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North Carolina Town Beaten and Battered by Suspected Tornado; Outrage Over Myanmar; Another Superdelegate Walks Out on Clinton

Aired May 09, 2008 - 09:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

HARRIS: You will see events come into the NEWSROOM on this Friday, good Friday to you, May 9th.

Here's what's on the rundown.

WHITFIELD: A North Carolina town beaten and battered by a suspected tornado. Stay alert. More rough weather may hit the south today.

HARRIS: Outrage over Myanmar. The military government seizes food and supplies meant for cyclone survivors.

WHITFIELD: Another superdelegate walks out on Clinton. The third to go for Obama since Tuesday. The switch goes on in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Shocked in the southeast. More than 20 reported tornadoes touching down and -- look at this picture, Fred -- in six states. Many of them hitting last night in the dark. Homes and businesses damaged. Cars were tossed around as you can see. Trees, power lines, toppled.

Officials say at least one person in North Carolina was killed when his truck flipped over in the storm. At least three other people were hurt. Four confirmed tornadoes touching down in Mississippi. One was extremely fierce, slamming the city of Tupelo with 140-mile- per-hour winds. A shopping area was destroyed. Several homes damaged and hundreds of trees came down.

WHITFIELD: Let's check in with Rob Marciano. Boy, this has been unrelenting. This weather is incredible.

HARRIS: And it really started for us, right here in these hours. What a busy morning. Yesterday morning was for us, Rob, right here in the NEWSROOM.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It was and it's continuing today and it looks like it's going to continue not only today but I think for the next couple of days. We could have a pretty active weekend and some of the same spots that had the rough weather yesterday. (WEATHER UPDATE)

MARCIANO: The other area here is Beaufort County and Hyde County, you're also under the gun with this rough weather that's quickly moving off to the east and it's doing so in about 35 miles an hour.

So going forward, we've got this area of severe weather that will exist for the next few hours here. Extremely -- parts of eastern North Carolina. And then what we saw yesterday in Tupelo could very well re-fire again today, places like Memphis into Nashville. Huntsville, Alabama will be under the gun. Damaging winds, large hail, isolated tornadoes, you've got a slight risk of seeing this pop up later on today.

And then tomorrow the same area, another pulse of energy comes through and the same area will be, well, upwards of a moderate risk. So one category higher as described by the Storms Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

So these are the areas that we're watching carefully here, Tony and Fredricka, and...

HARRIS: Well, looks like...

WHITFIELD: A big area.

HARRIS: Yes, it is.

MARCIANO: A big area and right over the weekend as well. A quick shot of New York. We do have the flood threat for really places like Newark, south to D.C., along I-95 corridor today. Heavy rain possible. There you see Lady Liberty. Not the best of visibility today in New York City.

HARRIS: Yes.

MARCIANO: You'll see some rain.

HARRIS: Here we go again, Rob. Here we go again.

MARCIANO: Yes, be careful out there.

HARRIS: If you are in a situation where you know that some extreme weather is coming your way, what we would like you to do is let that weather pass. Go to an area that is safe. But once the weather clears, if you would -- wouldn't mind send us an iReport.

Let me give the address, CNN.com, click on iReport, or type ireport@CNN.com into your cell phone. Send us those pictures and a description of what you are seeing. But as always be safe.

WHITFIELD: All right. Another superdelegate defection from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama. An Obama campaign aide confirms the switch. Congressman Donald Payne of New Jersey is the third person to leave Clinton for Obama in the past 72 hours alone. Obama is campaigning in Oregon today ahead of the May 20th primary there. Clinton has campaign stops in Oregon and Kentucky today. She is urging supporters to ignore the calls for her to quit. She promises to keep going. Clinton is counting on a win in Tuesday's West Virginia primary.

Meantime, on the Republican side, John McCain holds a news conference in New Jersey this morning. He delivered pizzas to a New York fire station yesterday. McCain heads to South Carolina later on today.

HARRIS: Divided Democrats, the battle between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton highlights another split of the one between so-called red and blue Democrats.

Senior political analyst Bill Schneider explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST (voice over): You've heard about the red-blue divide in American politics. Barack Obama condemns Republicans for exploiting it.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: To slice and dice this country into red states and blue states, blue collar and white collar, white, black, brown, young, old, rich, poor.

SCHNEIDER: Well, it's happening already inside the Democratic Party. Barack Obama is winning the blue Democrats -- young voters, upscale urban professionals, well educated liberals and African- Americans. Hillary Clinton is getting the red Democrats -- seniors, whites, blue collar and rural voters and more conservative Democrats.

The split has gotten bigger since Clinton became a gun-toting, whiskey drinking, street fighting, tax-cutting populist.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And I know how hard you're working, working for yourselves and working your family. And I will never stop fighting for you.

SCHNEIDER: In Indiana, nearly half the Democratic primary voters said they have a gun in their household. They voted for Clinton. And the half of Democrats who did not own a gun? They voted for Obama. Red versus blue means left versus right. In Indiana, Clinton lost liberal Democrats to Obama. They are the blue voters. Clinton and Obama split the moderates. Conservatives or red Democrats voted heavily for Clinton.

This is the first time this year we've seen such a sharp ideological division among Democratic voters. The deeper that split becomes, the greater to risk to Democrats in the fall if Obama wins the nomination.

Among Clinton voters in North Carolina on Tuesday fewer than half said they would support Obama over McCain. Whereas 70 percent of Obama voters said they would vote for Clinton over McCain.

(On camera): Red Democrats, older, more blue collar, more conservative, are the most likely to vote for a Republican. The Clinton supporters argument, she would be the strongest nominee because she would be more likely to hold them. The Obama supporters' argument, he'll hold them because they are hurting so much under a Republican president.

Bill Schneider, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Outrage, desperation and a shocking development in Myanmar. United Nations is now suspending aid shipments to the country. It happened just a short time ago. Actually it's the World Food Program that works underneath the U.N. that is actually making these suspensions. The reason, it says the military government has seized some 38 tons of much-needed relief supplies for those cyclone survivors.

CNN's Hugh Riminton is across the border in Bangkok, Thailand. He joins us now.

Hugh, what do you have?

HUGH RIMINTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the World Food Program stars itself as the world's biggest humanitarian agency.

Why would this agency stop now giving aid, suspend giving aid to the country that is so desperately in need of it?

It's because it says Myanmar is breaking the rules. They got in two flights Friday. They were carrying 38 tons chiefly of food, high- energy biscuits and the like, and they brought it in. It was off- loaded on to the tarmac. It was immediately seized by Myanmar authorities.

This is a breach of international humanitarian rules. The U.N. says it does not dump and run. It has its own networks of hundreds of expert people able to make sure this gets to the right people, the people who need it most out on the ground. And this development they see is a woeful breach of trust. Top officials are absolutely furious about it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOBY BANBURY, U.N. WORLD FOOD PROGRAM: I am furious. It is unacceptable. You know, for a relief worker, for a World Food Program staff member, the worst thing in the world that can happen is for a disaster like this to strike. The second worst thing in the world to happen is not to be able to do anything about it. And that's what's happening now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

RIMINTON: Now the 38 tons that they put in there has the means to feed 95,000 people per day. 95,000 people for a day. That's just up two flights. They had three more flights that were going to go in over the next 24 hours not just with food, but medical equipment and the like, but also lots of logistical support including boats that they've loaded on to planes to fly in there because it is boats that is the only way to reach the hardest hit areas --Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Wow. That's extraordinary. Now that's the U.N. effort there. Other NGOs on the ground or at least in the region want to help. And then of course, there's the U.S. as well, Hugh, which has made it clear they have another set of shiploads and cargo in which to deliver, but they can't get it into Myanmar.

What's the latest on the U.S. efforts?

RIMINTON: Well, I mean, people might remember back to the tsunami, particularly in Indonesia, those pictures, their vision of U.S. army helicopters flying into these areas that couldn't be reached by any other means, giving out enormous amounts of aid, saving lives hour by hour.

They've got that capacity right now to do that in Myanmar. They need the approval of the authorities. And if they are not letting the U.N. go to work there...

WHITFIELD: Right.

RIMINTON: ...are they going to let the U.S. in there? It would seem improbable at the moment. And -- so all the Americans hopes to be able to make a big difference are being held up by this intransigent by the military rulers in Myanmar.

WHITFIELD: Wow. That's extraordinary.

Hugh Riminton, thank you so much.

And in addition to this aid being suspended, I spoke with this man, an exclusive interview with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar and if the U.N. is willing to try to enter this country, distribute this aid without the permission of the government. I asked him and some candid remarks coming up.

HARRIS: Deadly battles in Beirut. Hezbollah militants take over a section of the city. A live report from the Lebanese capital straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Are teen stoners risking mental illness? A new study looks at pot, teens and depression.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

HARRIS: Dramatic developments in Lebanon. Hezbollah militants seized control of western Beirut after bloody battles.

Our own Cal Perry was reporting live for us yesterday from the center of the street fights. He joins us live.

What a morning yesterday was for us, Cal. Give us a sense of the scene today there in Beirut.

CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Tony, yesterday -- I don't know, I'll let you tell me -- was it the right place at the wrong time or the wrong place at the right time? We haven't decided yet. We're in South Beirut right now. In front of me is really the western part of the city. Now the developments this morning stunning.

Hezbollah has taken the western part of the city. As we drove here we came across Hezbollah check points, men with RPGs, with machine guns. One of the fascinating things, I'm going to step out of your way, give people a look here down this road. Behind me, what you're seeing is a very -- a flash point neighborhood, a lot of violence has taken place there. You can see the Lebanese army there.

One of the interesting things we've seen all day is you'll see the Lebanese army on the streets, and just a few hundred meters away from them, you'll see these Hezbollah gunmen. It's -- so it's fascinating to see. On one end of the street, you have the army. On the other end of the street, you have these Hezbollah gunmen. Neither are clashing.

Hezbollah took the western part of the city pretty peacefully, quite honestly, in part because the Lebanese army facilitated that. But there has been violence. It wasn't just confined to yesterday. Today, we understand that one of the pro-government television stations here in Beirut was burned to the ground by, we believe, anti- government supporters, certainly, and probably most likely Hezbollah.

We're going to try to go check that out in a few minutes. But this gunfire this morning sporadic as compared to yesterday. The death toll still stands at 11 with 44 wounded. But it will remain to be seen, of course, what Hezbollah does. Do they just stay confined to the western part of the city or will they move east?

The government, without question, in a very difficult spot here, of course, the government backed by the U.S. and other western powers. But what can they do? They have come out and said that Hezbollah needs to dismantle this telecommunications network, but who's going to do the dismantling, Tony? It doesn't seem like the government would even have the ability to even if they wanted to. So really hear a stale meat, certainly a political crisis with violence continuing.

HARRIS: Cal, bottom line this for us. Are we watching a political coup by Hezbollah to not only destabilize the government but take control of the government?

PERRY: I think we're very close, Tony. I think what Hezbollah is doing is putting the government in a corner. I wouldn't say it's a coup yet because, of course, the government is still technically in power. But certainly they've got them up against the wall at this point because they control half the city. So you wonder how they are going to work their way out of this current mess.

You know, is there going to be some kind of a tradeoff where Hezbollah gives back part of the city for some kind of government concession. You have to keep in mind here, Hezbollah garners incredible support, partly because of the war two years ago with Israel. It doesn't really have to do with elections, it just has to do with the fact that the people, over a million of them, support this militia, this Shia group, which really in many ways it is one of the biggest armies in the Middle East.

It is, of course, supported by Iran, funded in part by Iran and Syria, which brings some tension, of course, to the situation not only with the government here but with governments around the world -- Tony

HARRIS: All right, Cal, let's leave it there for now. I know we'll talk to you later in the morning.

Cal Perry for us in Beirut.

And some details now on Hezbollah. The name means "Party of God." The Shiite group was created in response to Israel's invasion of southern Lebanon in 1982. It is dedicated to the destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic regime in Lebanon. Hezbollah has close ties to both Iran and Syria, as Cal just mentioned, and is considered a terrorist organization by the United States.

But the group also provides much need charity to poor Shiites in southern Lebanon, food, education, hospital care, even health insurance. Hezbollah is well organized and has an estimated force of 5,000 to 6,000 fighters.

WHITFIELD: Marijuana, teens and depression. A government report out today calls the three a dangerous mix.

CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us from New York.

Elizabeth, what else is being said in this report because it sounds pretty remarkable.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: It is pretty remarkable because it points out an irony. This is a report from the White House. And the irony is that they say that kids use marijuana to self-medicate. They feel depressed, and so they smoke pot to sort of -- make themselves feel better, and the irony is that the pot will actually worsen their depression and could even lead to worse disorders, such as schizophrenia.

So let's take a look at some of the statistics that came out of this report. Kids who smoked pot once a week had double the risk of having depression or anxiety. And kids who smoked pot once a month were three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts. And this report also found that pot can trigger some short-term schizophrenia.

WHITFIELD: All right. So on mental health, though, is this really the case of marijuana causing this mental illness or does it mean that someone who's already predisposed to some already existing mental health problems, you know, it kind of being triggered further by the use of marijuana? Does that make sense?

COHEN: Right. Right. Are they smoking the pot because they're depressed or are they depressed because they are smoking pot?

WHITFIELD: Right.

COHEN: Right. It's the classic chicken-egg scenario. And you know, the answer might be a little bit of both. Kids who smoke pot may be doing it because they're depressed and they're trying to become less depressed. But also smoking the pot itself may be making them more depressed. So you may be seeing this vicious circle going on here.

WHITFIELD: All right. So what do parents do? I mean clearly parents want to discourage their kids from smoking pot, period. But that doesn't seem to work in a lot of households.

COHEN: Right. Right. Well, given this information, it's very clear that parents need to do more than just rifle through their kids' drawers and look for drugs and that kind of thing. They need to be on the lookout for signs of depression. If your kid is acting depressed, for example, if they're withdrawing from their friends or from family, if they stop doing things that they used to find fun, that can be a sign of depression, and that makes -- a parent that needs to think, wow, my kid might be depressed and my child might also be getting into marijuana or other drug use because they're depressed.

So they need to be thinking of both of those things.

WHITFIELD: All right. Elizabeth Cohen in New York, thanks so much.

COHEN: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: Tony?

HARRIS: Fred, let's take a look at some pictures out of Greensboro, North Carolina now. We've been warning you, boy, it seemed in the last 24 hours now of the storms that are developing in the south and southeast portions of the country right now. Take a look at these pictures again from our affiliate WTBD, Greensboro, North Carolina, at what looks to be, at the very least, severe storm damage.

Rob Marciano was talking at the top of our broadcast about a tornado warning for northern North Carolina. Look at this damage. And as you take a look at the aerial view of this, you again see the classic signatures of a severe storm, maybe straight line winds, maybe a tornado, it doesn't really matter at this point. But -- exactly.

WHITFIELD: It's so remarkable because it almost looks as though something kind of, you know, split it in half...

HARRIS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: ...from the underbelly.

HARRIS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: And just kind of leaving it...

HARRIS: Rocket from the bell nation.

WHITFIELD: ...topsy-turvy like that. That's not something you usually see...

HARRIS: No, you're right.

WHITFIELD: ...as a result of a tornado.

HARRIS: Right. And there were some shots earlier of portions of roofs being ripped off as well, and maybe -- well, that's our closer look at that particular house that we've been looking at here.

Rob Marciano is standing by for us now. And Rob, you warned us at the top of the newscast that we would see some severe weather in North Carolina. And now the pictures bear that out.

MARCIANO: Yes, and this is just from what happened last night.

HARRIS: Oh, that's last night?

MARCIANO: Yes. And you know we had the reports come in, tornado was on the ground probably around 10:00, 11 o'clock.

HARRIS: OK.

MARCIANO: And then we had -- the only thing we had was nighttime video, which look pretty gnarly. We saw cars on top of each other. We saw some limited damage. Well, obviously, once sun-up comes you get the aerials and you get to see this sort of deal.

HARRIS: Yes.

MARCIANO: And that's a serious tornado to do that sort of damage...

WHITFIELD: Yes.

MARCIANO: ...and to flip cars on top of each other. I mean that's at least in the EF2 or in the EF3. We had reports yesterday when we're on the air -- remember the tornado in Tupelo.

HARRIS: That's right. That's right.

MARCIANO: That came out to be an EF3 with winds of 140 miles an hour. And certainly when you see a brick-and-mortar, well-structured home like that pulverized, that's -- some big-time stuff. I do want to point out, while I am on here, that we've just gotten reports from the tornado warnings that we talked about less than 20 minutes ago.

HARRIS: Yes.

MARCIANO: In eastern parts of the state in Beaufort County, particular, and some other counties to the south, that -- and now we've got confirmed report that 8:44 there was a tornado spotted near Haroldsville, and that's in the northern-northeastern part of North Carolina.

HARRIS: Man, keep it steady.

MARCIANO: So it's - that's on top of what happened last night which is what you're seeing right here. What do you got? You got -- that's a colonial home, right?

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

MARCIANO: Colonial style home.

HARRIS: Yes.

MARCIANO: Probably three or four-bedroom deal, maybe five, and blown off its foundation.

WHITFIELD: Yes, it's almost as if it was lifted up and then just dropped again in a very close to that foundation, but it's just cracked in the middle.

HARRIS: And we just lost the picture. A moment ago, we just saw someone, probably the homeowner, we suspect, going through what is left of his home. Not much. Seemingly not much left. So it's a situation, obviously, we will continue to follow. And Rob is following all the watches and the warnings for North Carolina today, warning us of a new batch of storms starting to brew that might actually move through Mississippi again today and here we go all over again.

Rob, we appreciate it. Thank you.

MARCIANO: All right, guy.

WHITFIELD: Right. We are watching your weather, we are also watching your wallet, and what it means when we see oil prices that continue to go up. Almost hitting a whopping $126 a barrel. How that's going to hit you at the pump.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Oil prices surge this morning surpassing a new milestone price. Where are we now?

Boy, Stephanie Elam, "Minding Your Business" this morning.

OK, where are we, Stephanie?

STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Right now, Tony, the last quote I have here, $126.20. So remember it was the big deal when we were passing $125 a barrel? Well, this morning now we've passed $126.

Taking a look at electronic trading today, so my quick math here. That means from yesterday's close, we are up $2.51. Yesterday we did close in New York at $123.69. So we are looking at quite a jump there this morning. A lot of this having to do with inflation concerns as far as the surging oil prices. That's freaking some people out here, too. It's affecting the markets this morning as well.

And demand -- demand is just up around the world. We are getting close to those summer months.

HARRIS: Yes.

ELAM: We all know we like to use more oil and gasoline during that period as well.

HARRIS: Not this summer, no, not this -- how long, Stephanie, before -- you know, I know I'm asking you to put your prognosticators head on here for a second, but how long before we hit a national average for unleaded regular of $4 a gallon?

ELAM: Well, you know, the thing about that, you know, we did hit a new high for gasoline, $3.67 a gallon, that's up two-tenths of a cent from yesterday. So for the year the national average for regular gas is up about 20 percent. And most of those that -- those increases have actually happened within the last month.

Now as far as when we're going to hit $4 a gallon, for some people listening to us right now, especially people in, like, San Francisco Bay Area...

HARRIS: They are there.

ELAM: They're already there.

HARRIS: Yes.

ELAM: So they're like, we're not really feeling the pain of everybody else who's not quite there. But AAA does say that they're seeing $3.90 by Memorial Day. That's only a couple weeks away, my friend. So it's probably upon us.

HARRIS: Hey, look, look, I am on a fixed income. My mom is on a fixed...

ELAM: OK. I'm sorry.

HARRIS: This hurts.

ELAM: I'm sorry, you said it as if it was you. Yes. I know it is rough for a lot of people out there. And that's why a lot of people are staying closer to home. You know, you take a look at a company like Walt Disney reported earnings that were actually up, and that's because a lot of Americans are just like, I can't afford to fly because...

HARRIS: Yes.

ELAM: ...jet fuel prices are up, so I'm staying close, and I've got to do something, though. I've got to relax and -- release. So they're still finding ways to do it. But it's rough on Americans right now.

HARRIS: There she is "Minding Your Business" this morning. In for Ali Velshi, Stephanie Elam in New York.

Stephanie, have a great weekend. Good to see you.

ELAM: You too. Thanks, Tony.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN NEWSROOM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

HARRIS: And welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.

WHITFIELD: And I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

And we're beginning the bottom of the hour...

HARRIS: OK. Check our markets.

WHITFIELD: ...by another look at the markets.

HARRIS: Beautiful.

(MARKET REPORT)

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: She's covers stories all over the world, but North Korea has always been off limits, until now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN CHIEF INTL. CORRESPONDENT: Mr. Song (ph) gathered all our cell phones and BlackBerrys to be held until we leave the country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS; CNN's Christiane Amanpour's notes from North Korea.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: CNN's Christiane Amanpour has traveled the world and reported from dateline's near and far. But one destination has always eluded her -- North Korea. That changed this past February when she travelled with the New York Philharmonic when it performed in Pyongyang. Her new documentary, "Notes From North Korea," debuts is this weekend. Here's a preview:

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANPOUR (on camera): Two of us going to Pyongyang.

Thank you, ladies.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bye.

AMANPOUR: I can tell you that it's taken me at least nine years to get this visa. I've been wanting to go to Pyongyang for a long, long, long time.

(voice-over): Our trip begins in Beijing, China. OK, thanks. This North Korean plane is a bit of a relic, built by the former Soviet Union in the 1970s. From the moment you sit down, you get the message about North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong-Il. Two hours later, touchdown in Pyongyang.

(on camera): Nice to meet you.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice to meet you.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): We are greeted by our official minder, Mr. Song, who never leaves our side.

(on camera): We're looking forward to seeing it. It's my first time.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to Korea.

AMANPOUR: Thank you.

(voice-over): Mr. Song gathered up our cell phones and BlackBerrys. When do I get this back? to be held until we leave the country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no.

AMANPOUR: Visitors, like North Koreans themselves, are cut off from the outside. When we left the airport, another twist.

(on camera): An arm band. On it, it says "reporter." It's a little unusual, but here we are.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's very simple.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): Another minder, Mr. Jang (ph), tells us what we can...

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do not shoot.

AMANPOUR (voice-over): OK, OK.

(voice-over): And what we can't film.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We cannot take pictures behind those (INAUDIBLE).

AMANPOUR: Behind?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Behind.

AMANPOUR: Just in front?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just in front. We cannot take...

AMANPOUR: And why is that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why is that?

AMANPOUR: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I'm not sure. But...

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Christiane's documentary "Notes From North Korea" debuts this Saturday and Sunday evening 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. Eastern.

WHITFIELD: A ballplayer takes a pitch in the face.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From what I can remember, I looked up at my first baseman and I woke up in an ambulance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The blood was clogging him up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The opposing coach, right there, makes the save. You want to hear this story, in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, still not convinced what a tornado can do. Take a look at this. Yes, that is a pretty sizable FedEx plane that has been tossed around like it's toy there in Greensboro, North Carolina after at least one tornado is believed to have touched down there overnight. And this tornado and very severe weather system. And now a wider view there of the other airplanes that have been tossed about there at the airport.

This tornado has claimed at least one life, and it's believed to have caused other injuries. Earlier we saw quite a bit of video of homes that were destroyed in the area. We'll have more on the destruction from the tornado touching down in Greensboro, North Carolina last night -- Tony.

(MARKET REPORT) WHITFIELD: All right, the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, now the No. 1 issue before the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, and this given the fact that the World Food Program has now suspended any more immediate aid into Myanmar, barely a week now since the cyclone hit, in part because Myanmar government has taken hostage, if you will, 38 tons of aid from the U.N. that has come in.

Well, this just took place within the last 24 hours. Just yesterday I sat down with the secretary-general for an exclusive interview. And we talked about the U.N.'s role in helping people in desperate need, not just Myanmar, but in other places as well.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: How frustrating is this for you personally knowing that this is a great humanitarian crisis, and there are others that that the World Food Program is committed to serving, whether it be Haiti, where people are living off a dollar a day, and they complain of feeling Clorox hunger, which is being so hungry that it feels as though they're ingesting Clorox. Or whether it's Somalia -- people dying over the struggle for access to food? Can the U.N. meet all of these needs

BAN KI-MOON, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: There is some limitations in practical terms. However, we will continue to urge the country's concern. In this case Myanmar's authorities to take care of their own people. Myanmar is one of the poorer countries, and they do not have much capacity to handle these crisis cases by themselves. That is why United Nations and whole international community are willing to provide assistance.

Now, Myanmar's government to be flexible and to be ready to receive all this outpouring aid from the international community.

WHITFIELD: As secretary-general, I know you have committed to make security a priority in Africa. When we talk about Zimbabwe and still uncertain is who is president, who won that election? How involved is the U.N. willing to be? How much pressure do you want to put on the African Union, for instance, to say, all right, let's get to the bottom of who is president of this country, because there, too, you also have food crisis, continued turmoil and violence?

KI-MOON: I have been monitoring and involved in this situation very closely. I have been talking over the phone with many African leaders here in Atlanta to urge them to take necessary measures.

First of all, I'm deeply concerned about this politically motivated violence taking place in Zimbabwe, which will make the political situation very worrisome. And there are many displaced persons and there is a very serious humanitarian situations taking place there. Therefore, I have been talking to African Union president and African Union chairperson, as well as...

WHITFIELD: Do you have confidence, though, the African Union would do anything. If they could, wouldn't they have already? KI-MOON: They are doing their best. As far as I understand that I was told that president of South Africa, Mbeki, is going to visit Harrad (ph) and the southern African development community is going to dispatch a group of experts to talk with the Zimbabwean government, and I'm mobilizing all possible influence, as well as a political influence.

WHITFIELD: And last question, back to Myanmar real quick -- at what point or what timetable have you personally set or the U.N. set that if we're unable to get food to these people by X, Y, Z date we will consider this a grave failure?

KI-MOON: We have lost several very vital few days at the outbreak of this cyclone. So, this is already very late for international community to take urgent first actions. Now, before it is too late, I would again urge and appeal to Myanmar's authorities to be flexible in dealing with these humanitarian issues with a strong sense of urgency.

WHITFIELD: Just so I'm clear, what is urgent action? Just so I'm clear, what does that mean?

KI-MOON: First I talked to senior General Than Shwe of Myanmar, and I try to talk (INAUDIBLE) influential leaders in the region, and I'm mobilizing all possible...

WHITFIELD: And if talking doesn't work, then?

KI-MOON: We will have to continue the talk with Myanmar's government, yes.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Fred, help me understand something here.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

HARRIS: The news this morning, that the U.N. World Food Program has suspended aid flights into Myanmar, was that a decision taken by the secretary-general?

WHITFIELD: No, and I spoke with his office just before we went on the air today. That wasn't his decision. He, frankly, was just as surprised as anybody else. The World Food Program works under the auspices of the U.N. The U.N. a big umbrella. And the World Food Program is one of the agencies that serves the U.N. That decision was made by the World Food Program. And that is because the government has taken the 38 tons of U.N. aid that made its way on to two flights in Myanmar, but they couldn't get it off the plane to actually be distributed to the people there. But the government did take the material from that aircraft and we don't know at this point, the World Food Program doesn't know what's going to happen to that food. You know, most of them energy biscuits that would go to people that could sustain them for quite a while.

HARRIS: We understand the World Food Program does not want this to be a dump-and-go program; they want to distribute the aid themselves. But, theoretically, is the secretary-general in a position to overrule the decision that's been made by the person who heads up the World Food Program under the auspices of the U.N. and continue those flights into the country?

WHITFIELD: Well, I think the -- the secretary-general has made it very clear that he wants to continue talking. He does want to reach out to the general of Myanmar. The problem being the phone lines have been down. So, the effort is being made, but the connection is very difficult. He's the consummate diplomat there.

HARRIS: I think that's the U.N. on the phone from you right now. You've been on the phone with them throughout the morning.

WHITFIELD: Right, right, and I'm check that and make sure.

But you know, the latest is that he wants to continue talking. He doesn't want to rule out anything. The U.N. doesn't want to rule out anything. But it is a very delicate and difficult situation, because clearly there are thousands of people who are dying while they are waiting for this aid to make it in.

HARRIS: And, Fred, more with your interview with the secretary- general next hour?

WHITFIELD: That's right. Coming up, we'll talk about the other options. What can the u.n. Do to try and get this aid in even though that the World Food Program has temporarily suspended immediate aid. It doesn't mean that the U.N. has thrown up its hands and said, forget it, we're not going to do anymore. There are other efforts, there are other ways, and we're going to explore that.

HARRIS: And you need to get on the phone. Because literally this woman has been on the phone with the U.N. throughout the morning.

Fred, thank you. Good stuff.

HARRIS: Still to come in the NEWSROOM, mom's a big fan of the opposing team's coach.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He'll always be my hero. I'll always love him, cherish him, respect him from the bottom of my heart.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Gratitude for a lifesaving play at the plate.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Baseball coach comes in to make the save, and the other team is thankful.

Melissa Carlton of Baltimore affiliate WBAL has the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MELISSA CARLTON, WBAL REPORTER (voice-over): This is Chris Culver, the catcher for the Rising Sun High School baseball team up to bat. It was the fourth inning in one of the last games of the season. And this was him one pitch later on the ground, unconscious and bleeding.

CHRIS CULVER, INJURED PLAYER: From what I can remember, I looked up at my first baseman and I woke up in an ambulance.

CARLTON: Culver had been hit in the face with a baseball that was traveling an estimated 80 miles per hour. Like Culver, Fallston High School J.V. baseball coach doesn't remember much. He's thankful that his mind let a CPR class he took three months ago be his guide.

DANNY TAYLOR, BASEBALL COACH: I had him up on his hands and knees, because the blood was just too much. I knew that when the first time that we got to him the blood was clogging him up, which is why he wasn't breathing I think.

CYNTHIA ORTEGA, PLAYER'S MOM: They took the situation, control of the situation, and everyone around them, and did what they had to do to bring my son back to life. He was drowning in his own blood.

CARLTON: Culver's mom, Cynthia Ortega, wasn't at the game, and met her son at shock trauma where Culver would have reconstructive surgery.

CULVER: I broke my nose in three different places, right down the middle and on each side, and then I had a mild concussion.

CARLTON: Culver and his mother say they are beyond thankful that the coach from the other team stepped up to the plate. Ortega believes Coach Taylor's quick response saved her son's life.

ORTEGA: He'll always be my hero. I'll always love him, cherish him, respect him from the bottom of my heart.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Isn't that something. Chris Culver plans to play baseball next season. This time wearing a visor.

WHITFIELD: Well, they are not just a neighborhood oddity.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was stalking us. He was just around here and you couldn't chase him off.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Creepy. We're talking about coyotes, prowling the suburbs.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: Coyotes on the prowl in more and more suburbs these days.

Here's CNN's Dan Simon on the danger in California.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Coyotes typically feed on rabbits and rodents. But in Southern California the animals have been preying on humans. Three toddlers targeted in less than a week. The worst attack happened in the front yard of this house. The coyote dragging a two-year-old girl down the driveway by her head until her mother was able to fend the animal off. Luckily the girl is expected to recover.

Neighbors say it's not the first time in recent weeks they'd seen a coyote.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was, like, stalking us. He was just around here, and you couldn't chase him off.

SIMON: The latest attack comes less than a week after a coyote latched on to this little girl's diaper on a playground east of Los Angeles. Her mother has her nanny to thank for pulling the girl free.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She could of froze and scared herself, but she reacted just in time.

SIMON: The next day, IN the same park, a father managed to fend off a coyote that tried to attack his child.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's go. Back off!

SIMON: Coyotes can turn up just about anywhere. Last year in downtown Chicago One found its way into a Quiznos sandwich shop. A few months later, also in Chicago, another coyote was seen running through a park. Wildlife experts say attacks are usually preventable.

CHRIS POWELL, NATL. PARK SERVICE: People lost their wisdom on how to learn to live with this wildlife. And when -- so when they do see wildlife, they stop, they want to their family with them, they give them food as handouts, and those are the type of behaviors that get us in trouble with the wildlife.

SIMON: In California, trappers with Fish and Game have been trying track down coyotes in populated areas. So far they killed at least five of the critters.

Dan Simon, CNN, San Francisco.

(END VIDEOTAPE)