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CNN Live Saturday

Ernesto Churns Through Caribbean; Katrina: Storm of a Lifetime; NASA Delays Atlantis Launch; Jason DeParle Interview; Update on Two Fox News Journalists Kidnapped in Gaza; Girl Missing For Eight Years is Found in Austria

Aired August 26, 2006 - 13:59   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the News, new information as we keep an eye on Ernesto. The tropical storm is spinning in the Caribbean. Will it reach hurricane status?
Our meteorologist, Jacqui Jeras, has answers straight ahead.

Iran's president inaugurates a new unit at its nuclear plant today, but Mahmoud Ahmadinejad again insists that Iran's nuclear program is for energy, not bombs. Iran faces a U.N. deadline in five days to suspend atomic activity or face sanctions.

Encouraging signs and efforts to free two FOX News journalists in Gaza. That's the word today from Palestinian sources. An official says third parties and mediators are trying to help. Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig were kidnapped 12 days ago.

Bad weather in Florida may delay tomorrow's scheduled liftoff of the space shuttle Atlantis. The shuttle weather officer says there's a 60 percent chance the mission will be scrubbed.

Chad's president has ordered U.S. energy giant Chevron and Malaysia's Petronas to get out of his country, and he has given them a 24-hour deadline. The president accuses the oil companies of failing to pay taxes.

We update the top stories every 15 minutes on CNN LIVE SATURDAY. Your next update is coming up at 2:15 Eastern.

Welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

I'm Suzanne Malveaux.

Ahead this hour, it's been almost a year since Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Today we talk to an author who went back to New Orleans and writes about the children of Katrina.

But first, our top story.

Tropical Storm Ernesto churns through the Caribbean, gaining strength and making folks along the Gulf Coast a little edgy. We've just gotten the latest information from the National Hurricane Center.

Let's go to CNN's weather center and check it out with meteorologist Jacqui Jeras. (WEATHER REPORT)

MALVEAUX: And, of course, as Jacqui mentioned, on the island of Jamaica, watching and waiting as Ernesto moves to the west.

Joining us now by telephone from Kingston, journalist Fitzroy Prendergast.

Fitzroy, can you hear us?

FITZROY PRENDERGAST, JOURNALIST: Yes, I can.

MALVEAUX: What kind of preparations are people making there? What are you hearing about the possibility of Ernesto heading your way?

PRENDERGAST: Well, certainly a lot of persons are very, very -- are ensuring that they are doing the necessary things to prepare for this tropical storm. And what you are seeing is a lot of activity in the supermarkets. Of course, persons are getting themselves together, buying various stuff, making sure that they have emergency, of course. Certain persons are making sure that their rooftops are secure and stuff like that.

So there's a lot of activity going on, because, of course, everybody remembers Ivan and nobody wants to be left unprepared.

MALVEAUX: Is there a sense of calm? Are people being very deliberate? Or is there a sense of panic already here? I mean, this is the first hurricane of the season.

PRENDERGAST: I don't think there's a sense of panic just yet. I think what is happening is that there is a bit of optimism that this storm will pass Jamaica by somehow. We don't know, but there's a bit of optimism. But in the -- in the means (ph), people are trying to get themselves ready in case that this actually hits Jamaica directly.

MALVEAUX: And what's the timetable there? What kind of time do people actually have to get ready for this possible hurricane when it makes landfall? What are you looking at?

PRENDERGAST: Well, we're looking at a very short time because we are being told here in Jamaica that the storm will hit -- should hit by Sunday morning. That's not a lot of time to prepare, certainly. But one of the big concerns here, in Kingston, especially, is that the drainage system may take a beating because recently we had the mayor of Kingston saying that the government had not done enough to deal with the drainage situation in Kingston.

And if the this comes over Jamaica directly, obviously we're going to be having a lot of rain. And certainly there is some thought that it may -- it may affect residents of Kingston significantly.

MALVEAUX: Do you think that that's the most vulnerable point, Kingston? That's where you might see the biggest problems for residents? PRENDERGAST: Kingston is definitely a huge concern. Also, we have areas like St. Thomas, in the east, Portland. These areas are normally hit very heavily by hurricanes and by the weather, of course. You also have that. So there are potential -- these areas are potential areas that you should have if the storm hits directly. There should be a lot of problems there.

MALVEAUX: Well Fitzroy, we wish -- we wish you the very best for you and everyone who is getting prepared for Ernesto. We certainly hope that -- that it's not as serious as it possibly looks there. But again, thank you so much for reporting. We'll get back to you as this storm collects and comes your way.

PRENDERGAST: Not a problem. We hope it doesn't.

MALVEAUX: OK.

PRENDERGAST: But in the advent it does, we'll be here.

MALVEAUX: OK. All the best to you.

PRENDERGAST: You too. Take care.

MALVEAUX: Well, this time last year the calm before the storm of a lifetime. Hurricane Katrina was barreling its way toward New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Its first anniversary just three days from now.

Some progress has been made in recovery. There are levee repairs that are ongoing, tons of debris hauled away. Some homes and businesses repaired. But is this recovery moving fast enough?

Both President Bush and Democrats are focusing on that issue just ahead of the anniversary.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Unfortunately, Katrina also revealed that federal, state and local governments were unprepared to respond to such an extraordinary disaster. And the floodwaters exposed the deep-seated poverty that has cut people off from the opportunities of our country.

The federal government has conducted a thorough review of its response to natural disasters, and we're making reforms that will improve our response to future emergencies. With help from Congress, we've committed $110 billion to the recovery effort, and we're playing a vital role in helping people clear debris, repair and rebuild their homes, reopen their businesses and schools, and put their lives back together.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

SEN. MARY LANDRIEU (D), LOUISIANA: Countless neighborhoods appear as if the hurricanes were just yesterday. And they serve as harsh reminders of how our nation was so unprepared. Unfortunately, our nation in many ways remains unprepared for major disasters, whether they be hurricanes, earthquakes or terrorists attacks. Too often, federal agencies are slow to move and encumbered by red tape.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Right now in New Orleans emotional moments as hundreds of people who lost their lives in Katrina are being remembered.

CNN's Gulf Coast correspondent, Susan Roesgen, is at a special event called Hands Around the Dome. Of course, that is where so much -- not only devastation, but really a tragedy hit home for so many people who were stuck there.

What is taking place now? What is the sense that you get from this community? Are they moving on?

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: Some people are moving on and some people are still struggling with what happened in this city, and in particular what happened here at the Superdome, Suzanne.

It's just started to rain, and it's really eerie for a lot of the people who have come here to form a human chain around the dome, because it was one year ago Tuesday I was here watching thousands of people being herded into the dome, and it was just starting to rain, and nobody knew at that time, Suzanne, what was going to happen. They thought this was going to be a refuge and it turned out to be one of the biggest nightmares of Katrina.

Now, right now, they haven't yet started forming this chain. They're having a little ceremony to mark this event here. People are standing, huddled underneath the tents, as you can see out here. But what they plan to do is eventually, if the rain lifts -- and they say even if the rain does not lift -- they plan to form this human chain.

They believe it will take 700 people to entirely circle the dome. They want everybody to hold hands. Then they're going to say a prayer, Suzanne, a prayer of thanksgiving, for surviving Katrina, and a prayer for the future of the city to come.

MALVEAUX: Susan, I was just there yesterday, and it's been raining in New Orleans for the last couple of weeks. Is there a sense that people are scared or depressed to see this rain coming down and knowing that Ernesto perhaps is on its way?

ROESGEN: Well rain is a good thing here. We need the rain certainly for the agriculture here, for people's backyards. But we are all very worried about Ernesto, really watching those tracking charts, really watching it very closely, because in many ways, it's just too eerily similar to Katrina.

It's forming about the same time. The projected path looks possibly similar, though, of course, Katrina came across Florida first before it came into the Gulf Coast. MALVEAUX: Sure.

ROESGEN: But we really worry about, you know, what might happen with Ernesto. And a lot of the people here have told me the same. They are worried about this.

MALVEAUX: Susan, thank you very much. Thank you. Be safe.

Now you counted on us before and you can count on us again. CNN never left the Gulf Coast, and this week we'll show you what has happened in the year since Katrina and what hasn't.

Well, the astronauts are packed and Atlantis is ready to fly. The mission, resume construction on the International Space Station. But stormy weather could be a spoiler for Sunday's liftoff.

Our Daniel Sieberg is at the Kennedy Space Center and he worries about Ernesto -- Daniel.

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Suzanne.

Well, they are not too worried about Ernesto hitting us here at Kennedy Space Center. The track doesn't put it anywhere near us. But it could head towards Houston, where mission control is. It's way too early to tell if that's going to be a problem at this point.

We do have a live shot of shuttle Atlantis the launch pad 39B, where the weather here today is not too bad. Some clouds are moving in here.

The weather system they are worried about now is thunderstorms in the afternoon here in Florida. Right now there's about a 60 percent chance that weather will prohibit a launch tomorrow at 4:30 Eastern.

Yesterday, though, there were some violent thunderstorms in the area. In fact, a lightning strike did happen on the top of launch pad 39B. We have a couple of still shots to show you.

They are quite prepared for this type of thing. That three- quarter inch wire acts sort of as a lightning rod. They are assessing the data from electrical systems on board the shuttle, but right now they don't see any problem with that. Again, they are just looking at the weather, and, of course, anything can happen here in Florida in the afternoon -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Those are very dramatic pictures, Daniel.

SIEBERG: Yes.

MALVEAUX: Any word that this could possibly be scrapped, or they are really just taking a look at this? They haven't made up their minds yet?

SIEBERG: It doesn't seem as though they've made up their mind with this just yet. There is a meeting that's going on right now. This is a very standard meeting that happens the day before launch. They are talking about weather, they're talking about some of the data from this lightning strike. But we haven't heard anything official from them so far.

MALVEAUX: And I understand it's been about six weeks since NASA landed Discovery. How do they feel about some of the safety issues? Are there some concerns?

SIEBERG: There's always concerns with manned space flight. It is inherently risky.

One thing of course you'll still be hearing about it is the concerns of pieces of foam like this that could come off the external fuel tank. You can see here it's the orange part. It's filled with the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.

Of course you'll remember that a piece much larger than this, about the size of a suitcase, came off and actually struck the leading edge of Columbia back in 2003. It pierced the leading edge there, the protective covering. And that caused Columbia to burn up upon reentry.

So that's something they're going to be keeping their eye on. They've got a number of different cameras and ways to inspect the shuttle once it gets up to the International Space Station. And, of course, they're going to be trying to mitigate any of that on the way up.

They've tested some repair processes, but they really hope they don't have to get into that.

MALVEAUX: And Daniel, I understand they have some pretty heavy duty hardware that's aboard. Can you tell us, what is this mission about?

SIEBERG: Yes, heavy duty would be a good way to put it. How about 35,000 pounds?

MALVEAUX: Whoa, that's heavy duty.

SIEBERG: Well, actually, that is heavy duty, Suzanne. In fact, I have to tell you right now I'm just being told by our producer here that there has been a scrub of shuttle Atlantis for tomorrow. It's a 24-hour scrub.

So we don't know why yet. It could be due to the weather. They have, as I say, been looking at some of the data from this lightning strike from yesterday. They are looking at the weather.

There is a briefing in about an hour from now. And we'll find out why exactly.

But that means at least a 24-hour scrub. So that moves it into Monday. The weather for Monday, as we heard earlier, was actually predicted to be better than tomorrow. There was only about a 20 percent chance that weather would prohibit a launch on Monday afternoon.

A little bit earlier, about a half-hour earlier launch time. So roughly about 4:00 in the afternoon on Monday. But we're going to have to wait and find out why this 24-hour scrub is happening -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: So, Daniel, just to reiterate if you could, I know this is breaking news, but you are saying from officials there they have made a decision that it's going to be delayed at least for 24 hours?

SIEBERG: Yes, it sounds like at least a 24-hour scrub. And I am being told now by our producer that it is apparently related to the lightning strike. Perhaps we could pull up the still images from yesterday that show where the lightning strike happened on launch pad 39B.

Some pretty dramatic pictures that show them hitting the three- quarter inch wire there on top of the launch pad there. This is a system that is in place for this type of thing so that they can try and mitigate. There are so many lightning strikes that happen here in the area in Florida, particularly in the afternoon with these thunderstorms that move in.

The concern would be that it's affected any of the electrical systems that are on board the shuttle. These questions had been asked at a couple of press conferences since yesterday. They have indicated there was nothing that they saw as a concern so far. But apparently that's changed and they are at least having this 24-hour scrub -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Daniel, thank you so much for that breaking news.

Of course, a 24-hour delay, and we will get back to -- get the latest on that news conference coming up in about an hour or so.

Thanks again, Daniel.

SIEBERG: You bet.

MALVEAUX: Back to New Orleans and its problems when we come back. What's the recourse if another hurricane hits?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wherever you say "storm," we pack up and we get out of here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: And later, Susan Candiotti updates us on the John Mark Karr case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Questions remain over whether Karr could have been in JonBenet Ramsey's neighborhood in December 1996. His family again said he was with them every Christmas.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: That's our legal topic today, too.

And we will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: We have two breaking news stories to report to you at this moment.

First, the shuttle. Our own reporter, Daniel Sieberg, at Cape Canaveral is reporting that NASA has postponed the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis for 24 hours. NASA says this is because of a lightning strike Friday and other weather concerns.

Now, this other story, the second story is of the kidnapped journalists in Gaza, those FOX News reporters. According to The Associated Press, the Palestinian prime minister says that he hopes that this case of these kidnapped journalists will be resolved, in his words, "in the coming hours."

So we are going to try to get as much information as possible on both of these stories. Of course, the first one, the shuttle launch, Atlantis scrapped or at least postponed for some 24 hours. And then in the Middle East, the possibly of a breakthrough in the next couple of hours on those two FOX News journalists who were kidnapped. And perhaps some good news.

We'll -- we'll wait and see there. But we will of course give you as much information as we can as soon as it becomes available.

Now, we are following the path of Tropical Storm Ernesto this weekend. As you might imagine, every new storm causes concern along the nation's Gulf Coast. It was just a year ago Tuesday that Hurricane Katrina struck.

Our Sean Callebs has returned to New Orleans to see what has changed in that city and what hasn't.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are a lot people like Al and Yoni Hebron. The Lakeview couple has spent months and thousands dollars gutting and renovating their flooded-out home after Katrina. But with another storm churning in the Caribbean, they know what they will do if the storm threatens New Orleans.

AL HEBRON, RESIDENT OF LOUISIANA: Whenever you say storm, we pack up, and we get out of here.

CALLEBS: It has been almost a year since Katrina struck. But some memories fade slowly. HEBRON: In this block, that we're the only people that live here, three people drowned in this one block here. Twenty-three people drowned in Lakeview.

CALLEBS: The Hebrons live in the shadow of this metal monster, New floodgates and a pumping station designed to protect New Orleans. The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for maintaining the levees and flood walls, and offers a glowing review of what it has done to keep water out of the city.

COLONEL JEFFREY BEDEY, HURRICANE PROTECTION OFFICE, ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: It is nothing short of remarkable, what was achieved -- my opinion, that the system has not only been repaired to its pre-Katrina level's protection, but, in fact, is -- from a holistic perspective, is actually a better system than what we had in place a year ago today.

CALLEBS: But, in recent tests on the new pumping station, it failed to perform the way it's supposed to. Efforts are being made to correct the problem.

But there's no way to test the bolstered levees. Everyone remembers what New Orleans looked like when the levees failed. An independent group, the American Society of Civil Engineers, spent months reviewing work done by the Corps of Engineers, and says the levees and flood walls protecting New Orleans suffer from serious deficiencies, and that there is no quick fix.

The group says, since no one knows how the levees will hold up in a hurricane, there is only one recourse, if a major storm bears down on the city.

TOM JACKSON, AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS: And I think it's so important that the leadership of this area proceed in a calm fashion in an orderly evacuation, if it becomes necessary, in order to protect life and safety.

CALLEBS: This year, neither the Superdome, nor the Convention Center will be used as shelters of last resort. New Orleans does have 1,800 busses on standby, and 47 Amtrak trains to ferry people to safety this year, a way to prevent a repeat of these horrific scenes.

People here know, it's not a question of if another hurricane hits, but when. And, at this point, residents say, no one knows how New Orleans will handle it.

YONI HEBRON, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: That is a big unknown. And that's real scary.

CALLEBS: Sean Callebs, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: One year after the storm of a lifetime, CNN remains in the Gulf region. Beginning Monday, we'll take you back to the scene of the destruction with a look at the people whose lives were affected. Are they prepared for the next big storm?

CNN's coverage of Katrina one year later begins Monday. And all week long CNN's Anderson Cooper reports from New Orleans and other hard-hit areas of the Gulf Coast.

And what's the story behind these photos? The man who wrote their stories straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Tossed wood, crushed metal, destroyed homes, barren streets. You can see the damage Katrina left behind, but what you can't see is the emotional turmoil of children. They survived the storm, but they can't share their fears.

Jason DeParle wrote the article "Orphans" for "The New York Times Magazine". He joins me from Washington.

I just want to hold this up here. It's really quite amazing this piece that you did, credit to you and the photographer, Brenda Ann Kenneally, for bringing these powerful pictures and this essay.

Let's take a look at these pictures as we talk about the state of the children of the Gulf Coast. The first one, I believe, "Kelly's (ph) Playground," a trailer park. She is a rare sight, though.

Tell us how many of New Orleans and Mississippi's children have returned.

JASON DEPARLE, "NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE": Suzanne, nobody exactly knows how many kids have gotten back, but the best guess is that there were about 128,000 before the storm hit and maybe 40 or so now. So somewhere over 80,000 kids are still gone from their homes.

MALVEAUX: That was one of the things that was most striking in going back to New Orleans, is just seeing how few children there are, how few families there are. You see a lot of men and contractors, construction workers, that type of thing. Can we show this other picture? This one, "Alicia's Journey," a girl standing in the water and with destruction all around her. How are children dealing with this loss? Do they deal with material possessions, the loss of those things, different than adults? What do they need?

DEPARLE: Suzanne, when you first starting to kids, there's a deceptive aura of normalcy, I think, about their lives. They look like kids do, silly, happy, earnest, excited, and as you explore their stories a little bit more, you see that all isn't all exactly well.

I was at a school that was asked -- where the kids were asked to draw a picture for their hopes for the city when the mayor came to visit. And the school certainly didn't lack for colored crayons but the kids all drew in black and white as though to reflect the lifelessness that they had seen around them. You get little hints of the despair or the sadness they feel.

MALVEAUX: What is most difficult for them? What do they need? Is it the instability here? Is it about the sense of uncertainty?

DEPARLE: I think it depends on the kids. Some of them need housing, something as basic as housing. The pictures that -- the wonderful pictures that Brenda Ann Kenneally took, you see some people living in abandoned apartments and housing projects. So for some kids, they need physical stability.

Some kids are still separated from their parents. One of the girls I talked to at the school, her parents were in Houston because they had found jobs there. She was living in a trailer in New Orleans with her grandparents. So here she is, not only lost her home but she's lost her parents as well.

MALVEAUX: And this picture very, very powerful. This one -- it's titled "Alyssa," she's there with a tire swing. And her head is hung low. Tell us a little bit about depression. Talk to us, how has Katrina effected these children?

DEPARLE: Two New Orleans psychologists, Howard and Joy Ofsovski (ph) -- a husband and wife team, interviewed several thousand -- screened several thousand New Orleans kids and found that nearly half surpassed the threshold to require psychological services. The kids have really suffered a lot.

MALVEAUX: And I want to show another photo here, "Mikayla's Kids." This really kind of speaks to the conditions that you see a lot of people living in. I know I have relatives too who actually live in these very small, tiny trailers now -- FEMA trailers. But you see, there's got to be, you know, eight ...

DEPARLE: Is Malveaux a New Orleans name?

MALVEAUX: It certainly is. I have a lot of relatives and a lot of family in New Orleans who are kind of living in those conditions. What is it like for these kids? You got about eight -- six or eight of them sitting on the couch there. No sense of privacy.

DEPARLE: I'll tell you one thing that leapt out to me and the kids that -- I visited a Catholic school that's almost entirely black, kids mostly from housing projects, really charming kids. And as the conversation went along, it quickly became clear to me how many of them had -- how aware they were of racial and class issues.

There is a real sense that the projects were being taken away and that white New Orleans didn't want black New Orleans back. I mean, this is 9- and 10-year-old kids. That fear has saturated them. One went as far as saying repeating a rumor you'll hear on the streets of New Orleans that the levees were bombed.

MALVEAUX: It's such a sad thing, and coming from the children as well. I know we have to wrap. Last question here, child poverty before Katrina at 41 percent, and for black children it was 47 percent, white children seven percent. What is the prospect of these kids, these families, of getting out of poverty now?

DEPARLE: Yes, you would have said that this was a crisis before the storm. So it's been multiplied since then. If you drive through New Orleans there on a visit, you can get a misleading sense of normalcy. Just a few blocks off the main city streets, you can find ruins there now.

MALVEAUX: Jason DeParle, I want to thank you so much. It's so touching that essay you did, with the photos as well. Thanks again for taking a look at the children.

DEPARLE: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: The most vulnerable of that storm.

I want to toss now to Chris Lawrence, a breaking news story in Jerusalem with the latest. That, of course, dealing with the Fox News journalists who were taken hostage. If there are any developments on whether or not that will be resolved perhaps, or more information in the next couple of hours.

Chris, do you have any details? Anything that you can tell us now?

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there seems to be some hope at least that perhaps the journalists -- there's a good chance that the journalists could be released soon and unharmed. The prime minister Ismail Haniyeh -- the Palestinian prime minister -- has recently said that there are promises that the journalists will not be harmed and that he hopes that this case could be resolved peacefully within the next few hours or in the coming hours.

He said that he hopes that this case is going to be ended and solved in a way that reflects that Palestinians respect their guests. We have been hearing from our sources in Gaza over the past few days that although the Hamas government was not conducting direct talks with the group that kidnapped the two journalists, that there were certain third parties that were operating as a go-between to facilitate some sort of communication between the two.

MALVEAUX: Chris, what can you tell us about what the prime minister has said about this breakthrough? Why is he optimistic that this can be actually resolved in the next couple of hours? Do you know what the most recent developments have been? What's happened over the last couple of hours that has changed this situation?

LAWRENCE: Honestly, I don't want to speculate on that, because I don't know. But what I will say is that from the top down, from the Palestinian prime minister to our colleagues in the media to -- many people in the Gaza area have been working very hard to resolve this for quite some time now.

From a lot of people that we spoke with, this kidnapping was condemned on a lot of levels. The Palestinian prime minister's office condemned this kidnapping. Even militant groups such as Islamic Jihad condemned it for the simple fact that journalists like Fox News correspondent Steve Centanni and his cameraman Olaf Wiig were in Gaza telling the story of the Palestinian people. And a lot of people felt that that's what they need there. They need journalists being able to be there and work freely and tell their story to the world. And with this kidnapping and the threat for more kidnappings, most journalists pulled out of Gaza. And now that story is not getting told.

MALVEAUX: Well, Chris, we certainly hope and pray that there is good news in the next couple of hours. Thank you so much for giving us the latest there. We'll get back to you as soon as you have more information.

We are going to turn the corner, after our break, to the JonBenet Ramsey case when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Half past the hour, here's what's happening now in the news. Powerful and potentially dangerous and heading to the Gulf -- that's what the National Hurricane Center is saying about Tropical Storm Ernesto. Forecasters at the center warn people living on the Gulf Coast to pay attention to this possible hurricane.

Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras has more from the CNN Weather Center. Jacqui, what are we looking at?

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well Ernesto's been gaining a little bit of shear on the western side of the storm, which isn't allowing it to intensify much more. Right now winds are at 50 miles per hour. It's moving west/northwest at around 15 miles per hour.

But we are expecting it to move out of that unfavorable environment. The winds will lighten up and we think the storm will strengthen gradually over the next 24 hours. By tomorrow it could be making landfall over Jamaica or getting near it, certainly bringing in some heavy rains and strong, gusty winds.

We're anticipating this will be the first hurricane of the 2006 Atlantic hurricane season, move up towards the Gulf of Mexico we think by the middle to latter part of next week, and we may be looking at a landfalling tropical system, we think, by late next week. More coming up on that in just a little bit -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Thank you, Jacqui.

NASA has postponed tomorrow's scheduled launch of the space shuttle for 24 hours due to weather. When the Space Shuttle Atlantis does get into orbit, the crew will resume construction on the International Space Station. NASA is having a news conference at 3:00 and CNN will bring it to you live.

Our legal experts have been following all of the developments. Avery Friedman is a civil rights attorney and law professor. Richard Herman is a New York criminal defense attorney. Thanks for both of you joining us. There's a lot to talk about.

But, of course, we are looking at the case of John Karr and JonBenet. That, of course, could happen as early as Monday when he appears in court. Now, he has not been formally charged. What do we expect to see filed on Monday? Avery, we'll start with you.

AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: Well, it's going to be a permutation, Suzanne, of murder, kidnap and abuse of a child. We don't know what the permutation will be, but those are the main categories.

And what everyone is really looking to see -- and that's really the key at this early stage -- is what's in the arrest warrant affidavit? What's the evidence that the district attorney has at this point? Because right now, no one has any clue involving this guy who is frankly off the wall.

MALVEAUX: Well, Richard, what is the evidence here? What do they have? Do they have a case here?

RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Hey, Suzanne, close your eyes and tell me what you see. You see nothing. They have nothing. They have no evidence. This is an absolute travesty. This guy is clearly delusional.

And for starters, he has never been to the state of Colorado. The first time he's been there is now, now when they flew him in from California. That's the first time, his family will vouch for him. Christmastime 1996, along with a neighbor who was doing a home renovation said he helped her in the house. It's outrageous that ...

FRIEDMAN: Well ...

HERMAN: ...you know, there's such desperation for a resolution in this case, there's such hunger for a resolution and closure that people will believe anything. It's absolutely preposterous what's going on in Colorado.

MALVEAUX: Well, Avery, so what do they need here? Do they need DNA evidence? Is that what's essentially going to dismiss this case?

FRIEDMAN: Well, you know, again, this guy could wind up on the cover of "Dysfunctionality Monthly." It doesn't exempt him from being a suspect, and what we need to know is the evidence. Let's not mix up the early stages of this criminal investigation and the charges with the trial. We've got two different things.

And, Suzanne, you nailed it. There is nondegraded DNA in possession of the FBI which it's had since 2003. And if we see that we have Mr. Karr in the data bank, then that's really the key to this case. So before we make assumptions about what's going to happen, the DNA is the ticket right now.

MALVEAUX: Now, Richard, what about this guy's mental state here? There's been a lot that's been made over this, and the fact that these two California attorneys went forward and said the guy is sane, does that hurt his case by declaring it so early in the game? Is there still a sense that there could be an insanity plea? HERMAN: Well, there could very well if this -- if for some incredible reason this case does go forward, there will be psychiatric evaluations of him. In fact, I bet next week there are ordered evaluations of him next week. I don't think -- Monday's case, I think, will be adjourned in a day or two, maybe three days.

And then the first thing that's going to happen is he's going to be evaluated. But these two attorneys in California -- and I put in quote attorneys because I cannot believe these are criminal defense attorneys making comments about his mental state and saying he has no problems, he is intelligent, he knows what's going on. I mean, that is absolutely pathetic that they would do that. It's outrageous. And they could be called as witnesses. They could be.

MALVEAUX: Well, you know what? I'm a little confused here. Maybe you guys can help me understand this, but let's clear this up here. Who is actually representing Karr? Because the public defender filed a notice saying that that office would do it. But then you have these two female attorneys from California. Are they working as a team? What is actually the situation?

FRIEDMAN: They better work as a team. And the truth is, Suzanne, what's going to happen is that these two California lawyers want to represent the defendant in Boulder, Colorado. Well, in order to do that, they have to have the permission of the Boulder judge to make that happen.

And the judge is going to examine the competence of these lawyers. I hate to do it; I totally agree with Richard. Why in the world would defense lawyers start talking about the mental capacity of someone who isn't even a defendant yet? It's way, way out of line. I don't know what they were thinking.

HERMAN: Suzanne, they infused themselves into this. They went to the prison in California, met with him. Who knows what happened during that conversation? They came out, they got a tremendous amount of face time. They didn't know what they were talking about.

In Colorado, we have a Colorado criminal defense attorney who is representing him right now that's court-appointed. This is a very expensive case if it goes to litigation. They're going to need funds from the state to defend him.

MALVEAUX: You know, it's a rare moment when you two guys agree, but I'm glad you did it. We have got to let you go. We've run out of some time here, but again, thanks again Avery Friedman and Richard Herman.

FRIEDMAN: Thank you, Suzanne, take care.

HERMAN: Nice seeing you again.

MALVEAUX: We'll be back after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MALVEAUX: Now in the news, Tropical Storm Ernesto is causing some concerns along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Forecasters say it could be the Atlantic season's first hurricane early in the week and by that time, it's expected to be in the Gulf of Mexico. Joining us now, of course expected bad weather, Jacqui Jeras.

Jacqui, what do you have?

JERAS: Well, Suzanne, we are looking at Ernesto, and there you can see the forecast track of this system. It is at 50 miles per hour. That's the maximum sustained winds at this time. We are expecting it to strengthen. The reason why it's kind of holding steady right now is that the winds are kind of shearing off the west part of the storm right now.

And so once it gets beyond this area of wind shear, that is when we are going to expect it to start to intensify. The waters are very, very warm, so it's really the winds that are the key in this forecast track here.

We are expecting it to become a Category 1 hurricane, being the first one of the season, and then heading up towards the Yucatan area and eventually making its way into the Gulf of Mexico.

Where is it going to go after that? It's still really too early to tell. We are talking late next week before this could be happening. But right now, the cone of uncertainty covers much of the Gulf Coast, including in the New Orleans area. So we will watch that very closely. We'll keep you up to date -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Jacqui, thanks again. Appreciate that.

Austrians -- indeed much of Europe -- are riveted by the sudden appearance this week of Natascha Kampusch. The 10-year-old girl vanished on her way to school in 1998. Now 18 years old, she is telling her story of captivity that was, with little exaggeration, hellish.

Here's senior international correspondent Matthew Chance in Vienna.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): He's the luckiest father in the world, he says. After eight agonizing years, the child he thought he had lost is found alive.

LUDWIG KOCH, NATASCHA's FATHER (through translator): Her first words were "Poppy, I love you." She came to me and we hugged. It was a feeling I can't even describe.

CHANCE: When Natascha Kampusch was abducted in 1998, she was just 10. For all of her teenage years, Natascha was held in this cramped dungeon, with a bed, a sink, and a toilet. She was given some children's books, but little else. (on camera): Well, this is the house in Strasshof where Natascha was held for more than eight years. You can see, there are police outside now, guarding the entrance. For most of the time, she was held securely, under lock and key.

But, over the years, the man she came to call her master became increasingly careless. And, eventually, she saw an opportunity to escape.

CHANCE (voice-over): This is the man police say imprisoned her, 44-year-old Wolfgang Priklopil. Neighbors say he was quiet and polite. After Natascha's escape, he threw himself under a train.

(on camera): What has Natascha told you about what her life was like for that eight years in captivity in the dungeon?

KOCH (through translator): He scared her. He told he had asked for a $1 million ransom, that he had called me for two years, and I would not react at all. He also told her the house was rigged with explosives, and if she ran away, something terrible would happen.

CHANCE (voice-over): Natascha hasn't appeared in public yet, but her father told me, she seems OK, at least on the surface.

KOCH (through translator): If you remember, she has spent eight years in a dungeon. She looks relatively good, but she's very skinny. She looks all right. But you can see there are effects.

CHANCE: There are still questions about how Natascha was treated, including whether she was sexually abused. Even her father doesn't seem to know that yet.

(on camera): Are you concerned that, during her imprisonment, she was sexually molested?

KOCH (through translator): I'm worried, but nothing has been proven yet. The police are still trying to understand this by asking her subtle questions. I just want to make sure I do everything possible to help to make sure she has a happy and worry-free life.

CHANCE (voice-over): There is, after all, not much else a father can do.

Matthew Chance, CNN, Vienna.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MALVEAUX: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Next at 3:00 p.m. Eastern, an "A.C. 360" investigation, "THE KATRINA KILLINGS." The deadly storm reveals extraordinary heroes among the New Orleans Police Department, but also villains and allegedly even murderers. Not an easy story to report, but a vital one to tell. That's next. At 4:00 p.m., a school bus ride turns into a harsh lesson on race.

And then at 5:00 Eastern, the response to Hurricane Katrina. Spike Lee isn't holding back in his new controversial, documentary. A one-on-one interview tonight at 5:00.

A check of the day's headlines is next. And then our "A.C. 360" special investigation.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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