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Thousands Dead or Missing in Aftermath of China Earthquake; Hillary Clinton Fights On

Aired May 13, 2008 - 15:00   ET

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

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: Rescue teams are finally at the epicenter of that catastrophic earthquake in China, but their efforts there and elsewhere proving more difficult and more tragic by the hour. They're pulling some survivors from the rubble, but finding many more bodies. More than 12,000 people reported dead in one province alone, more than 18,000 feared buried in just one city. Millions of others are homeless, and desperate for help.
Here is CNN's John Vause.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are few comforts here for the badly hurt, just a sheet of plastic to protect them from the rain. They're left on the road to moan.

This woman has back injuries and cannot walk. Remarkably, though, no one complains. No one speaks at all. They just wait for hours until the soldiers come and take them away. Most are dazed, confused, like Alshon (ph). He slowly recalls how he received those horrific bruises.

"I was on abridge," he told me. "I don't know who saved me."

This is that bridge. Gow (ph) was crossing just as the tremor struck. Along with the concrete and steel, he went crashing to the river below. Everywhere here, the scale of the devastation is sweeping. And, amid the rubble, memories of lives before the quake, lives that will never be the same again.

(on-camera): The force of the earthquake was so powerful that many homes didn't simply collapse. They were destroyed, smashed into pieces. And, in many cases, beneath the pile of wood and brick are the people who once lived here. The focus, say officials, is not on finding the dead, but rather on trying to save the living.

(voice-over): But for many of the living, there is only misery. Survivors, with nothing and nowhere to go, they huddle together in makeshift tents.

"It's horrible. There's devastation everywhere. We have no food," this woman says.

Thirteen thousand people once lived in this small town, not far from the epicenter of the quake. The local Communist Party secretary, who has been directing the rescue, tells me 3,000 people are still missing. As he shows me the damage to his community, I ask how many have died. He breaks down in tears. Up to 500 have been killed, he says, including his parents, wife and two children.

In the midst of his anguish, there's a call on his radio. He's needed again and goes back to work.

John Vause, CNN, Che Jia Va (ph), China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: As we cover the aftermath of this quake, we can also show the harrowing moments right after this earthquake struck.

Melissa Block of NPR National Public Radio was one of the few Western journalists in China when the ground started shaking there. She was actually reporting an interview for another story at the time, and sent us this audiotape.

First, you will hear the quake. Then you will hear Melissa as she realizes what's happening.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

MELISSA BLOCK, NPR: What's going on? The whole building is shaking. Our whole building is shaking. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. We're in the middle of an earthquake? The whole block is shaking.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

KEILAR: And, again, that was Melissa Block, co-host of NPR's "All Things Considered."

And, as always, some of the best perspective that we're getting about this story is actually coming to us through I-Reports, people who are on the ground, viewers. And if you want to know how strong was this quake, of course, it was a 7.9, a major, major earthquake.

But just to really give you a sense, here is one I-Report video that we're getting. This is about 400, 500 miles away from the epicenter of the earthquake. This is a pond at an area in Sichuan. And this is video. You can actually see these guys sort of goofing off. That's because they're college students. They're basically on exchange there. And they didn't realize at this time how serious this whole situation was.

They were on a bridge that you will see here in a moment over this pond here. They were taking a group shot, because they had only been in China for a couple of days when the quake struck. And, at that time, the college student who shot this video, Kent Campbell, from the University of Nebraska, he and his fellow students, they ran off of the bridge. They really had a hard time even standing at the time, and they shot video of this water just rolling out of this pond here.

And, of course, let's go to our next I-Report. This is a picture. You can see it's been very difficult for people overnight, people who are trying to really just get through the evening. This is a picture that's coming to us from Chongqing. It's a couple hundred miles from the epicenter of the quake, many people here afraid to go back in their homes.

You can see umbrellas, because it's raining. You can see they're sleeping here on a soccer field. There's a goal there in the back. Some of them even sleeping here on newspaper.

And then another I-Report from an area not too far from here as well. People finding actually a construction tube that they can sleep in, this giving them some respite from the rain there, again, as I said, adding to the misery in the area, dealing with the rain. So, obviously, this did give some people cover there.

And you can go to CNN.com/I-Report, much -- many, many more pictures like this, so that you can see really a firsthand account. And there's also descriptions from the people who sent in these I- Reports, if you want to get a sense of what it really looks like in the ground there in southwestern China -- T.J., over to you.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Brianna, thank you.

We will turn now to Myanmar, where a third U.S. plane has brought tons more relief there, water, blankets, mosquito nets, and the White House is promising more relief. The USS Essex was expected to arrive off Myanmar today, ready to help, but Myanmar's military government still won't let outsiders deliver supplies to the areas that need it most.

The head of the U.S. Pacific Command has been meeting with junta leaders, trying to change their minds. He says they don't seem too concerned about the crisis. They even say things are getting back to normal. Meantime, some Australian relief workers say they are seeing rotten rice in some of the hardest-hit areas.

Even the world's top diplomat has lost patience with the military rulers of Myanmar. A week-and-a-half after a near apocalyptic cyclone, the junta is still refusing outside help in rescuing victims and handing out aid.

Here now, CNN senior United Nations correspondent Richard Roth.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As U.N. agencies struggle to get into Myanmar, their leader, the U.N. secretary-general, has tried the diplomatic approach. Ban Ki-moon has been met with a wall of silence from the generals in charge. Finally, a week-and-a-half after the cyclone hit, Ban let loose.

BAN KI-MOON, UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL: I want to register my deep concern and immense frustration at the unacceptably slow response to this grave humanitarian crisis.

ROTH: Ban, from Korea, dislikes public confrontations. He has written to Myanmar's ruler, Than Shwe, twice and also phoned, but received no response.

BAN: I therefore call in the most strenuous terms on the government of Myanmar to put its people's lives first. It must do all that it can to prevent this disaster from becoming even more serious.

ROTH: With the death toll mounting and aid distribution spotty, Ban had to be more forceful.

JAMIE METZL, ASIA SOCIETY: This is a big test and he's going to have to be very, very forceful in making the case for saving these hundreds of thousands, more than a million people who are at risk.

ROTH: The Security Council did discuss Myanmar again, but remains divided even on whether to demand that Myanmar accept aid.

(on-camera): Ban Ki-Moon believes in quiet diplomacy, but Myanmar's painfully slow response has prompted the toughest remarks by the U.N.'s chief department about a U.N. member country. However, even Ban seems to be conceding the words may come too late.

Richard Roth, CNN, United Nations.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: We're also following breaking news out of India. The country is on high alert after a string of explosions killed at least 60 people and wounded 150 in the northwestern city of Jaipur.

Police say the seven blasts went off in 12 minutes in Jaipur's wall city. It's a popular tourist spot. One struck near a packed Hindu temple, another near a market. Officials calling it a terrorist attack, but there is no claim yet of responsibility. We are going to bring you more information as we get it.

(WEATHER UPDATE)

KEILAR: Her critics say she does not stand a chance, but Hillary Clinton is fighting on. And today, she's hoping for a huge win in West Virginia. We're going to have a live report from the state.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: China is accepting U.S. money, but hasn't asked for any other disaster assistance just yet.

We want to head over to Zain Verjee at the State Department.

Good afternoon to you.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hi there.

Well, China has accepted the U.S. offer for aid. The U.S. is saying that they're going to give China an initial $500,000. What they're saying is, is that that money is actually going to go to the International Red Cross for its appeals, and then it will be distributed to partners already on the ground. The U.S. is saying that it is prepared to do more, if China wants. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack just a short while ago also said that all U.S. diplomats are accounted for and no U.S. tourists have -- there are no reports of them being injured or killed.

HOLMES: All right, Zain, besides money, anything else the U.S. could possibly help out with, including a lot of search-and-rescue teams that could be beneficial right about now from the U.S.?

VERJEE: That was one of the things that was being discussed. The U.S. said that that was definitely something that they would make available to China if China asked.

Now, China has not in fact made a request for a U.S. search-and- rescue team. The U.S. is saying what it can do right now to be the most helpful is to give financial donations. The more appeals there are, say, from the International Red Cross, the U.S. says it will step up.

The other thing too is that USAID officials are telling us that the most critical thing in a situation like this is time. And there's usually something like a 72-hour window that you want to get a search- and-rescue team there on the ground and helping out. And they're saying that that's passed right now. And China -- and it would be too late for the U.S. to get there. And China itself actually has that kind of capacity that's pretty strong and the U.S. wouldn't want to do anything to change their own internal dynamics.

LEMON: All right. Zain Verjee for us from the State Department on U.S. aid to China during this time, certainly of need there in China -- Zain, we appreciate you.

KEILAR: In northern Oklahoma, they're watching the skies yet again. The town of Picher lost several people to Saturday's killer storm. And all that's left of some sections, just what you see here, huge piles of debris.

CNN's Susan Candiotti is there for us live.

Susan, we're talking -- you know, we said here we're talking about people who may have just put a blue tarp on their roof, and here they are perhaps dealing with this threat again.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It's the last thing anyone wants to hear about, Brianna.

Here we are, almost three full days after that killer tornado swept through Picher, Oklahoma, and killed six people here, including a seventh storm-related death, reported just yesterday from someone who died from carbon monoxide poisoning, because of the way they were using their generator, so, another sad death to report.

On this dark and dreary day, it's sort of adding to the solemn mood around here, as people continue to try to pick through their belongings and see what they could possibly salvage. And they're starting to raise questions about where to go and what to do about getting help.

And, so, this was the backdrop for Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff and the head of FEMA, David Paulison, to take an aerial tour of this area. They did that by helicopter. And then they spent some time on the ground walking through the neighborhood where I am now meeting residents and telling them that help would be coming their way.

Secretary Chertoff said he's going to speed up the application process for getting FEMA assistance here. And he also talked about the possibility, as I said, about that bad weather, possibly even tornadoes hitting here as early as this afternoon or tonight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: I know that there's more weather on the horizon. I don't know whether it's going to be quite as drastic as this.

I guess my main message for people is not to drop your guard. I wish I could tell you this is the last tornado you're going to have this week or this month, but I can't tell you that. What I can say is please stay tuned to your local officials and follow the guidance. And the media can do a lot to make sure you give early warning if we do have something else like this, because, eventually, houses and possessions will be replaced. Lives cannot be replaced.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CANDIOTTI: And of course residents would naturally agree with that. Many of them have moved in with family or friends because they obviously can't stay in these homes.

And I spoke with one homeowner who lost everything. Here's what she had to say about the pending bad weather that could hit later today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SHIRLEY SHARBUTT, TORNADO VICTIM: Well, we're pretty scared. But where we're staying right now, our new place, we have a neighbor that has a cellar and has already told us we could come there.

CANDIOTTI: When you hear about more storms coming, you must be thinking, oh, no. Please not us. Not again.

SHARBUTT: Right.

CANDIOTTI: Tell me about that.

SHARBUTT: Well, it's really hard. We have some stuff left to salvage. And we know that, if we don't get it today, we probably won't get it. And that's pretty hard.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CANDIOTTI: So, regardless as to whether they get more tornadoes here or maybe just bad rain, that's just the last thing they want to think about.

The main thing now is for these people to get back on their feet, to get help from FEMA. They hope that will come quickly, as well as those who were involved in a federal buyout of their homes here, due to toxic waste. The federal government was purchasing their homes. They hope to get that money and in fact promises were made to them this day that that money will be coming through more quickly. They are going to process those applications and get them help as soon as they can -- back to you, Brianna.

KEILAR: You said it, Susan, more bad weather, the last thing they want to think about, but we're actually getting word there is a tornado watch in Oklahoma, so, Susan, I'm going to let you go there in Picher, Oklahoma.

(WEATHER UPDATE)

HOLMES: Florida Governor Charlie Crist has given a briefing on wildfires burning across his state. He says at least 108 blazes were burning in 14 counties. Crews in Brevard County have made some headway, thanks to lighter winds. In the city of Palm Bay, teams were finally able to get out and assess the damages today.

According to early estimates, 100 houses are damaged or destroyed. Palm Bay police suspect arson. A $10,000 reward now being offered, and officers say they have gotten a whole lot of tips.

KEILAR: The number of survivors pulled from the rubble, far too few, the number of bodies, far too many, growing devastation and a growing death count in earthquake-ravaged China. We will take you there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Congress hopes that it will tame oil prices. Experts say, though, that it is a drop in the bucket. A six-month pause in shipments to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve passed the Senate today, and really not by a little here. This vote was 97-1. President Bush, he opposes it for national security reasons.

The measure's sponsor, though, looks at it this way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BYRON DORGAN (D), NORTH DAKOTA: When the American consumer is being burned at the stake by energy prices, the government ought not be carrying the wood. Sticking oil underground is wrong at this point in time. And this amendment simply says, stop it. Halt it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Now, the lone no-vote came from Colorado Republican Wayne Allard. The House is expected to pass a similar measure later today.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

KEILAR: Her critics say that she doesn't stand a chance, but Hillary Clinton is fighting on. And, today, she's hoping for a huge win in West Virginia. We're going to have a live report from that state.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: It is half past the hour and here are three of the stories we're working on in the CNN NEWSROOM. The death toll, it keeps on rising in central China one day after a massive earthquake there. The state-run news agency says more than 12,000 people were killed in just one city. Thousands more are feared buried in the rubble, which rescue teams are desperately combing through.

More U.S. relief supplies have arrived in cyclone-ravaged Myanmar, but the military rulers there are not letting foreign aid workers take them to where they're desperately needed. A top U.S. military official describes one of those rulers as showing less than very serious concern.

People in Oklahoma, Missouri and also Arkansas, they're placing for more severe weather after a string of deadly tornadoes and another round of storms is heading their way, storms that could spawn more funnel clouds.

It is a small state. It's late in the game, too. But West Virginia will very likely give Hillary Clinton something she hasn't had in a while. That is a little reason to crack a smile. CNN's Sean Callebs spending primary election day in Kanawha City. I hope I said that right. I know you know how to say it Sean.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You were close.

KEILAR: T.J. got it right before, Kanawha City.

OK, so Sean I'm just wondering, the economy, is this really the big issue, the number one issue here at CNN. Is it a big issue for voters there in West Virginia today?

CALLEBS: I think without question. If you talk to voters here, we've been (INAUDIBLE) people all day. I think all but one person has said that that is the primary issue bringing him or her out to the polls today, a big concern here in West Virginia for a number of reasons. One, this is not a wealthy state. If you look at the latest census breakdown, it is 48th in per capita income. So clearly West Virginia needs some kind of spark for its economy.

Secondly, the population here is also getting older. They're going to need, more concerns about health care benefits. That is a huge issue here as well. Education, they'd like to see more people finish college. Only about 15 percent of high school kids actually go all the way through, four years and graduate. So it's a big issue here. Hillary Clinton is expected to do very well here today. Basically this state breaks down and plays into her demographic well. Only about 3 percent of African-American in this state, working class. It's long had a history of a labor intensive state, but that has changed significantly as a lot of union jobs have left. Let me let you talk to a voter and she can tell us more about what brings her out to the polls today.

Shannon Griffith, thanks so much you for joining us here today. For the presidential candidate whom are you supporting and for what reason?

SUSAN CRAVENS, VOTER: In the primary I'm supporting Hillary Clinton. I like her ideas on health care. I like the idea that she's a woman. I am a product of the '60s, therefore we've waited a very long time for a woman president or a candidate for a woman president.

CALLEBS: So symmetry of her and you as well.

CRAVENS: Correct. We're about the same age. So --

CALLEBS: And what does this state need? I grew up here. I've been gone for a long time. But it needs some kind of spark. You just see -- it's doing well, but really needs to find something to jump- start the economy.

CRAVENS: What our state needs is strong leadership. We have like Jay Rockefeller who comes out before we even have the primary and decides that he's going to support Obama. He says in this that he's liberated. He's liberated from what? Shouldn't he be representing us? He's not a -- he's not a freelancer. He represents us. So I was very insulted by that.

CALLEBS: Really?

CRAVENS: That Jay Rockefeller actually came out way ahead and he made it on his own. He's collecting his big royalties from Exxon. So he's not like the rest of us out here worried about our fuel.

CALLEBS: There's a lot of people who have also been talking about, Hillary Clinton is expected to do very well here but what about her future? Can she stay in the campaign? Is it frustrating to you, do you think it has it diminished your vote at all?

CRAVENS: Absolutely not. I think that's what the American process is about. I admire her tenacity. I think we need more people who have that kind of tenacity.

CALLEBS: Thanks very much for joining us here today. We appreciate it.

CRAVENS: Thank you for giving me my (INAUDIBLE) Jay Rockefeller.

CALLEBS: She did voice that. Only 20 delegates at stake here. It may not seems like a great deal Brianna, but when every single one means so much in this campaign season, we'll be watching to see how the vote breaks out. If the polls are accurate, Hillary Clinton could win by as much as 30, 35 percentage points. So it's going to be a very significant night. But the future, the future, that is what a lot of people are going to be watching the next few days.

KEILAR: She may have had a bit of her soap box there, Sean, but I think she was voicing something that so many people have voiced, which is they don't really want to be told what to do, I suppose, especially there in Kanawha City. Did I say it right this time, Kanawha City, is that right?

CALLEBS: Pretty close, Kanawha City.

KEILAR: It's not spelled phonetically and I struggle with that.

Sean Callebs for us in West Virginia, thank you.

HOLMES: All right. Hillary Clinton appears to be on the ropes everywhere except Kanawha City. But she's not giving up. Hillary Clinton hoping for a huge win in today's Democratic primary in West Virginia, but does it even matter? Joining us there, CNN contributors David Gergen. He's in Cambridge, Massachusetts actually for us today and Carl Bernstein in New York.

Good to see you again. Sir, I'll try to try not to put words in your mouth like I did over the weekend when I talked to you, but.

CARL BERNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Don't take that personally.

HOLMES: We will start with West Virginia. David, let me start with you. Why should Democrats not be concerned if the person who is seen now as their eventual nominee, who has been anointed almost in some circles as the nominee, is getting blown out or will get blown out in a swing state like West Virginia today, even though it's only worth a few electoral votes. Still, in a swing state, he's getting blown out.

DAVID GERGEN, FORMER CLINTON ADVISER: I think this is going to be treated by the media as a side show, but I will tell you, I bet there are super delegates who are going to have some concern if she racks up a 30 or 35 percent win. That would be her biggest win of the year. And West Virginia is -- has voted twice in a row now for Republicans for president, but it does have a Democratic governor and two Democratic senators.

So I think this will cause some quiet unhappiness in super delegates, but I'm not sure it's going so shift anything. I don't think it's a game changer in any fashion.

HOLMES: Carl, do you think it will be quiet as well, or if Obama the front-runner and we see people voting in a major way for somebody that everybody assumes is going to lose? What kind of message is that sending if so many people are voting for a woman that so many others have written off and say she's going to lose? BERNSTEIN: What this shows is Obama's weak spot and that is this particular demographic is the most extreme example of what has bedeviled Obama's candidacy in the last few months. Working class, white folks, and that's where he's -- where he's got a real deficit compared to Hillary Clinton in poll after poll. And look, this is going to be a rough night for him.

I've been on the phone all day with Clinton people and they're saying, look, we want to maximize our leverage to use the phrase after tonight. And that can take many forms, either her trying to argue that she ought to be the vice presidential nominee on the ticket with Obama, getting her delegates seated from Michigan and Florida as a matter of something that she simply believes in and --

HOLMES: Well, Carl, is there an assumption being made that some of those white voters, those blue collar workers, those working class folks that he is not picking up now, are some just making an assumption, even some of the super delegates that, you know what, those will come back around to the Democrats no matter what, no matter who our nominee is.

Are they assuming that maybe Obama is going to get those votes later on anyway?

BERNSTEIN: A lot of them are.

Look, she is in terrible shape with the super delegates who haven't declared themselves so far. Most of them are inclined toward Obama. They're just waiting for this thing to play out. Many of them have been offended by the kind of campaign that she has won. They started, many of them, favoring her.

I was fascinated by what Ms. Cravens, this very articulate spokesperson for her point of view in West Virginia was saying about Jay Rockefeller. Jay Rockefeller was somebody who was very close to Hillary Clinton. And I presume, I don't know this for a fact, but I know that there was some real falling out between the two of them, because he was one of her health care allies and became somewhat alienated over the way she ran the health care campaign.

HOLMES: Well, David, let me get you back in here on what Obama is doing. There's so much talk about you can't appear to be pushing her out and he has been I guess very respectful and very careful in his answers in saying that this nomination fight is not over, however, he's got a five-state swing. Three of those states have already voted. He's going on to Michigan. He is moving to Missouri. He's moving to Florida. He apparently is certainly transitioning into general election mode.

GERGEN: Well, absolutely. And I think he has been wise, given the lopsided nature of this, to try to treat West Virginia and Kentucky as side shows. He's persuaded most of the media to treat them as side shows. He's created this narrative. He's on his way to inevitable victory. We've seen another candidate in the Democratic Party who had an inevitable victory nomination ahead of her, didn't work out that way. So I think he's got -- I think he's got to keep pressing.

But what I do think he's also been wise about is being very gracious toward her. Because he does need her to leave gracefully and he needs her then to turn to the women who are for her. It's not just the white working class vote. There are a lot of women over 50 or so who are angry at Obama for taking this nomination away from her and he needs them back and he needs her to help him with that.

HOLMES: And she has changed her tone a bit, not attacking him as much as she has been. Both of you very quickly on this. Is there any scenario you all see, a possibility that after the Democratic convention and Obama is the nominee, people are going to wake up and have some kind of regret or remorse and oh, my goodness, what have we done? We should have gone with Hillary Clinton?

Is there something that's going to pop up and if you will ever foresee down the road that there's a scenario that could come up and people end up in that position -- Carl?

BERNSTEIN: I'm always scary and wary of generalizations. I think inevitably some people are going to feel that inevitably. Right now you have people in the Clinton campaign still hoping that there's going to be some information that develops in the next few days or few weeks that somehow this tiny little glimmer of light might enable her to get the nomination by some piece of catastrophic damaging information about Obama. There are also people in the Clinton campaign who think that after tonight's victory, she ought to go up to Daley Square in Chicago and say, Barack Obama, I'm here to endorse your candidacy and let's work together.

HOLMES: We'll see if that happens.

BERNSTEIN: Doubtful.

HOLMES: David, you see anything, any regret later on?

GERGEN: I think there are going to be some regrets, sure. I think there are going to be some recriminations from this campaign. If think if she were to come out, gracefully endorse Obama, that would help a lot. But there are some people on the Republican side who have some disquiet about their candidate.

That's why we see Bob Barr in this race as a Libertarian. He presents a bit of a shadow in some parts. This is not limited to Barack Obama. We've had a very robust campaign and there are going to be some people on both sides who are going to say, my candidate didn't win, I'm not terribly happy.

HOLMES: Both sides have few issues with whoever their nominee ends to be. David Gergen, Cambridge for us, we appreciate you, Carl Bernstein, hope I did all right without putting words in your mouth. I'm not going to let you live that down. All right, guys, appreciate you. Good to see you.

KEILAR: Sadr City of course a neighborhood of Baghdad been under siege now for almost two months, but you can have a look inside. We've got a CNN exclusive straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. Caught on camera in Orlando, Florida. This gator did not have a ticket to ride. Although, I'm sure nobody was going to argue with it. The six foot gator did become fair game however for wildlife officers. The gator was spotted hanging out at a bus stop Sunday apparently waiting for the swamp thing express. I can't believe I did that. The road had to be shut down while officers wrestled with the reptile.

KEILAR: Sadr City is a part of Baghdad, been under siege now for almost two months. But you can have an inside look. We've got a CNN exclusive straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: Surrounded and bombarded by U.S. and Iraqi troops for weeks now, Sadr City has been ground zero in the military struggle against hardcore Shiite fighters. Civilians were trapped with movement next to impossible, but our Michael Ware managed to get the ultimate insider's view. This is an exclusive tour with the Mehdi army militia.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They called it the siege of Sadr City. You can hear the sound of the gunfire now. We're being signaled across the street. For almost 50 days until a weekend cease-fire agreement, two million people were virtually encircled in this Baghdad slum while U.S. and Iraqi troops, targeting Mehdi army militia fighters. It was with those Mehdi army fighters that we visited the besieged Sadr City in the combat's last days. They wouldn't let us show their faces, but with this rare access, we could gauge the conflict for ourselves.

What we're seeing now is a blast wall just recently erected by the Americans to separate parts of Sadr City. It's down here that the Americans say many of the rockets fired at the green zone are launched and that's why they're trying to seal it off. The fighting has mauled this neighborhood. There are 11 people supported by the income he makes from this shop and you can see the destruction all through it. The bullet holes have absolutely peppered it passing from one side down there, through the shop. You can see how this wall is absolutely riddled, even this barrel, full of bullet holes.

The street behind me, destroyed cars, bombed buildings, this is very much the front line in Sadr City. Sadr City is a bastion for loyalists of anti-American cleric Muqtada al Sadr, his Mehdi army the focus of the government military offensive cautiously backed by the U.S. military. Al Sadr's religious and military leaders claim up to 1,000 people have died in less than seven weeks. Impossible to say how many were combatants, how many were civilians. Others are homeless with food and medical supplies running short.

Yet, 24 hours before the peace accord, the skirmishes continue. You can smell the cordite in the air right now from the gun shots. We're in a safe zone right now. We're out of the direct line of fire, but we're very, very close to a clash that's underway as we speak. This family's neighbor's house was pummeled by U.S. bombs.

One week ago? This man survived that bombing but says 11 of his family did not. We want the siege of the city to finish he says. Though the siege has eased for now with the weekend's tentative cease- fire, on Friday, the wounded were still descending upon Sadr City hospitals.

And the week's dead, including a 12-year-old boy, were awaiting collection. Meanwhile, thousands gathered for Friday prayers at the mosque, chanting long live al Sadr. The Mehdi army is victorious. To many, like this Sadrist parliamentarian, the military offensive is a bid for Shia rivals to undermine al Sadr before local elections.

The provincial elections are the target of this operation, he says, because the provincial winners will impose or reject Federalism, a suspicion U.S. commanders share. Few want the Iraqi government dragging them into a street fight in a Sadr City teeming with a hostile population. If American troops do have to enter these streets, the concern, a top American officer told me, is that the fight could be like Mogadishu.

But even before the cease-fire was struck, on Friday, al Sadr's top aide in Sadr City laid out the terms, telling me the Mehdi army would allow Iraqi army units, not American, to enter the slum while the militia would maintain its right of self-defense, a right it vigorously exercises. Its forces dominate each intersection. Its members disciplined and well organized. And with calls for the Mehdi army's disbandment now dropped, they may be even stronger than before.

Michael Ware, CNN, Sadr City.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: It's now time for us to check in with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

KEILAR: He's standing by in "THE SITUATION ROOM" to tell us what's coming up at the top of the hour -- Wolf?

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, guys. Thanks very much.

Hillary Clinton is planning a huge primary victory party, but might Barack Obama upstage the celebration? You'll want to hear what he's doing just before West Virginia's polls close. You'll see it live right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

Also, if Senator Clinton does win the state by huge margins, what message will West Virginia voters be sending? We'll have the first batch of exit poll numbers. They'll be coming in. And he's endorsed John McCain for president, but previously denounced the Catholic Church, among other things, accusing it of supporting Hitler. You're going to want to hear what the evangelical pastor John Hagee is now saying and what he's now doing. All that, guys, and a lot more coming up right here in "THE SITUATION ROOM."

KEILAR: Thanks, Wolf. We'll be watching.

HOLMES: And the closing bell and a wrap of the action on Wall Street is straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KEILAR: The closing bell is about to ring on Wall Street.

HOLMES: So that means it's time for us to see Susan Lisovicz again. She's standing by with the final look.

Hello.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, T.J. and Brianna.

Fads come and go and then there is Velcro. It has been 50 years since that tape with the unmistakable sound was trademarked. It's been used in many things, including this comedy skit from David Letterman. You guys remember that?

HOLMES: Yes. We've seen that clip a lot. It's funny every time.

LISOVICZ: Yes, he had a Velcro suit and there was a Velcro wall. Go ahead Brianna.

KEILAR: I was going to say, you think about it, you use something with Velcro in it every single day.

HOLMES: Really?

LISOVICZ: It's used in diapers, sneakers, military armor. There was a report about 10 years ago that Velcro -- they've been working on a design to make it silent, but it just wouldn't be the same.

KEILAR: I mean my MP3 folder cover and everything.

LISOVICZ: Exactly. (INAUDIBLE) There is actually an American company that makes it in Manchester, New Hampshire called Velcro USA and they celebrated with the employees lined up a mile long by ripping strips of Velcro.

HOLMES: That's fun.

LISOVICZ: It's a crazy time.

HOLMES: What do you use every day with Velcro? I really can't think of anything right now.

LISOVICZ: Sneakers. Absolutely.

KEILAR: I'm trying to imagine Susan Lisovicz in sneakers with Velcro strips.

LISOVICZ: Well, you know, I can e-mail you a photo.

HOLMES: Who makes those shoes?

KEILAR: Please do! I wish I had them.

LISOVICZ: It's a publicly traded company. Speaking of Wall Street, we're kind of stuck here with the same old thing, high oil prices, soft consumer spending, a mixed decision, kind of a quiet day on Wall Street. See you guys tomorrow.

HOLMES: Thank, so much, Susan.

KEILAR: Let's head down to "THE SITUATION ROOM" and Wolf Blitzer.