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Dean Strikes Again; Flooding in the Midwest; Crandall Canyon Mine

Aired August 22, 2007 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don Lemon.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Floods and droughts, driving rain and hurricane winds, broiling heat and a blast of natural air conditioning, you name it, it's somewhere on the North American weather map. And CNN is all over it.

PHILLIPS: For the second time in two days, Hurricane Dean has hit Mexico. This time, a Category 2. Minutes ago, it fell back to Cat 1.

Far to the north, storms are blamed for more than 20 deaths. And a rising tide of misery from Texas, to Minnesota, to Ohio.

LEMON: And here in the Southeast, it's hotter than you know what. And it's still hotter than you know what, but New York City just had its coldest August since 1911. We can't explain it, but we'll be reporting on it all afternoon right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: Well, the rain has been coming down and the winds are fierce around Nautla. That's in the northern part of the Veracruz state. That's where CNN's Karl Penhaul is.

Karl, update us.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, the hurricane -- Hurricane Dean made landfall as a Category 2 (INAUDIBLE).

PHILLIPS: Karl, is there any way you can put the mic up closer to your mouth? We're having a hard time hearing you.

PENHAUL: Yes, we're still having a hard time with this wind.

As you can see, Kyra, we were saying that the hurricane made landfall about an hour and a half ago, now about 25 miles north of where we are. We saw some of the small structures here with tin roofs being ripped apart, some of the wooden and straw roof structures also being ripped apart. But according to the disaster prevention specialists here in this area, probably the biggest problem is with the rain. The rain has been driving down since before dawn this morning and bringing with it the risk of not only flooding, but also landslides. The area here different from the Yucatan, where Dean came across as a Category 5. Here, the land rises from sea level to 3,000 feet in the mountains. And (INAUDIBLE) just a few miles, and that, the local authorities say, could bring landslides, pretty much down the mountainside with it -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Our Karl Penhaul there in the northern part of Veracruz, straight in Nautla.

Karl, sorry about how tough those conditions are. We'll keep checking in with you, though -- Don.

LEMON: And the outer bands of the storm, well, they've been lashing at the port city of Tuxpan since early this morning, and CNN's Ed Lavandera is smack in the middle of it all right now. And he joins us.

It's much calmer where you are. I'm sure we can hear you, Ed. But you're going to be getting more bands coming shortly, I'm sure.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Don. We are about 40 miles north of where the eye of the hurricane has come ashore. And we keep feeling these bands.

They come in waves of rain. And the wind picks up at certain points. Although, the wind hasn't been as strong as what we would have expected or perhaps closer to the eye.

What we were told is that everything was very compact on this second landing here on Mexico, and perhaps we're a little bit further away from that eye. It makes it a little bit easier to withstand the wind gusts that are in this area.

But as Karl was mentioning, and one of the things that also remains a big concern up here, is that -- the issue of mudslides. And as the storm comes ashore and pounds into the mountains that are just near the shoreline -- this is one of those wind gusts there for a second -- that the concern is going to be what this rainfall is going to do in the more mountainous regions, in the areas where there are villages with, you know, very poor housing and situations where villages can be just completely leveled with one landslide or heavy rains.

But look at the river here that usually brings in heavy cargo in here into this port. But this river should actually be running in a completely opposite direction. But because we're right now on the front end of that storm, the river is being pushed inland.

When we're on the back side, this will actually back up a little bit. It's actually kind of a little weird to see this in person. You don't get to see it very often.

LEMON: Ed...

LAVANDERA: But here in a couple of hours this will start heading back out to the...

(CROSSTALK)

LEMON: Hey, Ed, over your left shoulder there -- this is what I want to ask you, over your left shoulder there, if you can turn around and look, who are -- are these people out? Is that media? What are they doing still out in -- with these conditions?

LAVANDERA: Oh, that's a crew from Mexican television network that has just arrived here a short while ago. But, you know, quite frankly, there are people who have been walking around here throughout the day.

You know, the first part of this day was actually incredibly weird, because it's almost as if it was just a regular Wednesday morning here. People were -- city buses going. Some shops tried to open up. And people were just kind of going on about their business.

I think they've hunkered down a little bit now for the most part. Power is out in many neighborhoods around here. But they anticipate that that could be back quickly.

But, you know, it was almost kind of eerie at some point. In fact, one of the emergency officials said they were kind of frustrated by it because many people waiting until the very last minute to make their last-minute preparations or to decide to evacuate.

In fact, we've just been told a story a short while ago. About six or seven miles from here, closer to the beach, there was a family that refused to evacuate their home yesterday. Roads to that home have become impassable. And they're apparently in the process of rescuing those people by boat now.

There haven't been many of those cases. Probably like three or four, I'm told, in the last couple of hours. But, you know, for the most part, people not -- I didn't get the impression that they were taking it very seriously.

LEMON: Yes. And you know what? That can be a matter of life and death, the difference between life and death. And so we certainly hope they heed those warnings.

Ed Lavandera, we're going to continue to check in with you throughout the day. Thank you for your report.

PHILLIPS: All right. Jacqui Jeras has been tracking Dean since before it was a storm.

Jacqui, what's the latest now?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, it's been downgraded to Category 1 with winds at 85 miles per hour. And, you know, I'm just kind of baffled as to why Ed isn't seeing any rain. Is it really not raining where he is? When we get back to him, if you guys could ask him that question for me. Now, most of the convection on this storm has been on the south side of the system. So it's been a little lopsided. And normally it's that northeast quadrant, the right front quadrant, as we call it, where the strongest of winds are. But, of course, that has to correspond with where the thunderstorms are.

The thunderstorms are moving through the Poza Rica area, right down here, and this is where Karl Penhaul is. And that's why Karl's been seeing some worst conditions, I think, than what's going on up here, where Ed Lavandera is.

But the center of the circulation is right about here, just passing now towards the west, to Poza Rica. Still, a very large storm. The tropical-storm-force winds still extending out 200 miles from the center of this storm. So this thing has grown again. This thing is 400 miles across from end to end.

And we're getting some rain in Mexico City. It's very light right now, but we are expecting that to be picking on up in intensity.

The forecast track remains moving on a westerly motion, but a little bit of a jog more northwesterly instead of west-northwesterly as expected. We're kind of looking at this little curving motion based on the weather pattern here, but it is weakening already from a 2, down to a 1.

We're going to be down to tropical storm status, we think, later on tonight, and eventually making its way down to tropical depression status as it moves over the mountains. Rain will be the big story, along with flooded rivers and possibly some flooded cities as the rain comes down the mountains. We could see some landslides and some mudslides, so we'll start to pull away from the big wind threat and focus more on flooding in the coming days.

PHILLIPS: OK, Jacqui. We'll keep tracking with you. Thanks.

LEMON: The floods were fast and furious. Recovery will be slow and, of course, painful. That's true across the Midwest and Plains today, where flash flooding has caused an untold amount of damage.

Reporter Tom Murray from our Milwaukee affiliate WTMJ is in Kenosha County, Wisconsin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM MURRAY, REPORTER, WTMJ: The Fox River behind me is kind of sweeping in this way, surrounding homes here in rural Kenosha County, Wisconsin. You can see this home behind me that is surrounded by water right now, and problems continue down this block.

There is a "Road Closed" sign there. You can see cars stopping. Folks can't get through there to their homes right now. People along the Fox River are used to summer flooding, but they say it hasn't been this high for a long time.

The water was so high that it covered all four lanes of a highway here. Traffic narrowed to one lane each way.

Bob Huering lives in Silver Lake, Wisconsin. He's been there for more than 15 years, right there on the Fox River, and has never seen the water so bad. Bob's deck looks more like a dock right now. He doesn't have a basement, but the water has seeped through his home's foundation and now on to his driveway. Bob says he's willing to pay this price to live by the river.

BOB HUERING, SILVER LAKE, WISCONSIN, RESIDENT: I am a river person. I like a river better because of its life cycle and what goes on. And right now, I'd like to see it stop rising before it hits my electrical.

MURRAY: And one of the concerns right now is for power. And people worried about their electricity as the water level continues to rise.

Now, the Red Cross has set up a shelter here nearby where people can go for food and for cleanup kits.

I'm WTMJ's Tom Murray in rural Kenosha County, Wisconsin, for CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right, Tom. We appreciate that.

Dozens of people rescued, dozens waiting for help. Everyone anxiously waiting for the water. That's happening right now in towns across north-central Ohio.

Authorities say they have rescued about 100 people from flooded- out homes in the Findlay area. About 100 more are waiting for help. People are scrambling to higher ground anywhere they can find it, especially in places such as Mansfield.

Also in Mansfield, floods put about 30 post office vehicles right under water. There you go. You see them there. They are pretty much shutting down mail service.

PHILLIPS: Well, the controversial co-owner of Crandall Canyon Mine has just made a decision about its future. Bob Murray talked to us last hour about that and the fruitless search for six miners trapped since August 6th.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BOB MURRAY, PRESIDENT & CEO, MURRAY ENERGY CORP.: Ma'am, it has already been closed down except for the recovery of some of the outside equipment. It will not be reopened.

We're already discussing how we might go about to honor the trapped miners and to make this a site for perpetuity. We are not giving up, however, that there might be life in there. And that last hope, Kyra, won't be done until sometime Saturday or Sunday at the earliest. And we're going to keep going until we run out of options. But it is certainly looking dim.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, CNN's Dan Simon has been on the scene since just after that cave-in. He joins us now from Huntington, Utah, with more.

Dan, I've got to say, all our hearts sunk when we heard the fact that this mine will more than likely turn into a gravesite.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kyra. There's a good chance that these bodies or these miners will never be recovered. So, in essence, that part of the mine will become a tomb, Kyra.

In terms of where things stand now, the fifth bore hole has just been completed. Crews are in the process of sending a microphone down there. If nothing comes of the fifth bore hole, Bob Murray tells me there will be a sixth bore hole, although he is no longer optimistic that these miners will be found alive.

Of course, the families have reacted angrily towards him, essentially accusing him of abandoning this rescue effort. We've seen the feelings manifest themselves in other ways.

When we showed up here to the mine this morning, we actually saw some signs stuck in the dirt. Signs that read, "Keep your promise," "Don't abandon us," things of that nature.

When I spoke to Bob Murray just a short while ago, he said he was absolutely stunned by this criticism. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: The family members have said that if it was one of your family members down there, that you would be doing something different.

B. MURRAY: That is false. MSHA and Murray Energy and Utah American have done everything for those families to get those trapped miners out alive. And if it were one of my family members, I would do the same thing that I have been doing, everything I possibly can. That is a false statement.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: Yesterday, Bob Murray attended the memorial service for one of the rescuers who died while trying to free the trapped miners. At one point, someone came up to him and accused him of skimping on this rescue effort. That person handed him a dollar bill and said something to the effect of, "Here's something to help you out, Mr. Murray."

So, just one of the way friends and families of these miners have reacted towards Mr. Murray. So, obviously, a lot of feelings here towards Bob Murray. He feels absolutely horrible about what's happened, Kyra.

But as you mentioned, things are winding down with this effort. And if these miners are not found, there is a strong chance that that part of the mine will become the final resting place for those particular miners -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And Dan, what about the investigative process? At what point will we know what exactly happened in that mine and who, if anyone, can be held responsible for that cave-in?

SIMON: It's a very good question. It seems clear at this point that there will be some congressional hearings that will look into not only this mine, but look into the safety of other mines as soon as this recovery or rescue effort is over.

We are told that those hearings could begin shortly. And also the Mine -- MSHA is going to come in here and basically take a look as well and see what went wrong. But you heard Mr. Murray say that this mine will never be opened. So you can bet, though, that the investigation will take place relatively soon -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Dan Simon in Huntington, Utah.

Thanks, Dan.

LEMON: Completely senseless and totally devastating. A tiny boy is snatched and set ablaze in Iraq. Now his mother risks her own life to get him help.

PHILLIPS: Plus, Dean strikes again in Mexico. We're tracking its every move.

LEMON: And trained to be mean, or just born that way? When do bad dogs deserve a second chance?

You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. Seventeen past the hour. Here are three of the stories we're working on for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Mexico is getting another pummeling from Dean. The hurricane made its second landfall on Mexico's eastern coast as a Category 2 storm, but quickly weakened to Category 1 as it moved inland.

Just minutes from now, Virginia Tech releases an internal review into the April massacre. It looks at security, communications and student interaction with counselors and teachers.

Critics say Iraq is like another Vietnam, but President Bush says he's trying to keep it from turning into one. In a speech today to veterans, the president argued against a quick pullout from Iraq, saying the American pullout from Vietnam led to brutal oppression there. PHILLIPS: Well, the fight for Iraq cost the U.S. dearly today. North of Baghdad, near Kirkuk, an Army helicopter went down before dawn, killing everyone aboard. Fourteen troops, including the four members of that flight crew. The military says there was no indication of hostile fire at the time, and at this stage, a mechanical malfunction is the most likely culprit.

It's the deadliest U.S. air crash in Iraq since January 2005.

Now a small boy in Iraq scarred forever by shocking violence.

CNN's Arwa Damon has his story. but first, a warning. The pictures are very disturbing.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Youssif is 5 years old. He was a happy boy who loved kindergarten and had dreams of being a doctor one day. On January 15th, that all changed.

This is Youssif today. His mother Zainab is rocked with guilt.

ZAINAB, YOUSSIF'S MOTHER (through translator): Sometimes at night I sit and cry. If only I hadn't let him go outside. If only I hadn't let him play.

DAMON: Several masked men attacked Youssif in front of his house. Their identity and motive unknown.

ZAINAB (through translator): I heard screaming. I thought someone was fighting or something. Then I saw my son in front of me. Then I fainted.

DAMON: When she came to, she barely recognized her son.

ZAINAB (through translator): His head was so swollen. You couldn't see his eyes, and his nose was pushed in.

DAMON: His tiny hands are also scarred.

ZAINAB (through translator): He was struggling to put out the fire with his own hands.

DAMON: Youssif's developed his own technique to eat, but his adjustment to deformity ends there. His mother says he's become spiteful and jealous of his baby sister.

ZAINAB (through translator): If he does something and I spank him, he says, "Spank her, too. Why don't you spank her?" He says, "I am burnt. Why are you spanking me?"

DAMON: He used to be an outgoing, energetic child. But these days, he spends most of his time in front of a computer. It's only here, away from the stares, that you can see the child emerge in this otherwise fallen boy. ZAINAB (through translator): He can't play outside with the other kids. The other day, they were playing, and he came in crying. I asked him, "What's wrong?" And he said, "They won't play with me because I am burnt."

DAMON: Doctors told the family there was little they could do to help Youssif. But there aren't many doctors left in Iraq anyway.

Zainab coaxes him to tell us the words he knows in English.

ZAINAB: (SPEAKING ARABIC)?

YOUSSIF: (SPEAKING ARABIC).

Unable to watch her son suffer, Zainab has taken a huge risk, telling her son's story to the world. It's too dangerous for her husband, who works as a security guard, to appear on camera.

ZAINAB (through translator): I prefer death rather than see my son like this.

DAMON: She says all she wants is for someone to help her little boy smile again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Arwa Damon now joining us from Baghdad.

I can just imagine you are getting a lot of reaction to this story, Arwa.

DAMON: Kyra, we are. It's also been posted on the Web site, and from those that work at CNN.com, they are saying that they simply cannot keep up with the flow of e-mails coming in from viewers.

We've also got a number of aid organizations, hospitals that are trying to put forward their help. So, fingers crossed, this little boy will be able to have a better future and get the help that he needs.

PHILLIPS: Well, is the help that he needs, is it plastic surgery? Is that what would be a dream come true for this family, is someone to do the surgery for free?

DAMON: That is exactly what his mother Zainab is asking for. What -- they are not asking to be relocated. In fact, they live in the same home where the attack took place, believe it or not.

What -- the only thing that she wants is, as is stated in the package, to see her child with that same big smile again. The way that they speak about him, the way he was before, his personality, they want to see that back. They want to see their Youssif back.

They still love him the way he is. They still love him no matter what he looks like, but they really just want him to have a chance at something of a normal life. PHILLIPS: We'll definitely follow up on the story.

Arwa Damon, live from Baghdad.

Thanks.

LEMON: Here's a question. What's going to happen to the dogs involved in dogfighting in the Michael Vick case? They have a fierce reputation and a history of abuse.

But check out this Pit Bull you're seeing there live. Well, she turn her life around. And guess where? Rehab.

You'll meet Lily and the woman who helped her earn a second chance.

That's straight ahead, right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BUSINESS REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, a master in hindsight. Virginia Tech grades itself on how it handled the shocking events of April 16th and considers how to keep its students safer.

We'll have details on an internal report later in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon. Seized by the feds, now languishing in legal limbo.

PHILLIPS: Dozens of dogs pulled from Michael Vick's Virginia property. Do any of them stand a chance of a fight-free future? You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

PHILLIPS: Well, the Atlanta branch of the NAACP says that Michael Vick's football career should not be over. Branch President R.L. White spoke today of redemption for Vick, whatever his role in a dogfighting ring may have been. Vick is due to plead guilty Monday in federal court in Virginia.

White also suggested there's a vendetta against Vick and that the quarterback might not be guilty of anything despite his plea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

R.L. WHITE, , PRESIDENT, NAACP ATLANTA: We stand by the characterization that Vick has already been tackled. There is no need again, we say, to keep piling on him. But we should join hands as a team and recognize the fact that Mr. Vick is human. Humans make mistake. But we maintain that he is a redeemable human. And as a society, we should aid in his rehabilitation and welcome a new Mr. Michael Vick back in the community without a permanent loss of his career in football.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: White says that Vick should be able to resume his career after serving a sentence, preferably with the Atlanta Falcons.

LEMON: Well, as Michael Vick's fate remains in limbo, so, too, the fate of 66 dogs seized from his Virginia property, 53 were taken by federal authorities, 13 are under county control. The deadline for owners to file claims is tomorrow. As of yesterday, none of them had been filed. The Humane Society and PETA say the dogs should be and probably will be put down.

Unfortunately, though, it's pretty standard practice to euthanize dogs who are aggressive or who are perceived to be that way. So not all abused dogs are a lost cause, according to our next guest, Kate Jackson. She's the owner and founder of Jabula Dog Academy just outside of Atlanta, right here near Atlanta. She got professional and personal experience in canine behavioral assessment.

And you are joining us today. Sadly, as I read, there are 50- some-odd dogs, little doggies' lives, that may be lost, they may be euthanized. Do you think these dogs -- that have been bred to fight and to tear each other apart, do you think they can be rehabilitated, Kate?

KATE JACKSON, JABULA DOG ACADEMY: Don, that depends very much on the temperament of the dog. All of the dogs that have come from the fighting background should at least be given a full temperament assessment. A lot of pit bulls that were bred for dogfighting are not necessarily human aggressive. The two can be separated.

LEMON: And who do you have with you? You have Lilly (ph) there. Lilly came from sort of an abused situation. A bit aggressive. Not bred for fighting, but tell us -- it helps us, though, understand this story and how a dog may be rehabilitated. Explain what you did with Lilly coming from that abusive and slightly aggressive situation.

JACKSON: Well, all dogs are born with a core temperament. And Lilly is a beautiful ambassador for her breed because she has a phenomenal temperament. Although having come from a severely abusive situation, both physically, malnourished and very, very sick, you know, even coming from a background like that, a dog like her is going to assimilate into society very easily with a little bit of boundaries, basic obedience training and socialization.

LEMON: So how do you -- what do you call this test again, Kate?

JACKSON: It's a temperament test. A temperament test that you would test the dog's sociability with humans.

LEMON: Can you do that for us? Is that something you can do quickly with a demonstration or is it... JACKSON: Yes.

LEMON: Go ahead and show us. And talk us through while you're doing it.

JACKSON: Oh, it's going to be a little bit difficult to do a temperament test. Well, there you go. She's doing a temperament test for you already. She is showing perfect sociability with a perfect stranger, our cameraman. She'll jump off of her stool and go right to him to seek out social interaction.

And that's the thing you look for, very basic level with the dog, is what is that dog's choice to interact with a stranger? And of course, like with Lilly, she chooses very happily to come up to a perfect stranger and seek human interaction. That's one step of the test.

LEMON: All right. So we're looking at what you are doing there. That's sort of what you do to sort of figure it out. Figure out their temperament and also to see if you can train them. And you do all of this at your facility here near Atlanta.

JACKSON: Yes.

LEMON: And you did this earlier -- today actually. Did you do this to show us today?

JACKSON: The temperament test or just training stuff? Yes, we did videos, footage earlier of some of the training that we offer.

LEMON: OK. Let me ask you this. So dogs with a negative personality and temperaments, again I'm going to ask you and I ask you this because we got word from the Humane Society that says: "Hundreds of thousands of less violent pit bulls who are better candidates to be rehabilitated are being put down. The fate of these dogs will be up to the government, but we have recommended to them and believe they will eventually be put down."

Now just because they have a negative sort of temperament, does it necessarily mean that they have to be put down or should they just be placed with someone like you or -- not necessarily sure with a family, who might be able to handle them, even if they do have sort of a rough temperament?

LEMON: Absolutely. Pit bulls were bred to be dog aggressive. So a well-bred fighting pit bull should be dog aggressive. That same dog should be extremely people tolerant. A dog in a fighting pit should be at any point able to be removed from that fight without turning on the handler.

So a well-bred fighting pit bull should be very, very good with people. And the temperament that I would do would test that dog's sociability with people. The aggression is more than likely something with dogs that is always going to be there but that's a management problem. With good training, a lot of these dogs can be placed with people who are pit bull-savvy, who know how to handle a pit bull, who know the requirements that a pit bull will need with regard to exercise, socialization and obedience. And then a lot of those dogs...

Hey Lilly -- Kate, sorry. I called you Lilly. I'm sure you don't mind, but I've got to ask you this, would you help out with any of these dogs if someone came to you? Could you help find these dogs a home?

JACKSON: I don't know necessarily about finding dogs homes. We do, however, work with a lot of rescue groups that I'm sure would be able to place them, like the rescue group that I got Lilly from. They do place pit bulls.

But at Jabula we would certainly be open to temperament testing and seeing if any of these dogs could be rehabilitated and placed in families, absolutely.

LEMON: I think that's what everyone is wanting here. Just real quickly, because we're running out of time, can you clear something up. I'm not sure if it's a myth or if it's so. People think that pit bulls naturally aggressive and they shouldn't be brought in larger society or shouldn't be pets at all.

Is it breeding? Is it training, or are they just naturally that way? Is it in the genes?

JACKSON: That's a really, really difficult question. Dog aggression is bred into a dog. So it's a genetic predisposition. But training can manage that genetic predisposition. Just like a golden retriever is a natural retriever. That's a genetic predisposition. But what's you do with that genetic predisposition is what makes the dog.

LEMON: Yes. All right. Kate Jackson...

JACKSON: If that helps at all.

LEMON: Yes, it helps a lot. I really enjoyed the segment. And thank you so much. And thanks for your speaking to hundreds of thousands people now who may, you know, wants some of these dogs or we can find a place for these dogs. A suitable environment and situation for them. Kate Jackson, she is the founder of Jabula Dog Academy just here outside of Atlanta. We appreciate you joining us today.

JACKSON: Thank you so much.

LEMON: And Lilly.

PHILLIPS: Well, April 16th, the massacre at Virginia Tech kills 33 people. August 22nd the first report to examine how the school responded to the shootings is released. Live pictures right now from the alumni center there in Blacksburg, Virginia, at the university.

Virginia Tech officials there at the mike talking about the findings of a three-month investigation into how the university responded to that massacre and what needs to be done to better protect students in the future. Brianna Keilar is standing by in Washington with a first look.

Brianna, I think a lot of people are eager to hear what those findings are.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of people are eager to hear what those findings are, Kyra. But keep in mind this report is really not about playing the blame game, about finger-pointing. This is an internal review done by the university.

And it's separate from that independent review which being done by the state review where the report is expected out late next week. So let's take a look at some of the highlights of this internal report. There are some practical suggestions.

One of the first is to actually install locks on the inside of classroom doors. You may recall back on April 16th that one professor, Liviu Librescu, actually, because there were no locks on the inside of doors, he had to press his body up against the door, essentially sacrificing his life because he was shot by Seung-Hui Cho while his students escaped out the windows.

And then one of the second practical suggestions is changing door hardware. Now this means changing the hardware on doors going into buildings because the shooter, Cho, actually chained the doors of Norris Hall closed. These were the doors at the second shooting, the most deadly shooting of that day. And this, of course, created another obstacle for police who were trying to get into the building.

But I should mention that both of these practical suggestions have been rectified by officials. Now some other things. This report does say that there was some confusion about how privacy laws should be interpreted, how they should be applied.

You may recall that teachers said they had concerns about Cho, that they actually brought these to the attention of school officials. Also, at least two fellow students got police involved because they were not happy with the interactions they were having with Cho.

And a court actually declared that Cho was a danger to himself and/or others. So there was some criticism at the time that still remains over what some called really an inability of school officials to connect the dots.

Now one last recommendation in this about how students are notified of on-campus dangers. One of the suggestions is that there should be message boards in high-traffic areas. Another notification system that Virginia Tech has already been rolling out that would notify students by e-mail, but also by text messages and Instant Messages.

Those text messages and Instant Messages being something new that Virginia Tech didn't have at the time of the shooting. And, of course, as I said before, this is not -- this report is not about the blame game. Be looking for more finger-pointing late next week when the state report comes out -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll track it. Brianna Keilar live from D.C., appreciate it.

LEMON: Double trouble for Mexico. Hurricane Dean arrives for a second landfall. More coverage of Dean and a heat wave here in this country. CNN, your severe weather headquarters.

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LEMON: A second punch. Hurricane Dean slams into Mexico again. This time, it's on the Gulf Coast side right near the town of Tecolutla. That's crashing ashore last hour with 100-mile-an-hour winds. It has lost a bit of steam. Dean is now a Category 1 storm. But still dumping lots of rain. Flooding and mudslides are a chief concern as well. CNN's Jacqui Jeras has been tracking Dean since before it was a storm.

Where is it headed now this hour? That's the big question, Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, it's heading west- northwest still. But we're expecting it to pull a little farther up to the north, we think, over the next 12 hours.

Here's Poza Rica. And the center of circulation is just off to the west of there. You can see all of these purple returns. That's where we have some of the strongest of winds right now and some of the heaviest of rain. But it still remains a very large storm.

And it's bringing rain all the way over towards Mexico City. Not only just there, but farther on up to the north. And I want to show you a radar picture here. And that shows you some of the shots and thundershowers and even few outliers up there in the southern parts of Texas.

So still a very big storm. Rain will be the biggest threat here in Mexico. We can see several inches per hour come down. And right in this region is where those mountains start. Look at that. So it's just getting toward the edge of this right now. And that's when the flooding will come into play, we think, as that water starts to move down the mountains and landslides and mudslides will be a concern too.

It has weakened quite a bit. It is down to a Category 1 storm, 85-mile-per-hour maximum sustained winds. But still getting some good gusts. Look at that, up to 120 miles per hour. So still a very dangerous storm. We think it will move down to tropical storm strength later on tonight, eventually becoming extra-tropical as it moves over the mountains.

We'll watch it very closely. We think it should dissipate as it moves through the mountains. But if it maintains any type of circulation or identity, if it moves into the western Pacific, should it regenerate itself, it would be getting a new name. It would become Tropical Storm Gil. We don't think that will happen but there has been a lot of curiosity around the NEWSROOM and from e-mails as well coming in from our viewers.

Could this get in the Pacific and does it get a new name? Yes, it does. Well, in addition to the tropics, a lot going on here at home. We showed you the flooding video earlier. And heat has been a big issue across much of the southeastern United States. And meteorologist Dave Hennen is here to join us now and tell us a little bit about the heat that just does not want to go away -- Dave.

DAVE HENNEN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It does not, Jacqui. And heat can be a killer too. As we know, there are already 50 people dead this year from the heat alone and more on the way over the next couple of days heat-wise. Let's show you the graphic behind me.

Heat advisories up again from Atlanta back to Nashville and extending back in through much of the southeastern U.S. Here are some current temperatures over the Southeast. It is pretty hot in some places this afternoon. We're looking at temperatures of 99 degrees. There's the heat indices on top of it, 100 degrees now. That's what it feels like outside when you factor in the humidity on top of the temperature.

One of the things to watch for is nighttime lows. Studies have shown when the overnight low temperature hovers around 80 degrees or so, then it is very dangerous because your body does not have a chance to cool off at night. And many of the heat deaths, as we go back to the big heat wave in Chicago, were caused by temperatures that did not drop below 80 degrees.

Forecast overnight low forecast in Atlanta tonight is about 80 degrees. So watch out for the heat in the Southeast. Take it easy.

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PHILLIPS: Straight ahead, a robber's giveaway all caught on surveillance tape. You've got to see it to believe it, straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brooke Anderson in New York. James Brown was the Godfather of Soul, but a battle over his will is uncovering children nobody knew he had. I'll have the story next in the NEWSROOM.

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PHILLIPS: Well, as the battle over the estate of James Brown continues, more of his kids are coming out of the woodwork. Brooke Anderson is in New York with our entertainment update.

Brooke, what's going on?

ANDERSON: Kyra, well, it seems the Godfather of Soul fathered a whole lot of kids, that is what is going on. Since James Brown died last December, 12 people have claimed the singer as their father. At least three of them now have the DNA results to prove that they are Brown's kids and that there are still more test results to come. This according to Buddy Dallas, the trustee for the James Brown estate. So three have tests to prove and more test results are coming with other kids who are claiming he's the father.

Another possible child of Brown has not submitted to DNA testing. Six-year-old James Brown II was born to one of brown's backup singers, Tomi Rae Hynie, who claims that she was also Brown's fourth wife. Brown's attorneys dispute that claim.

Brown's will only acknowledged six children. And so with this latest discovery, there are at least nine kids. And, Kyra, maybe more on the horizon. So lawyers, I'm sure, will be working overtime on this if they aren't already.

PHILLIPS: Well, Don and I were just saying, he was one of the busiest men in show biz.

ANDERSON: He was.

LEMON: The hardest-working man in show business.

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LEMON: And he was a Godfather of Soul and apparently a lot of kids.

ANDERSON: Hard-working man.

PHILLIPS: Yes, indeed. All right. Well, speaking of lawyers and stars, Lindsay Lohan may have some good news from the district attorney's office though we hear?

ANDERSON: That's right. Lohan may not be facing felony charges after all for her recent run-ins with the law. This according to tmz.com. The Web site says that the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office is only going to charge Lohan with misdemeanors in this summer's arrests for suspicion of driving under the influence and drug possession.

That means, instead of facing three years in jail, Lohan would only be looking at a sentence of a few days. The D.A.'s office denied that they have made up their mind just yet. Lohan is currently in her third rehab program this year but is set to be arraigned on Friday for her most recent arrest. And that happened last month.

All right. Coming up tonight on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," we've got a special edition. The "Hollywood Weight Watch." "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" is daring Hollywood to do something about the obsession with being too skinny. Plus stars whose weight flip-flops all the time. And is there a double standard when it comes to men and women?

You will not want to miss this, TV's most provocative entertainment news show, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," 11:00 Eastern and Pacific -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Brooke Anderson, thanks so much. LEMON: Oh, what a difference a decimal point can make. Customers drive away with 29 cent a gallon gas. Can you imagine?

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, definitely I'd have took advantage of it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I could have filled this up for what, $20 instead of $80.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Would you go in and tell the clerk or would fill up first?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Probably would have filled up first.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: I think I might fill up first. Kyra Phillips?

PHILLIPS: Cheap fill ups, happy customers.

(LAUGHTER)

LEMON: But did they stay that way? Find out. We're going to tell you straight in the CNN NEWSROOM. Three dollars and fifty cents, oh, you filled up the whole car.

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