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Rescuers Look for Trapped in China; Aid Desperately Needed in Myanmar; Suspect Nabbed for Setting Florida Fires; Bush Visits Israel to Celebrate 60th Anniversary of Country

Aired May 14, 2008 - 13:00   ET

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

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Boy, there it is right there. The moment of truth in China. Sichuan Province, mid-afternoon on Monday when the earth moved, millions panicked, thousands were killed, thousands were trapped and many still are. We're live at ground zero.
MELISSA LONG, CNN ANCHOR: We're also in Myanmar where recovery efforts are still agonizingly slow and could face their toughest challenge yet.

Hello, I'm Melissa Long at the CNN World Headquarters here in Atlanta, in today for Kyra Phillips.

LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon here at the international desk with the latest on the situation in China and Myanmar.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Can you imagine? I don't even want to talk over this video. Look at that. What would you do? Where would you run when the ground beneath your feet and everything around you is shaking?

You can see it there. You're seeing the terrifying moments when that catastrophic earthquake struck central China. It happened on Monday. We've all been seeing the video. And CNN just got this amateur video from Sichuan Province, the quake's epicenter. This is remarkable video that many people may be seeing for the first time, again, just into the CNN NEWSROOM. Words really don't do this justice. So let's watch and listen some more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've got to get on the pier (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. Just amazing video.

And in the aftermath of that disaster, China is rushing to prevent another. Some 2,000 troops are trying to plug cracks in this massive dam in Sichuan Province to prevent a potential flood in an area where people are still buried in the rubble. They are still buried in the rubble days later or they're either out on streets because they're homeless.

The death toll right now almost 15,000 and expected to rise by the hour. Thousands more are missing, and they are trapped.

We've been talking about all the people who are missing, all the people who are trapped. And we saw there some of the video, the moments right during the storm, this earthquake when it all happened and things were rumbling and breaking down, right here on this monitor.

That's our Eunice Yoon. She is going to join us in just a little bit, and she's going to talk about those children who were trapped in the rubble. And we saw the mothers crying at their children's feet. Some of them, sadly, had already had died.

Let's get straight to China now and Eunice Yoon to tell us about the children and what's going on there -- Eunice.

EUNICE YOON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, what we've been seeing is that rescuers, as well as armed police, have finally been able to reach the epicenter in pretty good numbers. The weather conditions have lightened up. And so because of that, we're seeing these people really scouring the mountainside, looking for any signs of life.

There are thousands of people who are still missing or buried along that mountainside. Some of them, as you had mentioned, children. There was one, a 3-year-old, who was buried underneath her parents. She was pulled up after 40 hours in the rubble.

There was also a pregnant woman who was -- a 34-year-old woman who was pulled out also after being buried for 50 hours. So we are starting to hear about some of these miracle stories of people actually surviving over two days of being buried alive. And these rescuers really trying to help find more of these people.

We are seeing because of the weather conditions, more army convoys of Chinese soldiers making their way through the terrain. It's very difficult to get to some of these areas. There have been mudslides as well as large boulders, landslides which have been getting in the way of these rescue efforts.

There have also been now, because of the better weather, some helicopters which have been dispatched and have been flying overhead. Some of them have been dropping some food as well as some other aid for these victims. And that has been helping a lot, Don.

LEMON: All right. Eunice Yoon. I'm sure you've had some personal contact with these victims. Are the mothers, anyone there, sharing their personal stories with you?

YOON: Absolutely. They all have been sharing their personal stories, which is actually quite unusual in China, where people don't really come up and run up to you when you have a camera in your hand.

But these people have been really wanting to share their stories with the world. There are people who have lost their children. There was one woman who we spoke to who said that she has only one child. Of course, there's a one-child policy. She has a son who is 5 years old, and he was swept away from her. And she couldn't stop crying. She was sobbing uncontrollably.

There were other people who we spoke to who, you know, had their -- their -- had to leave or were -- just had their -- they themselves were trying to crawl out of rubble, and they had no idea where either their parents were or where their husbands or other spouses were.

So, it really is heartbreaking, hearing story after story of these thousands of people who have been traumatized, don.

LEMON: Yes, Eunice. Heartbreaking to see the video, and I imagine have some personal contact with them is just worse.

Eunice Yoon in Chengdu, China, we appreciate your reporting.

Now we all know it's hard. We've seen it on the West Coast and in some areas in the Midwest. It's hard to find refuge in the middle of an earthquake. And one thing is for sure: if you're inside of a tall building, what you want to do is get out and get out fast.

I want you to watch and listen to this video. It's from one of our I-Reporters. It's from Chengdu. And it is CNN I-Reporter Mike Weed. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(SHOUTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: All right. And that is from CNN I-Reporter Mike Weed.

Now, displaced and desperate. We've seen it all. Countless numbers of people in central China lost their homes in seconds. And we'll show you the earthquake, that quake aftermath, from their eyes.

In the meantime, we want to tell you that you have seen all the pictures and the faces here of the victims. You may want to help. And this is how you can do it. Of course, on our main page, our "Impact Your World" page. Still, Myanmar is a big story, but also China, if you get a little bit further down. And I'm sure it's going to be an even bigger story, as well, as it comes to aid and helping.

So here's what you can do. Go to CNN.com/I-Report. It's a way that you can impact your world. And you can let CNN be your guide with. Again, CNN.com/impact.

LONG: Don, thank you.

And of course we're continuing to follow the devastation also in Myanmar. We'll follow that story in just a moment.

But first, a breaking news story we're following for you out of Miami-Dade. Here are some pictures we wanted to show you right now from our affiliate WSVN. Emergency workers, firefighters, are trying to free a woman from this car that has overturned. If you happen to be familiar with that part of Miami-Dade, it's the 874 Expressway.

When the rescue personnel originally got there who's trapped in her vehicle, so they're working to stabilize her. And they're working, then, to free her, and then she will be rushed by chopper to a nearby hospital.

So, just if you happen to be in that area, do know that they have closed Kendall Drive and the entrance there to 874 so they are able to land that chopper and get this woman quickly to the hospital for emergency medical care.

We'll continue to keep you posted on this story, again, from our affiliate WSVN out of Miami today.

We've been focusing on the earthquake in China, and now the crisis, the human crisis in Myanmar. It is desperate; it is enormous; and it's about to get worse.

Weather watchers say another storm is churning toward the Burmese coast. And that's really the last thing those people need right now.

We do have a correspondent in Myanmar, but for security reasons, we are not using his name. However, he is on the phone with us right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Absolutely, Melissa. And you know, one of the main things that people here are talking about really is the weather at this point.

I've been able to travel around a little bit. On the river, it's the most affected area by the cyclone. And I've seen one village yesterday actually, and we were sort of going around that village, checking out the destruction that the cyclone had caused. And at some point, the skies just started opening up, and this monsoon rain set in. Really, within seconds that whole village had turned into a mud pit.

People were trying to rebuild their houses, trying to mend whatever they thought they could mend that the cyclone had left over. All of that turned into a really big mud pit within seconds.

So that's something people are very worried about, the weather right here, those heavy rains, as you say. There may be a cyclone coming again. That's the talk of what people are saying here in Myanmar at this point.

Now, I was able to travel around a little more, and we are seeing a few more aid convoys on the roads here in that affected area, mostly still private people, very few international aid organizations coming through. Almost no government help is coming. Most of that help is from private people.

Now what we have we do have to say is we're seeing some of that aid reach the bigger cities in that affected region. We've not seen almost any aid reach those more remote villages that we've been able to travel to when we go by boat.

So, there is one helicopter that is being used to ferry some of those goods to those villages. But of course one helicopter in this big, devastated area does very little good. And still, those very remote villages are not seeing much aid at this point, Melissa.

LONG: Again, Myanmar's official death toll is above 38,000 today. There are estimates that it could be as high as 100,000. Have we learned any more about potential fatalities and just how bad the situation could be for people whose health may be in jeopardy?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, that's something that many people here are very concerned about. I mean, we are now two weeks after the cyclone has hit, and many of those people, as I said, still have not received any sort of aid.

And when we go to those villages, those very remote villages that have not received aid, people keep telling us again and again and again, food is something they're very much in need of, but they do still do have some food stocks left over. But what they really need is clean drinking water and also medicine. Because clean -- they don't have clean drinking water. Of course, diseases spread very quickly.

I was in one village where people were drinking from a pond that they said was contaminated by dead bodies and also by river water which flowed in there when the cyclone was going on.

So, certainly the health situation is something that we are looking at very closely. It's very hard to say if there have been any outbreaks. There's very little information coming out from the government. But certainly, this is something that international aid organizations are very worried about, and the villagers themselves when you talk to them, they are also very worried about this, Melissa.

LONG: All right. Thank you so much again. Our CNN correspondent in Myanmar. Again, for security reasons, we are not releasing the name of that correspondent.

In the United States, of course, we're familiar with the destruction from tornadoes, from hurricanes, but a cyclone, kind of a foreign concept. Let's bring in meteorologist Chad Myers to help us better understand. And he also has a better look at that new storm -- Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Melissa. A cyclone is a typhoon is a hurricane. It just depends on what ocean you're in. So, because this was basically in the Indian Ocean, the bay there, but this is called a cyclone. And if you get over toward Japan and into Korea, it would be called a typhoon.

Now, let's zoom in here for you. There is another storm -- and, you know, I've heard them talk about the rain, the heavy rain that was coming down. And you know, I know it's terrible to try to get through that, but it's almost a blessing, because now what we have here, these people are almost in a really bad movie called "Survivor," because this fresh rain could be the fresh water they need to drunk. But unfortunately, there are no TV cameras there to let them off the island.

This is a very significant situation for these people. They are in some desperate need of an awful lot of help there.

And there you see the Bay of Bengal, where the next cloud cover is there. And it's now not a forming storm. But the one that hit was equal to a Category 3 hurricane, something we understand here in America as a Category 3. About 120 miles per hour in a land that doesn't have any land above about ten feet until you get well inland.

We do have some tornadoes today, eventually, across parts of Texas. One tornado on the ground earlier today ran over Cold Spring. Now we're seeing that rotation a little bit farther to the east. And this is going to be moving off to the east at about 35 miles per hour. There you see north of Holly Green, and there's the circulation on the radar there. Not that far from Donaldsville.

We will keep you watching this, and we will keep you advised today. But today is not a giant tornado day for us here in America, like yesterday wasn't, either. We knew it wouldn't. There was only one tornado on the ground yesterday, and that's some good news.

LONG: And back to the potential cyclone in Myanmar. Interesting point about the fresh water and how desperately it's needed. Then our correspondent a moment ago also telling us about that mud pit that it's creating.

MYERS: Right.

LONG: All right. Chad Myers, meteorologist. Thank you.

LEMON: Let's talk about foreign policy and President Bush. He is in Israel, and you're looking at live pictures now. The president will speak in just a bit, also Shimon Peres and Ehud Olmert. All three of those men will speak, and we'll take it here on CNN.

The president is in Israel. He's kicking off a five-day trip to the Middle East, and he's helping Israelis celebrate the Jewish state's 60th anniversary. And he's keeping up the pressure for an Israeli/Palestinian peace deal.

He plans stops later in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. We expect him to join Israeli leaders at a Jerusalem conference later this hour. And you saw some of the live pictures there. We'll bring that to you when it gets under way.

Also Mr. Bush is getting a stark reminder of the challenges to Mideast peace. At least ten people were hurt today in a rocket attack on a small -- on a shopping mall in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon, a mother and her baby among them. Rescuers are still searching for more victims.

Islamic Jihad is claiming responsibility for that, though Israel always blames Hamas on attacks in or from Gaza.

LONG: Homes burned to the grounds and thousands of acres scorched. We will have the latest on that serious wildfire in Florida.

LEMON: Mislabeled drugs are putting American lives at risk. There's actor Dennis Quaid. He knows the dangers firsthand after his newborn twins received a massive accidental overdose, and now he is talking to Congress.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, see this guy? The haircut, you know the name for it. This is Brian Crowder. He's 31-years-old with a long rap sheet and new trouble with the law. Crowder is the "person of interest" -- we put that in quotes -- who police think may have had a hand in starting an enormous brushfire.

CNN's Rob Marciano is in Palm Bay, Florida.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's been a busy morning here in Brevard County, not only for the firefighters battling the blaze but also for police officers investigating what they think is arson.

They do have one person in custody. They chased him down not too far from here early this morning with the help of a K-9 unit. He's being treated for dog bites. He has quite a rap sheet. His name is Brian Crowder, 31-years-old. And they think he started a fire not too far from here. They're not sure about the other fires. Here's what the police chief had to say about that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Many times in these arsons, it's not -- many times not one person. People are fascinated by fires. They may want to go out and create their own activity. So again, too, all we know is what I told you, is this individual possibly connected to the arson that occurred this morning.

MARCIANO: The criminal investigation surely will continue, but the damage already has been done. This home completely destroyed. There's a total of 22 homes that are deemed uninhabitable. A hundred and sixty homes are structure-damaged to the tune of $9.6 million.

They're getting a little bit better hand on this fire, but it continues to burn today.

Rob Marciano, Palm Bay, Florida.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LONG: On to Kentucky, on to Oregon. Hillary Clinton keeps her campaign going with a crushing win over Barack Obama in West Virginia. As the polls had foreseen, Clinton cruised to a 41-point victory in the West Virginia primary yesterday. Her celebration in Charleston, a raucous affair, as she explained why she is not giving up. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is still so close, and it really does depend upon those who will vote in these next contests and those who have the awesome responsibility as delegates of our great Democratic Party.

I'm asking that people think hard about where we are in this election, about how we will win in November, because this is not an abstract exercise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LONG: And while Hillary Clinton was celebrating, Senator Obama was focusing on two states expected to be battlegrounds in the general election: Missouri yesterday, Michigan today. Obama still leads in both pledged and super delegates.

Lemon: We promised you coverage of the president's five-day visit to Israel. Speaking now, Israeli president Shimon Peres.

Let's listen in.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

SHIMON PERES, ISRAELI PRESIDENT: (SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

LEMON: OK. As we wait for the translation there, we will continue to stick with this, but again, we've been telling you the president is going to take a five-day trip to the Middle East. He is helping Israelis celebrate the 60th anniversary of Israel, and we saw the celebrations last week marked by fireworks and lots of festivities.

He's also keeping up, Melissa, keeping up pressure for an Israeli/Palestinian peace deal. And he plans to make stops later in Saudi Arabia and also in Egypt.

LONG: Keeping up plans far a peace deal before he leaves office, so just about eight months to go for that peace deal to come to fruition.

You mentioned five days in the Middle East. Of course meeting also in Saudi Arabia. A big conversation expected to be about the high cost of oil and how it's affecting the U.S. economy and the world economy.

LEMON: Yes. We know that's and how it's affecting our wallets, especially here at home. And also we've been -- you know, we've been hearing from all over the world, talking about consumption and America at the center of that consumption. So we'll see what they all have to say about this.

We're going to continue to follow the president's trip to Israel. Talk about that and also the situations in Myanmar and China. Let's see if we can listen back in if we've got the translation for you. PERES: ... support of your country and your leadership. It is 60 years of our independence in the wake of 2,000 years of exile of the Jewish people. Without the support of your people, without your support and that of American presidents before you, attaining these goals would have been extremely difficult, almost impossible.

President Truman was the first to recognize the state of Israel. You, Mr. President, enhanced our relations to deep friendship, moving friendship, and defined the original frame ground by your proposal of two states for the two people.

President Truman and you come from the provinces where the wind of freedom blows. From the districts in which people voice their opinion and stand by their principles, as you do. You come from a tradition that has inspired religious faith and hope, and you carry a calendar with the future at its head. Thank you.

President Eisenhower accompanied Ben-Gurion on his visit to the concentrations camp in Europe immediately after the war. Ben-Gurion was moved by Eisenhower. And he said, "Find me a leader who represents" -- that is his expression -- "the dignity of power. I shall not forget it."

President Kennedy asked Ben-Gurion, "What can I do as the president for the Jewish people?"

And Ben-Gurion replied, "Be a great president of the United States of America."

President Johnson fought against the closure (ph) imposed on Israel by Egypt. President Nixon provided Israel with security assistance in a very generous way. President Ford continued the same policy.

President Carter acted to achieve an agreement between Sadat and Begin, the first peace agreement between Israel and an Arab country, the largest Arab country.

President Reagan helped us to open the gates of former Soviet Union, enabling an influx of Jewish immigration to come from there to their homeland.

President Bush Sr., I think a person that you should know, answered our request and sent American Air Force unprecedentedly, to save Jews from the desert of Sudan. It became an exodus on the wing -- on the wings of the American Air Force. The code was Operation Moses.

President Clinton spearheaded peace between Jordan and Israel and presided over the signature of the Oslo agreement.

And you, Mr. President, moved us with your friendship, with your resolve to stop terror in the whole region and offer up peace for all inhabitants for their future.

Over the years, the position of the great two parties of the Congress toward Israel was that of resolute friendship. Voluntary organizations in the United States, religious leaders, the free media, and millions of American citizens stood behind a state that had not yet had a chance to be born. Behind the people that had not been there (ph). Behind an army that had not been trained.

You encouraged us when we were alone so we could establish a real democracy, a developed, modern economy. We build an army that sought victory and a people that sought peace. Thank you.

We then asked (ph) that American soldiers hide (ph) in our state who provided us the necessary help to overcome with our own voice the most dangerous situation. Again, thank you.

You never disappointed us. I hope we didn't disappoint you. We hope that our democracy, even outnumbered and outgunned, has in human qualities (ph) to endow it with unexpected achievements.

We were attacked seven times. Seven times, we were victorious. Democracy was not interrupted was not interrupted even at wartime. In victory, we never lost our preference for peace. Yet yesterday and today, as well, you, the United States, has told the world that it is possible to be powerful without being power hungry. And so American territory was not attacked directly to help other nations to regain freedom and bring peace to their own homes.

In victory, you didn't conquer. You returned all the assets, all the land to their owners. You saved the losers from becoming lost. You created a commitment in the wealth (ph) of (INAUDIBLE) that became a home to a new nation that was born in freedom and whose mission lay in the conviction that all humans were equal.

Mr. President, there is a straight line that connects the vision of our prophets and the destiny of the great President Lincoln. It is the same line, the same conviction, the same purpose.

In fighting deserts (ph) like you, we are fighting terror and violence like you. We believe, like you, that all humans are born equal and the nation must absolve against other nations.

Mr. President, again, thank you. Thank your family. Thank your people. You have helped us in history. As a leader of the free world, you didn't seek out. It will be held in history your courage and decisiveness by addressing global and national, highly complicated and highly dangerous challenges.

For us, this is a thanksgiving party to the tremendous nation and to the leadership of President George Walker Bush, a man never short of faith, a man never not making a choice, a man always in the service of the great American values. This is saying thank you for support. This is to say thank you and god bless you and god bless the United States of America.

LEMON: The Israeli President Shimon Peres delivering a very powerful speech there, first speaking in Hebrew and then speaking in English directly to President Bush, even bringing up his father, talking about how his father stood by the Israeli people. And also he thanked President Bush for his support and then you heard him there at the end, god bless America. Very strongly.

So, it appears to be very interesting and somewhat of an emotional event happening in Israel there. You're looking at a film now. President Bush is expected to speak in just a bit. And also Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will speak in a bit and we will take that, as well.

In the meantime, CNN NEWSROOM continues with the breaking news including the situation happening in China and Myanmar. We have the very latest for you. Back in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LONG: It is 1:36 in the afternoon. In Miami, live pictures from our affiliate WSVN. The call for help came in about 12:30 local time and emergency personnel, firefighters there, have been trying to free that woman in from that overturned vehicle. If you happen to be familiar with Miami Dade, that is Expressway 874. And they have had to close off the road in that surrounding area, Kendall Drive entrance and the immediate highway there for the chopper to land so that chopper can then get that woman to get emergency care and get it fast.

So, again, she has been stuck in this vehicle for about an hour now, a little more than an hour, and rescue personnel trying feverishly to free her. We'll keep you posted and updates on her stability.

LEMON: See that thing they call the Jaws of Life.

LONG: Right.

LEMON: That's what they're using. I'm not sure how close they are, but this is a very interesting picture to watch here. If you guys want us to move on, let us know, but it appears they may be getting her out.

LONG: When the emergency personnel first arrived on the scene, they didn't have the Jaws of Life. They came a little bit later.

LEMON: We'll continue to monitor that. That is one breaking story we're working on.

New video in to CNN showing the terrifying moments when that catastrophic earthquake struck central China. The death toll is now nearing 15,000 and is expected to rise. Tens of thousands more are missing or, as the government puts it, they are out of reach.

Now to southern Israel where ten people were hurt when a rocket struck a shopping mall. A mother and an infant are among the victims. The militant group Islamic jihad has apparently claimed responsibility for that one.

Florida police suspect this man, there he is, of setting at least one of the wildfires now scorching Florida. They say Brian Crowder has a long criminal record. He was arrested near the scene of a new fire. LONG: Our big story today, what do you do, where do you run when the ground beneath your feet and simply everything around you is shaking? You are seeing the terrifying moments when that catastrophic quake struck central China on Monday. CNN just got this amateur video from Sichuan Province.

Words can't perhaps tell the story. The pictures and the sound will do it for you.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Still shaking. OK?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LONG: That's amateur video we wanted to share with you. It shows the terror and the fear during the quake on Monday.

In the aftermath of that disaster, China's rushing to prevent another. Some 2,000 troops are trying to plug cracks in a massive dam in Sichuan Province to prevent a potential flood in an area where people are still buried in rubble or out in the streets. The death toll right now almost 15,000 people, and it is expected to rise by the hour.

Thousands more are missing or trapped. They've lost their homes. They've lost sometimes their loved ones, their livelihoods. This quake in China has turned millions of people into refugees and turned entire cities into refugee camps.

Here's CNN's John Vause.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Beneath this heart of rubble, a little girl as survived for three days. Send a doctor now, yells this rescue worker. The girl's leg is trapped between two collapsed walls. Eventually he she's freed. One saved. More than 18,000 others in this one county alone are believed to be still trapped.

The world's biggest army is racing to save as many lives as possible. And at the epicenter of the quake, help has arrived by air and by foot. But no one knows how many people there are still alive.

Landslides have blocked these narrow mountain roads. Houses here were pulverized by huge falling boulders. The quake sent entire mountainsides crashing down, sweeping away everything in their path.

This woman's mother, brother, and sister-in-law were buried alive. "There was a building several stories high," she says, "and it just sank into the ground. They just sank into the Earth."

More than three million homes have been destroyed leaving many to huddle in makeshift refugee camps without power, without running water. This is what's left of our village, this man tells me, just over a hundred survivors. 300 were killed. These people are living under plastic sheeting under tarpaulin.

There's nothing but the most basic of facilities here. There are no showers, no bathrooms. The area is littered with trash. And a steady drizzle over the past 24 hours has turned the ground into mud. There is help from the army, but before the soldiers give out food and water, they sing. There is no hardship we can't overcome are the lyrics. For now, there is only much more hardship to come.

John Vause, CNN, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Also overseas but in the middle east, there you're looking at Israeli president Shimon Peres and President Bush. They're meeting -- President Bush is on a five-day trip to Israel, meeting with Shimon Peres and also Ehud Olmert. He's at a president's conference today where we've seen some pageantry celebrating the 60th anniversary of Israel. We'll bring you coverage as soon as it is warranted right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LONG: An emotional testimony today from actor Dennis Quaid and his wife. We'll tell you why they believe they're entitled to sue a drug company.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: We go back live to Israel and the president's conference that President Bush is attending. Speaking now Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

EHUD OLMERT, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The special envoy of the former prime minister of Great Britain, my friend Tony Blair. Government ministers, members, Nobel Prize laureates, economic and technological leaders from around the world, Israeli leaders, distinguished but disciplines from so many countries from across the world.

Dear ladies and gentlemen, just two hours ago, I had the opportunity to together with the minister of defense, General Barak, to share with President Bush the concerns that we have about the security of the people living in the south parts of the state of Israel. Their president came for a mission of peace and friendship. He was fully aware of the complexities, the sensibilities, the dangers and the fears that so many Israelis have to face living in the state of Israel in the south part of our country.

What happened today is entirely intolerable and unacceptable. The government of Israel is committed to stop it, and we will take the necessary steps so that these will stop.

It is an honor and a privilege to address such an impressive group of participants, particularly with a great friend of the state of Israel, President George Bush. Gathered here today are heads of state from all parts of the world. Representatives of Jewish communities from across the globe, Nobel laureates, founders of the world's most successful companies, professors, authors, artists, and also eminent guests, all united in the same goal of actively participating in shaping Israel's future.

It is an honor and a privilege to celebrate 60 years of Israel's independence with all of you. President Peres, I offer my heartfelt gratitude to you for initiating these exceptional country. Your ardent dedication -- may I have a suggestion. There are many occasions in this speech for to applaud Mr. Peres. Wait and then give him a big hand, one big, great hand. Your ardent dedication to Israel is unmatched, while your rich experience and leadership provides us all with guidance and fills us with hope for the future. You have manifested vision, imagination, creativity, and dedication which are unprecedented.

I know that some people say how, at the age of 84. does he have this energy?

And I always look at you, Mr. President, as so many Israelis, as so many world leaders who came to honor you, and we say, what a young man, what an energy, what a power, what a vision.

Thank you, Mr. President, for everything.

As we celebrate Israel's 60 anniversary, we also commemorate 60 years of friendship between the United States and Israel. It is a great pleasure to offer a special welcome to the president of the United States of America, George W. Bush, a great personal friend whose commitment to the state of Israel is immeasurable.

Mr. President, I have a recent speech, but let me put it aside for a second. I want to say to you something personal. You are an unusual person. You are an unusual leader. And you are an unusual friend of the people of Israel. I -- wait, wait. Wait. I believe I know certain things which others don't. I'm supposed to know. It's my duty to know.

And I can tell all of you President George Bush is a great leader is a great friend, is a source of inspiration, and we have very proud that we can celebrate the 60th anniversary of the state of Israel with you and your wife here in our eternal capital in Jerusalem. Our countries represent different peoples, but they have kindred souls. For both our countries, the visions of our founding fathers still resonate within and guide our thoughts and actions.

Our core belief, our founding values, and our aspirations are all drawn from the same inspiration. Throughout the past 60 years, the United States has been a staunch and unwavering ally. Relations between our countries have evolved into a joint vision and are based on a deep understanding of the invaluable benefits of close cooperation.

With full confidence, I say that the United States under your leadership, represents the pinnacle of this friendship. Israel is and must remain capable of securing its own future. Relying only, and I repeat again, at the end of the day, only on ourselves for our protection. But everybody in Israel knows that we can always depend on our greatest ally, the United States of America, when navigating the geopolitical challenges of the future. Israel continues to actively seek peace with its neighbors, especially with the Palestinians.

We are making great efforts and seeing progress on these fronts which we believe, with continued dedication and labor, will come to fruition hopefully as you, Mr. President, and I say in the international gathering in Annapolis that you initiated, within this year, the year 2008.

In addition to strong diplomatic relations, an integral element of the close cooperation between our countries is the dedication of the Jewish communities and the numerous Jewish organizations in America. I thank you for your efforts and know that you will continue to play a key role in preserving our special relations. Israel's founding generation could only have dreams of achieving a state as advanced and spectacular as we have today.

As one Jewish people, one Jewish nation, we must continue with the same vision, the same energy, and the same passion for developing our country, our homeland, as our forefathers had so that we can implement our inspiring vision for future.

Mr. President, in 2004, you say that America as a nation is stronger and safer because we have a true and dependable ally in Israel. Today, I say to you, Mr. President, Israel is stronger and safer because we look to the future and we know that the United States of America will always remain our closest and most dependable ally.

Thank you very much.

LEMON: All right. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert there speaking at this president's conference.

It's been a very interesting conference. You saw at one point President Bush get choked up, a little teary eyed when he referred to him. He said he didn't know which way it was going to go. He said you are an unusual person, you're an unusual leader, and you're an unusual friend, but it all ended well because he said that he was basically saying he was a magnificent leader and he appreciated his support. But it was nice to see the president --

LONG: It was a touching moment. The standing ovation was very touching as well.

LEMON: We'll replay that for you in just little bit. But we have lots more here in the CNN NEWSROOM in just a little bit including those moments there. President Bush expected to speak in just a little bit and we'll bring that to you live as well here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

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