundations. That there were pets wandering around the area, where the pets got out and people were not able to find their pets. He said an EF-5, with estimated winds with over 205 miles an hour. So that's the granddaddy of really all tornados. The last one we had one May 3rd, 1999 and since 1950, we have only had 51 EF-5s. So that gives you an idea of just how rare this was.

The damage path was about a mile and a half wide and the storm was on ground and tracked for 22 miles. So just an incredible, incredible storm. We still have more storms out there at this hour. The Greensburg area is under a tornado watch right now. Conditions favorable for tornados. And within this watch area, you've got about a 60 percent chance of at least two or more tornados. We have some severe thunderstorms just to the west of Wichita and a lot of lightning associated with these cells as well as they're pushing on through and we do have some heavy rain showers right over Greensburg at this hour but the warnings had been expired. Comanche County was under a tornado warning, I know you still see the red box here but we just got word from the National Weather Service that they cancelled that one. Let's hope these continue to die down.

LONG: Wild weekend of weather, that's for sure.

Another possible presidential candidate is visiting California but who Fred Thompson is talking to in the heart of Reagan country. It's pretty note worthy. We are going to explain it all straight ahead in THE NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) LONG: Possible Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson made a visit to southern California over the weekend. Nothing unusual about that but what is intriguing is the group that Thompson was speaking to. The same organization that catapulted fellow after Ronald Reagan to national providence. Peter Viles reports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETER VILES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Most Americans know him as the D.A. on the TV shows "Law & Order."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Announce the governor's word, is spending too much time playing grand theft auto on his Playstation.

VILES: But to Republican activist Fred Thompson is a true believer. A former senator whose conservative beliefs and stage presence evoke Ronald Reagan.

ERIK BROWN, LINCOLN CLUB MEMBER: There's something about the way I feel he delivers the message. There's strength and certitude in the way that he speaks and he clarifies those difficult to put your finger on characteristics of what it means to be part of this American experience.

VILES: Friday night he dipped his toes into the campaign, addressing the influential Lincoln Club in Orange County.

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, SR. POLITICAL ANALYST: The key Republican club in the heart of Reagan country. So when you speak to the Lincoln Club, you're really addressing Regan country.

VILES: Thompson who says he's considering running for president, touched on Reagan's favorite themes, a smaller government is a better government.

FRED THOMPSON, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: I think our attitude ought to be the federal government, do what you're supposed to be doing and do it competently and then we may give you something else to do.

VILES: And tax cuts work.

THOMPSON: You wouldn't think you'd have to make the lower tax case again but you have to make it ever day if Washington, D.C.

VILES: He also said Americans are willing to sacrifice and he hinted at cuts in Social Security benefits.

THOMPSON: I think if a credible case is made to the American people, that mom and dad and grandmom and granddad will be more than happy to make the adjustments necessary to protect their kids and their grandkids.

VILES: The speech was short on specifics and skirted divisive issues like abortion and a clear plan for Iraq. Tough questions that candidate Thompson would be forced to address. Still, the response was positive.

BOB LOWEN, LINCOLN CLUB MEMBER: He's got a lot of charisma. When he talks, he seems to be talking from the heart. He seems to be telling us the truth.

HUGH HEWITT, RADIO TALK SHOW HOIST: I would like to see Fred Thompson in there. I think he would add a tremendous amount to the race. He would add a more to the debates, a lot more star power and right now the star power's been over with the Democrats until this week.

VILES: For Thompson, a successful audition. It's just not clear whether he wants the role of presidential candidate.

Peter Viles for CNN, New Port Beach, California.

LONG: It's back to work tomorrow for the New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine. He spent nearly three weeks recovering from a near fatal auto accident last month. The spokesman tells CNN the 60-year-old governor will resume his duties tomorrow. Corzine paid a $46 fine last week for not wearing his seat belt at the time of that crash.

Spiedee's (ph) in top form, at least at the box office, spinning a web around people's wallets. Yours too, perhaps? You go to the movies over the weekend? Spiderman's numbers in about ten minutes from now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

JERAS: I'm Jacqui Jeras in the CNN Weather Center with today's allergy report. High concentrations of pollen across part of the southwest, and across parts of the Rockies, very high for you here into Salt Lake City, also high in the orange across the lower Mississippi Valley, across the southeast and into the Carolinas.

LONG: And making sure you're up to date on news happening around America today. The Food and Drug Administration wants pharmaceutical manufacturers to be especially vigilant. The drugs with glycerin are not contaminated with a poison called DEG, glycerin is sweetener commonly found in liquid over the counter in prescription drugs. According to "The New York Times," DGE contaminated glycerin from China has been linked to several mass poisons in other countries.

Florida residents near Daytona Beach are being warned to be ready to leave in a hurry. Firefighters are worried that winds will shift the south side of the Flagler County fire. The fires about 60 percent contained but the expected change in the winds from the north today could force some evacuations.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is continuing her sixth day tour of the United States. She is scheduled to attend the reception at the White House in morning. Tomorrow night, the royal couple will join the first couple for a state dinner.

Breast cancer survivors, the families and friends are lacing up their sneakers in Washington this weekend. Today is day two for the Avon Annual Walk for Breast Cancer. The fund raising event covers nearly 40 miles and raises money to help find a cure.

They're honoring a music legend in Hawaii. Thousands of fans of the late Dan Ho gathered for a sunset memorial in Waikiki. Ho best known for his song "Tiny Bubbles." Died last night of heart failure at the age of 76. The crooner's ashes have been scattered in an ocean about a quarter mile off of the beach of Waikiki.

In Massachusetts, a pilot was pulled to safety and rushed to the hospital after a single-engine plane crashed into a home and landed upside down in its front yard. Several neighbors in that Cape Cod neighborhood saw what happened. They sprung into action. We get more now from reporter Lori Bordanaro of CNN affiliate WHDH in Boston.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIAN MALONE, HOMEOWNER: I just heard the plane coming in. And we turned around; we saw the top of the trees, hit the top of the trees and took the chimney off of our house.

LORI BORDANARO, WHDH: Brian Malone and his wife were doing yard work when a single engine Cessna crashed into their house. The plane bouncing off the roof before splitting in half and landing upside down in their driveway.

MALONE: We just hope the pilot is OK. That is the most important thing that no one was hurt.

BORDANARO: Remarkably the pilot Allesandra (ph) survived. A neighbor who happens to be a nurse, rushed over to talk to him.

KATHLEEN CHILDS, NEIGHBOR/NURSE: He seemed OK. His pulse was OK. He was moving. So we knew he wasn't really badly injured. And he was alert. He knew where he was and what happened.

BORDANARO: What exactly happened is yet to be determined. Witnesses said they heard the plane sputtering.

DOUG CHILD, NEIGHBOR: He was obviously having some power issues. So he was banking left to maybe return to the airport. About halfway through his turn, he was losing altitude pretty quickly. BORDANARO: Investigators say the plane is owned by Sky Dive Cape Cod, which is based about a mile from the crash site. They say three parachuters jumped from the plane shortly before it went down and say they don't know what caused it to suddenly lose power.

SGT. SEAN SWEENEY, BARNSTABLE POLICE DEPARTMENT: The owner of the plane just had extensive work done to it. Last year, had a brand- new engine from the manufacture put in. He tells me also had framework done on it.

BORDANARO: The FAA is now investigating. As for that pilot, the manager here at the airfield says he has been released from the hospital and may have suffered a broken rib.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LONG: That was Lori Bordanaro reporting from just outside of Boston, Massachusetts.

Now, I'm not sure if I am supposed to sing this or not but "Spiderman" no, I don't think I was supposed to but not loved by the critics if you have been reading the reviews that have been embraced by so many moviegoers around the world.

Spider mania straight ahead from the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LONG: Did you go to the movies this weekend? Well, "Spider-Man 3" and casting quite a web at box office. In it's opening weekend it set a new record for ticket sales in the U.S. an estimated $148 million worth have been sold since Thursday. That beat the opening weekend for "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." And the comic crime fighter's success doesn't end there. Worldwide "Spider-Man 3" has earned $375 million. That is the highest global box office opening since 2005. Remember that film? That is when "Star Wars: Episode 3 Revenge of the Sitting" hit theaters.

And it is prom season. One senior in Jacksonville, Florida, found the perfect date for her senior prom. In just a few days, he'll be deployed to Iraq. So who better to escort her than her dad? We get this story from our reporter Laura Mazio (ph) of CNN affiliate WJXT in Jacksonville.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAURA MAZIO (ph) WJXT: Senior prom is all about making memories and that's why Marrielle Mayshack asked her dad to be her date.

MARRIELLE MAYSHACK: I was like, you know what? Do you want to go to prom with me, dad? He was like "are you serious?" I'm like, yeah. He's like, OK.

MAZIO (ph): Marrielle's dad is a senior master sergeant in the air force and he's heading to Iraq next week. SR. MASTER SGT. SHACK MAYSHACK, U.S. AIR FORCE: Senior prom is one of the biggest -- one of their biggest events of their life. And I was just very proud that she even asked me to escort her tonight.

MAZIO (ph): While serving many milestones in his daughter's life.

M. MAYSHACK: He's going to miss my graduation for one thing. He'll miss me moving to college. He'll actually miss me moving into college. He'll miss all of that and saying good-bye and everything.

MAZIO (ph): It won't be easy for either of them. He'll be gone for at least four months.

S. MAYSHACK: We're very close. We are really close. So it's really going to be hard for us to be a part. But we have e-mails. So we'll be keeping in contact with each other.

MAZIO (ph): And while thousands of miles apart, they'll share this night. Memories made on the dance floor.

M. MAYSHACK: I'm really going to miss him. He's going to be gone but I will really miss him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LONG: Didn't Marrielle look beautiful in that blue dress? The Douglas Anderson School prom was held last night.

New information tonight about those killer tornados that tore across Kansas. We'll take you to a town that nearly wiped off of the map by one of the most powerful twisters history.

Also she beat cancer but lost her health insurance. Why thousands of Americans, may be you, are seeing coverage disappear.

Plus --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just once I hope CNN would say let's go to Muhammed in Ian. The guy says, I'm Muhammad. No flag, no bombs. Back to you, Bob.

LONG: They're often betrayed as terrorist, bad guys and the axis of evil is also good for a few laughs according to these stand-up comics.

Hello, I'm Melissa Long in today for Fredricka Whitfield and you're in THE NEWSROOM.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com