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Deadly Southern Storms; Heath Ledger Death Ruled Accidental Overdose; Child Terror Training; Super Tuesday Winners

Aired February 06, 2008 - 11:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning again, everyone. You're with CNN. You're informed.
I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Hi there, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.

Developments keep coming into the CNN NEWSROOM on a busy Wednesday morning, the 6th of February.

Here's what's on the rundown.

Lives lost, homes in ruin. Killer tornadoes cutting across the mid-South. People may still be trapped in the wreckage.

HARRIS: The Democratic divide. Clinton and Obama split Super Tuesday delegates. John McCain stepping up on the Republican side.

COLLINS: And what killed "Brokeback Mountain" star Heath Ledger? Minutes ago, a medical examiner released the findings.

Accidental overdose, in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: And just minutes ago, FEMA said it's sending store recovery teams south. Four states slammed by tornadoes and storms this morning. Nearly 50 people are dead, hundreds of others hurt. Western Tennessee appears to be the hardest hit.

Our Ed Lavandera is there in the city of Jackson.

And Ed, what a story you have been telling from Jackson this morning.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Tony, the amazing part of this story is that no one was killed, especially given the magnitude and the force with which this tornado crashed into Union University here.

You can see here, this is the western-most building. Look at that rooftop. That's probably 150, maybe 200 feet wide.

I don't know how many feet tall, but that is the entire roof, or most of that rooftop, essentially blown off of that roof. And this student parking lot right in front of us here, you can see -- look at these cars, flipped over all throughout the parking lot. Almost every window shattered out, and that continues as the tornado had come this way. You can see a lot of the students and families that are looking to come and see what was left behind by this storm.

These were the dorm rooms that were essentially demolished by this tornado. From many of these students we are hearing the tales of survival this morning, and one student in particular describes just how eerie and intense the feeling was when this tornado struck.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW NORMAN, STUDENT, UNION UNIVERSITY: I opened the door, and we could see the swirling wind. I slammed the door, ran into the bathroom, and then you just feel the pressure drop out, and, like, you just get chills. And then the windows exploded and all this dirt came flying in. And it was -- I've never been through anything like it, for sure.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID DOCKERY, PRESIDENT, UNION UNIVERSITY: We're encouraging them to go home if they can. We have students from 45 states and 30 countries, so some of them live too far away to go home. But those who are -- who can get to their homes, we'll encourage them to do that. It's best. Let them go and leave town.

For many of them, their cars are so damaged that they're going to have to find another way to get there. We have about 1,100 cars that we know were on campus last night. Less than 100 were not damaged pretty badly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Now, you see these are the students who have been trying to -- the university officials are essentially telling students to go home for some time. Many of them trying to come back here to the dorm rooms to get some of their belongings.

Many of them left in the middle of the night as they were helping other students get out from under trapped rubble. They're not (ph) being allowed back in.

In fact, the students at the university here not wasting any time. Check out the wrecker there. They're bringing in the heavy machinery already, and they're starting to tear down portions of these buildings that are -- that were destroyed with this hurricane.

Classes canceled here for at least two weeks. Of course, it will take make much longer than that for many of these buildings to get back to operational. The president of the university says some $40 million to $50 million worth of damage done on this campus. Every building of the university damaged, at least in some way -- Tony.

HARRIS: Wow, what a story. Boy.

Ed Lavandera for us this morning.

Ed, appreciate it. Thank you.

LAVANDERA: Sure.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: We are hearing that President Bush is coming to the microphones. In fact, he is there now. Let's go ahead and listen in to what he has to say about this devastation.

(APPLAUSE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Thanks for the warm welcome.

Before we begin the ceremony today, we turn our thoughts to those suffering from yesterday's tornadoes. It was a bad storm that affected a lot of people in a variety of states.

The administration is reaching out to state officials. I just called the governors of the affected states. I wanted them to know that this government will help them.

But more importantly, I wanted them to be able to tell the people in their states that the American people hold them up and -- hold those who suffered up in prayer. The loss of life, a lot of loss of property -- prayers can help, and so can the government. And so, today, before we begin this important ceremony, I do want the people in those states to know the American people are standing with them.

It's good to be back here at the Department of Agriculture.

I am the first one to say how much I appreciate the hard and good work the people in this department do on behalf of...

COLLINS: All right. President Bush there getting ready to talk about many other topics, but first and foremost, saying that his thoughts and prayers go out to the people across this five-state region that we have been reporting on all night and now throughout this morning.

At least 48 people dead in these devastating tornadoes. We are still looking at live pictures, new pictures coming in specifically from Memphis, Tennessee, and our affiliate there, WMC. Boy, oh, boy, it is a frightening sight this morning.

Elaine Quijano is standing by for us right outside the White House to talk a little more about President Bush and his comments.

Elaine, good morning to you.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi. Well, we heard from the president there just a few moments ago. He was speaking at an already scheduled event, the ceremonial swearing in of his new Agriculture secretary, Ed Schaefer. But the president, of course, expressing his sympathy and expressing his condolences for the victims and their families.

We understand the president did speak with a number of governors in the effected states, including the governors of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. The president, of course, wanting to express his support as he let those governors know that the federal government stands ready to help.

Now, no word yet, Heidi, on whether or not the president plans to actually visit the affected areas. That's certainly something we have seen President Bush do in the past. Most recently, last May, you'll recall after those storms in Greensburg, Kansas, the president paying a personal visit there to survey the damage himself.

The White House, in addition, this morning is reminding people that these storms are not over yet, that they are still dangerous. And White House spokesman Tony Fratto urging people to heed the warnings of local officials and to continue monitoring the local weather reports in their area -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. And Elaine, we've been wondering the same thing about a possible visit to that area from Homeland Security -- Michael Chertoff. We had already seen some comments that have come from him regarding what happened in the South.

That's right. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff talking about the assistance that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, stands ready to provide, talking about deploying teams of people to move in and assist in any way the federal government can. Of course, this is a Bush White House that is very sensitive in the wake now of natural disasters and criticisms of the mishandling of Katrina, and wants to display, of course, that they are ready to help.

So, we've heard from Secretary Chertoff. Again, we are still awaiting word on whether or not the president himself will be visiting the affected regions, but it would not be a surprise if that is something that happens in the next few days or so -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes. It is a tough, tough situation this morning.

All right. CNN's Elaine Quijano for us outside the White House.

Elaine, thanks.

HARRIS: Another big story we're following this morning, accidental overdose from prescription drugs. That conclusion from the medical examiner's officer just moments ago about the death of actor Heath Ledger.

Medical Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is here with more on the toxicology report.

Closely anticipated and watched, because we knew that this report would provide some answers for us.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: And it does provide some answers, some very sad answers, but it does provide answers.

And what the report says is that Heath Ledger died from an accidental overdose of six different prescription drugs -- two narcotic painkillers, two anti-anxiety drugs, and two sleep medications. And these are names that are familiar to many of us...

HARRIS: Yes.

COHEN: ... Oxycodone, Hydrocodone, Valium, Xanax. I mean, these drugs, as we've seen, are just a disaster when taken together. It basically tells your brainstem to stop working so your body -- your heart forgets to beat, your lungs forget to breathe. Just a disaster when taken together.

HARRIS: The medical examiner's office has ruled this death accidental. How does the medical examiner's office make that determination, that it's accidental and not something more?

COHEN: Right, not suicide.

HARRIS: Yes.

COHEN: Right. Well, I asked one pathologist who works in a different state that, and he said, you know, sometimes you don't know. You're not -- you can't get into his brain at the time that he took those drugs.

You don't know if he was just having fun, you don't know if he was just trying to sleep, or you don't know if he was really trying to kill himself. But in the absence of a suicide note, or in the absence of evidence like he called someone up and said, "I'm about to kill myself," in the absence of those things, then you rule it accidental.

HARRIS: How common is this, death by prescription drugs, not illegal drugs?

COHEN: Right. The pathologist I talked to said it is way more common than you might think, and partly because people don't recognize that prescription drugs are a danger.

They think a doctor prescribed them to me, I got them from a pharmacy, I didn't get them off the street, and they don't recognize the dangers in the same way that they would if they were shooting up heroin or snorting cocaine.

HARRIS: This is something. It just looks like a prescription drug cocktail here, the final analysis here, according to the medical examiner's toxicology report.

Elizabeth Cohen with us this morning.

Elizabeth, appreciate it. Thank you.

COHEN: Thanks.

COLLINS: Is anyone trapped? That's exactly what crews are trying to figure out as they go house to house today after a tornado outbreak in the mid-South.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Is al Qaeda training children to be terrorists? Shocking evidence seized by the U.S. military in Iraq.

Live now to CNN's Arwa Damon in Baghdad.

Boy, shocking to say the least, Arwa.

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Heidi. And that video was released by the U.S. military at a press conference earlier today.

It is an al Qaeda propaganda video showing children enacting scenes of terror. For example, they're carrying rocket-propelled grenades, AK-47s, grenades, and they are kidnapping a man on a bicycle, or they are conducting a raid into a house where they point weapons at adults pretending to be terrified.

Now, the U.S. military says they were conducting this raid targeting a senior al Qaeda operative and believe that the video was shot somewhere else. The military also has no information as to where these children are right now, but they do believe that they were willing participants, part of what the U.S. military calls al Qaeda families, where the adults within the family is also a supporter or a part of al Qaeda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. GREGORY SMITH, MULTINATIONAL FORCE, IRAQ: Clearly, there are families that -- in which the adult males are part of al Qaeda, and you would assume that those children are growing up in that household environment, an environment that would unfortunately perhaps produce the next generation of al Qaeda in Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DAMON: Now, the U.S. military also released documents that it says are a movie script that it found in a raid, a different raid, but in the same province, Diyalah province, where this script shows children also carrying out acts of terror.

The Iraqis also, at the same press conference, released a different type of video. This was video of Iraqi security forces rescuing an 11-year-old boy who was kidnapped by al Qaeda operatives for ransom. His parents were told to pay up $100,000 or else their child would be beheaded. I mean, children are so entrenched in this war, there's absolutely no escape for them.

What the U.S. military's chiefly concerned with is that, if this environment that kids are growing up in and families that are affiliated with al Qaeda, if that is not somehow broken up, if the insurgency is not somehow brought under control, what we're going to be seeing is the radicalization of the next generation here -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Boy, that's obviously something the military certainly does not want to see, or any of us, for that matter.

CNN's Arwa Damon reporting live this morning from Baghdad.

Arwa, thanks.

HARRIS: It is the day after a disappointing Super Tuesday for Mitt Romney. He vows to stay in the Republican race. He's also meeting with his advisers today.

Mary Snow live from Boston.

Before we go to Mary Snow, let's get you to -- Mary, I promise we'll get back to you in just a couple of moments. But right now we want to take you to Chicago, Illinois.

Barack Obama is speaking.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Hold on a second. Hold on.

Go ahead.

QUESTION: ... for you to be involved in a protracted fight with Senator Clinton at a time when the GOP seems to be coalescing around Senator McCain?

OBAMA: You know, I think it would be a problem if Senator Clinton's voters disliked me or my voters disliked Senator Clinton. I don't think that's the case.

I think that, you know, our voters are passionate about bringing about change. And the numbers that I mentioned earlier, Dean (ph), 10 million people choosing Democratic ballots, versus six million choosing Republican, indicates the degree to which the Democratic nominee, I think, will be able to consolidate the Democratic base. And if I'm the nominee, bring Independents and some Republicans into that base in order to do extraordinarily well in the general election.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE) that you're not well known or tough enough or seasoned enough to withstand the Republican attack machine. She said last night for the first time she cannot and will not be swift- boated, implying that somehow you will be susceptible because you haven't been around long enough to be vetted and know, that somewhere along the line you're going to get tripped up (OFF-MIKE).

OBAMA: Well, look, I have to just respond by saying that the Clinton research operation is about as good as anybody's out there. I assure you that having engaged in a contest against them for the last year that, you know, they've pulled out all the stops. And, you know, I think what is absolutely true is that whoever the Democratic nominee is, the Republicans will go after them. The notion that somehow Senator Clinton is going to be immune from attack, or that there's not a whole dump truck that they can back up in a match-up between her and John McCain I think is just not true.

All of us are going to have to deal with that, and I think that what we've shone is, is that, you know, we can take a punch. We're still standing.

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

OBAMA: Well, we actually made enormous progress last night. You take a look at a state like Arizona, where we got somewhere in the low 40s with the Latino vote, and it indicates what I suggested earlier after the Nevada contest, which is, as Latino voters get to know me, we do better.

And so, it's just a matter of us getting more information to them, doing the kind of advertising that we have the resources to do leading up to super Tuesday. When they receive that information, they realize that I'm somebody who's going to be battling for all people, including the Latino vote.

Richard?

QUESTION: (OFF-MIKE)

HARRIS: Illinois Senator Barack Obama making comments, speaking to the press. Traveling with him after a strong night last night, 13 state wins for the Illinois senator. Still trailing in the delegate count.

If you would like to follow these comments -- again, we urge you just to go to CNN.com, and you can follow the comments, listen to more of the comments from the Illinois senator, Barack Obama.

But right now, let's take you back to Mary Snow, who is with the Mitt Romney campaign in Boston.

And Mary, despite the strong words last night from Mitt Romney, in the final analysis, he has to be a bit disappointed by his showing last night.

MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Tony, there's no doubt about that. And he is meeting with his advisers right now.

He is scheduled to have that meeting all along. But one thing they really need to look and are looking at is the math.

Yes, Governor Romney won seven states, including his home state here in Massachusetts, but it's the delegates that they're going to be poring over.

Mitt Romney had hoped to score well in California. But so far, results show that he's only leading in delegates in two of the 53 congressional districts.

But he is vowing to press ahead. His campaign told CNN earlier that everything is on track to move forward. But -- and that is exactly what Governor Romney said last night to his supporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, Ann came to me and she said, "You know, the one thing that's clear tonight is that nothing's clear." But I think she's wrong. One thing that's clear is this campaign's going on.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SNOW: Mitt Romney was banking on conservatives rallying around him, but his campaign says it still sees opportunities.

Now, one number they're also going to be looking at is money. Mitt Romney has poured in $35 million of his own personal fortune into his campaign. The big question, of course, is how much more is he willing to put into that campaign?

We do not expect to hear from Governor Romney today, but he is scheduled to attend a major conservative conference tomorrow in D.C. His campaign says those plans are still on track.

And some of the states they're going to be looking at beyond now, in February, states like Kansas and Washington and Wisconsin, where they believe that they can pick up conservative support. But, of course, the big question is, how much further will he go on? And that's one of the things being considered -- Tony.

HARRIS: Mary Snow with the Romney campaign in Boston.

Mary, thank you.

COLLINS: Homes and property damaged or destroyed across several southern states. Our personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, will be coming up live with what you need to know about your insurance.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: Live in the CNN NEWSROOM, Tony Harris and Heidi Collins.

COLLINS: Good morning once again, everybody, 11:30 Eastern Time now.

I'm Heidi Collins.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris.

Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. COLLINS: Quickly want to get you out to an event happening right now. You see live at the microphones Senator John McCain. A big winner last night. He won the biggest Super Tuesday states, including California. It did sort of still leave the door open, though, for his rivals.

Just wanted to bring this to you, happening in Phoenix, Arizona, of course his home state.

Our Dana Bash is traveling with the McCain campaign and is watching all these events as they unfold.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: ...Republicans by nature of the party identification. We did extremely well. We won by a much larger margin in Arizona than Governor Romney did in Massachusetts. So, I'm very pleased with the overall turnout.

We have a lot of work to do to unite the entire party, sure. I've been involved in many, many campaigns, and after the campaigns are over, you've always got the task of uniting the party behind the nominee, whether it be a Congressional race or whether it be a Senate race or whether it be a presidential race. And I've spent my political career in doing that, and I'm confident we will do that with the Republican party now.

Yes, sir.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) you are going to distance yourself from the Independents (ph) who are leading the way for you.

MCCAIN: Well, I appreciate all that advice and counsel on strategy and tactics. I'm very grateful, particularly since usually it has professor in front of the name of the person that gives that advice. And I'm a great admirer of the academic community.

So, but, I know how we can unite the party. I know how we can bring us all together. And I know that the, "Independence" voters, and frankly the old Reagan Democrats will come our way, because I think we will have a message that will appeal to all of them, whether it be on domestic issues, on spending and taxes, health care, et cetera, which will be a big part of the debate, or whether it's on national security policy.

And I would emphasize I see in all due respect, the two Democratic candidates moving further and further to the left, which will make for a -- I think a very spirited debate and one that we can carry from a philosophical standpoint.

Yes?

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) will you try to unite the party? Obviously, you've got a big speech (ph), a big opportunity to do that tomorrow (INAUDIBLE). What is your message (ph)? MCCAIN: Well, our message will be that we all share common principles, common conservative principles, and we should coalesce around those issues in which we are in agreement, and I hope, respectfully, disagree on a few specifics that there is disagreement on, and that we share the common principles and values and ideas for the future of this country based on a fundamental, conservative political philosophy, which has been my record.

Yes.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

MCCAIN: Oh no, I think that's a decision that he and his family and advisers have to make. I can't give that kind of recommendation.

QUESTION: Senator, an analysis published a couple days ago said that the Bush tax cuts that you voted against would cost $2 trillion, not the $1.3 trillion origin expected. How can the budget get into that kind of loss of funds?

MCCAIN: Ron (ph), we are in tough times now, and we all know that. And these are difficult economic times. But I think any study of history of ups and downs of economies, that if you raise taxes in a difficult economic time, then that exacerbates the economic difficulties. I think it's a clear study of American history during economic difficulties. And I think we have to restrain spending. I think we have to do a lot of things.

But if we impose on American businesses and families what would appear to them and the impact on them would be a tax increase, I think that would be the worst thing we could do to our economy. And I understand the impact on the deficit. And I think we've got to do a lot of things to fix excess spending and rein it in and clean up many areas of government where there is excessive and unnecessary spending.

But to -- you've got to tell people who are now doing their budgets for the year 2010 that, by the way, you're going to pay a lot more, to whether they be businesses or companies or families, by the way, you're going to pay a lot more taxes, that's not the right signal to send to the American family and business. Campaign Carl.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) moderates and conservatives the last few days and in the days ahead. Could you give us a description of what it is that they share with you about their concerns and how you respond to that to persuade them?

MCCAIN: Well, Carl, I will be giving a speech tomorrow night about that. But we share common values. We share common conservative principles. I have a long conservative record. And that's not by my judgments. It's by the National Taxpayers Union, the Citizens for a Sound Economy, the Citizens Against Government Waste. Every national security organization that grades people and gives people marks, overall conservative record.

And yes, we've had specific disagreements on specific issues. As I think it was my friend Jack Kemp said the other day, if you agree on 10 out of 12 issues, then you have subjects for discussion. If you agree on every one, there's something wrong.

We need spirited discussion and debate on specific issues, sharing a common philosophy, which I share with them. And I will share with you the contents of my three-hour speech that I'll be giving tomorrow night.

Yes?

COLLINS: OK, a three-hour speech tomorrow night. But right now, flanked by Joe Leiberman and Lindsey Graham, you see Senator John McCain, the GOP frontrunner after last night, any way, speaking in his home state.

If you would like to see more of this and the rest of this address right now, you can certainly do so. Just go to CNN.com/live.

HARRIS: Barack Obama captured 13 Super Tuesday states, but still trails Hillary Clinton in the delegate count. Massachusetts Senator John Kerry endorsed Obama and has spent time with him on the campaign trail. He joins us this morning from Washington.

Senator, good to see you.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), OBAMA SUPPORTER: Good to see you (ph). Thank you.

HARRIS: Before we get to talking about Barack Obama, your man, I'm just curious about your thoughts on your colleague, John McCain, and his success so far in this campaign.

KERRY: Well, they've had a spirited race. It appears as if he's in a frontrunner status at this point. But I'm not an expert on Republican primaries, so, you know, we'll see what happens.

HARRIS: Good answer. All right, let's turn our attention to Barack Obama. Trailing by less than 100 delegate, your man won more states, 13 states, than Hillary Clinton last night. What's the big take-away for you and for the Obama campaign moving forward?

KERRY: Well, I think the Obama campaign and Barack Obama had an incredible night. And his supporters had an incredible night. He won 14, I believe, to eight states for Hillary Clinton. He won the majority of delegates as well as states last night.

He won across the board, he won red states unbelievably, which is really important to Democrats as we think about who can win in November. He clearly showed a home state advantage in the sense that he won 15 more delegates in his home state in the difference between Hillary Clinton and him.

HARRIS: Yes.

KERRY: So, you know, he obviously did better in New York than Hillary was able to do in Illinois. It's a very important measurements as you think about how you're going to go forward here and win in November. HARRIS: Well, there you go.

KERRY: I think Barack Obama had a heck of a night.

HARRIS: Well, there you go, and that's the point we should probably drill down on just a little bit because delegates are allocated on a proportional basis for the Democrats. I have to ask you, isn't it going to be difficult for Barack Obama to ultimately catch Senator Clinton and surpass her? He has to win and he has to win by big margins moving forward.

KERRY: Well, he's going to be winning, I think, by big margins moving forward, and he's going to win states in the next days. You watch. That's not an insurmountable step at all. I mean, there are many more super-delegates than that alone, just super-delegates.

HARRIS: Yes.

KERRY: And I think a lot of super-delegates, and many of them have, you know, not said anything publicly, but they're going to be there for Barack Obama. And as they see that he can win nationally, there are even more people who are going to move towards him. I mean, this is important.

HARRIS: Yes.

KERRY: You have red state governors and senators, the senator from Nebraska, a red state, the governor from Kansas, red state, the governor from Arizona, red state, the governor from Virginia, red state, also primary yet to come. You have the two senators in North and South Dakota. You have the senator from Missouri. All red states.

HARRIS: Yes.

KERRY: All heartland country in a sense. They're all with Barack Obama. And the reason they're with Barack Obama is because they have confidence in what he can do for them in their states and how he can help the ticket overall. That's going to be very, very important as we go forward here.

HARRIS: Senator, just one more quick question before I lose my time with you.

KERRY: Yes.

HARRIS: We would be telling -- I'm just curious what your thoughts are. You've got the endorsement of the junior senator from Massachusetts, the senior senator of Massachusetts, the governor of Massachusetts, and yet Barack Obama doesn't carry Massachusetts. What happened?

KERRY: We're not surprised, actually. We always knew it was a very uphill fight. He was -- first of all, Massachusetts is a state that Bill Clinton won by the largest margin of any state in the country. That's No. 1. No. 2, Barack Obama -- you know, we came late to this, and Hillary Clinton had the support of the mayor of Boston, the speaker of the House, the Senate president, and a lot of people up there.

We came in there and knew it was an uphill battle. He was 37 points behind a few months ago. He was 20 points behind just a few weeks ago. He managed to come up and make it a very, very close race.

HARRIS: Yes.

KERRY: So, a few weeks ago, Hillary Clinton would have walked away with all the delegates, and because we made it a fight, they split those delegates. I think that's terrific, and I think he did well. And if we'd more time, I'm confident that the outcome would have been as it was in a lot of other states where he was able to spend more time and where they had more campaigning.

HARRIS: So, we look forward now to the Potomac Primary, Virginia, Washington.

KERRY: It's coming up.

HARRIS: Yes, coming up. Senator Kerry, thanks for your time.

KERRY: And you watch Barack Obama.

HARRIS: We'll be watching.

KERRY: All right.

HARRIS: Thank you.

COLLINS: Breaking news to get back to now. Deadly tornadoes and storms and FEMA sending teams to four southern states. Nearly 50 people are dead, almost half of them in the state of Tennessee. Many homes and businesses are damaged, including the Memphis Airport. We are following this story for you all day. Stay right here for the very latest on it.

Storm damage obviously a critical concern right now for thousands of you affected be the violent weather. CNN personal finance editor Gerri Willis has what you need to know about your insurance.

Gerri, what is the first thing people should do in this kind of devastating situation?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: It is devastating. First off, I'll give you the good news. Homeowners insurance policies, the basic ones, generally provide coverage for property damage caused by the high winds of a tornado, and the comprehensive coverage in an auto policy will generally pay for tornado or wind damage to your car. You know, we heard earlier that there were a lot of cars that were completely destroyed in this.

COLLINS: Yes.

WILLIS: The first thing to do, though, get on the phone to your insurer stat (ph). We just got information from the industry itself. It looks like State Farm is probably the biggest insurer in the area. People will be calling their agent there. And if your home is severely damaged, you will get more attention than a home that has minor problems. They prioritize these claims, and you should also know some insurers place a time limit on filing claims.

If you can't stay in your house and you have to set up camp for a while at a motel or you need to bunk in with some friends, you have the right to get some cash from your insurer. So, the sooner you pick up the telephone, the sooner you can get help.

COLLINS: Yes, certainly. How can you get exactly what you're owed?

WILLIS: Well, this is all about documentation. You want to make sure that you don't throw anything away and you make only minor repairs until you speak with your agent or an insurance representative comes to your house, actually look at what's going on. Photograph the damage if you can. Make lists of what you own. You may want to take advantage.

The Insurance Institute has an inventory software on their Web site, iii.org. You can scan the receipts, take pictures, take inventory of what you have in your house. It's a great thing to do. It will really help you out, help you establish your claim with the insurance company.

The reality, though, I have to tell you, Heidi, most Americans don't have enough coverage. In fact, 55 percent of homes are underinsured for insurance purposes. This is something that's going to help people who are not in this region today, but are watching it and they're worried about what kind of insurance policy they might have if the worst happens.

So, it's worthwhile to check out how much coverage you have, the limits of your coverage, if you have to completely rebuild -- Heidi?

COLLINS: Yes, very, very good advice. All right, CNN's personal finance editor, Gerri Willis, this morning. Gerri, thanks.

WILLIS: My pleasure.

HARRIS: A dozens of people lose their lives in a night of terror. Daylight revealing incredible damage from a tornado outbreak. Look at the pictures here. Coverage all day in the NEWSROOM.

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HARRIS: Dramatic new pictures from that deadly apartment fire in Germany. CNN's Frederik Pleitgen has the tape. He joins us live now from southern Germany. And Frederik, again, amazing pictures from this fire in southern Germany on Sunday. And a real tragedy here, as well.

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Tony. Nine people killed in that fire. And I tell you, that new video does echo exactly what people have been telling us about the fire who were eyewitnesses of that fire.

I was able to speak to a couple of them, and they described there was a lot of fire, a lot of smoke, and you can see here today that basically that building is just a burned-out shell. And everything that was in that building, everything wood is just completely reduced to ashes. And for a long time, even the investigators couldn't go into that building because there was danger of that building collapsing because just the supports of that building had all been burned down.

Now, people who were eyewitnesses were telling me that people who were in the building had saved themselves onto balconies, had opened windows. There was a lot of smoke coming out of the windows and the balconies, and people -- some people there were just in such a situation that they decided the only option they had was to jump out of the window from the second, the third and even from the fourth floor.

Of course, a lot of people were injured trying to get out of that building, and nine people, as you said, killed in that fire, Tony.

HARRIS: Boy, Frederik, so many people have seen the incredible pictures of the father having to let go of his baby, the rescuers below with their arms outstretched. You've actually spoken with the baby's uncle. How is that family coping?

PLEITGEN: Well, I've spoken to the relative who did actually drop the baby. It wasn't the father. It was a relative of the baby. And he was telling me that he was standing on the balcony, and he saw no other way out. He said that he was checking out his options, basically, and he said the next thing he was going to do was jump down with the baby in his arms.

And then he said looking down, he saw a policeman standing there, and he says he recalls exactly how he made eye contact with that policeman. He said at that point, he was sure that he was going to drop the baby and that it would be caught, and that, of course, is exactly what happened.

That young baby, the baby boy Onor (ph) dropped down into the arms of that policeman and was saved, and is now as we hear in very good condition, Tony.

HARRIS: Oh, just amazing. All right, CNN's Frederik Pleitgen for us in southern Germany. Frederik, appreciate it. Thank you.

COLLINS: Deadly springlike storms plow into the south. Dozens of people lose their lives in a night of tornado terror.

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COLLINS: Families in several southern states homeless today after tornadoes ripped through the region. Patty Tucker (ph) with the northeast Mississippi Red Cross is helping out. She is on the phone with us right now from Corrance (ph), Mississippi. Patty, first of all, we haven't heard a whole lot about the state of Mississippi and what type of damage was sustained there. Can you tell us a little bit about what you are seeing around you and what you've heard?

VOICE OF PATTY TUCKER, NE MISSISSIPPI RED CROSS: Yes, we have several rural areas that were damaged. I'm here in Corrance, Mississippi, and we had a trailer park that there were several mobile homes that were destroyed. And also over in Lafayette County in Oxford, Mississippi, there was some major damage, and also in Tippah County in Mississippi, there was also some damage there.

COLLINS: OK, so, what are you doing? What are you able to do with the Red Cross to offer people some shelter or some comfort?

TUCKER: Yes, we did open a shelter last night in Lafayette County and housing people. We also -- we're just right now assessing the damage. We're just making sure that the families have a place to stay, the ones that need a place to stay, and we're assessing the damage and then we're going to be offering assistance for their immediate disaster-related needs.

COLLINS: Well, that's very good news, I'm sure, to the people who may be listening right now. Have you had a chance to talk with anyone? We've really been trying to get a sense of how people are doing in the wake of all this. We continue to look at the pictures right now when we're talking to you of some of the devastation. It is just unbelievable the damage that these storms caused.

TUCKER: Yes, there's a lot of damage. And as the families are coming out this morning, they're seeing more damage. And there's a lot of damage in the rural areas here in Mississippi.

COLLINS: Well, I'm sure of that and we certainly wish you the very best as well with trying to help people out and appreciate your time here. I'm sure that you will have a busy day ahead. Patty Tucker with the northeast Mississippi Red Cross. Thanks again, Patty.

Coming your way next, a special edition of CNN NEWSROOM with the very latest on those deadly storms in the south. We will back right here in just a few moments. We're going to check in on the weather situation, get the very latest.

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HARRIS: Well, let's talk to Van Tyson now. He's in Atkins, Arkansas, and the editor of a local paper there. Van, good to talk to you. You know, let's have you do a little reporting for us. Give us the latest information on the storms' devastation in your area.

VOICE OF VAN TYSON, OWNER/EDITOR, ATKINS CHRONICLE: Well, we've had several, several houses just completely wiped out. One church was severely damaged. As far as we know, we've had four deaths so far, one family of three people, a man, woman, and a daughter, and then an individual man who was in another area.

HARRIS: Is that a heavily populated area, more rural area? How would you describe it?

TYSON: Oh well, the town is fairly small, about 3,000 people. And most of the damage is outside the city limits, around the -- tornado came through basically south of town and proceeded north- northeast.

HARRIS: And, Van, if you would, just sort of describe maybe what you've seen yourself or what others have reported back to you in terms of the devastation. How is it being described?

TYSON: Well, it's really being -- the places where it hit were just destroyed. Houses were just blown away entirely. There's a lot of debris in the treetops. Trees are broken off. And all the country side -- there was a -- the winds were so strong, one of the more spectacular things is that a 16-wheeler loaded with cotton bales was blown off of the interstate 40 here and ...

HARRIS: My goodness.

TYSON: ...into the field with cotton bales all over it.

HARRIS: Have you seen anything like it? I mean, we know that this is an area that'll get the occasional tornado. Have you seen anything like this?

TYSON: Not in this town, but we've had them around in surrounding towns.

HARRIS: Boy, we appreciate your time, Van Tyson, the editor of the "Atkins Chronicle" for us. Van, appreciate it, thanks for your time.

TYSON: OK.

COLLINS: Coming your way next, we're going to have a special edition of CNN NEWSROOM with the very latest on those deadly storms in the south.

HARRIS: Yes, tragic losses, recovery efforts. We're live with all the stories. Keep it right here.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just took the whole house. And I hung on to them. And it just went over. We thought it was a fire. When we got up, there was no house left. But we're OK.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Deadly tornadoes rip across five southern states.

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