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Enormous Power of China's Violent Earthquake Caught on Tape; Controversy in Maryland; Cuba Finally Finds a Piece of the 21st Century; Wildfires Chased Hundreds from their Homes
Aired May 13, 2008 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's an old video from O'Reilly's days in "Inside Edition."
BILL O'REILLY: Do it live. I can (INAUDIBLE) write it and we'll do it live.
MOOS: We'll move on to the Moveon.org folks who announced the winners of their "Obama in 30 Seconds" competition.
(On camera): The winner for funniest ad goes to one entitled "It Could Happen to You."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I never thought it could happen to me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been living with it for a while now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I got it from her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I mean this could happen to anybody.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Anybody.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have hope.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hope.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is your brain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this is your brain on hope.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MOOS (voice over): Here's hoping I never get caught on tape the way Bill O'Reilly did.
O'REILLY: This (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Can you do the Bill O'Reilly thing?
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes, but I would never do it on camera. And you?
ROBERTS: Let's do it live. I would do it at home.
PHILLIPS: Oh, yes, if people only knew.
Thanks for joining us on AMERICAN MORNING this morning.
ROBERTS: CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris and Betty Nguyen begins right now.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone, you are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: You will see events come into the CNN NEWSROOM live on this Tuesday, May 13th.
Here's what's on the rundown.
NGUYEN: Thousands of people buried under tons of concrete and steel. Disaster workers finally reach the epicenter of China's mighty earthquake.
HARRIS: Dangerous day. Winds whipping a Florida wildfire. Dozens of homes burn on the central Atlantic Coast.
NGUYEN: Hillary Clinton appears headed for a lopsided primary win today. West Virginia's turn in the NEWSROOM.
The China earthquake, the numbers, they are staggering. The scale of the destruction still coming to light. Here's what we know right now. The death toll continues to jump at this hour. It hovers around 12,000 according to China's official news agency. And by all accounts, it is certain to climb.
At least 50 bodies have been pulled from the rubble of a middle school. More than 800 other students are believed buried, thousands of people missing and apparently trapped in the ruins of hopes, schools and even businesses.
Also massive relief efforts are under way. Tens of thousands of troops have fanned out across central China near the epicenter. China says it welcomes international aid, but international relief workers will not be immediately allowed into the remote areas at the hardest hit.
So take a look at this new video that's coming in to CNN. You're looking at the earthquake as it struck...
HARRIS: Wow.
NGUYEN: ... in Chengdu, China. This is at an airport there. Again, we have learned that this quake is not just a 7.8 magnitude but had been bummed up to 7.9 according to our international desk here. And a lot of damage to talk about. But these are folks at the airport in this new video coming into CNN just standing around trying to figure out what just happened and where do we go next.
Of course, aftershocks are a big concern as well. And we have a live report from China, that is straight ahead.
HARRIS: And happening this hour. Florida firefighters stretched to the limit. Eighty-two wildfires burning in that state right now, 1600 acres already scorched. The biggest of those wildfires is in Palm Bay. That's just southeast of Orlando.
We're going to speak with the mayor of that community in just a moment.
Investigators say the Palm Bay fire may have been set. Here's what we can tell you about the situation there. So far, the fire has scorched 3500 acres. That's about if 5 and 1/2 square miles. Crews estimate 78 homes have been damaged, three firefighters injured.
Why don't we do this? Let's get you to the scene right now. Our Rob Marciano is in Palm Bay.
And Rob, I just went through a lot of numbers there. Translate that for us into what it means to be there on the ground and what people there are going through.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, this fire among many across the state, 82 currently burning, in 14 different counties, very sporadic type of burning. And that's been the biggest challenge, Tony, in trying to fight this fire. It's not like it's a fire lined out in a forested area where they dig a line around the fire and get it contained.
It has been jumping. It has been sparking in other different neighborhoods. It's been sparking some homes leaving others headline. It's been very random that way. We're in a scorched out neighborhood right here. You can still -- I can still feel and you can see -- still see that smoldering log right there.
Behind me is a home that's untouched. So that's what you see. Certainly structural protection, that's the main mode that these firefighters are in. Here's a telephone and power pole that because of the fire is tipped over now. So no power or telephone service there, and still smoldering.
A lot of palmetto here in this part of Florida. It's pretty combustible type of fuel. You've got your long needled pines as well. So this is all part of something that can go up very quickly and that's exactly what we've seen here.
But what -- from what we can see the fire department here has been done a remarkable job. They are struggling, though. They have told me this morning that it is not really contained at all. It is still somewhat out of control and they're still trying to battle these flames from whatever means they can. A local fire department has come in from all across the state, from Jacksonville to Tampa, down from Miami as well. The division of forestry has gotten some air assets up into the air. Some helicopters dropping water. But for most part it's been a hand-on-hand type of battle here. And they're not winning it at the moment.
The weather is going to improve somewhat as far as the winds go. But it's still a very warm today and winds will get a little bit gusty before things get better. And the rainy season does not start for the next couple of weeks. So no real rain in sight.
HARRIS: Yes. Sounds like it.
Rob, let's sort of -- for folks who are watching -- sort of understand what the firefighters are attempting to do there. They're trying to establish these fire breaks. And maybe you can explain what those are. Clearly that's the area of the active fire, put a break there between the new area that can burn.
It sounds like they are having little success in establishing those fire breaks and getting them to hold.
MARCIANO: They have been. And you know, when you're talking about a residential area, it's not like you can plow a break right through a home. So you...
HARRIS: Yes. Yes.
MARCIANO: You've got to -- you know, fire trucks are constantly running around just trying to put out these little spot fires in homes that's flare up from the sparks that jump from one piece of property to another. And in some cases they can jump up to a quarter mile.
HARRIS: Yes.
MARCIANO: So that's been the ongoing struggle with this fire.
HARRIS: OK. Rob Marciano for us this morning. Rob, appreciate it. Thank you.
NGUYEN: Well, let's get more on this because Palm Bay's mayor says he is running out of resources to fight this wildfire. He's on the phone with me now, Mayor John Mazziotti.
John, as we just heard from Rob Marciano there, 82 wildfires burning. Some 16,000 acres scorched so far. How much has burned in your city?
MAYOR JOHN MAZZIOTTI, PALM BAY, FLORIDA: Approximately 3500 acres have burned.
NGUYEN: And you're running out of resources. What are you doing to try to fight this fire?
MAZZIOTTI: Well, we got a little break this morning actually. Winds have slowed down. The air last night was a little bit moist. And I understand that the winds are going to be coming from the east to the west, which is opposite of last night. If that takes place, that will be a big help to us because it will blow it back over the burnt areas.
So -- we also have all those fire departments now that were coming in last night. They are all standing by, so should we need them, we can get them right on the site immediately.
NGUYEN: Have any homes burned in your city?
MAZZIOTTI: We've lost somewhere between -- either lost or damaged between 50 and 75 homes.
NGUYEN: My goodness. And what about evacuations at this point? Are they still voluntary or are you ordering mandatory?
MAZZIOTTI: No. We've done voluntary evacuations. And people have been excellent. You know, we're just trying to keep them out of the area as of last night. For those that want to go back down in some of the areas, we're allowing that to happen. Maybe require some I.D., (INAUDIBLE) picture I.D. and so fort.
But we encourage the people to stay away. Right now, we've got inspectors out there, we've got fire inspector, building inspectors, code enforcement. They are doing appraisal of the area right now.
NGUYEN: I know when we watch wildfires burn, and especially homeowners do all they can to save it, you'll see them out there with their water hoses really manning their property because there's simply not enough people on the ground to try to fight this. Are you seeing that in your community?
MAZZIOTTI: Yes. One of the problems that we have in this community, there's a lot of areas where we don't have the water running. So that means we have no fire hydrants. So we have to keeping running the pumper trucks and the water trucks back and forth all day long.
NGUYEN: You don't have the water running why?
MAZZIOTTI: We don't have water lines in a lot of the areas where these fires are at.
NGUYEN: OK. I hear you.
MAZZIOTTI: Looks like they're all well and septics. As far as the trucks are concerned, we're able to keep running the water there. But when these fires take off and you get the wind blowing, these flames are blowing 300, 500 feet in the air. So you can have another spot right next door but, you know, pretty far away, and then you've got to rush a crew over there and try and put it out. So...
NGUYEN: Well -- I was going to say not only is Palm Bay burning, but also didn't this fire get really close to your house as well?
MAZZIOTTI: Yes, it got within about three blocks of my house. I had my wife move out, she moved in with my daughter there last night. The home was safe, obviously, fire didn't get there. And she's back at the house now. But it's just one of those things, you know -- and like I tell people, if you see the smoke and it's coming your way, you may want to evacuate.
And a lot of people did. (INAUDIBLE) right now. For example, people from Palm Bay are bringing in all kinds of food, clothing, sleeping stuff, I mean, the community has really come together.
NGUYEN: I just want to get one last thing from you. Your reaction to the fact that this may have been started by an arsonist.
MAZZIOTTI: Yes. In fact, it may have been a couple of them started. And we don't know if it was by one person or a group of people. But what we're doing, it's under investigation. The fire chief has a few facts he put together. He is working with the police chief on that. And then they are going to narrow it down pretty good.
And, you know, I would encourage everybody that's out in the community, if they see something suspicious, they need to call immediately and let us know, because the last thing we want to do is get them looting and stuff out there.
NGUYEN: Yes, that's a good point. And at this point we understand that a $10,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for these wildfires has been put -- has been put out there. What were you going to say?
MAZZIOTTI: That started at $1,000 and within an hour, it was up to $10,000. So, the state declared an emergency. The county declared emergency and Palm Bay declared emergency. So we are under a temporary emergency orders right now.
NGUYEN: Well, John Mazziotti, the mayor of Palm Bay, Florida, much of your city is on fire at this hour. You're doing your best to fight it and we do appreciate your time. Best of luck to you. I know you got a lot on your hands today. Thank you.
MAZZIOTTI: Thank you.
HARRIS: Want to take you back to the pictures that we showed you at the top of the newscast this hour. These dramatic pictures out of Chengdu, this is the airport there. This as the earthquake -- 7.9 in magnitude -- just rocked the city. You can take a look at obviously the fear and concern on people's faces. And this is violent shaking at this point.
This again is the airport in Chengdu and the scene as the quake was happening and folks trying to find a level place to get to, the tarmac of the airport makes some sense. And you can see some of the damage and some of the things being knocked over and some of the holes in the walls. Just dramatic pictures of this earthquake as it was happening, this in Chengdu.
CNN crews are bringing you all the latest on this unfolding disaster. John Vause is in Guixi Township. That's about 20 miles from the epicenter. He is one of the few journalists in the area and the only U.S.-based correspondent.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): As we slowly made our way towards the epicenter of the earthquake, the scale of the damage is just staggering. What we have seen the hundreds of kilometers are houses and buildings, which have not just collapsed like these ones over here, but they appear to have been smashed into pieces.
And everywhere here on this mountain road, there is human misery. There are wounded who are coming down from the sides of the mountains like this man, just over here, hobbling with a stick as he makes his way down from the hills in search of help.
Over here on the side of the road, hundreds have gathered beneath the tarpaulin to try and take shelter from the slow, steady drizzle which is making conditions here downright miserable.
These people have told us they don't have food, they don't have medical attention. They need help. We've also seen on our journey up here, a woman being dragged along in a makeshift stretcher. We saw one man just simply left wounded by the side of the road. People have been asking us for food to take their wounded to hospital.
Right now there is a major rescue operation 36 kilometers ahead on this road. That is Wenchuan County where as many as 7,000 people are believed to have been killed in the earthquake. We understand that is the focus of the rescue operation in this particular part of Sichuan province.
But for these people here who are dazed and confused and seem to be growing increasingly desperate, there's an urgent need for help.
John Vause, CNN, Sichuan province, China.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: A look at the moment the deadly Chinese earthquake hit from an American student studying abroad.
Earthquake iReports in the NEWSROOM.
NGUYEN: Back here in the U.S., we have some video just in to CNN that we want to show you. It's dealing with a parking deck collapse. Look at that. You see it on the left-hand side of your screen. And you can also see in this live picture some emergency crews that were on the scene.
Now we've gone to some video. Don't know exactly what caused this collapse, but as you can tell there are no cars involved in this particular area. I can't really see underneath in that deck. But we are being told by our local affiliate there, WCNC, that there are no injuries.
Again, this is in Charlotte, North Carolina where a parking deck has collapsed. And we're bringing this video to you straight from CNN and our affiliate from that area. So we'll keep tabs on exactly what happened and if any other injuries are reported. But at this point, we understand no one has been hurt in this parking deck collapse.
HARRIS: What do you say we get a check of weather conditions now?
There she is, that is Jacqui Jeras in for Rob Marciano, who is in Florida now covering the wildfires for us.
In the Severe Weather Center, Jacqui, good morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Boy, OK. Jacqui, appreciate it. Thank you.
And of course, when weather becomes the news, you really do a great job of helping us tell the story with your iReports. Again just go to CNN.com, click on iReport, or you can type iReport@CNN.com into your cell phone. Another reminder to always be safe.
NGUYEN: Let's talk politics because West Virginians are taking their turn at the polls right now. Hillary Clinton hoping those voters will help a candidacy on the ropes.
Our Sean Callebs is in Kanawha City, West Virginia.
So, Sean, the big day is here. What issues are voters worried about?
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think chiefly the issues we've heard from voters across the country -- health care coverage, retiree benefits, but overall the economy. I think if you talk to people here, the economy is the chief, overriding issue.
If you look at the demographics of the state, it is a state where the population is getting older. It is working class. Demographic that plays right into the hands of Hillary Clinton. And as you may expect, she is expected to do very well here today. They expected a cruise to an easy victory.
But she is imploring West Virginians to go to the polls in big numbers today in an effort to keep her campaign going.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Thank you, West Virginia. Thank you. Thank you. Love you back.
CALLEBS (voice over): It came as no surprise, but taking over the lead in the battle for superdelegates added a little more swagger to Barack Obama's campaign. And it happened as Hillary Clinton continues to enthuse crowds trying to get a maximum turnout in West Virginia.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's a big day for West Virginia and it's a big day for America. CALLEBS: The last time West Virginia had such an impact on the nation's political landscape was nearly 50 years ago when JFK was running for president.
Senator Clinton is currently far ahead of Obama in the polls here.
UNIDENTIFIED WEST VIRGINIA VOTER: I'm supporting her because she wants to cut some gasoline taxes. I'm supporting her because of her stand on people losing their homes, trying to do something in that arena. I'm for her running more jobs.
CALLEBS: The economy is the overriding issue in this state. But health care, benefits for retirees, education and the ongoing war also rate pretty highly on voters' minds.
RED DAWSON, WEST VIRGINIA VOTER: It's a scary issue, especially at some of our ages, you know? We're going to be affected by it. I'm supposed to get Social Security in October. I still want it.
CALLEBS: One more twist. The Republican Party in West Virginia says some party members are switching to independent or Democrat just to vote against Senator Clinton.
MELODY POTTER, WEST VIRGINIA GOP: I think it's a strategy to maybe knock another candidate out of the nomination. People do things for various reasons.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS: Barack Obama did very little campaigning in West Virginia. Yesterday he gave a speech to veterans wearing an American flag on his lapel and a speech really steeped in patriotic message. But if you look at the spending overall here in the state he outspent Hillary Clinton about two to one.
But in many ways Barack Obama is looking way beyond West Virginia and now looking at states that are going to be very crucial come the fall in the general election -- Betty?
NGUYEN: Sean, let me ask you this. While there is a lead there for Clinton when it comes to polling for this primary, are folks in West Virginia worried that even if they show up for Clinton, it may not be enough to keep her in the race?
CALLEBS: You know, we've talked at length to voters about that. And almost -- to a person they say, you know what? We want our vote to count, we are not concerned about what's going to happen with superdelegate. We're not concerned about what's going to happen in Kentucky with the next election's coming up.
We're focusing on what's going on here. It's the first time in a long time the state has had a chance to really impact the political landscape in the United States. And so they're taking it seriously and they're having a big turnout. Seventy-six thousand people voted early and that is a record. So, yes, I think people are expecting a big turnout. Where we are in front of this voting precinct, it's been steady traffic since the polls opened at 6:30 Eastern this morning.
NGUYEN: And we have seen record turnout in so many states all right -- all ready. OK. Thank you, Sean, we do appreciate it.
Well, you know, they do consider themselves Clinton women. But who can they identify with if their candidate is no longer around?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED CLINTON SUPPORTER: I'm really in a dilemma. I can't believe that I would vote Republican.
UNIDENTIFIED CLINTON SUPPORTER: I would either probably not vote or vote for McCain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Possibly tough choices come November. That's ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
HARRIS: But first Myanmar cyclone survivors have new dangers to contend with. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta will look at the looming health crisis.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Hello, everybody, on this Tuesday. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Betty Nguyen.
The flight attendant told them to get off a cell phone. But he refused.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I felt like it was life or death and still does and felt like he had to make that phone call.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At that particular moment was not the time to probably negotiate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: So was the $25,000 fine worth talking about? In the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Another aid delivery for Myanmar. Two more U.S. planes arriving there this morning. That makes three all together with Monday's aid flight.
Today's flights brought more water, blankets and mosquito netting. The aid was handed over to Myanmar's military for distribution to some of the two million cyclone survivors. The U.S. is offering more aid but hasn't gotten clearance for delivery. The U.N. says much more aid is needed but admits that Myanmar's military junta has been slow to react.
There are also allegations the government has been hoarding the aid in military warehouses and shipping old and rotten food to the survivors.
NGUYEN: Goodness.
Well, cyclone survivors in desperate need no doubt. Aid, as we have heard, is trickling in but so much more is need. It is a massive undertaking made even more difficult by Myanmar's military government.
Our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins me to talk about this.
Sanjay, as we hear this aid coming in the country, is it getting any better for the folks on the ground?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: You know, it's hard to say because there's so little reporting coming out of there. It just makes your stomach turn, doesn't it, Betty...
NGUYEN: It's frustrating.
GUPTA: ... when you hear that they may be hoarding some of that food and sending out rotten...
NGUYEN: Yes.
GUPTA: I mean, it's just -- it's unbelievable. But what we know now is the numbers have gone up even by Myanmar's government projection. 28,000 they're saying now have probably died as a result of this. The other estimates according to the U.N. are anywhere between 63,000 and 100,000...
NGUYEN: Right.
GUPTA: ... which is sort of mind-boggling. 2 million displaced people as well. You've seen these situations. You know these displaced people are sort of the real target now of all these relief efforts because they are at risk, they are at risk of being able of dying from things like dehydration, from starvation, from some of the basic necessities of life.
There is some aid getting in, as you mentioned, about 70,000 pounds of goods from the United States, about 34 tons as well from Doctors Without Borders, everything from mosquito nets to water, some of the things they need.
As you take a look at some of these pictures from World Vision, Betty -- we were on the phone with them this morning. They were describing these scenes where people literally were hanging from palm trees for hours on end during the cyclone which is why they have burns on their hands. And they're vicious burns. They're worried about people getting infections from those types of things and the trauma itself just from that cyclone in the first place. So this is going to go on for some time to come as you might imagine.
NGUYEN: Yes, and those medical needs are on top of the need for water and food and just the basic necessities. So when we watch and wait, it's been, what, 11 days now since it struck...
GUPTA: Yes.
NGUYEN: ... what kind of illnesses can set in? Are we talking about cholera, malaria, things like that?
GUPTA: It's possible. And you're exactly right in terms of the time sequence, because if you sort of look at the anatomy of outbreaks it's usually about 10 days or so after the disaster strikes.
Water's been standing for a while. They're starting to have people sort of huddled in masses. Those are the two ingredients often that could lead to outbreaks. Cholera is one from contaminated water. Malaria could be something else. Meningitis can spread through camps. These are all types of infection that can be very problematic.
The good news, Betty, if there is any good news in all of this, is that we've seen in time past that it probably is -- those outbreaks don't happen as frequently as we might guess that they would. I don't know if it's because people get antibiotics or if they get some sort of clean water or what.
But hopefully you won't have the sort of rampant outbreaks that people are so worried about. They call it sort of a second wave of deaths quite frankly.
NGUYEN: And I know that you and many other journalists have been trying to get inside the country...
GUPTA: Yes.
NGUYEN: ... to report on the situation there and also provide us with an idea of how bad it truly is. But there's been roadblock after roadblock.
GUPTA: It's so -- I mean...
NGUYEN: Yes.
GUPTA: It's probably one of the most frustrating things. You and I have been talking about this for, you know, 10 days now.
NGUYEN: Right.
GUPTA: And we put in there applications, we want -- want to be embedded with these relief organizations to be able to see and bring people around the world stories of what's happening there so they might actually get a sense of it. We're just not getting anywhere and even the relief efforts into Myanmar have been stalled. So it's so difficult, I think.
NGUYEN: It is frustrating. Today the U.S. was able to get (INAUDIBLE) two more planes...
GUPTA: Right.
NGUYEN: ... with aid in the country. But three total since this thing started.
GUPTA: We hear about situations, we have five doctors and thousands and thousands of people waiting. And there's just not enough there right now.
NGUYEN: Absolutely not. All right, Sanjay, we do appreciate it. Thank you.
GUPTA: Sure. Thank you, Betty.
NGUYEN: And we do know that you want to help as well. At CNN.com we have a special page on the devastation in Myanmar complete with links to aid agencies that are organizing help for that region. It's a chance for you to "Impact Your World."
HARRIS: Turning coal into gasoline. Could it loosen our dependency on foreign oil? Ali Velshi, New York City, "Minding Your Business."
Ali, good to see you. I'm wondering -- whoa, whoa, whoa. Is that a chunk of coal in your hand there?
ALI VELSHI, CNN SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: A lump of coal.
HARRIS: A lump...
VELSHI: (INAUDIBLE) This is my lump of coal.
HARRIS: There you go.
VELSHI: All right? I had to dig up my Christmas stocking to find this.
HARRIS: There you go.
VELSHI: So here's the thing. We have a lot of coal in the United States. Actually coal is pretty plentiful around the world. And there are a number of people who think that we should be using it to make gasoline. This technology exists.
HARRIS: It does? OK.
VELSHI: Yes, in South Africa. If you go to a gas station the chances are you're going to buy gasoline that's made from coal. Most of it is there. Very -- it's -- I mean it's obviously complicated. But I'll tell you how it works. You take your coal, you turn it into a sort of a waxy oil, it's like crude oil. It's just a waxy substance. And you refine that into gasoline. The end result is a gasoline that has -- burns very cleanly. It reduces our reliance on oil if we can get some of our gasoline from coal.
HARRIS: Gotcha.
VELSHI: It burns very clearly. But it does not clean to make coal into gasoline because that emits...
HARRIS: Oh yes.
VELSHI: ... Co2 and that's a bit of a problem.
The other thing, Tony, that you and I have spoken about many times is, it was a good idea to take, you know, corn and make it into ethanol, except that we saw what happened to the price of corn, right? Obviously we got lot of corn.
HARRIS: And the world food crisis, apparently, attached to it as well, yes.
VELSHI: Well, people say coal isn't a food. So you know, what's the danger here? The danger is more than half of our electricity in the United States is generated by plants that use coal to make that electricity. So if all of a sudden we created this unusual demand for coal, could that have an affect...
HARRIS: Wow.
VELSHI: ... on causing all of our prices to get higher?
So these are the issues that we face. But you know, we're here talking about alternatives, things that we can do in addition to just making gasoline out of crude oil.
HARRIS: Then have to consider the law of unintended consequences as well.
VELSHI: Exactly.
HARRIS: I'm curious, you mentioned a company in South Africa as doing this.
VELSHI: Yes.
HARRIS: Is there anyone doing this working with this kind of technology anywhere closer to home in this hemisphere perhaps?
VELSHI: Yes. There are people doing it. First of all, Sasol, the South African company, has been in the United States talking to different states saying...
HARRIS: OK.
VELSHI: ... they can do that. There are companies in the United States trying to do it. The air force has figured out that all of its planes can fly on jet fuel made from coals. So they've said if somebody wants to build a plant they will buy the product. So we're at that point. But again, the environmental concerns and all of those other concerns about the unintended consequences as you mention, this isn't something that is on the horizon immediately but it could be five years, seven years away.
HARRIS: It sounds like all ideas, all options are at least on the table.
VELSHI: Right, that is exactly how it should.
HARRIS: Yes. OK, Ali, appreciate it. Thank you. Ali Velshi in New York, "Minding Your Business." What do you say we got a quick market check here? The DOW about to open in -- the markets about to open in seconds. Opening bell. OK. There we go.
You know, the NASDAQ and S&P future markets indicating a pretty nice, positive open to the markets. It would be nice to continue to rally from yesterday. We had a nice day yesterday. The DOW closing at 12876. After picking up 130 points on the day, we are following the markets. The price of a barrel of oil, what's happening with gas prices as it relates to the price of a barrel of oil, that and more in the NEWSROOM throughout the morning.
And keep watching CNN, our money team -- was that for you, Betty?
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: That's all right. I'll take it. Our money team has you covered whether it's gas, jobs, housing, or savings. You want to take this part.
HARRIS: No.
NGUYEN: We can share.
HARRIS: Join us for a special report. It is called "ISSUE #1," the economy. Every weekday, at noon Eastern, right here on CNN. Thanks, Betty.
NGUYEN: Also, the race to save lives. Thousands of people trapped under the wreckage. China's mammoth quake in the NEWSROOM.
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NGUYEN: Florida firefighters, they are stretched to the limit. 82 wildfires burning in that state right now. 16,000 acres already scorched. The biggest of those wildfires is in Palm Bay. That's just southeast of Orlando. Investigators say the Palm Bay fire may have been set. We're talking an arsonist possibly.
Here's what we can tell you about the situation there. So far the fire has scorched 3500 acres, that's about five and a half square miles. Crews estimate 70 homes have been damaged and three firefighters are injured.
Let's get you now to the weather and whether we are going to see some rain to help those firefighters out. Jacqui Jeras joins us now. HARRIS: Wouldn't that be helpful, boy.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It would be lovely.
NGUYEN: It would be ideal, Jacqui.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: The China earthquake, the numbers are absolutely staggering. The scale of the destruction still coming to light. Here is what we know at least right now. The death toll continues to jump at this hour. More than 12,000 according to the China daily newspaper.
By all accounts it's certain to climb at least 50 bodies have pulled from the rubble of a middle school. More than 800 other students are believed buried. China officials news agency reports more than 18,000 people are trapped in just one city alone. But there is no way of knowing how many people are buried in the ruins of homes, schools and businesses.
Massive relief efforts are under way. Tens of thousands of troops are fanned out across Central China near the epicenter. China says it welcomes international aid but international relief workers will not be allowed into the hardest hit areas at least for now. CNN crews are bringing you all the latest on this unfolding story.
John Vause is near the epicenter and is the only U.S.-based correspondent there. We will hear from him shortly. But first let's go to China's capital and CNN Beijing bureau chief, Jamie FlorCruz.
And again these are pictures that we showed you at the top of the newscast from the Airport in Chengdu as the earthquake struck. Pictures as the earthquake was happening, shaking the structure, people running for some kind of safety, trying to figure out exactly what to do. People on the tarmac there just trying to find a flat surface away from buildings that might collapse. The scene outside of the airport as well. Again, pictures of the moment the earthquake struck and what people in Central China were trying to do to protect themselves. We will get back to Jamie FlorCruz in our Beijing Bureau in just a moment.
NGUYEN: In the meantime, though, we do want to give you some more images of that very moment that the deadly Chinese earthquake hit. Take a look at this. From an American studying abroad. Earthquake I-reports, they're coming up in the NEWSROOM.
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NGUYEN: The Pentagon says it is a dropping murder charges against a suspected terrorist held at Guantanamo Bay. Mohammed Al Khatani was called the would be 20th hijacker in the 9/11 attacks and he was one of six men facing murder charges before U.S. military tribunal for those attacks.
Military lawyers would not say why the charges were dropped, but * will remain in custody as an enemy combatant. And the military can re-file the charges. The Pentagon has decided to move forward with charges against the other five suspects including the alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
HARRIS: Controversy in Maryland. Today, Maryland is becoming the 13th state to begin taking DNA samples from people arrested for violent crimes. CNN's Kelli Arena reports.
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KELLI ARENA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Laura Neuman was violently raped at 18 but it took nearly 20 years to ID her attacker.
LAURA NEUMAN, DNA EXPANSION PROPONENT: I've heard actually comment that he might be one of the most prolific serial rapists in Maryland history.
ARENA: The man who raped her, Alfonso Hill, was arrested at least six times before and six times after attacking Neuman. But police never took a DNA sample until after he pled guilty to raping her.
He's also charged with raping six other women, which he denies. Many of those women would not have been raped and those rapes would not have occurred had he been caught sooner.
ARENA: Neuman helped convince Maryland to pass a law allowing police to take DNA from anyone arrested of a violent crime. Just like fingerprints, right? Not exactly.
CAROLINE FREDERICKSON, AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION: That is your genetic material that gives clues to your health, any type of genetic marker, you predisposition to disease, family history. What you look like potentially. All sorts of information is in there.
ARENA: The type of information some critics say could be seriously abused. And soon the government will start swabbing anyone picked up on federal charges, too. Officials insist that safeguards exist to protect the information.
KEVIN O'CONNOR, ASSOCIATE ATTORNEY GENERAL: Anybody who abuses this information or uses it is for non-law enforcement purposes such as to look at someone's family history of diabetes or whatever the disease might be can be prosecuted and will be prosecuted.
ARENA: But putting the genetic genie back in the bottle might not be so easy. Most states with new DNA laws require police to automatically destroy the DNA if suspects are found not guilty, but to get the feds to destroy your DNA you will have to make a specific request. Not a simple issue. But for Laura Neuman when you weigh the rights of the accused against stopping a serial rapist early, it is case closed. Kelli Arena, CNN, Annapolis, Maryland.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: The flight attendant told him to get off his cell phone. He refused.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He felt like it was life or death and still does and felt like he had to make that phone call.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At that particular moment was not the time to probably negotiate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The $25,000 fine, Betty, worth talking about in the NEWSROOM.
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NGUYEN: Well, the first rescue workers are now at the epicenter of the earthquake in China. At least 12,000 people killed there so far. Thousands more missing.
And Veronica De La Cruz joins us now with a look at the some of the shots that were snapped by our I-reporters. People on the ground watching this as it happen, Veronica.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN INTERNET CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you're right, Betty. You know, we really do count on our I-reporters to help us tell the story, to get this story right. And you know, we are really lucky to have people like Colin Jones on the ground. He's a student from Seattle studying abroad. He's been living in China for the past five years. He snapped this photo. Sent it our way. And take a look.
It really demonstrates the chaos that ensued after the quake struck. Colin said that he felt this massive wave of dizziness. Suddenly, he saw a mad dash of people running through the streets. He also sent us this next photo. He said some people were shirtless, some people were barefoot. They are running from buildings. And take a look, Betty. Here you see a woman who ran out of a hospital with an IV still attached to her arm.
NGUYEN: Man. You know, here's what's really interesting and honestly I don't blame them. People were so scared to go back inside buildings after that earthquake struck that a lot of them said forget about it, I'm sleeping outdoors.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, yes and we have a couple of photos that kind of shows exactly what was going on. The scene as darkness fell, people like you said scared to go back inside or Betty, who weren't even able to go back inside because of the damage to their homes, because of the damage to buildings. So this is what they did. They set up camp outdoors.
This is a photo from Peter Olsson. He said that his experience was frightening. He was separated from his daughter, Nadine (ph), for a couple of hours. And then another picture of another wide open space to sleep in. Colin Jones sending us this photo of residents in (INAUDIBLE) sleeping in a soccer field. He said that it was really humid. It's been really sticky out. And as you can see from this photo, people didn't really grab much. They basically found a spot in the grass, they spread out some newspaper and that is how a lot of people spent their night.
NGUYEN: Well, it's one thing to see these pictures but it's another to really see that the shaking and the rattling of these earthquake. And I know that we've got some video that shows some of that.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes. Some great video to show you from the moment that the quake struck. This is from Kent Campbell. He's a 22-year- old American college student studying in China. He's from the University of Nebraska. He said that this was video he shot. He was about 500 miles from the epicenter. So regardless of how far away he was, you can see how strong the quake was. The body of water there normally completely still just splashing around.
Something else I wanted to show you online, Betty. We're also seeing some groups bring up on a Facebook. Facebook.com, a popular social networking site. This one just started. It now has 123 members. And a couple of comments I wanted to share with you. This is from a girl in Turkey, she writes --
"I would like you to know that my family and I, who currently live in Ankara, deeply share all your sorrow. We live with the same fear in Turkey. A few months ago we experienced an earthquake with the magnitude of 5.7. May the force and luck be with you."
And here's another comment I came across. This is from a girl living in another region of China. She writes, "My uncles all sleep in the streets now. Best bless."
And we've also received a few comment through ireport.com, people who have been trying to reconnect with friends or relatives who might be in China. What's best to do at this point is to contact the U.S. embassy in Beijing. And you can also help out in the relief efforts. If that is something that you are interested in, go ahead, log on to "Impact Your World." You can find the Web site at cnn.com/impact.
Betty?
NGUYEN: All right. Good information there. Veronica De La Cruz, thanks for joining us.
HARRIS: Her wheelchair stuck on the tracks. Here comes a train and her superman.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you again and again and again.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no problem. I'm just glad to help. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Saved by a whisker, in the NEWSROOM.
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HARRIS: How about this? Cuba finally finds a piece of the 21st century. For the first time, the communist government is letting stores sell microwaves. Prices range from $140 to $320. The move is part of reforms promised by Raul Castro who took over the presidency from his brother in February. Under Raul Castro, Cubans can also buy personal computers now, even cell phones.
NGUYEN: Listen to this story especially if you fly. You know about the ban of using cell phones when you are in the air. Well, this passenger refused to end his in flight phone call and could now face a $25,000 fine. Police were waiting on Joe David Jones when his Southwest Airlines flight landed in Dallas. Now, Jones says it was an urgent call that his father's heart had stopped and that the hospital needed to talk to him immediately.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK CLAYTON, FRIEND OF ACCUSED: He felt like it was life or death and still does and felt like he had to make that phone call.
DARYL KRAUSE, SOUTHWEST AIRLINES: At that particular moment was not the time to probably negotiate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating. And it says it forbids the use of cell phones in flight because they could interfere with the navigation system.
HARRIS: Hundreds of people running from flames. Crews try to knock down wildfires in Florida. Are the winds finally dying down?
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NGUYEN: Well, good morning, everybody. It is a Tuesday and busy one at that. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Stay informed all day in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the run down. The faces of fear. The enormous power of China's violent earthquake caught on tape. Some 30,000 people either killed or trapped.
NGUYEN: Steady winds, dry brush, and explosive combination in Central Florida today. Wildfires chased hundreds from their homes.
HARRIS: And West Virginians vote.
