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President Bush Arrives in Israel; Misery in Myanmar; From Daycare to College; Person of Interest Now in Custody for Fires in Florida
Aired May 14, 2008 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WHITFIELD: A half foot of rain and it's still coming down in Louisiana. This morning, flashflood in the NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: And our top story -- Hillary Clinton coming off a huge win. She huddles with top supporters today to assure them she is staying in the race.
The latest now from Jessica Yellin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, West Virginia.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A big victory for Hillary Clinton, but is it too little too late? Clinton's landslide win in West Virginia will allow her to make a small dent in Barack Obama's lead in delegates and the popular vote. But if this race for the Democratic nomination is supposedly over, no one's told Hillary Clinton.
CLINTON: There are some who have wanted to cut this race short. They say give up. It's too hard. I am more determined than ever to carry on this campaign.
YELLIN: A look at her schedule proves that point. Clinton's expected to campaign in South Dakota, Oregon and Kentucky over the next week. And her message to the superdelegates remains the same.
CLINTON: I am in this race because I believe I am the strongest candidate -- the strongest candidate to lead our party in November of 2008.
YELLIN: But to do it, she needs help.
CLINTON: I hope you'll go to HillaryClinton.com and support our campaign.
YELLIN: Obama is still in the driver's seat, but he remains modest.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Senator Clinton is still competing. We haven't resolved this nomination.
YELLIN: Where he spent Tuesday evening is very telling. He campaigned in Missouri. It's already held its primary but is considered a crucial battleground state. And the person on Obama's mind isn't Clinton. It's John McCain.
OBAMA: Just look at where he stands and you'll see that a vote for John McCain is a vote for George Bush's third term.
YELLIN (on camera): Fresh off her victory in West Virginia, Senator Clinton will be meeting with top supporters in Washington today. We're told she'll assure them that she plans to stay in the race and that she has the money to do it. Campaign sources say fundraising picked up after she declared victory in West Virginia.
Jessica Yellin, CNN, Charleston, West Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: So what do you say we take a look at the all-important delegate count following the West Virginia primary? Barack Obama still leads Hillary Clinton by 168 delegates. That's according to CNN estimates. He has 1,881. She has 1,713. It takes 2,025 to win the nomination.
Up next, Tuesday's Kentucky primary with 51 delegates at stake. Counting also begins Tuesday in the mail-in primary in Oregon, 52 delegates up for gabs there.
WHITFIELD: Senator Hillary Clinton is expected to do well with voters in Kentucky as well.
Dan Lothian live in Frankfurt with a preview. So what are the voters saying there besides the fact that it's raining terribly there?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. On this rainy day here in Frankfort -- you know, Kentucky is a state much like West Virginia in that it plays to Senator Hillary Clinton's strength. Polls here are showing that she has a huge, double-digit lead over Senator Barack Obama.
Now as voters here look to the upcoming primary, there is one big issue -- who has the best plan to fix the economy?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JUDY MARTINEZ, OWNER, JC & FAMILIA RESTAURANT: Everything looks bad right now.
LOTHIAN (voice over): Judy Martinez says running her 2-year-old restaurant in Frankfurt is especially challenging these days.
MARTINEZ: Buying fish, like $10. Now it's $13, $13.
LOTHIAN: This mostly rural state with its rolling hills and horse farms was already hurting before the economy went south.
TREY GRAYSON, KENTUCKY SECRETARY OF STATE: Our unemployment rate has been higher than the national average by about a percentage point the last few years.
LOTHIAN: Secretary of State Trey Grayson says many were laid off after textile factories closed. Production went out of state or overseas. The auto industry has filled some of the gaps but it's not nearly enough.
Danny Walker runs a car wash and flower business in Frankfurt.
DANNY WALKER, WALKER'S CAR WASH & FLOWER SHOP: They need to get the businesses back in this country. It's really killing the middle- class people, the blue-collar workers here.
LOTHIAN: He wants the next president to bring back new jobs. While they're at it, do something about the high gas prices.
WALKER: Yes, they raised it here yesterday 10 cents.
LOTHIAN: Senator Hillary Clinton is expected to do well here. Her working-class message resonates with many rural Democratic voters.
GRAYSON: We have a state that's primarily white, primarily small town.
LOTHIAN: Less than 10 percent of the population is minority. Barack Obama has most of his support in the more urban areas of the state, like Louisville. Interest is unusually high in the Kentucky primary because the Democratic race is still undecided and because, as one voter put it, the stakes are high.
UNIDENTIFIED KENTUCKY RESIDENT: We're a lot worse off than we were eight years ago.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LOTHIAN: We talked about the high interest, but state officials are telling us that it's not at the level like we've seen in some of the other primary states. In fact, Kentucky has not seen a record number of new voters. And the reason for that is because the primary historically has not been a big draw. Then there's also the Kentucky derby factor.
The Kentucky derby, obviously, is huge here. It gets a lot of attention, and some people don't really pay attention to the primary, for that matter, or anything else until after the Kentucky derby. And of course, Fredricka, that happened a little less than two weeks ago.
WHITFIELD: Yes, so they're paying attention right now.
All right. Thanks so much.
LOTHIAN: That's right.
WHITFIELD: Dan Lothian in Frankfurt, Kentucky.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: Stubborn wildfires still roaring across Florida today. Police searching for an arsonist. Several fires are burning in Palm Bay. Officials there are offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Damage adding up fast. Officials estimate it at more than $9 million.
Flames have scorched 10,000 acres. That's the equivalent of 15 square miles. At least 40 homes were gutted, another 120 buildings damaged.
WHITFIELD: And all schools in Palm Bay are closed today because of heavy smoke. Let's check in with Rob Marciano.
So, Rob, we're getting word police have some new information that they've released about someone who may have knowledge about these fires?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, and not just that, Fredricka. We're being told by the police department that they have a suspect not in custody at last check but a suspect nonetheless. A white male, 6-foot tall, slim build, with blonde hair (INAUDIBLE) blue jeans and a blue shirt.
Not too far from here, there was a chopper -- a police chopper in the sky and there were some roads blocked off by police vehicles. Not sure whether that was related to them trying to apprehend this individual, but anybody with information you might have, you want to call 1-800-423-TIPS.
Again, a white male, 6-foot tall, slim build, blonde hair, blue shirt, blue jeans. That is the suspect at this hour that at this moment is not in custody and they believe that he very well may be the guy who started one if not more of these fires.
Many of these homes burned out, total now, 40 completely inhabitable like the one you see behind me. This is not just a home and a residence but looks like a burned down RV here behind me scorched to the ground. I mean there's nothing left. Unlike a hurricane or tornado, there's really nothing to sift through at all.
Beyond that, obviously, trees (INAUDIBLE), a couple of Harleys and a motorcycle trailer and it just goes beyond. But beyond that, you know, the randomness of this act seems to be evident. You see -- you can see homes that have not been touched and homes that were completely burned to the ground, 40 in total and then another 120 structures damaged in some capacity.
All in all, about 10,000 acres near Brevard County with four fires total. On average about 40 percent containment, although here in Palm Bay they do have a little bit more of a handle on that. Still a bit of a breeze today, although it's not as bad as it has been the past couple of days. They do have six chopper that are in the area to help fight these blazes and also one tanker -- one air tanker that they have yet to use.
But this morning the fire crews were allowed to go back to their normal fire stations and respond to calls from there. So at least there's the command post which is right across the street from us, a high school there, obviously, not open today. That command post is a little bit less busy today as everybody has gone back to their usual spots responding to calls from that angle.
But we do have a suspect, not in custody, Fredricka. We hope that that happens sometime soon so we can put the perpetrator that did these crimes in jail.
Back to you.
WHITFIELD: All right. Rob Marciano in Palm Bay, Florida, thanks so much. Tony?
HARRIS: You know, officials say most of the fires in Palm Bay are contained this morning, but the big question still out there, who would intentionally set them? On the phone with me now, Palm Bay City manager Lee Feldman.
Lee, thanks for your time this morning.
LEE FELDMAN, PALM BAY, FLA. CITY MANAGER: Hi, how are you?
HARRIS: Hey, Rob Marciano -- thanks, Lee. Appreciate it. Rob Marciano reporting that police have a person of interest that they're searching for now as a suspect in the intentional setting of these fires. Let me check your information, what you're getting now in terms of the latest on this.
How close are officials there in Palm Bay to making an arrest?
FELDMAN: We've actually just taken somebody into custody. Details are still coming in on that, but that's just literally seconds ago.
HARRIS: So just taken someone into custody. Matching the description of the photo that is now available to law enforcement as well as the general public?
FELDMAN: That's correct. But again, we just want to make sure that we've got the right person. Residents should still be on the look out for a gentleman of that description.
HARRIS: The arrest -- the identifying of a suspect and the ultimate arrest, how much of that activity would you associate directly to the forming of the task force, the getting out of a tip line number, and getting tips from the public?
FELDMAN: Actually, it was the public that helped identify him this morning and helped us locate him with a perimeter that was set up. There are eyewitness accounts of him in the neighborhood. They led to this apprehension.
HARRIS: And any idea -- I know the answer to this, but I'm going to ask it anyway just for a little foundation here. Any idea when we will get additional information as to the identity of the suspect and other details such as a first court appearance?
FELDMAN: That'll come through our police department. Again, this literally happened seconds ago.
HARRIS: All right, Lee, to what extent, generally speaking, has life in your town been disrupted by these wildfires? 15 square miles. I don't know the total area of your town, but it sounds like a huge swathe of land impacted.
FELDMAN: It's about 15 percent of our total acreage. It has a big impact, especially on the lives of those people who don't have homes today. Palm Bay is famous for a community that comes together in a time of crisis, and I expect the same will happen now. Not only are we continuing to contain the fires but we're also starting the road to recovery.
HARRIS: If you're just joining us, Lee Feldman is the Palm City, Florida city manager. Lee, on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being -- I guess this is to containment, where you are in fighting these fires right now, on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being all hands on deck and everyone as you can get to help you fighting these fires, where are you now in terms of the firefighting effort?
FELDMAN: We're still operating on 12-hour shifts with all of our personnel. Even though the fires are contained, they could be rekindled. Winds will pick up around noon again today and remain somewhat gusty until about 7:00 p.m. We're anticipating wind direction to shift continually. That will help, you know, exacerbate any fires that may form.
Also, we're in the re-burning and the rekindling of the fires as pine needles continue to drop into areas that are smoldering. So this is something that's going to go on. We're going to have to be on top of it for weeks to come.
HARRIS: OK. The story absolutely improving, it sounds, in Palm Bay. You still cautious. Maybe the best news this morning is that you now have a suspect in custody in connection with these arson fires.
Lee Feldman is the Palm Bay, Florida city manager.
Lee, thanks for your time this morning.
WHITFIELD: And then on the West Coast in California in Mt. Baldy, fire is still burning there. 300 acres has been scorched. These are new images we're just now getting in and more damage is expected.
Yesterday, the firefighters were battling this blaze in the San Gabriel Mountains, and about a half dozen vacation cabins were actually evacuated. We understand that there has not been evacuation ordered for the Mt. Baldy village, not as of yet, about a half-mile away from where the brunt of this fire is taking place.
But these are new images coming in. Of course, firefighters are still on the scene from the air and on the ground trying to battle it as best they can.
HARRIS: And how about this, Fred? The streets are turning into streams. Flash floodings slowed or stopped motorists in Shreveport, Louisiana last night. 6 1/2 inches of rain fell in just three hours. Four inches in one hour alone, more than just the streets were flooded, though. 911 lines were overloaded so much so police had to call in more dispatchers.
Lightning caused several fires in the area. An apartment building was damaged. But no injuries reported.
WHITFIELD: Boy, it has been brutal...
HARRIS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: ... just the past few weeks.
HARRIS: Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: Really this entire spring. Jacqui Jeras among those who have been extremely busy. And it just doesn't seem to let up.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It doesn't. And they always drive through that water, don't they?
HARRIS: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
JERAS: Come on. Don't drive through it. Not smart. Turn around, don't drown.
HARRIS: That's it.
JERAS: That's the -- that's the motto. You don't want to do it.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: Wow. It is some...
HARRIS: Yes, it is. This is some spring. I mean, come on. Let's get there. Let's get to summer.
All right, Jacqui, I'll see you in just a couple minutes. Thanks.
At the epicenter of Monday's earthquake, see and hear from the survivors in this small town.
ANNOUNCER: CNN NEWSROOM brought to you by...
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Welcome back. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Survivor of the bombing in Oklahoma City. A boy from the Mora Building Daycare Center is now off to college.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are (INAUDIBLE) as a miracle, I might say, because it's a miracle that we're alive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The graduate, in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, the most trusted name in news. Now back to the CNN NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Boy, just moments ago, breaking news here for us at CNN. Police in Palm Bay, Florida have made an arrest of a suspect in connection with the arson fires that have impacted, boy, I believe, Fred, the city manager told us, 15 percent of Palm Bay, of the acreage there in that city.
We were told just moments ago by Lee Feldman, the city manager for Palm Bay, that the suspect matches the description of the person seen here in this photo and that the public provided the tips that led to the arrest.
We will continue to follow developments on this story throughout the morning here in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: And tragedy mounting in China right now two days after a powerful earthquake. The official death toll stands at almost 15,000. The figure is expected to go even higher.
Here's what we know: Chinese soldiers are now pouring into the hardest-hit areas. They're pulling more bodies from crumbled buildings at the quake's epicenter in Sichuan Province. Tens of thousands of people are still missing, many of them buried. Heavy rains, collapsed bridges and damaged roads all complicating efforts to get troops and aid workers to the worst-hit towns.
Railways now diverting passenger train, as well, to ferry disaster relief troops, personnel and goods. One uplifting moment -- rescuers pulling 34-year-old woman out of the rubble, alive after being buried...
HARRIS: Wow.
WHITFIELD: ... for 50 hours and, by the way, she was eight months pregnant or is eight months pregnant.
HARRIS: As Fred just mentioned, rescue teams reaching the epicenter of China's catastrophic earthquake, and their efforts proving more difficult and more tragic by the hour.
CNN's John Vause reports.
(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 Gao Xian(ph). He slowly recalls how he received those horrific bruises.
"I was on a bridge," he told me. "I don't know who saved me."
This is that bridge Gao was crossing just as the tremors 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 official, 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.
13,000 people once lived in this small town not far from the epicenter of the quake. The local Communist Party secretary, who's 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, Chen Jia Va, China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Just a quick reminder. We are awaiting -- just received word -- of a news conference out of Brevard County, Florida, the site of so many of the wildfires for much of the day, for -- at least for much of the morning yesterday. The number of fires was at 82 and then dramatically in the second hour of the CNN NEWSROOM, that figure jumped to 108 fires burning throughout Florida. Brevard County, particularly, hard hit. We are going to get an update on the situation in that county in just a couple moments. When that news conference begins, we will bring it to you live right here in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: Also something that we're watching the government finds inflation easing. That's as long as you don't spend much on food or gas.
Ali Velshi is "Minding Your Business" next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: News as it develops, as only CNN can bring it to you. See for yourself in the CNN NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: Well, inflation numbers for April are out this morning and it's kind of a mixed bag. Good news/bad news story.
Ah, there he is to sort through it all for us. Ali Velshi, "Minding Your Business" this morning. We're talking about the consumer price index.
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Right. CPI which is...
HARRIS: What we pay for consumer goods.
VELSHI: Yes, that's what we -- when we talk about inflation, we as consumers talk about the increase in the price we pay for things.
HARRIS: Yes.
VELSHI: We compare it to the last month and the last year. I tend to think of the comparison over the last year is the most important because that way you can measure your investments, your salary, things like that.
For the month of April, we are up 3.9 percent compared to April of last year. So that's what the government says inflation is compared to last year. So you take that number and you say, is my wage 3.9 percent or higher? Are my investments better than 3.9 percent? Are -- is my budget more than 3.9 percent higher?
HARRIS: Very good.
VELSHI: Because that's how you know whether you're getting ahead or you're not.
HARRIS: Very good.
VELSHI: So that's the number we have to think about, 3.9 percent. Now part of that was that in April, from March to April, there was the biggest jump in food prices that we've seen in 18 years. And this is what we talk about a lot -- energy prices, food prices are all up and that's affecting us. Now, the big deal here, Tony, is that when you look at that increase, you try and beat that, whether it's in your investments or in your salary, and that's what we have to measure, except that the government measures all sorts of things -- gasoline, women's clothing, men's clothing, computers, lawn mowers, appliances. We disproportionately buy food and energy.
HARRIS: Yes.
VELSHI: And so that's why even these numbers of -- 3.9 percent may not reflect what you think you're paying because if you have more kids or you travel a greater distance to work, or you're lower on the income scale, you know, more of the stuff that's going up is in your budget. You don't buy washing machines on a regular basis or lawn mowers and things like that.
HARRIS: Right. Right. So when we talk about core inflation...
VELSHI: Right. That's what the economy...
HARRIS: What is that number -- yes, what -- does that exclude energy cost and food prices?
VELSHI: Exactly, takes out food and energy prices.
HARRIS: Well, wait a minute. We're still buying -- I'm hungry.
VELSHI: You know anybody who takes out food and energy prices? I don't. Economists like to use that because it's fairly steady because food and energy over history have been volatile. But the point is, when we talk about inflation...
HARRIS: Yes, yes.
VELSHI: ... you have to know -- when economists talk about core inflation, that's for their own purposes, for their mathematics. For our purposes, we can't look at the core inflation. So remember that, to our viewers, we'll hear discussions about inflation, another news outlet, when they say, well, the core inflation number is well in control, it's not very much...
HARRIS: Yes.
VELSHI: ... find me somebody who doesn't buy food or energy.
HARRIS: That's why he's "Minding Your Business" this morning.
VELSHI: I am.
HARRIS: Ali Velshi -- Ali, great to see you. Thank you, sir.
WHITFIELD: Well, another day, another reason to wince over the rising price of gasoline. Yes, another record high this morning. That makes seven days in a row. According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of regular now stands at $3.73. That's an increase of 2.5 cents since yesterday, more than 38 cents from a month ago, and then just to keep you updated and make you even angrier, 67 cents more than one year ago.
HARRIS: OK. So, we're looking for some kind of sign in the futures market and some of the economic reporting, consumer price index, as to what the markets might do today in response to all of this. Beautiful, there you go, the opening bell. I try to pause and I never do it. I'm never better at that.
WHITFIELD: We can still hear it.
HARRIS: OK. So there, we're off to the races here. The DOW starts the day at 12,832 after closing down, kind of a down day yesterday, 44 points. So, what is going to drive the markets today? We will check in with Susan Liscovicz throughout the morning for an update on the markets. Some market check right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: Hey, bottom of the hour. Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
HARRIS: And good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. Let's start where we began our NEWSROOM broadcast this morning. In Florida, police in Palm Bay, Florida, have made an arrest. We learned this just a short time ago. Of a suspect in connection with the arson fires there in Palm Bay that have really devastated that area.
The fires there -- the wildfires there, eating up as much as 15 percent of the acreage in Palm Bay. We were told just moments ago that the suspect matches the description of a photo. I believe we're going to show you in just a moment. And that tips from the public actually led to this person of interests arrest a short time ago.
Also, we want to make note of the fact that we are anticipating a news conference from Brevard County. That, of course, is the area so hard hit by all of these wildfires. Palm Bay is actually in Brevard County. That news conference will start in just a couple of minutes and we will get an update. And here we go. Here is the picture of the person of interest who we understand is now in custody. We're bringing all the elements of this story together and we will update you on the latest right here in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE) to celebration and a fresh push for peace. President Bush arrives in Israel, the first stop of his Middle East tour. CNN's Atika Shubert joins us live from Jerusalem.
Atika, is this mostly about symbolism or is something to come of this?
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there might be something to come of it, but really it's about celebrating Israel's 60 years as a nation. This visit has special significance for Israel because the United States was the first country to recognize the Jewish State 60 years ago. And that certainly showed when Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert greeted President Bush at the Tel Aviv Airport earlier today. Here's what the prime minister said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) EHUD OLMERT, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: Almost eight years ago, President George Bush has been our closest ally and partner. Your decision to celebrate this historic milestone with us is an extraordinary gesture of friendship.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHUBERT: Now, later on, President Bush met with President Shimon Peres at his residence in Jerusalem. And there President Bush sounded very optimistic, quite upbeat, stressing Israel's accomplishments in six decades as a nation. Here's what President Bush said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I am delighted to be here for the 60th birthday party. As a person who's 61 years old, doesn't seem that old. But I suspect if you looked back 60 years ago and tried to guess where Israel would be at that time, it would be hard to be able to project such a prosperous, hopeful land.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SHUBERT: Now, interestingly, right after that presser, caught off camera, both Peres and Bush joked about the fact that the ongoing peace negotiations were better off because they were being led by two women, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israel's Foreign Minister Tzipi Livn. That perhaps more could be accomplished. And that certainly perhaps speaks to the optimistic mood of President Bush and his belief that a peace deal can be reached by the end of his term in office.
Fredricka?
WHITFIELD: All right, Atika Shubert. Thanks so much. There's a little humor in there, too.
HARRIS: Yes. Yes.
WHITFIELD: Joining us from Jerusalem.
Tony?
HARRIS: Misery in Myanmar. First, a natural disaster, then man made, and now a new threat on the horizon.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: In Myanmar, a new threat on the horizon. Another powerful storm is brewing off South Asia. Torrential rains could hit as early as tomorrow. It is a potentially devastating blow for a country reeling already from the deadly cyclone that struck 11 days ago.
The U.N. says as many as 100,000 people died and up to 2 million people need housing, safe water, and food. Myanmar's military government allowing a bit more international aid to trickle in. Most of it is piling up along the border. The United Nations now warns of a second wave of death if survivors do not get supplies soon.
HARRIS: Boy, I wanted to join Jacqui Jeras in the severe weather center and talk about this new threat to Myanmar. 11 days ago, we were talking about this killer cyclone. I don't know if we had any idea that it would turn out to be as bad as it has.
And now, Jacqui, we've got a new threat here churning in the Bay of Bengal?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we do, absolutely. Here's Myanmar right here. There you can see India, Bay of Bengal just to put it into perspective. We'll zoom in for you. It just kind of looks like a really disorganized mass of cloudiness overall. This is kind of the equivalent of what we would call a tropical depression here.
HARRIS: OK.
JERAS: So, it's very weak right now, not a lot of strong winds with it, only 25, 35 miles per hour.
HARRIS: Well, that was my question because even these depressions come with wind speeds and the wind speed associated with this activity now is in what range here?
JERAS: 25 to 35.
HARRIS: OK.
JERAS: So basically winds really not an issue. We don't think these winds are going to get strong enough. The center of this thing is actually over land right now. But what we are concerned is about is the threat of rainfall, and so we are going to be looking at some really heavy showers and thunderstorms coming in.
We already starting to see it down here in the Delta region. That's where we've had so much massive flooding. But when you get up into the higher elevations, in the eastern side over, that's where we have some higher mountains and so that's going to kind of enhance it a little bit. We could be looking at 2 to 8 inches in this area that's already really, really flooded.
HARRIS: So let's -- for a moment, at least, let's back up to 11 days ago when we were talking about the cyclone with estimated wind speeds of what? And, I mean, is there even a away to quantify how much rain was associated with that cyclone and dumped into these areas of that country?
JERAS: Well, we're not sure, because, of course, we don't get the kind of data that we do, you know, here in the United States. But you know, estimates were somewhere maybe around 20 inches last ago. And check out this difference.
OK, here you go. April 15th, 2008. This is the area. There you can see Yangon. There you can see the delta and look at the difference. That's May 5th. Do you see how it all kind of turns blue and all that green kind of disappears right in there? So that shows you how swollen those rivers got. How much storm surge moved in the area? And how much water is just sitting all over the place.
Now imagine that, you know, it's receded some, but there's still some standing water out there. Put 2 to 8 inches on top of that, and that is really, really devastating. And of course, that's going to add more problems to them getting some of this relief that they might not be able to get through on some of the roadways or you know, get the supplies out there. So it's really very devastating even though it's a weak storm.
HARRIS: Absolutely. So Fred, we just wanted to check in with Jacqui Jeras on that and give everyone an idea of what this area that is so devastated right now -- what this area is facing over the next couple days.
JERAS: Well, in months because this is the start of the rainy season so this is the time of the year where things start getting active and they get the monsoon-type showers and thunderstorms where a lot of rain comes down in short period of time.
HARRIS: Well, Fred, the weather team here following that as well. As well as the action in our country as well. We'll get to that in just a couple of minutes.
JERAS: Yes. We've got a lot going on.
HARRIS: Yes, that's right. All right. Thanks, Jacqui, appreciate it.
WHITFIELD: All right, well done.
All right, preschoolers who survived the bombing in Oklahoma City. Well, now they're graduating from high school.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) always keep in touch with the other survivors?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's pretty much impossible to not being in touch with them because we're connected one way or another.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: From daycare to college, that straight ahead in the NEWSROOM. Meantime, we want to take you to Brevard County where those fires still burning and now a suspect may be in custody. Let's hear some more information now from law enforcement.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
Yes. We got here probably about 2:00 in the morning and when we arrived, here we found a lot of smokes blanketing I-95. And again, when we arrived here, three-mile stretch of I-95 between the Beach Line all the way down to 520 was shut down because that smoke was so thick. And I talk to --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, that's coming from an affiliate reporter there in Florida. We're, of course, going to try and get an update on that press conference that is just about wrapping up, to hear from law enforcement exactly what is going on in terms of a suspect that may be in custody and being linked to these wildfires. Much more straight ahead.
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HARRIS: You know, just a little curious. We don't ask this question often, so let's ask it now. Are you enjoying the podcast? We do it every day here and we need some feedback. Maybe we should set that up because what we're trying to do with the podcast is bring you some different story, a little off the beaten path, the stories that frankly don't have a chance of making it into the three-hour (INAUDIBLE) CNN NEWSROOM.
But maybe we'll set up a way for you to communicate with us about a podcast and what you'd like to see more of, less of. Maybe less of Tony in the podcast. Oh, OK. Just a thought, because that's a possibility. Fred is podcasting with me today 24/7. Go to cnn.com and click on the CNN NEWSROOM daily podcast. It is available to you 24/7, right there on your iPod.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, it seems like yesterday, 1995, the Oklahoma City bombing, 168 people killed. And one survivor now graduating from high school. Here now is Audrey Esther with affiliate KWTV.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AUDREY ESTHER, KWTV REPORTER (voice-over): Christopher Nguyen is a popular.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's up, man?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How you doing? How's it going?
ESTHER: Straight A student.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have pretty good grades, I guess, so --
ESTHER: And he's also a survivor.
CHRISTOPHER NGUYEN, BOMBING SURVIVOR: We are the result of a miracle, I might say, because it's a miracle that we're alive.
ESTHER: 13 years ago, Christopher was one of the only six children inside the America's Kids Daycare Center who survived the Oklahoma City bombing.
C. NGUYEN: I try to avoid thinking about it in some ways, but obviously on the anniversary on April 19th, that's the day I think about it pretty much all day.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow. Look at that picture, wow.
ESTHER: But today, Wynn is focused on something more positive, graduating from Bishop McGuiness Catholic High School.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And graduation is at 7:30.
ESTHER: He is the first of the child survivors to graduate high school.
C. NGUYEN: I think it's a big moment for all of us and for all of our parent, not just mine, but for all the other survivors.
ESTHER: 18-year-old Christopher will attend the University of Oklahoma next fall and plans to work someday as a consultant. Although, he's looking towards the future, he says he can never forget his past and the other survivors.
Do you think you'll always keep in touch with the other survivors?
C. NGUYEN: I think it's pretty much impossible not been in contact with them because we're connected one way or another. And I think that connection is so firm and strong that nothing can really break that.
ESTHER: He remembers little about April 19th, 1995, and the long recovery that followed. But for his parents, the vivid details of that day are unforgettable.
PHUONG NGUYEN, CHRISTOPHER'S MOTHER: The Christmas come and his birthday come, every single birthday come and every Christmas came, we always think about the other children, too, that could not make it. And we could not imagine how do they feel.
ESTHER: But now is the time of celebration and reflection. Phuong offers this advice to her son.
P. NGUYEN: Live your life in fullness and move forward for yourself and for the one who loves you and support you for all those years.
ESTHER: And Christopher offers this advice to his fellow survivors and friends.
C. NGUYEN: And when they know about your past, they'll -- hopefully they'll love you just the same for who you are, because that's how I've kind of lived my life so far.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And you can hear directly from Christopher Nguyen live today. He'll be a guest on the CNN NEWSROOM at 2:00 Eastern.
HARRIS: Wow. Just trying to keep you up-to-date with the latest developments on the story and the aftermath of that horrendous earthquake in China. Chinese state media now reporting that troops are rushing -- that's the description here -- rushing to plug what is described here as an extremely dangerous crack. No, actually several cracks, in a dam up river in Sichuan Province.
The Sichuan News Agency reporting that 2,000 troops are on their way to the (INAUDIBLE) Dam. That is in Sichuan Province. And, again, this is all in the aftermath. Some of the residual damage from the 7.9 earthquake on Monday. We will keep you up-to-date with the latest developments here in the NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: Also straight ahead, the Florida fires through your eyes. Veronica De La Cruz has your I-reports next in the NEWSROOM.
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WHITFIELD: A person of interest now in police custody for fires in parts of Florida. Our Veronica De La Cruz has been sifting through your I-reports this morning as well and what are they saying?
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN INTERNET CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Fred, most of these fires are contained but the problem is most of them are still burning. A lot of our I-reporters had been on the scene of the blaze. Like Craig Boileau. Take a look. He sent us this video of the fire burning directly behind a house on Waring Lane in Malabar.
Fred, take a look at the smoke rising there. Really thick and black and then take a look at how close the fire is directly behind the house. So pretty scary when you think about it.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
DE LA CRUZ: We want to show you another piece of video from another neighborhood in Florida. This is off I-95 and it comes from Pedro and his wife, Tiffany Gelica. They say that they ran out of the house after their neighbor told them what was going on and they said that they were absolutely amazed at the jobs the firefighters were doing, containing the blaze. They say that they are thankful that their home was saved.
But, again, I mean, take a look at all of that smoke. Absolutely amazing. And we really, really are lucky to have our I-reporters there on the ground.
WHITFIELD: Now what about for the firefighters? I mean, this is never easy, Veronica, but are there I-reports that in some way convey what kind of jobs they're having to face?
DE LA CRUZ: Yes. You know, we have some great pictures to share with you. This is from Scott, who is actually Craig Boileau's brother. He was out there. He's helping the efforts. He was talking to some of these firefighters. He was able to get some amazing pictures. Take a look.
This is of a lone firefighter from Brevard County Engine Company 26 as he watches a train pass through fire and smoke last night in Malabar. Another one from Scott Boileau, this one is firefighters from the Satellite Beach Fire Department taking a much-needed break after spending the better part of 12 hours battling wildfires in the Palm Bay/Malabar area.
Take a look at this. This is Craig's friend, Dan, who says that he is absolutely amazed and disgusted over the destruction caused by this suspected arson. So again some pretty powerful images taken by our I-reporter.
WHITFIELD: And so, are some of these I-reporters also conveying that there are people who are trying to take matters into their own hands, knowing that it's just so huge of a job, perhaps the firefighters could use some help? But I imagine fire departments certainly encourage that, though.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes. You just saw that one photo from that I- reporter. Also, I want to show you what's going on with our local affiliate WKMG. On the web, right now at WKMG's Web site, there's an article that talks about the anger and frustration that residents are feeling after losing their homes. Investigators say that there were 11 different suspicious fires in Palm Bay in two days and officials were offering a $15,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in Palm Bay.
These homemade posters, Fredricka, have been popping up all over the Palm Bay area. This one reads, "Wanted Dead or Alive, Palm Bay/Malabar arsonist." There is a reward for the person. No questions asked. So that is the situation there. That is news from our local affiliate Web site WKMG. But the good news here is that at least there is a person of interest in custody.
WHITFIELD: All right. And of course, we'll be getting some more information on that a little bit later on this morning. Veronica De La Cruz, thank you.
HARRIS: Hillary Clinton makes the case she can win in November.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I can win this nomination if you decide I should, and I can lead this party to victory in the general election if you lead me to victory now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: West Virginia landslide. What now? Find out in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Hello again, everyone. Welcome back to the NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the run down. New this morning. Police questioning a man now about wildfires in Florida. Dozens of homes gutted by arsonists.
WHITFIELD: And just in. Troops rushed to save the dam damaged by Monday's Earthquake in China. The death toll in the disaster soaring today.
HARRIS: A crushing West Virginia landslide. Is Hillary Clinton more electable in November? She makes the case to superdelegates today. Wednesday, May 14th. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
WHITFIELD: Just minutes ago, we learned a person was taken into custody in connection with the wildfires in Palm Bay, Florida. Police say the man may have intentionally set some of the fires in area. We are waiting to learn more on this investigation when authorities hold a news conference in Brevard County momentarily. In the meantime, damage there is certainly adding up fast. Officials estimate that more than $9 million in damage may occur. Flames have scorched 10,000 acres.
