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CNN Live Saturday

Robertson Discusses New Videotape From Ayman el-Zawahiri; Storms Batter Both Sides of Country; Feud Between Cruise and Shields Ends; Pentagon Reports Iraq is Getting Worse

Aired September 02, 2006 - 17:00   ET

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

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Kathleen Koch in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
We'll be reporting soon on dramatic flooding here in one neighborhood -- back to you.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Kathleen.

We've also got complete coverage on other stories, as well.

In Houston, Katrina fatigue turns into anger.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CRYSTAL WOODARD, HOUSTON RESIDENT: Even though we have extended a helping hand we're getting bit, you know? They're not giving a damn what we think or how we feel.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: And in Tinseltown, it is take two for Tom Cruise after a public backlash. Hear what he's saying now to Brooke Shields.

This is CNN LIVE SATURDAY and I'm Carol Lin.

First, let's catch you up on the headlines.

The number two man in al Qaeda releases a new videotape on the Internet. In one minute, a report from Nic Robertson.

And U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is in Tehran this hour for talks. He's pressing Iranian leaders to compromise on their nuclear program or face sanctions.

And British police arrest 16 men in counter-terror raids. Fourteen of them were picked up in London and are suspected of recruiting and training for terror attacks. The other two were arrested in an unrelated case.

And a British military plane went down today in Afghanistan, killing 14 troops. British officials say the crash appeared to be caused by a technical problem and not hostile fire.

New York City police are warning a prison escapee is now armed and dangerous. They believe he ambushed and shot two state troopers yesterday. We are going to have a live report on the massive manhunt and reward in just a few minutes.

We're also learning more about the capture of polygamist leader Warren Jeffs. He was carrying some kind of written decree when he was arrested in Las Vegas. And in it, he banned members of his flock from saying where he went.

The first wave of Italian troops arrive in Tyre, Lebanon today. The marines are part of an expanded U.N. peacekeeping force meant to shore up the cease-fire deal between Israel and Hezbollah.

Those are the headlines. And we want to bring you now our top story, that new al Qaeda videotape. And in it, Ayman el-Zawahiri makes a direct appeal to the American people.

But there was another face in this tape of terror -- an American.

Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan, CNN's senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The young American who begins this message is Adam Gadahn. He likes to go by the name of Azzam the American. He says at the beginning of this recording that's been released on the Internet that this is a message to Americans and non- believers, an opportunity to convert to Islam.

After he speaks, the tape very quickly cuts over to Ayman el- Zawahiri, the second in command of al Qaeda, who says that this message is not only for Americans, not only, clearly, for un- believers, as they put it, but also for people in the West, that this is an opportunity to convert to Islam.

When the tape recording switches back to Adam Gadahn, after about another four minutes, he picks up the message. He say this is very, very serious, that there should be no backsliding on this issue.

It isn't clear why they are issuing this offer for people in the West, in the United States, and non-believers, as they put it, to convert to Islam. Possibly, one interpretation being put on it is that this, through their interpretations of the Koran, they have to do prior to an attack, to give their enemy, as they see it, an opportunity to convert to Islam.

Adam Gadahn goes on in this 48-minute recording, for which he speaks for about 43 minutes, he goes on to criticize the United States for a litany of what he sees are their abuses, are their illegal actions around the world, even talking about the atomic bomb use in the Second World War in Hiroshima.

But this message very clear from both Adam Gadahn and from Ayman el-Zawahiri that this is a message to the people of the United States, to the West, an opportunity to convert to Islam.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Islamabad.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

ANNOUNCER: CNN, your hurricane headquarters.

LIN: And we have two big storms to tell you about.

First, here in the United States, let's see what Ernesto is up to. We're seeing mostly rain right now, but Ernesto brought a lot of damage and destruction when it slammed into the East Coast.

Now, in North Carolina, it looked like streets just disappeared and the Cape Fear River overflowed its banks. More than half a million homes and businesses in the Mid-Atlantic states still don't have any power and hundreds of people evacuated as a tidal surge damaged dozens of homes in Virginia.

Five people died, and that is blamed on the storm.

All right, we're going to get more on Hurricane John, which has been downgraded over Mexico.

But let's go to Bonnie Schneider at the CNN Weather Center to see if there are any more flood warnings right here in the United States out yet -- Bonnie, what's the news?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, ATS METEOROLOGIST: All right, well, let's go with that, then.

What we're looking at right now are some flood watches that are posted for parts of New York and into Pennsylvania at this hour. We also still have wind advisories associated with Ernesto. We had our last advisory on Ernesto. At this point, it's more of the remnants working their way through. And what you're seeing here are some areas where we're looking at some flooding through Central New Jersey on into parts of Delaware and Maryland. A little bit of rain still falling there. But much of the precipitation has pushed further to the north, which is some good news.

As we take a look at the radar picture now for that region, you'll find a lot of the precipitation is in Upstate New York, toward Syracuse and into the Rochester area.

And then down to the south, right here, working its way through Northern New Jersey at this hour. Look at this line here of thunderstorms that's about to hit the New York City metropolitan area. So we'll be watching for that.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: Bonnie, let's take a look at the fallout right now with our correspondents on the ground.

Ernesto was packing more of a punch when it hit parts of the East Coast pretty hard. And we do have correspondents stationed all along the storm's path, including Rob Marciano in Richmond, Virginia, where hundreds of people were forced to evacuate.

Ines Ferre reports from Maryland, Annapolis, where she spent the day with residents and the National Guard. And Kathleen Koch -- actually, Ines was touring with the harbor master in Annapolis.

Kathleen Koch has been standing by with residents in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, where at least one river is now above flood stage and still rising -- so, Kathleen, the National Guard was called in to help?

KOCH: They were. And it was quite a dramatic scene here, both last night and today. And this city has really gotten hit hard with a one-two punch. Ernesto was just part of the problem.

They had very heavy rains Wednesday from a summer storm that dumped seven inches of rain. Then Ernesto came less than 48 hours later, dumping another seven to 10 inches. The ground was inundated. There was just nowhere for all the water to go.

The National Guard has been going through the neighborhood. We went with them today while they delivered vital supplies -- mail, medicine. They've been ferrying people in and out, bringing them food.

As you see, people are still trying to get through this neighborhood right behind me, making their way in. But it's very dangerous. And the residents in this neighborhood, Oxford Heights, some 160 homes, nearly 400 people, they told me that they thought that their problems were over yesterday morning when the rain from Ernesto stopped.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

KOCH: What did everyone think?

The water is coming in, you can't get out.

What...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, we thought once it -- once it stopped raining, we thought it would be OK and the water is gone. So -- but it had nowhere to go. Everything is flooded. And we're about to lose our mind. I can only imagine how the people felt from Katrina.

So I called 911 and they called the responders and the guys came with the big Humvee and took me, my kids, my mom and my sister and we got out of there.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

KOCH: Well, the residents have been very grateful to the National Guard for coming in and helping them. They say this is the worst flooding they have ever seen in this area, even worse than Hurricane Floyd back in 1999.

The water here is dropping. It's gone down about three feet over the last 24 hours. But still, city officials say, it could be another 24 hours before the roads dry out completely, enough that people can safely get in and out -- Carol.

LIN: Kathleen, let's take a look at the scene behind you.

If you turn around, maybe you can see some of the vehicles that are driving by down the street. I can't believe people are allowed to drive on those streets while it's -- the water is still so high.

KOCH: They're letting people in who have pretty high profile vehicles -- trucks, SUVs, things like that. They will not let small passenger vehicles in here, Carol, because we were told not long before we arrived here, there were vehicles that tried to come through here, lower lying -- lower profile vehicles -- and they ran off the roadway.

So they are just trying not to take any chances. But these people -- this is the only way in and out and they are completely cut off. We ran into one young woman who said I don't have any food, I don't have any toilet paper. And she really needed some help.

LIN: All right, that house behind you looks like an island right now with all the cars gathered up toward the front door.

Kathleen Koch reporting from Elizabeth City in North Carolina.

Let's go to see what happened in Richmond, Virginia's Battery Park area.

That's where Rob Marciano and his crew moved a couple of hours ago -- Rob, the governor was touring the area.

What did he see firsthand?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, he saw a tremendous amount of flooding right in this neighborhood. We saw a lot of flooding in the eastern part of the state, where they saw, really, about twice as much rain as they saw here in Richmond. But a combination of rainfall from Ernesto complained with the rainfall from those severe thunderstorms a couple of days before Ernesto, and also a block in a sewer pipe that shares the route with storm runoff over to the water treatment plant.

So, 240 homes in this area were evacuated because of the combination of a flood threat and also a public safety health threat.

Behind me is one of several homes that is completely inundated with this flooding in Battery Park. And the water has just been slow to move. They're starting to pump it out now, but it's just not moving very far.

A little side note. The gentleman, wife and a small child that live in that house, the gentleman is a world class cyclist. That home was devastated by Tropical Storm Gaston about two years ago, rebuilt with over $100,000 and now it's pretty much demolished.

This is Arthur Ashe Tennis Courts. It's part of Battery Park. It's not just a neighborhood. It is actually a park. And you can see completely submerged in this area about 10 to 15 feet of water. And if you could continue down, it's at least 20 feet in spots.

The governor of Virginia actually lives very close to this neighborhood and we ran into him and here's what he had to say about the situation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. TIM KAINE (D), VIRGINIA: I live about two miles from here. This has never flooded except in Tropical Depression Gaston about two years ago, it flooded and then it drained right out.

And so the fact that it got full and then it didn't drain means that something has happened with the downhill drainage system here. So as a state, we're going to try to work with the city to enhance the pumping to get that done quicker.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MARCIANO: You know, a lot of people don't think of Virginia as being susceptible to hurricanes, or at least tropical systems, and they have fallen prey to several throughout history, mostly from inland flooding. And Tropical Storm Ernesto did exactly that this go around to the folks in Virginia.

I should add that over 140,000 people in Virginia and parts of North Carolina still without power. And obviously the water in this neighborhood very slow to drain -- Carol, that's the latest from here.

Back over to you

LIN: Wow!

A dramatic scene out there, Rob.

Thank you so much.

Now, we want to take folks to Annapolis, Maryland to give you the scope of the damage that Ernesto brought.

Our Ines Ferre is standing by there -- Ines, you just got a tour with the harbor master. Now, you think of Chesapeake Bay, it's water.

But what did you get a chance to see?

INES FERRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we learned a lot out there. Let me just tell you that right now residents and tourists, they've been waiting all day for the water levels to recede, hoping to enjoy the rest of the Labor Day weekend. And earlier, we went out on an inspection with the harbor master's office to see how the community, the shore community, had held up.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

JOE SILVER, ASSISTANT HARBOR MASTER: Harbor Office Patrol Boat one. FERRE (voice-over): Assistant Harbor Master Joe Silver is looking for any damage caused by Ernesto on the creeks along the Annapolis coast.

SILVER: Boats that possibly broke loose from an anchorage or one of our mooring balls, got loose and may have run-into another boat.

FERRE: Silver also keeps a keen eye out for tree limbs or any other debris washed in with the rising water. He also checks in on the boaters.

SILVER: And I knew you guys were on your boat.

FERRE: In from Seattle, Lyle Tayson (ph) and his brother weathered the storm inside their vessel.

LYLE TAYSON: It was, like I say, maybe gusts of 50 knots. They'd -- they'd grab the boat in a gust and the mast and everything would start pumping and jerking like that.

FERRE: Even though Ernesto came in as a tropical depression and not a hurricane, Tayson says they were still nervous.

TAYSON: The next one, we'll get on a mooring ball and get in further and get a -- it sobered us.

FERRE (on camera): This area is a little bit choppier.

Last night what was this like?

SILVER: Well, last night we had six and seven footers in here that were rolling into the city. Right now we're in three and four footers. It has been worse, a lot worse, in the past.

FERRE (voice-over): Like Hurricane Isabel, which Silver says caused much damage.

SILVER: This is nothing compared to Isabel. All of downtown was flooded very badly last year.

FERRE (on camera): Yet people had that in mind last night.

SILVER: They were concerned. They didn't know what to expect. And they -- they expected the worst.

FERRE (voice-over): As we returned to the dock, Silver hopes that the flooding they did get will recede quickly, as they await the next high tide.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

FERRE: And as you can see, water levels have gone down here. They just, a couple of months ago, opened up this road right next to me.

Now, they're expecting high tide around 2:30 in the morning. The harbor master's office saying that with some storm surge still lingering in the Chesapeake Bay, they're expecting more water here in the early morning hours -- Carol.

LIN: Wow!

All right, thanks very much, Ines.

Good job out there and stay safe.

We want to show folks what's happening with a hurricane. It was a hurricane out west. Tropical Storm John now is still causing a lot of problems of its own. It hit Mexico's Baja, California as a category two hurricane before weakening. The storm missed the tourist hub of Cabo San Lucas, but not without some flooding and wind damage.

Harris Whitbeck is there.

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The situation is improving on the lower tip of the Baja, California Peninsula in Cabo San Lucas, an important tourism destination. There is still a bit of wind, but the conditions are rapidly improving. In fact, the international airport here will be open for flights coming in and leaving. And it is expected that several people will be trying to get on those flights to head home.

Meanwhile, up in La Paz, the capital of the State of Baja, California Sur, a city of about 150,000 people which took the brunt of Hurricane John, civil defense authorities there are telling us that they have no reports of any major problems. They say so far no deaths nor injuries have been reported. They do say some roads have been washed out, but that they are not cut off from the rest of the Peninsula.

They say they have road crews out working to clear those roads and they say that they will continue in maintaining a state of alertness for the next few hours. They say the rains will continue there and that there could be more mudslides.

But in general, the authorities are feeling confident that they were able to brave this storm without any major problems.

Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

LIN: Now, the search for fugitive Ralph Phillips.

Are his friends and neighbors helping him hide?

I'm going to talk with a New York state trooper straight ahead.

And some people are losing patience with Katrina refugees.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WOODARD: A lot of the evacuees are good hearted people, hard working citizens. But that's a small percent that is just -- they don't have any respect for anybody. (END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: But, boy, you should have seen this town hall meeting and what happened there. We're in Houston for that report.

And we've all watched the Tom Cruise/Brooke Shields saga and now he has apologized. We're going to hear all about it from Brooke Shields.

Be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: New York police warn that a fugitive suspected of shooting two state troopers is a threat to everyone. A manhunt is underway in western New York for Ralph "Bucky" Phillips, who escaped from prison back in April.

Well, the search intensified Thursday. That's after the two troopers were ambushed by a sniper outside the home of Phillips' former girlfriend. They remain in critical condition.

Now, people in the area have mixed reactions to the manhunt.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bucky is not a bad guy and they're -- I don't understand why they're going after him like -- why aren't they going after like bad people? He's not a bad person.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For someone that has been hunted these many months with this amount of manpower, to purposefully antagonize an individual by stripping away family members -- what did they expect the response would be, you know? Is he just going to walk out and surrender and say well, here I am?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: She's talking about how authorities seized his grandkids and also his daughter.

I'm going to be asking a state trooper about that in just a moment.

But we also want to let you know that Phillips' sister says that she is afraid he'll be killed if he doesn't turn himself in to police.

More on this story now from the New York State Police.

Spokeswoman Rebecca Gibbons is on the telephone with us from Fredonia, New York.

Officer Gibbons, good to have you.

REBECCA GIBBONS, NEW YORK STATE TROOPER: Good afternoon.

How are you?

LIN: All right. Let me -- I'm doing just fine, thank you.

Let me ask you your reaction to that woman up there in western New York. Apparently state authorities did seize his grandkids and arrested his daughter and that there's some form of, frankly, backlash by the townspeople that you're even hunting this man.

But he is armed and dangerous.

GIBBONS: Absolutely.

Ralph Phillips is wanted for the shooting of a New York state trooper on June 10th in Chemung County, New York.

Since then, state police have been investigating and searching for Ralph Phillips. Once again, on this past Thursday, we had two more shootings. Two more of our troopers were shot and now they're in the hospital in critical and very serious condition.

LIN: What makes you think that he did it?

GIBBONS: At this point, he is our prime suspect. We are -- once again, have been concluded, but he is our number one suspect. They were ambushed from behind and shot. He is armed and dangerous.

LIN: So why...

GIBBONS: Then...

LIN: Why do you think, Officer Gibbons, that he didn't leave the area?

GIBBONS: Because he's getting help, that's why. He's familiar with this area. He's familiar. He was born and raised in Chautauqua County. His friends and family are in this area. And he continued to -- continues to receive help from a small, small portion of the community.

LIN: Well, he's like a folk hero now to some of these people. I mean some of the restaurants had, what, Bucky burgers, right, and t- shirts saying "Got Bucky?"

I mean this has become kind of a joke to people.

Why do you think that is?

GIBBONS: Well, you know, if you're in this community, you realize that it's not a joke. The majority of the people in this community have come up and said we want this man arrested, brought into custody. They fear for their lives. They fear for the family. And it's a very small, small amount of people, vocal people, that feel he's not a danger. And those primarily are friends and family or criminals.

LIN: All right, so now the reward has been upped to now, what, $250,000 since the shooting of the two troopers? Any reaction? Any tips coming from that?

GIBBONS: Actually, the reward is now $225,000.

I guess you...

LIN: $225,000. I didn't mean to get ahead of myself there.

GIBBONS: We continue to receive leads and we are urging the community. If not, if you don't feel the ethical obligation to bring information regarding Ralph Phillips to us, possibly this reward money may entice someone to. We know people out there have information. There are some people out there that have his whereabouts, know his whereabouts.

If they're concerned for Ralph Phillips' safety, what they can do is come forward and he can come in safely and peacefully. There's nothing more than what the state police want than to bring this man in safely.

LIN: Rebecca Gibbons, New York State Police.

Let's hope it doesn't end violently and that you bring this man in safely.

GIBBONS: Thank you.

LIN: Appreciate the time.

Now, we're going to move on from the fallout from Katrina right next, but not in New Orleans.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want the New Orleans residents to go home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Boy, that's pretty harsh.

But why does Houston want to get rid of Katrina evacuees?

Well, you're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

We're going to have the answer.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Well, there was a raucous Houston town hall meeting where residents outright demanded that Katrina evacuees go home. They're blaming them for bringing more crime and misery into their city. So we asked Gulf Coast correspondent Sean Callebs to investigate, because a year ago, there was so much goodwill.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Houston was there when New Orleans was hurting. Among volunteers helping Katrina victims at the cavernous Astrodome, Crystal Woodard. But she says in the past year, a spike in violent crime, widely blamed on evacuees here, is souring Houston's goodwill.

WOODARD: Even though we have extended a helping hand we're getting bit, you know? They're not giving a damn what we think or how we feel.

CALLEBS: A simmering frustration over crime and the strain on public services is boiling over.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want the New Orleans residents to go home.

CALLEBS: At the same public hearing, Houston's mayor was just as blunt.

MAYOR BILL WHITE (D), HOUSTON: It did not help that some small minority amount of citizens from another major urban area that had been in a community which apparently tolerated a great degree of lawlessness.

CALLEBS: New Orleans' own mayor empathizes with Houston.

MAYOR RAY NAGIN (D), NEW ORLEANS: The Texas court system seems to be much tougher than the system that a lot of our residents left.

CALLEBS (on camera): Houston police say that burglaries, armed robberies and assaults are up significantly over the past year. And they say during that same time period, the murder rate has shot up nearly 25 percent.

(voice-over) Last month, a 64-year-old man was killed at dawn at this car wash. Three Katrina evacuees have been charged in the crime.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police! Put your hands up!

CALLEBS: Police say Katrina evacuees have been charged or victims in at least 59 out of 262 killings this year, even though Katrina evacuees are less than 7 percent of Houston's population.

Patrolman Sam De La Cruz works Houston's West Side, home to most of Katrina's evacuees.

SAM DELACRUZ, HOUSTON POLICE: The normal criminals that we had on the street, they don't hang out anymore because they're so afraid of the Louisiana criminals now.

CALLEBS: Houston's mayor wants to help evacuees who abide by the law. But...

WHITE: We will use all of our law enforcement resources that we can to make sure that people who break the law and prey on others find Houston an unwelcome place. WOODARD: A lot of the evacuees are good hearted people, hard working citizens. But that small percent that is just -- they don't have any respect for anybody.

CALLEBS: And to those people, Houston says, you've worn out your welcome.

Sean Callebs, CNN, Houston.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LIN: That story first aired on CNN's "ANDERSON COOPER 360." You can watch Anderson's show weeknights at 10:00 p.m. 7:00 Pacific.

Now, when we come back, the headlines.

And we're going to check in with Bonnie Schneider at the CNN Weather Center.

Plus, this is one grandmother who refuses to be a victim. She was attacked by a mugger but responded with courage and compassion. Her story a little later in the program.

You're watching CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Here's what's happening right now in the news. Al Qaeda lieutenant Ayman al Zawahiri wants you to join Islam. He had an American recruit deliver the message. We're examining that new tape tonight. Now the tape comes on the heels of a coalition offensive in al Anbar Province, an al-Qaeda stronghold in western Iraq. CNN's Michael Ware is embedded with U.S. troops in Ramadi.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As U.S. troop numbers in Iraq reach new levels as the battle of Baghdad is waged, a massive operation to rid the city from insurgents, militias and death squads, it is here in western Ramadi where the al Qaeda front line still stands.

The daily drip feed of attacks and American casualties continues. The most recent from a suicide car bombing which took the life of a U.S. marine.

American commanders in Ramadi are trying to strike at the heart of al Qaeda's leadership and its bases. The plan involves the establishment of remote combat outposts such as this one in the city's south, where small numbers of American troops establish themselves deep in al Qaeda territory.

Michael Ware, CNN, Combat Outpost Grant, Ramadi, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE) LIN: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is in Iran. He wants the Iranians to stop supplying weapons to Hezbollah. His talks will also focus on Iran's nuclear intentions.

Now the Atlantis shuttle crew is back at Kennedy Space Center planning for a Wednesday afternoon liftoff now. Bad weather shelved two previous launches.

Hurricane John downgraded now to a tropical storm. So let's get the latest from CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider. Bonnie, any danger still there?

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Unfortunately, yes. Because even though this is a tropical storm, it is a strong tropical storm with maximum winds at 70 miles an hour.

Looking at it on our satellite perspective you can see the areas here in orange. This indicates the higher cloud tops where we're getting the thunderstorms working their way northward across the Baja Peninsula.

And you are probably wondering where is this storm going next? This tropical storm will work its way to the north. By Monday we're expecting it to push off into the Pacific and be downgraded even further and lose intensity and definitely just be an area of low pressure as it works its way farther off into the Pacific.

Now normally when we talk about storms in the Atlantic, we talk about them gaining strength when they go over the open waters of the Atlantic. But in the Pacific Ocean, it's completely different. Here is the reason why.

As we walk over here, I can show you water temperatures for the Gulf of California between the Baja Peninsula and Mexico and then off into the Pacific, notice here the areas in orange indicate where we have the warmer water temperatures, about 30 degrees Celsius or 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

And then once you start heading off into the Pacific, the water temperature gets much colder down to about 68 degrees. That's why we're looking at this system, Tropical Storm John dissipating very quickly as we work our way into Monday and Tuesday.

We're also checking very carefully the remnants of Ernesto because this storm is bringing a lot of rain as far north as Upstate New York into Syracuse and Buffalo getting rain there. And we're also looking at a lot of travel delays with lots of folks traveling for this Labor Day weekend.

Look at this. JFK now reporting, Carol, over three-hour delays. A lot of folks looking for a nice holiday weekend. Unfortunately they'll be stuck at the airport a little while longer.

LIN: That's a big delay.

SCHNEIDER: That's right. LIN: Even for New York. Thanks very much, Bonnie.

Other stories now making news across the world.

In Britain a retired senior judge is taking over the inquest into the death of Princess Diana. That's according to reports in the "London Times" and the BBC. The royal coroner who was conducting the inquest quit in July citing a heavy workload. Some claim Diana was deliberately killed in a 1997 car crash in Paris.

And new video of Fidel Castro. The latest tape on Cuban TV shows the Cuban leader visiting with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Castro appears thinner but more animated and stronger than he did in a tape three weeks ago. Castro underwent abdominal surgery back in July.

And a UN agency says opium cultivation in Afghanistan soared 59 percent this year. Most of that occurred in the southern provinces where Taliban militants have stepped up their attacks.

Topping the CNN security watch, British police net 14 terror suspects in a London sweep. They are suspected of recruiting and training others. Officials say these raids are unrelated to the recent transatlantic airplane terror arrests. But CNN's Robin Oakley has much more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Following months of surveillance, 16 men have been arrested by British police on suspicion of terrorist offenses. Fourteen were arrested in South London, a number at a halal Chinese restaurant. Residents said as many as 40 police were involved, some of them armed.

ROSS CLARK, RESIDENT: The police officers in full raid gear with their head gear balaclavas, were running into the restaurant. And they were standing around some people, but I only saw them standing around one person, really. And the man left was a Muslim man with a beard and everything.

OAKLEY: The owner said some of those taken away were regular customers.

MEHDI BELYANI, RESTAURANT OWNER: They just told me, sorry to this. We have to talk to some of them. But they stopped everyone from eating.

OAKLEY: Police say the latest arrests are in connection with the recruitment and training of terrorists. They said there was no link with the alleged plot in August to blow up airliners en route from Britain to the United States or the London subway bombings in July 2005.

In an unrelated raid, police arrested two men in Manchester in northern England after three houses were searched. A number of vehicles were taken away for examination. Again, police said there was no link to the August airliner plot.

Peter Clarke, Scotland Yard's anti-terror chief, continues to urge the British public to remain on guard against the threat of homegrown terrorism.

PETER CLARKE, DEPT. ASSISTANT COMMISSION: The threat from terrorism is real. It is here. It is deadly. And it is enduring.

OAKLEY: Now Mr. Clarke has revealed in a BBC interview to be aired Sunday that thousands of Muslims in Britain are watched as potential terrorist sympathizers, not necessarily involved directly in plots but as people who might support or encourage acts of terrorism.

With the focus very much on terrorist training, police confirmed Saturday they were searching a school in East Sussex. The Jameah Islamiyah Secondary School near Townbridge, Wales.

But Sussex police said nobody had been taken into custody.

(on camera): While the latest arrests seem to involve the more general background of possible preparation for terrorist acts rather than any relation to specific plots, they will further heighten public alarm. And the comments from Peter Clarke that literally thousands of Muslims are being watched as possible terrorist sympathizers will do nothing to help community relations.

Robin Oakley, CNN London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. So stay tuned to CNN for the latest information day and night.

Now there's an update out of Iraq. There was a brutal sectarian attack in Iraq and insurgents shot and killed at least 14 Shiite pilgrims from India and Pakistan. Police say the pilgrims were headed to the holy city of Karbala when their bus was ambushed.

And also in Iraq today coalition forces transferred control of the notorious Abu Ghraib prison to Iraqis. The Iraqis have actually taken control of an empty building. All the detainees have already been moved to other facilities.

You know, there was so much more violence today that underscored a report that came out that showed that Americans' support for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq is beginning to wane. And so what did the Pentagon do? The military apparently hired a P.R. firm. That's Jamie McIntyre's story.

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JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Things in Iraq have been getting worse in the past three months. And the report to Congress shows just how much worse. Attacks have gone up 15 percent over the summer and Iraqi casualties up an alarming 51 percent compared to the spring.

The report says civilian casualties increased by about 1,000 per month over the three-month period. Since 90 percent of the bodies brought to the central morgue in Baghdad appear to have been executed in Iraqi on Iraqi attack which the U.S. still insists doesn't constitute a civil war. It's an assessment echoed by commanders on the front lines.

COL. TOM VAIL, CMDR., 101ST AIRBORNE DIV.: I've got an optimistic view that civil war would not occur, but I can't predict the future. My optimism comes from the amount of forces and the amount of capability available in Baghdad right now as we intervene and we protect the people.

MCINTYRE: "Still, the report warns conditions that could lead to civil war exist in Iraq." But argues "the current violence is in the a civil war and movement toward civil war can be prevented."

The report to Congress does cite progress in building up Iraqi forces as well as turning over one southern province to Iraqi control.

But the report's grim news gave more ammunition to administration critics. Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid fired off a statement saying the report shows "President Bush, Vice President Cheney and Secretary Rumsfeld's speeches are increasingly disconnected from the facts in the ground in Iraq."

Rumsfeld fired off some missives himself, both to Senator Reid and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. Defending his speech this week to the American Legion in which he warned of latter day appeasers who want to make a separate peace with terrorists.

DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Can we really truly afford to believe that somehow, some way, vicious extremists can be appeased?

MCINTYRE: In his letters Rumsfeld said, "Thought and careful preparation went into what I said. It is absolutely essential for us to look at the lessons of history in this critical moment in the war on terror."

(on camera): Whether the violence is the result of a civil war, sectarian fighting or criminal death squads, the report makes clear it is getting worse, not better. And it calls it a setback affecting the stability, reconstruction and transition plans for the country. Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: On a completely different subject, these women are absolutely tired of living in poverty. And they took matters into their own hands. We've got their story straight ahead.

And this woman, this granny, yep, her, she tracked down her would-be purse snatcher and let him have it. You're watching CNN LIVE SATURDAY. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: This just in to the CNN Center. We've learned that Nellie Connally, the last remaining survivor in the car when President Kennedy was killed in Dallas that fateful day, that when he was assassinated. She has died, according to a family friend.

We're quoting Julian Reed (ph) here who was Nellie Connally's husband - John Connally, who was the governor at the time, his press secretary. She apparently died in her sleep. And that it was a complete and total surprise, that she had been incredibly active and vital the past few days and weeks. So Nellie Connally, the wife of former Governor John Connally who was in the car when President Kennedy was assassinated, she's died at the age of 87.

All right, moving on now to Hurricane John. It lost most of its punch. John was recently downgraded to a Tropical Storm in fact just a few hours ago. It struck Mexico's Baja California Peninsula last night. The storm caused a lot of flooding and knocked out electrical power. And many residents sought shelter in local schools.

We're going to stay in Mexico for just a moment to show a new approach to beating poverty. In the country's south, low income families are taking it upon themselves to escape the poverty trap. CNN's Karl Penhaul has the story.

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KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's not a typical bankers' board meeting. But women's savings groups like these are springing up all over southern Mexico. They save as little as a dollar a week and can in return take out small loans for anything from medicine to starting up a small business. For many, this spells a newfound financial freedom.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Before if you had rope to the throat (ph then you had to sell something even at a bad price. But now things are different.

PENHAUL: Bartola Mendez he and nine of her neighbors have set up one of these savings groups. And now, with the help of state aid, they're farming fish for sale to the public.

BARTOLA MENDEZ, TABASCO STATE, MEXICO (through translator): Before we didn't have income. And maybe now we don't have a lot, but we have something at least.

PENHAUL: Mexico's Tabasco State government dug the fish pond and stocked it with tiny tilapia fish. Now she and her partners tend the pool and sell the fish once they're fat enough. They've learned the discipline reinvest some of the profits in order to expand their business. Mendez believes this is a woman's work.

MENDEZ (through translator): Women are more responsible than men or we know how to manage money better. PENHAUL: At $150 a pound, she figures she'll make $190 clear profit once earnings are split with fellow savers. A short drive away, Maria del Carmen Sanchez (ph) heads a similar savings group. The women have been saving from 20 cents to a few dollars a week from selling pigs. Three years and $1800 later, the group bought these sewing machines so they can stitch bed sheets and children's school uniforms.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): When we started, it was quite a big sacrifice. It is not easy to organize this.

PENHAUL: Sanchez knows a thing or two about sacrifice. Her husband is a street merchant and earns less than $8 a day. That's less than 80 cents a day to feed and clothe each of her 10 children. In an effort to boost their future income, Sanchez and 25 members of her club have each received a $600 loan underwritten by the government.

Sanchez walks me through the workshop they're building with their pooled resources and shows where she plans to put her sewing machines. She tells me even though clothing sales are sluggish, she and her neighbors vow not to give in to poverty.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): I cannot accept defeat because I know we can achieve this.

PENAHUL: Back at the board meeting, that kind of optimism is contagious. Of course the money matters, but poverty is teaching these women that working together and pooling what little they have matters more.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Well, you've just seen one example of people trying to solve their own poverty problems. Tonight, listen to a conversation on the poverty trap between President Bill Clinton and our Dr. Sanjay Gupta. That's tonight at 8:00 Eastern.

Tom Cruise apologizes to Brooke Shields for slamming her on depression drugs. So is their war of words over? You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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LIN: Well, a year-old feud between two big stars is over. Brooke Shields says Tom Cruise has apologized for criticizing her use of antidepressants. She took the drugs to fight postpartum depression after the birth of her first child. Now, Cruise criticized her on the "Today" show last year saying that depression should be treated with exercise and vitamins rather than drug. Then last night on "The Tonight Show" Shields says Cruise came to her house Thursday extremely contrite.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BROOKE SHIELDS, ACTRESS: He apologized for bringing me into the whole thing and for everything that happened. And through it all, I was so impressed with how heartfelt it was.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Wow, what's the background on that? We're going to try to find out.

In the meantime a feisty Utah granny gives us a lesson in courage and compassion. Keith McCord of affiliate KSL introduces us to Betty Horton.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KEITH MCCORD, KSL TV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Whatever you do, do not make Betty Horton mad ever.

BETTY HORTON, FOILED ROBBERY: Ask my boss. I got a hot temper, but you know what? I get over it fast.

MCCORD: And by all means, don't steal her purse. On Wednesday afternoon, she was putting groceries into her car, when a guy about 5'10" in his late 30s grabbed her purse and started running.

HORTON: I shut this like this, grabbed my keys, had my keys in my hands and I come around here and he was heading down that way. That guy, he's got my purse! Hey, somebody help me, help me! This guy, he's going over there now, call the police!

MCCORD: We asked Betty to explain step by step as to what happened that day. We told her she didn't have to actually run, but that didn't stop her.

You're full out, right?

HORTON: You bet you. I was huffing and puffing by the time I got around the corner, but I didn't care.

MCCORD: She opened the front door to this small store and asked if anybody had seen the man. Nobody had, so Betty kept running. Then she saw an open gate down this alley.

HORTON: I was hoping maybe he came back this way to hide.

MCCORD: A couple of kids over the fence motioned that the man was hiding around the corner of the building.

HORTON: He was right back there and I said I said why did you do it, why did you do it, why did you do it? The man didn't answer until Betty demanded that he put the purse down. If you don't and I get hold of it and there's a gun in there, darn, I'm going to take your ear off or I'm going to take your toe, because you're not taking my purse away from me.

MCCORD: The man handed over her purse and the $3 that was in it. The man apologized and said he was having a tough time right now. Betty gave him the three bucks along with one last piece of advice.

HORTON: I said, OK, get the hell out of here because cops are going to be here any minute.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: You go, Betty. Next, a major free speech debate over a new film called "Death of a President." The mock documentary depicts the assassination of President Bush. Have producers gone too far or do they an artistic license to kill? That's ahead on CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

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