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Tornado Cleanup Continues in Missouri; Israeli Prime Minister Addresses Congress

Aired May 24, 2011 - 15:00   ET

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

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN ANCHOR: And hello once again, everyone. Good to be back.

Wow. Incredible stories here of close calls and survival amid the devastation still pouring in here 48 hours later from Joplin, Missouri. Look at these pictures, rescuers catching what will probably be, what they're guessing will be a short break from the weather as they step up efforts to find survivors of Sunday's tornado.

Now, the number of dead has now risen up to the latest number we have is 118 -- 17 people thus far have been found alive. And reports about cries for help heard underneath the rubble come in, albeit sporadically. Most turn out to be heartbreakingly false.

Search-and-rescue leaders are asking people who want to see the damage to stay out of their way, stay home, sit there, watch CNN, watch television. Now, right now, the search is concentrated on three places that were hit very, very hard. You have the downtown area with a number of apartment buildings there, also the Home Depot, where the tornado knocked over heavy wall panels and turned ceiling beams into twisted piles of metal.

And the third being this, what was once a Wal-Mart now little more than a massive field of debris.

I want you to take a look at the only part of the store that is accessible, that being the parking lot. Watch this with me.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS NAGUS, KMOV-TV CORRESPONDENT: This car upside-down, windows shattered, totally demolished, this pickup truck destroyed. It is just one car after another. The amount of devastation here -- here comes this vehicle. I want you to see this. You just don't see this. It is just incredible to take this in and see what is happening here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Just car after car after car like that.

And now this is the Joplin neighborhood. Take a look at this car here. The grandmother who owns it came this close to being in that car's driver's seat when the tornado hit Sunday. I want you to listen. This is her granddaughter speaking. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She is just so lucky to be alive right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And this is -- she was just getting ready to leave and get in her car and take off?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. She told me she got very scared and she was about to walk out the door, until this lady told her not to go outside, that she was going to try to get home before the storm hit. And she was actually walking out the door. And a lady grabbed her and told her no.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Story after story after story.

Here he is, T.J. Holmes, live in Joplin.

T.J., I know Joplin was actually your first television job. I'm going to ask you about that in a moment and what's it's been like sort of coming home in a sense. But do me a favor.

I have been watching you all day today. But set the scene for me. Is it quiet? Is it more active now before the risks of storms return for you this evening?

T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is very active right now.

You know what? Just go ahead and whip around for a second, mad dog. She is asking about how active it is. That gives you an idea of how things active things are right now. This is what you are seeing a lot of. You will see a vehicle go back. We're seeing a lot of traffic. You're about to see a couple of guys come by on a couple of ATVs.

What we're seeing is these folks are taking care of themselves right now. Yes, the federal government is going to come. They're going to get that help from the state, going to get that money, that kind of assistance, but right now, we are seeing family members.

We talked to a lot of people who have come in to help families from all over the state. I have talked to strangers, even, Brooke, who said, you know what, we just drove over. Where should we drop this stuff off? So -- and you might even hear the noise. We are hearing chain saws. We are hearing hammers.

BALDWIN: Yes.

HOLMES: And they are getting their lives together. At the same time, Brooke, I know you have covered tornadoes as well. I can't ever figure out how nature does what it does, because if you look just to my left here, there is a piece of a roof of some house around here that is inside of a car.

BALDWIN: Look at that. HOLMES: How the car got here, how the roof got into the car, I mean, you just -- it leaves you to wonder, how in the world can nature do this? But it does it. That's -- these scenes don't necessarily ever get old. They seem like they're the same after every storm.

BALDWIN: Yes.

HOLMES: At the same time, they are different.

The house behind me, you can see about half of it gone. Would you believe a family survived in there? Not just that. There was another family who ran here to their neighbor's house to try to get help, banged on the door. Nobody would answer, because, of course, they had already taken cover.

That other family survived the tornado going right over them while they sat down and crouched in front of the front door. Go figure, you know, Brooke.

BALDWIN: Yes. it is one of the things, having covered things like this, but it is just -- it's one thing then, T.J., to be in the thick of things and covering it. It's quite another to be in the midst of it and living that reality.

HOLMES: Yes.

BALDWIN: But you lived in Joplin, T.J.

HOLMES: Yes.

BALDWIN: In fact, we have been looking at your Twitter feed. I'm going to throw up a picture of I guess what was your old building.

HOLMES: Yes. Right.

BALDWIN: Talk to me about how long ago. Here is the link. Let's show it. Here's the picture. I mean, it is gone. How long ago did you live there? And what was it like for you just sort of emotionally going back and remembering what once was?

HOLMES: You know what? My -- the University of Arkansas is about 60 miles down the road from Joplin. This was my first job out of college, came here right out of college, first job in journalism.

And that was the first place I lived. And I have been kind of helping our crew around, saying, hey, we need to go here, go there. Know where some of the things are.

But they were asking me, OK, where is your apartment complex? We were trying to get some sense of where we were. I had no idea. We were sitting right next to the apartment complex, and I could not tell it was there. We had to wait for a police officer to say, yes, actually, you're on 20th and Connecticut. And that is when I finally knew.

I am not the only one, because I have been reporting, saying, hey, so much stuff that I used to know is now unrecognizable.

BALDWIN: Yes.

HOLMES: I had a guy tell me today, man, he said, Brooke, I lived here. He said, I lived, T.J., 20 years, and, today, I got lost in town because all of the markers that let me know where I am in town are gone.

BALDWIN: Are gone, are gone.

HOLMES: Yes.

BALDWIN: I can't imagine trying to find your way around.

And, also, though, in stories like these, I am always amazed by the folks in the neighborhood who come out to the TV crew and say, hey, can I get you some lemonade? It's amazing, sort of the generosity, despite everything that has happened for these folks?

T.J. Holmes, appreciate your and your crew there in Joplin.

HOLMES: You got it, Brooke.

BALDWIN: We will check in with you next hour. Appreciate it.

Also, Sunday's tornado spared nothing in its path.

Jacqui Jeras is outside what was Saint Mary's Catholic Church there in Joplin.

And, Jacqui, it is amazing, these stories. I understand the priest there sought refuge in the bathtub of the rectory, and somehow was pulled out. Tell me his story.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is so hard, Brooke, because, as you look behind me, there is maybe one wall, part of this front wall that remains standing. Everything else is rubble.

You can't even make out a pew, really, inside of that building you know. And notice the cross. That is what is still standing. And it is providing a lot of hope for people around town. If you can pan off to my left, you can see everything has just been leveled in this area. You can see the hospital and you can see the cross.

And the community here says that they are a faith-based community, and seeing that cross still standing is a sign of hope that they will recover. Now, we are also hearing those stories about survival. And you mentioned the priest here. He is a pastor. His name is Father Justin Monaghan. And he has been here for 15 years helping the community.

This time, they had to help him out. When the tornado approached, he did what he was told to do and what he has always heard for safety, is to get himself to the bathroom.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) REV. JUSTIN MONAGHAN, ST. MARY'S CHURCH: I decided to wait until the end of the noise. And then I opened that door. And everything was blackened. It was all covered.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JERAS: And Father Monaghan says he had to stay in that bathtub for about 50 minutes or so with rain pouring down on top of him. He said when the parishioners finally arrived to rescue him, they could not find him, he was so covered in that rubble. He had to take a piece of wood and actually stick it up into the air, Brooke, so that they could find him where he was.

And then they spent a lot of time clearing things off, so they could get him out there safely. So, he says it's amazing. He seriously does not have a scratch on his body. And now the people who come here to church here and pray, they have shown up without invitations and they're helping, trying to save anything they can out of this church -- Brooke.

BALDWIN: Yes. Talk about a time when your faith is truly tested.

And, Jacqui, before I let you go, just so we can sort of juxtapose the images, I understand we have a before picture of this church. Here it is, just to keep people perspective. So, on the left-hand side of your screen, this is the before picture. You see the cross and the beautiful blue sky and then you see, the right side, the aftermath and the devastation.

JERAS: Yes.

BALDWIN: But it is amazing, Jacqui. You have covered stories like this where people just really come together and they pull through.

JERAS: They really do.

And one note of just amazement, Brooke, is, believe it or not, this church has been hit by a tornado before. Back in the late '80s, the front of the church sustained a lot of damage. And that cross that was built in the '40s still standing here today.

BALDWIN: How about that? From the '40s.

Jacqui Jeras, thank you so much.

Coming up here: Jessica Alba pregnant with child number two, wants to make all children safer from dangerous chemicals. So, what exactly is her warning for fellow moms and dads? She is going to join me live to talk about her new campaign, why she is in Washington today. That is coming up.

Also, a Missouri radio host uses his time behind the microphone to reconnect devastated families there in Joplin. He is going to share some of the most poignant moments of the last 48 hours. Keep in mind, he has lost his own home as well.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER UPDATE)

BALDWIN: Come back over here real quickly, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, sure.

BALDWIN: Because here is my one final overarching question. I think back to the tornadoes in North Carolina. And then of course we had Alabama just recently and this now.

MYERS: Yes.

BALDWIN: It's a question that so many people are asking. And perhaps it's too simple. But what is going on? Why is all this happening?

MYERS: There is a trough in the jet stream.

It is to the east the southeast of Denver, Colorado. It comes up and it turns to the right. That is a low pressure. When low pressure is like that, it makes storms. And those storms follow that trough, they follow that track, and they -- that -- that storm track has not changed for months.

BALDWIN: OK. So there is some sort of scientific basis to all of this.

(CROSSTALK)

MYERS: There is. And we have more hours to talk about this. We are going to be...

BALDWIN: OK. We will be watching what happens there.

Meantime, let's take a quick break, 60 seconds -- be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: It is a number we can't take our eyes of, that number being 118. That is how many are confirmed dead in Joplin, Missouri. This makes Sunday's tornado the single deadliest to touch down in America in 60 years, basically since the National Weather Service has been reporting this.

And I want to show you some amazing pictures just into the CNN NEWSROOM. You're going to see the city of Joplin. This is video shot by a man who jumped in his car and drove there to do whatever he could to just try to help after the storm. This is just part of what he saw.

Imagine waking up and that is your reality, the destruction, but we also just wanted to share the silence with you. This was shot by one of our iReporters, James Redmond, there in Joplin. In fact, I will be speaking with James in just a couple of minutes about his experience there. This is just a snippet of some nine minutes he sent to us here at CNN.

But, first, I want to bring in Josh Marsh. He co-hosts the morning news program on KZRG Radio there in Joplin.

And, Josh, I know your station -- I know you guys are going essentially wall-to-wall over this story. And I know you are being called the glue holding Joplin together right now.

If you can, just walk me through the past 48 hours there in town and tell me, what kinds of calls have you been getting?

JOSH MARSH, KZRG RADIO: Well, the truth is, we have been wall- to-wall live coverage since 4:00 yesterday afternoon.

We tracked the tornado in Labette County, Kansas, and once it actually touched down closer to after 6:00, everything went dark. Our lights went out. We went on the backup generators. And just like the rest of Joplin, we were in the dark with the rest of you.

We realized at that point that communications were down. The cell towers just went out. No one could make phone calls. No one could send text messages. So many people were just isolated and alone.

That is when we began to offer a special type of programming and just open up as communication hubs and just start taking everyone's calls. And, eventually, what we found ourselves doing was just simply trying to connect people who had lost loved ones. And that is pretty much what we have been doing still at this hour.

BALDWIN: How successful, Josh, have you been? From the latest number I saw, it is something like 1,500 people still unaccounted for. People are being taken from hospital to hospital. You can't keep up with it all.

Do you have success stories you can share, I hope?

MARSH: Oh, absolutely.

And it started right at the beginning. We had this massive twister, as many of you know, and one story that I think of is, when we first got on the air, we started taking phone calls. And one woman, she called and she said: I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant with twins. I don't know where my husband is.

BALDWIN: Oh.

MARSH: He was working. He was at work at the time of the tornado.

And, so, she came to us and she asked us, can you help us find Lindy (ph)? Please help us find Lindy? So, we put out the call.

And it was within a matter of moments, just the resiliency of the city of Joplin and everyone that lives here. We got calls saying, Lindy is OK.

And she called back and she was in tears. She was crying. But she was so very thankful. And we have had success story time and time again just offering that service of connecting people. We get calls all the time, people saying, do you know where this person is, do you know where that person is?

You have to remember, there is no communication. These guys have no way of reaching one another.

BALDWIN: Yes.

MARSH: And we have tried to become that avenue of hope and helping find -- people find one another.

BALDWIN: Yes. I mean, Josh, we were sitting around our morning editorial meeting -- we were sitting around our morning editorial meeting just sort of sitting there, wondering, how in the world are they keeping track of all the folks who are unaccounted for, how to connect a person from A. to B.

And, so, what a crucial and invaluable role you are playing. And I know -- I don't know if you have slept. Have you even gotten any sleep since this thing hit on Sunday?

MARSH: Well, I was able to get a little bit of sleep, but it pretty much -- I was on the air at 4:00 Sunday afternoon. And it was around 10:00 Monday morning that was able to lay down for a few hours, then got up, toured storm damage, and then went back to being on air, just trying to connect to people.

I mean, I think that is what we have realized here at KZRG is just it is more important than ourselves, it is more important than sleep. And this is the one service we can hope to offer. And just hearing those families reunited, I mean, it is worth it. It is worth it all.

BALDWIN: Josh, what about -- just if I can ask you about your own personal situation, if you have family, your own home, is your situation stable? Is it OK?

MARSH: I was extremely fortunate.

As you will see, some neighborhoods were hit, others missed. My home was not hit. And I know that, at my station, though, two of my employees, their homes are -- one of their homes is gone, the other damaged.

And for so many people, they came in to the station to report and to help out with no homes whatsoever and with people in the hospital. And so I was fortunate and blessed in that aspect, and that -- it made me even more determined to try to help as many people as I could.

But I can't say enough about the employees at the Zimmer Radio. Even having nothing, even having family in the hospital, they're still working tirelessly to make sure that everyone is OK. And that has been our promise from the beginning, is, we refuse to leave anyone alone in the dark.

BALDWIN: Amazing, Josh. We, of course, I'm sure members of the community, salute you for all that you are doing.

Final question. I was just talking to our weather guy over here, Chad Myers, about the threat of more severe weather. Are people concerned about what could come?

MARSH: Well, we actually already had one round of severe weather right after. It almost seemed like a slap in the face, just that cruel irony of having to give updates and help people connect while you are giving severe thunderstorm warnings.

But, yes, people are very concerned. As you imagine, looking at some of the buildings and devastation, some of those are just on a knife's edge from falling down completely. And it's a big concern for workers and those who are trying to help dig through the rubble that that could complicate issues.

It's certainly not helping people trying to find those that may still be alive.

BALDWIN: Josh Marsh, like I say, your service you're providing your community invaluable. I thank you for taking a moment away from it, and I'm sure sleep you could be getting to talk to me, with KZRG Radio in Joplin. Josh, thanks so much.

MARSH: Thank you.

BALDWIN: Coming up next: Hosni Mubarak may be out of power, but he is not out of trouble -- why the former Egyptian leader could be executed by the new government.

Plus, the message is clear: If you do business with Iran, you will face consequences -- new pressure applied today.

We will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: We will get you back to the tornado aftermath in Missouri in just a moment, but I do want to pass along a couple other top stories.

First: Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will face trial in the deaths of protesters killed during the uprising that drove him from power back in February. And if he is convicted, he could be executed. Prosecutors say Mubarak ordered police officers to use live ammunition when they fired into crowds of protesters. He is also accused of corruption. Mubarak's two sons are also charged and will go on trial as well.

Wreckage of that helicopter, that stealth helicopter used in the deadly raid on Osama bin Laden, is now back in the United States. We are getting that word this afternoon from the Pentagon. Remember, all those Navy SEALs, the SEAL Team Six, had to leave one of the choppers behind in Pakistan after it clipped a wall during that covert operation.

But before they abandoned it, they did try to destroy it, so no one could get their hands on that top-secret technology, but the tail section and some other pieces of the debris were not fully destroyed.

And the U.S. slapping sanctions on seven companies found working with Iran in the energy sector. The firms are from Israel, the UAE, Singapore, Monaco, and even Venezuela's state oil company. The U.S. says Iran uses cash it gets from working with firms like these to help fund its own nuclear program. In fact, just yesterday, President Obama signed an order that gives more leeway for the U.S. to target companies working with Iran's energy sector.

The first family, our first family, getting the royal treatment at Buckingham Palace today. Wait until you hear what is it they share in common with newly wedded duke and duchess of Cambridge.

And in just a couple of minutes, we expect to get you some live pictures from inside the state banquet. Keep in mind it's dinnertime for these folks. We will get you those live pictures of the state banquet with the president and the royal family. Stay tuned for that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: Want to shift gears now for a moment and talk about a big speech today by Israel's prime minister, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

He spoke to a joint meeting of Congress just a couple of hours ago. Now, keep in mind it was just last week when President Obama got a lot of attention and plenty of criticism for his own speech on Mideast peace negotiations.

And, today, Prime Minister Netanyahu got more than two dozen standing ovations -- yes, we counted -- when he laid out his plans for peace. The prime minister reacted to President Obama's suggestion that Israel's pre-1967 borders be the baseline for future peace negotiations.

He also talked today, he talked tough on Hamas and about the Palestinians push for statehood.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: In any peace agreement that ends the conflict, some settlements will end up beyond Israel's borders. And now the precise delineation of those borders must be negotiated. It will be generous about the size of the future Palestinian state. But as President Obama said, the border will be different than the one that existed on June 4th, 1967. Jerusalem must never again be divided. Jerusalem must remain the united capital of Israel.

(APPLAUSE)

Israel is prepared to sit down today and negotiate peace with the Palestinian authority, and I believe we can fashion a brilliant future for our children. But Israel will not negotiate with a Palestinian government backed by the Palestinian version of Al Qaeda. That we will not do.

(APPLAUSE)

So, I say to president Abbas, tear up your pact with Hamas. Sit down and negotiate. Make peace with the Jewish state.

(APPLAUSE)

And if you do, I promise you this -- Israel will not be the last country to welcome a Palestinian state for the United Nations. It will be the first to do so.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: One more note I do want to pass along from the speech, police had to escort a protester out of the chamber after she started screaming "Equal rights for Palestine" shortly after the prime minister started to speak.

And these are live pictures of earlier today of the queen and our first family shaking hands and saying hello. President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama who are there in London and part of a six- day tour of Europe. The queen invited him and the first lady to a state banquet, which will be happening any moment now. That is about to begin, and we will get you some live pictures in with the fancy affair as soon as we see them.

And we will be checking in with a CNN iReporter who shared this video of a flattened Joplin, Missouri. Stay right here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: President Obama and the first lady getting the royal treatment, the really royal treatment in London. The first couple made the obligatory meet-and-greet rounds and touring the portrait gallery with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, and catching up with William and -- I can't say Kate anymore, because she is officially Catherine -- and the guard of or more review at the palace. This is a full pomp and circumstance ceremony.

And Brianna Keilar got a great gig there in London. Brianna, can we talk momentarily because we are waiting for the state dinner to begin, and I have been given details of the China and it is a certain number of inches from the plate, and very fancy.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: There is a lot of protocol, and even though it was a packed schedule, it was not heavy lifting diplomatically, and that will be more tomorrow talking with president Obama and prime minister David Cameron talking very specifically about Libya and the move forward there. We heard from Jay Carney, the press secretary of the White House, that both of the nations are looking for ways to help the opposition, but also what they can do in a post Gadhafi-era. We heard that today because British troops are serving only second to American troops in Afghanistan, and the current uprising. And the two nations are both looking for deficit reductions.

But the state dinner, and there is a lot of fun events throughout the day, and formalities, and we will watch to see -- and also, I have to tell you that they are sleeping in Buckingham palace tonight, and did you hear this?

BALDWIN: Well, do tell. I read your twitter board, friend.

KEILAR: I know. OK. So they are sleeping in a six-room suite that I will call them will and Kate spent their wedding night in, and a palace aide said it may not be the same bed, but it is the same suite.

BALDWIN: I love that Brianna Keilar is getting all of the details that we, Americans, would like to see. This is life pictures inside of Buckingham Palace, thank you, Reuters, and as we look at the beautiful pictures here. We just got names that were passed along to me, and other folks who will be there and in addition to the royal family is Richard Branson speaking with David Cameron. Looking down the list, we are hearing that Kevin Spacey and Helen Bonham Carter and Tim Burton, and Gordon Brown.

And so it looks like they are all beginning to walk in, but no arrival yet, but we will try to dip in as we drop in on the speeches and the toasts there. But Brianna Keilar, I want to go back to you, if you are still there, because everything was tilted forward because of the volcanic ash, and any notice that they will change the itinerary again because of the ash from the volcano?

KEILAR: It's certainly a possibility. We came in last night instead of this morning as planned from Iceland. And everything is on schedule, but the White House says they are keeping an eye on the ash and a lot of flights are cancelled from London to areas north of here.

BALDWIN: And the real work happens tomorrow. But let's talk about the presidential ping pong. And guys we have the video, but can you explain how this came about?

KEILAR: OK. So what you had is prime minister Cameron and let me tell you, Brooke, I can't see the video, so I am going to go with you, and vice president Cameron and president Obama went to the globe academy and they are doing amazing things there at the school, and they wanted to highlight. And there are a lot of low-income kids there.

So they were talking about innovation and education. And so they ended up in a ping pong match against two young school kids there. You could say it is a synonym for the alliance they have. I think they the school kids won, because it turns out that the prime minister is really bad at table tennis. BALDWIN: It looks like the president is overcompensating, but that is off of the record. It's speculation. Brianna Keilar, what a wonderful time, and have a nice trip traveling there with the president.

And again, I want to remind everybody as we look at the pictures as everyone is walking through forwards for the pomp and circumstance and the protocol inside of beautiful Buckingham Palace. Keep in mind this is the only second full state banquet for a president under Queen Elizabeth's reign, and the first was for the first President Bush.

And is that Kristen Chenoweth? What a fun room that would be. And now, we will keep an eye on that table from the Queen Victoria's day with the China there.

And we will stay on this and also the story in Joplin, Missouri. When disaster strikes, we owe it to the iReporters to brings the raw images from the scene. You are looking at a block after block of a flattened town. The iReporter who filmed the images says he will never forget the look on the rescuers' faces as they arrived trying to help. That's next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BALDWIN: The massive tornado that slammed into Joplin, Missouri, with 200-mile-an-hour winds and if a house or car was in its way, it looks like this now. Guys, play the tape.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Now, this video was shot by James Redmond. He jumped in his car and drove more than an hour to get to Joplin to help do whatever he could do, and he found the scene of total destruction. He is going to join me live from his home in Rogers, Arkansas n a moment.

But if I can switch back and take you live to London. Was that prince Charles passing by? Hillary Clinton and Camilla, and they are joining the procession which began with the president along with the queen. Here they are, and there he is the president and the queen followed by the duke of Edinburg and Mrs. Obama. Let's listen in.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

BALDWIN: So I was having a quick conversation with my control room because I was wondering if they will play both national anthems inside. And now everyone will have a seat. As I mentioned before I have sheets here, because all of this is so significant from front of them, the candelabras, the fruit service, dessert service back to the 18th century.

And to the left and the right of the queen and in part of the view, these two large candelabras with three and six-double branches. All of this is very, very significant, and the cutlery is measured away from the plates. All of this -- this is only the second, as I said the second American president who has been honored with a state dinner banquet. We will sit here for a moment. And I do know that there will be speeches given and presumably the queen first and then the president. We will listen in once again.

QUEEN ELIZABETH, ENGLAND: Mr. President, I'm delighted to welcome you and Mrs. Obama to London. Prince Philip and I are so glad that you are visiting the United Kingdom again. We have fond memories of the G-20 conference in London in 2009. It also gave me much pleasure to welcome Mrs. Obama and your two daughters here almost two years ago.

You're visit to this country inevitably reminds us of our history, our common language and our strong intellectual and cultural links. It also reminds us that your country twice came to the rescue of the free and democratic world when it was facing military disaster.

On each occasion, after the end of those destructive wars, the generosity of the United States made a massive contribution to our economic recovery. Today the United States remains our most important ally, and our two nations contribute to the security and prosperity of our peoples and of the world through shared national interests.

But our relationship goes far beyond our military and diplomatic ties. In your inaugural address you spoke to the American people of the values that lay at the heart of your nation's success -- honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism, and of the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions with which your nation had met past challenges and would meet future ones, too.

If I may say so, these values underscore much of the life of the United Kingdom, also. Together with our alliance they continue to guide our actions as we confront the challenges of a changing world.

It is unfortunate that there are so many troubles facing the world today. Today but we are encouraged that in most respects our two countries see these problems in the same light. For this reason we have been able to act together in fields as varied as science, research, and higher education to find solutions, or at least to make progress towards tackling so many of the social and economic difficulties that confront nations in all parts of the globe.

Entertainment may not be so honesty an example, but it forms part of the lives of a great many of our people. Over the years we have enjoyed the fantastic musical productions and what we call "films" but what you may prefer to call "movies."

(LAUGHTER)

They have achieved considerable success in your country. This exchange of people and projects has enlarged and invigorated our common language. Although I think you will agree we do not always quite use it in quite the same way.

(LAUGHTER)

Mr. President, I firmly believe that the strength of our links and many shared interests will continue to ensure that when the United States and the United Kingdom stand together, our people and other people of goodwill around the world will be more secure and can become more prosperous.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are here to celebrate the tried, tested, and, yes, special relationship between our two countries. I therefore ask you to join me in raising your glasses to the continued health, success, and prosperity to the people of the United States of America and especially to the health of president and Mrs. Obama.

(MUSIC)

(APPLAUSE)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Your Majesty, thank you for your extraordinarily generous remarks, for the invitation you extended for our first state visit in Europe and for the warm friendship that you've shown both Michelle and myself on both of our visits to Buckingham Palace.

I bring warm greetings from tens of millions of Americans who claim British ancestry, including me through my mother's family, and including Malia and Sasha, who adored you before you let them ride in a carriage on the palace grounds.

Prime Minister Cameron, Mrs. Cameron, and distinguished guests, it is a great honor to join you again in this great court tree as we reaffirm this special relationship. I must say this dinner is a humbling reminder of the fleeting nature of presidencies and prime ministerships. Your majesty's reign has spanned about a dozen of each and counting. That makes you both a living witness to the power of our alliance and a chief source of its resilience.

Our alliance is a commitment that speaks to who we are. As Winston Churchill said on a visit to the United States, "Above all, among the English speaking peoples, there must be the union of hearts based upon convictions and common ideals."

While our challenges have changed since Churchill's time when we fought together to preserve our very democracies, our adherence to those values have not. Our relationship rests on common language, common history, common adherence to the rule of law, the rights of men and women, the very ideals born in this nation.

And yet our relationship never rests. As we approach the tenth anniversary of 9/11, I'm particularly grateful for the solidarity that the United Kingdom has shown over the last decade. From that dat to this, you have been our closest partner in the struggle to protect our people from terrorist attacks and violent extremism around the world despite very heavy sacrifices here. And allow me to pay tribute to the contributions of your military forces which have stood shoulder to shoulder with us for decades. As we confront the challenges of the 21st century together, we can have confidence in the partnership that our two countries share, based on the rock solid foundation built during Queen Elizabeth's lifetime of extraordinary service to her nation and to the world.

Ladies and gentlemen, please stand with me and raise your glasses as I propose a toast. To her majesty, the queen, the vitality of the special relationship between our peoples, and, in the words of Shakespeare, "to this blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England," to the queen.

(MUSIC)

BALDWIN: And now as the glasses are lifted, next comes the fun part, the food. They are about to be seated. The state banquet is about to begin. Quickly, because I know you want to know what they are going to be eating -- lamb, baked apples, cherry and vanilla dessert.

With that we will leave you these final moments of our eavesdropping into the state banquet there in Buckingham Palace. When we come back, keep in mind the president will then continue on to France and then Poland and be back in Missouri by Sunday.

And we want to bring you back to Missouri as well. We're going to speak with an iReporter in just a moment. More CNN NEWSROM right after this.

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