Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Cleanup Efforts in Joplin, Missouri; John Edwards to be Indicted; U.S. Security After Bin Laden; Casey Anthony Trial; Oprah Says Good-Bye; Talk Back Question

Aired May 25, 2011 - 12:00   ET

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

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: This is Piedmont, Oklahoma, after the tornado. Rescue crews say 150 to 200 homes were damaged or destroyed.

The search is on for a 3-year-old. The boy's mother survived the tornado and is in a hospital, but the toddler has not been found.

Another tornado shredded a tractor-trailer on Interstate 40, east of Oklahoma City. Remarkably, the truck driver survived. You can take a look at that video. Others survived because they took those warnings seriously.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIMMY WAGONER, TORNADO SURVIVOR: So, we went to the cellar, and we were in there probably 15, 20, 30 minutes. And I told her -- I said -- I said, "There's one coming," and I said, "It's real close by."

And I heard it hit something back southwest of here. I don't know exactly what. And then we heard it hitting the -- going across the top of us. I just thank God that we went to the cellar when we did.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Three deaths in Arkansas, and that number is likely to rise today given all of the damage that we have seen.

The tiny Ozark Mountain town of Denning is gone, leveled by a large tornado that whipped through early today. Now, the community is home to around 300 folks.

The number of dead in Joplin, Missouri, rose to 125 today. Rescue crews, they're going back over ground that they have covered before. They are hoping to find someone alive under the chunks of the concrete, the steel, everything. Joplin had another scare last night when tornado sirens went off, but no storm actually touched down.

Well, pomp and grandeur as President Obama spoke before the British Parliament just this last hour. At Westminster Hall, the president called the American-British alliance the essential cornerstone of global security, and he praised the revolutionaries who have stood up to the absolute rulers of the Arab world. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: What we are seeing in Tehran, in Tunis, in Tahrir Square is a longing for the same freedoms that we take for granted here at home. It was a rejection of the notion that people in certain parts of the world don't want to be free or need to have democracy imposed upon them. It was a rebuke to the world view of al Qaeda, which smothers the rights of individuals and would thereby subject them to perpetual poverty and violence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: The House Homeland Security Committee is focusing on American security today now that bin Laden is no longer in the picture. New York Congressman Peter King says that he called today's hearing because too many Americans think that bin Laden's death means that the threat of terror is gone.

Well, one witness was CNN national security contributor Fran Townsend, and we're going to talk live with her shortly.

Berlin's two major international airports are up, running again. Ash from Iceland's volcano led authorities to shut them down for hours today, impacting about 600 flights or so. Britain canceled about 500 flights on Tuesday. Experts in Iceland say that the volcano has now calmed down.

After 25 years -- say it ain't so -- Oprah Winfrey is saying goodbye. Fans crowded outside Harpo Studios in Chicago on Tuesday for the final taping.

The show aired for the last time in Chicago this morning. It can be seen on stations across the country later today if you are interested. Now, we're not going to spoil it for you --

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, come on.

MALVEAUX: -- but Oprah says leaving the show is not bittersweet. It's all sweet, no bitter.

Now more on our top story: deadly tornadoes, severe storms. The people in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, they are just starting to survey all of that damage.

And in Joplin, Missouri, the National Weather Service upgraded the tornado there to a 5. That is the highest level on the scale that is used to measure intensity. A meteorologist with the Weather Service describes it as six miles of total destruction.

Our CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is in Joplin.

Jacqui, if you can, give us an update on the cleanup efforts that are taking place. And obviously there was a scare last night when folks thought there was going to be another big, big storm there.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, we were really worried about that. Things have really changed a lot since yesterday; the mood and the scene here, Suzanne.

If you take a look off to my side, we're near the hospital location, but this is all residential in here now. And this entire grassy area that you can see was filled with debris, piled up -- trees, splinters, pieces of houses all in here. And they've come in with bulldozers.

You can see people out here working, and they're creating these piles. They're out here with chainsaws, chopping down the trees, and trying to make more safe conditions.

And part of that reason, too, is because more storms are going to be a possibility in the upcoming days. And with all that unstable debris and things hanging, and the limbs you can see that are kind of broken off and over, you know, it doesn't take that strong of a wind to create more problems and get some of this beginning to kick on up.

They are also continuing their search and rescue efforts for today. They've kicked the media out, and all people, actually. They're not even letting residents go back to their homes now, so nobody can get into that area because they want to really make sure that people are getting accounted for, that every house has been checked, every car has been checked, to make sure that people aren't trapped in them. So they're really getting very intensive on that search and rescue.

The number of fatalities, in the 120s now. There are many, many people who are unaccounted for, so we do expect that that death toll, unfortunately, is going to continue to rise in upcoming days -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Jacqui, we know that the area in general was hit by more storms last night. What can you tell us about the impact of that? Is the threat over?

JERAS: The threat for severe weather is over with for today. This was last night that we did have tornado warnings.

The sirens went off in town. People went and took them very seriously, and went to the lowest level of their hotel rooms, into the bathrooms.

There were some reports of funnels outside of the city, but we didn't have another tornado. So that was some good news. But very frightening for people who are already so very rattled here.

The one other concern is that while this entire storm system is pushing out to the east, the winds are expected to pick up today, and even 30-to-40-mile-an-hour gusts could blow some of this debris around. So that's still a little bit of a concern -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: All right. Jacqui, thank you very much. Be safe.

Here's your chance to "Talk Back" on one of the big stories of the day. Today's question: Is it OK for politicians to run in other states? Our Carol Costello, here to explain that.

Carol, what do you mean?

COSTELLO: Yes, run in other districts, run in another state. Let's say you're from Ohio and you want to run someplace else, sort of like what's happening right now.

Want to tell Dennis Kucinich where to go? You can. He's asking voters nationwide where he should run for office.

I'm sure you've heard by now, because of a dwindling population, Ohio will lose two congressional seats. One of them may be the 10th District, which is Kucinich's district. So he is shopping for a new district from Ohio to Maine to Washington State.

In fact, he just got back from Washington State, where he felt the love.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. DENNIS KUCINICH (D), OHIO: I'm, you know, literally fighting back and hoping to have a chance to continue to serve. And I'm not someone who's just going to lay down and roll over because some interest groups want me out of Congress.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Washington State Senator Maralyn Chase told me Kucinich was a hit in her state. She said, "We had pancakes, vegan pancakes, because Dennis is a vegan. But that's OK. A lot of our people are vegans, too."

Chase is hoping Kucinich will run in Washington State because look, she says, "Every few weeks, we protest the war. That's what we do."

And as you probably know, Kucinich wants to create a Department of Peace. Not everyone is happy though.

An editorial in Washington's "Olympian" newspaper wants Kucinich to go home. "Washington State doesn't need an outsider trying to weasel his way into office just so he can continue to walk the halls of Congress."

Now, before you shout, "I wholeheartedly agree!" didn't Hillary Clinton do the same thing? An Illinois native, some called her a carpetbagger when she ran for the Senate in New York back in 2000. Not only did she win, she turned out to be overwhelmingly popular there.

So, the "Talk Back" question today: Is it OK for politicians to run for office in other states?

Facebook.com/CarolCNN. I'll read your comments later this hour.

MALVEAUX: I love that comment -- vegan pancakes won her over big-time.

COSTELLO: Because the people in her district are vegans, and so is Dennis, so they're simpatico.

MALVEAUX: It worked for them.

COSTELLO: It did.

MALVEAUX: All right. Can hardly wait to hear it. Thanks, Carol.

Here's a look at what's ahead this hour "On the Rundown."

First, the case against two-time presidential candidate John Edwards moves closer to an indictment.

And a world without Osama bin Laden, is it any safer? Well, our CNN national contributor Fran Townsend is weighing in.

And then, it is hard to believe, but tornado warnings were, at one time, banned in the United States.

And the Casey Anthony trial opens with a bombshell. We'll talk with HLN's Nancy Grace.

And finally, after a 25-year run, Oprah Winfrey broadcasting her final show.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: New developments in the John Edwards scandal. The Justice Department now is set to indict the former presidential candidate on charges that he violated campaign finance laws while trying to cover up an extramarital affair.

Well, our CNN's Joe Johns, he's joining us live from Washington.

Joe, obviously this has been -- it's a long and messy saga. What is the very latest now? What can we expect?

JOE JOHNS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Suzanne, this is a leak from somebody who is close to the investigation. And the upshot of it is, people are telling CNN, that they'd like to see a felony plea arrangement with John Edwards over allegations that he broke campaign finance laws.

The question, of course, is whether John Edwards would want to go for that, because sources are telling CNN that he'd very much like to start a public service law firm, and if he were to plead to a felony, he'd have to give up his law license. So that's something that he has to contemplate over the days and weeks, or however long it takes to try to get to some kind of agreement.

MALVEAUX: And Joe, just remind our viewers how we actually go here, to this point. JOHNS: Yes. This has been a very ugly story, Suzanne. And certainly people who have followed presidential politics have been watching it very closely. Frankly, it's just been going on for years.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS (voice-over): John Edwards the politician. Remember him?

JOHN EDWARDS (D), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have much work to do, because the truth is, we still live in a country where there are two different Americas.

JOHNS: But as it turned out, "Mr. Two Americas" here had two very different faces himself, and one of them wasn't very pretty. People close to him said it was the face of betrayal, betrayal of the people closest to him -- his late wife, Elizabeth, his supporters, his staffers, his contributors.

Granted, Edwards was a promising politician at first, a successful Democratic senator from the South. Telegenic guy, rich trial lawyer, but a spokesman for the poor. Smart, but homegrown. Talked such a good game, he got picked up as John Kerry's running mate in 2004.

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I have chosen a man who understands and defends the values of America.

JOHNS: But it didn't work out, so next election cycle, Edwards jumped into the race for the White House once again. And by early 2008 --

EDWARDS: It's time for me to step aside.

JOHNS: -- he was out, but not before getting entangled in a messy relationship with a woman named Rielle Hunter. She eventually gave birth to Edward's child.

Edwards at first denied having the affair, and then denied being the father. But last year, he finally admitted it.

The story reached a sleazy low point when a videotape surfaced that is reported to show Edwards and Hunter having sex. The tape wound up in the hands of former Edwards staffer Andrew Young, who turned it over to a court after Rielle Hunter filed a lawsuit. It took eight months before Edwards' wife Elizabeth, suffering from terminal cancer, learned the extent of the affair. And before she died last year, she went public with her feelings in a book and numerous TV appearances.

ELIZABETH EDWARDS, JOHN EDWARDS' WIFE: I wrote in this, "Maybe it was that 30-year investment I had in my marriage. Maybe it was that I could not separate the flawed man before me from the boy with whom I fell in love in 1975. It does not matter now."

JOHNS: The death of Elizabeth Edwards might have been the end of the story, except for the fact that there has yet to be a full public accounting. Edwards raised $43.9 million in campaign money in his bid for the White House. Where some of it came from and where it went has been carefully scrutinized.

Rielle Hunter worked for the campaign and got paid as a videographer. Questions have been raised whether any of the federal campaign funds donated to support Edwards might have been used improperly, misreported, not reported at all, or used to keep the affair quiet.

Andrew Young said he was persuaded to claim Rielle Hunter's child was his own, and that he went to great lengths as Edwards' aide to help conceal the affair.

ANDREW YOUNG, FMR. EDWARDS STAFFER: This was John Edwards' idea from the beginning.

JOHNS: Which brings us back to the golden boy, a once rising politician with so much promise. Something like this could never have been part of the plan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JOHNS: So, any prosecutor will tell you the most favorable deal comes before any indictment. And Suzanne, what I think we're seeing here is kind of a negotiation, if you will. Prosecutors, essentially saying, here's what we have, here's where we're going. You can either plead or we'll see you in court.

MALVEAUX: Do we have any idea which way he may go, if he may actually take a deal?

JOHNS: Really not. I mean, I said at the top there is that concern that he has apparently about starting some type of a public interest law firm. If he were to plead to a felony, he'd have to give up his law license. And that's this guy's livelihood. You know, he was a very successful trial lawyer before he entered politics, and would probably very much like to get back to that life, although the question is whether that's in the cards for him.

MALVEAUX: Sure. Joe, keep us posted. Thank you.

JOHNS: You bet.

MALVEAUX: Sometimes the main thing standing between a tornado and certain death is a warning system. Right? Well, we're going to look at the lifesaving technology with meteorologist Chad Myers and our Carl Azuz.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: The question on Capitol Hill today: Is America any safer now that terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden is dead? It is the focus of a House Homeland Security Committee hearing that is taking place. The committee's chairman, Republican Peter King, he's worried that the U.S. killing of bin Laden increases the risk of retaliatory attacks by al Qaeda supporters. CNN's own Peter Bergen and Fran Townsend, they were among the security experts that were called to testify, and Fran joins us live from the Hill. She is a member of the CIA External Advisory Committee and Department of Homeland Security Advisory Board.

So, Fran, you were there. What was your sense, your conclusion? Do you think that America is safer with bin Laden gone?

FRAN TOWNSEND, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTOR: Suzanne, all of the witnesses, including Lee Hamilton, the former chair of the 9/11 Commission, agreed undoubtedly that America is safer with the killing of bin Laden. What we're looking at now are the threats that remain. And so threats from al Qaeda affiliates like al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the American-born cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, those remain very real and virtually unaffected by bin Laden's killing.

MALVEAUX: And what are those ongoing threats that you're talking about, Fran?

TOWNSEND: As I said, no question al Qaeda affiliates like al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, but you also have other terrorist groups. Hezbollah, a Shiite extremist group in -- a client of Iran's, present in Syria and Lebanon, but has a worldwide presence. You also have al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb of North Africa. We've got Al- Shabab in Somalia.

All these affiliate groups who have designs on either killing Americans or targeting inside the United States.

MALVEAUX: Do we know if the Homeland Security Committee is calling for more to be done to protect us against these terrorist attacks on U.S. soil?

TOWNSEND: Absolutely. You know, it was interesting. Both Congressman King and the ranking member, Bennie Thompson, asked specifically, "What can we do?"

There were discussions. Lee Hamilton was very clear that we need to have better communications for first responders and get the available radio bandwidth for them. Congress needs to actually implement the 9/11 recommendations and reorganize itself so that the oversight is rational.

I talked about focusing on critical infrastructure, transportation in particular. We haven't done enough on railway security, for example. And there was a discussion about what needs to be done in that area as well.

MALVEAUX: And Fran, it may be a tough question to answer, but do we know what the most vulnerable area is for terrorists to hit us?

TOWNSEND: You know, I don't think we do. The problem is, you know, you can't secure everything. And what a terrorist organization like al Qaeda looks for are vulnerabilities.

But we do know, Suzanne, is that they tend to go back to tried and true methods. That's why we worry about airport security, transportation modes, ferries, trains, that sort of thing.

There was a recent publication of a threat found from bin Laden's compound against oil tankers. Well, they had attacked an oil tanker off the coast of Yemen. So they tend to go back to things they know, and so we tend to focus our energy to try to close vulnerabilities around those known targets.

MALVEAUX: And do we know whether or not Americans are at greater danger at home, here in the United States, or when they go overseas, abroad? Is there any sense of where those terrorists want to hit and target?

TOWNSEND: Well, you know, it's interesting. It's less about where they'd like to hit, because I think there's no question they continue to have the desire to attack inside the United States. But from their perspective, it's where can they get access to targets?

And frankly, it's more difficult to secure Americans when they're traveling around the world. And so, frankly, because of their ability to travel, particularly from North Africa into Europe, we saw in the summer of 2010 the European al Qaeda threat. And so I would say to you, in the near term, I worry about American interests in the region in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan, but also Americans traveling over the summer holidays in a place like Europe.

MALVEAUX: All right. Fran, thank you very much.

TOWNSEND: Thank you, Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Everybody's going to heed those warnings. Appreciate it, Fran.

Want to go "Beyond the Headlines" now for more on the tornadoes. Our CNN's Carl Azuz and meteorologist Chad Myers, they're with us.

And I want to begin with you, Carl.

It sounds strange, but at one point, meteorologists and folks could not warn or did not warn people about impending storms and tornadoes. Can you explain why?

CARL AZUZ, CNN STUDENT NEWS: You're exactly right, and it's mainly because the thinks at the time, tools were so primitive in terms of predicting weather patterns. And the thinking of it at the time was it was better to leave people in the dark than to risk inciting mass hysteria among the public. So those are a couple of the main reasons.

And when I say thinking of the time, the time I mean is the 1880s. That is when the U.S. Army Signal Corps officially commissioned a study into tornadoes.

Shortly after that, though, is when they banned the use of the word "tornado" in weather forecasts. And the reasons, as I mentioned just a moment ago, fears of panic, lack of tools to accurately predict weather patterns. That ban was essentially in place until 1950, and it was by that time, in 1950, radar had been firmly established as an accurate predictor of weather pattern patterns -- Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: And Chad, we know that it obviously saves lives. You, as a meteorologist, you can get these warnings far in advance of folks who are on the ground. Can you explain what the system entails?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: The Doppler System itself is looking at the movement of rain pellets or ice. It could be hail.

If some hail is going this way, some rain is going this way, you know that there's a circulation. And, in fact, the Doppler technology now can predict a tornado between 10 and 15 minutes before it even touches down. And that's the warning we have.

Now, you have to understand 1880. What was the dissemination in 1880? A newspaper.

Would you really print a newspaper on Wednesday predicting tornadoes on Thursday when you didn't even have a satellite, you didn't have any kind of weather patterns, you didn't have any kind of information at all? Certainly, they weren't qualified to predict tornadoes in 1880, but by 1950, all of a sudden you had radio, you had TV. You could disseminate that information and they were much better with the Doppler technology.

MALVEAUX: So, Carl, explain this, because you have this technology that Chad is talking about, and yet you have these deadly tornadoes. Why?

AZUZ: Well, part of the reason Chad mentioned a moment ago is you're still looking at 10, 15 minutes warning time in advance of a tornado. Contrast that with a hurricane, when you have two to three days' notice, there are hurricane watches, there are path trackers to let you know. With a tornado, it's still a short amount of time.

Now, we do have several technologies available to us though, and those have pros and cons of their own. Some of them are reverse 911 or cell calls, communities calling people, letting them know there is danger. The downside, not all communities have the infrastructure to make mass simultaneous calls.

Also, you have tornado sirens. The downside of those, not everybody hears them. Not everybody recognizes them as tornado warnings and is able to take cover.

Television notifications are very, very effective, probably the most widely used method of warning people today, unless folks have satellite TV. If the weather interferes with satellite TV, you might not see the warning on your TV.

And finally, weather radios, emergency radios are excellent. One thing people want to keep in mind is that the backup batteries are fresh, because if those radios are plugged and you lose power in advance of a tornado, it's no good to you.

MALVEAUX: And Chad, also, I understand that you have some new information on a tornado warning. Can you explain? MYERS: There's a tornado warning for Johnson County, Kansas. And the storm is south of Kansas City, because Johnson County is literally Kansas City.

But Louisville, in fact, they thought there was actually a tornado that went through there. That's south of town, but that's an impending-looking storm.

Now, we are going to have tornadoes again on the ground. We had -- we had pictures yesterday of tornadoes on the ground all day from Oklahoma, into Kansas and Missouri, and so on. Even a warning for Joplin live on "AC 360" last night, and you could hardly here Anderson Cooper because the sirens were going off in his ear and was in the microphone.

But we will have at least 50 on the ground today. Some will be large, some will be small, but some will do damage.

We had killer tornadoes yesterday all day long. This one is south of the city. We will keep watching it. There are new watches posted all the way from Ohio, down to about Memphis, and it's going to be a busy day today.

MALVEAUX: And Chad, for people who are just listening to you now, hearing this news, what should they do?

MYERS: If you hear the warning sirens -- and this is another thing. Let's just go back to technology for a second, because this is how it's going to change.

Everybody has a PDA, a smartphone. Smartphones, all of them, if they're not now, all of them will have GPS. In the future, your phone will alert you if you are inside the tornado warning box.

You will -- you won't even have to buy an app. It will just be in there. It will say, "Tornado warning for you. Take cover."

And you're driving. What county am I in if I'm driving from Lincoln, Nebraska, to Kansas City? I don't know what county I'm in.

MALVEAUX: Sure.

MYERS: So, if a warning comes out and says there's a tornado warning, I don't even know where I am. I didn't see that sign 15 miles back that said welcome to Pawnee County, right? So the tornado will know where you are and the tornado warning will be inside that box that you're living in. It will be much better.

MALVEAUX: How soon is that coming, Chad? Can you tell us?

MYERS: It's already here for the iPhone, but it's not here for the BlackBerry yet. You can get some things from the National Weather Service. There's one called iMap Weather Radio that we love because it goes off so quickly and it's kind of a partnership of what we're doing here. But it's the one that -- it knows -- the GPS in your iPhone knows where you are, and it will alert you there's a tornado warning coming right now. I'd say it's going to perfected in a year and a half, two years. But right now there's already beta versions out there that work.

MALVEAUX: All right. Well, hopefully, people are listening, they're watching, they're hearing the warnings that are happening now.

And Chad, Carl, thank you very much for explaining all of this to us.

And we just wish folks the very best. I know this has been such a tough, tough time for a lot of people.

MYERS: Some of these tornadoes were F 4s, F5s, 200 miles per hour. And I know we have a lot of loss of life. Even if you do the right things, in an EF-5, 200-mile-per-hour storm, you may not be able to save your life no matter what you do unless you're underground in a cellar. And very few people have those storm cellars like they used to have back in Kansas. Like "Wizard of Oz." Go in the storm cellar. It's not a bad idea to put a safe house in your home. You can build them. They are made of Kevlar. You bolt them to your floor. They are safe. You can withstand the F-4 tornado. Or dig a hole in your backyard and put in a storm cellar, shelter.

MALVEAUX: All right. Great advice. If you're listening, if you're watching, that's what you need to do. All right. Chad, thank you. Carl, thanks.

Beyond the headlines, stories of loss, heartbreak from Joplin, Missouri tornado. We're going to talk with one of our CNN iReporters about his family's ordeal.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Want to show you some pictures now. This is from our affiliate. This is KMBC. This is out of Johnson County, Kansas. There is a tornado warning in effect now. You are looking at those pictures. A tornado warning. We are telling you to take cover as quickly as possible. It looks like a very ominous situation. Potentially a very dangerous one as well.

This is Johnson County, Kansas, where you are taking a look at these pictures of these clouds and this potential tornado that is forming. It is a tornado warning.

Well, beyond the headlines of storms and tornadoes, there are personal stories. And obviously, they're of heartbreak, they're of loss. The death toll in Joplin is up to 125 and there are still many people who are unaccounted for. One of our iReporters and his family are searching for the body of a loved one killed in that storm.

Dustin Sis - Sisney, rather, is joining us from Joplin. And Dustin, I know this is a very difficult time for you. We appreciate the fact that you're even speaking with us now. Can you give us any sense of your relative?

DUSTIN SISNEY, TORNADO SURVIVOR: From this morning, I talked to my aunt and my uncle when I left the house and I was scheduling, talking to people in Atlanta. setting up this interview, she asked me if there was new word and I said no. Unfortunately, we don't know where the body is. That's not to take away from what the EMTs and stuff are doing here to help with our devastation. But they have our contact information. They that have the correct information they need to have to contact us where the whereabouts of the body are. But as of right now, we have -- as of this morning, have no idea where she is.

MALVEAUX: How did you receive word?

SISNEY: The word came -- my aunt got ahold of me late Sunday night. After the storms cleared, I drove into Joplin. My aunt had asked me to see if I could get ahold of her, the grandma. I left, got about to 15th Street, couldn't make it. Law enforcement stopped us going further south into town. I tore off from that mission, if you'll call it, to find her to check on some property that I have and some other family and friends.

It was about three hours later that night that I found I could not get to her, but her granddaughter did get to her. And they're the ones that found her in the back alley behind her house. Apparently, she had got blown from the house and her and her granddaughter and her 10-year-old son, sadly to say, as soon as that storm hit, walked down Main Street over bodies that were laying in the street beside them and over rubble to get to her and they found her.

MALVEAUX: I just want to offer my condolences for your relative. Where were you when the tornado hit? Can you tell me what happened?

SISNEY: Yes, I was at home alone. Scared. I just got through mowing my aunt's yard. She was out of town in Castville (ph), seeing her daughter and her children, her grandbabies. Her husband, my uncle, was actually down the road in Seneca at the casino, taking in a nice - you know, lazy Sunday evening. I was at home, just got through mowing and put the lawn mower up and was sweeping off the front porches.

And I heard you were talking to the weather man earlier about how smart phones and stuff helped. And my app went off on my phone, my Weather Channel app, saying we had a storm warning. And I looked up, and didn't really look that bad yet. We have had our experience with storms in southwest Missouri and we know when it gets bad. And soon after that warning came off, another notification went off saying a tornado warning. And then I heard the sirens, and I went inside the house. Looked out front of the window and saw hail coming down. There was golf ball to baseball-sized hail where I was.

Where I was, the house is about five or six miles directly north of this devastation path. So, the house was spared, but we had good damage and lots of debris from that area and was there at the house alone and rode it out and came into town as soon as the storm cleared and was trying to find our relative. MALVEAUX: And Justin, I just wanted to let the viewers know that we were watching video. The video we're seeing is video that you had shot of the devastation of your community and your neighborhood. That you went out there and were able to capture some of the just the horrific pictures that we are now seeing.

We appreciate your sharing that for us. Is there anything that your family needs?

SISNEY: Repeat that last part again. I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch it all.

MALVEAUX: Is there anything that your family needs?

SISNEY: I-I still didn't really hear your last question. Got a little bit of cut out here. But the video that is showing is about 30 minutes -- within the first 30 minutes of the storm past, so it was fresh. I know there are some videos of a church that got blown out that maybe you're showing now. I don't really have a monitor here.

MALVEUAX: Sure.

SISNEY: But the last part of that video was in the middle of the devastation path. And actually got lost. I was oing down to the house where we found our grandmother, trying to help my family find her the Monday after the storm passed. And I got up on top of the hill there where the clearing is, and I got lost. I mean, there was no landmarks. There was nothing. And I used to live just two blocks south of that intersection with a friend of mine. So, I drove that hill and drove into a different world. It's just -- it's unbelievable to try to describe what's going on. It's just scary.

MALVEAUX: Thank you, Dustin. Can you hear me? Can you hear me?

SISNEY: I can hear you, just not used to wearing one of these things. So, I'm trying to get used to it real quick.

MALVEUAX: OK. Sure. I just wanted to try again, if there's anything your family needs -- is there anything your family needs that you can tell us?

SISNEY: I think you know, material things. I mean, no, so far, the majority of my family was spared. Our houses were OK. Most of my family was out of town either on vacation or seeing other family. I was the only one really here to go through anything, but I mean, we're OK. We still have power. Our houses were spared, thank the Lord.

But unfortunately, not a lot of others were that fortunate. So, I mean, really the one thing we can need not only for my family but for people in Joplin is just more prayers and thoughts and support from our friends and family around our neighboring states, around the country and even the world. We just really need a lot of prayers and help will help us get through this.

We're resilient. We'll get through it. We're a tight knit community like we've heard in the news reports, but there's never going to be enough prayers, so keep those coming.

MALVEUAX: All right. Well, Justin, we will definitely keep those prayers coming for you and your family. And again, we offer our condolences.

A shocking start to the Casey Anthony trial in Florida. The defense claimed the toddler wasn't murdered by her mother. It was a tragedy that snowballed out of control.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEUAX: Time to go Cross Country for stories CNN affiliates are covering. Our first stop is Arizona. Jared Lee Loughner goes to court in Phoenix this afternoon for a hearing to decide if he's fit to stand trial for murder. He is charged in the deadly shooting spree in January that left six people dead, 13 wounded, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

In Utah, Elizabeth Smart is expected to speak at her kidnapper's sentencing today. Homeless preacher Brian David Mitchell was convicted of abducting and sexually assaulting Smart in 2002. He held her captive for nine months.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ELIZABETH SMART, KIDNAPPING SURVIVOR: I certainly have moved on with my life, and I don't dwell on it and I have forgiven him. I have forgiven him. I don't think that means that I would invite him over to my house to stay. But that is a part of my life that I lived, have been there. And I have life that I haven't lived yet, so I'm looking forward to the part I haven't lived yet.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: In Florida, a murder trial opens with a series of bombshells from the defense. The attorney for Casey Anthony tells the jury that Anthony's two-year-old daughter, Caylee, accidentally drown in a swimming pool. The attorney claims that Anthony's father helped cover it up and that he sexually abused his daughter.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSE BAEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: This family must keep its secrets quiet. And it all began when Casey was eight years old and her father came into her room and began to touch her inappropriately. And it escalated. And it escalated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: Joining me now to talk about the Casey Anthony trial is Nancy Grace. She is the host of "Nancy Grace" at 8:00 p.m. every night on CNN's sister network, HLN. And Nancy, thank you for joining us here. Obviously, if you could bring us up to speed, a quick review of this case to get us up to date.

NANCY GRACE, HOST, "NANCY GRACE": Thank you for having me, Suzanne. Yes, I've just come out of the courtroom. They're on a quick break right now. So far we've had stunning and blockbuster opening statements by both sides. But what really caught everyone off guard is the defense in this case.

We got wind the night before opening statements that the defense would not be pointing the finger at another killer, but instead claiming two-year-old Caylee died by accident in the family aboveground pool. But what happened in court was not to be expected. The defense goes off the rails, Suzanne, and delivers an accident theory but then adds that Tot Mom Casey Anthony's father is to blame. George Anthony, a former police detective, who has been a stalwart. Who traveled thousands of miles, to Porto Rico, to New York, dragging a sign around on the back of his car, thousands of miles, trying to find Caylee. Their claim is that he took Caylee, drowned, out of the family pool and that he is the one that disposed of his beloved granddaughter's body, leaving it to rot in a pet cemetery out in the woods. Absolutely stunning. And then to put the icing on the cake, the rest of her defense is that not only her father, but her brother molested her, leaving her in denial after Caylee's death and that's why she didn't tell anybody.

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: So, Nancy, I understand, too, that there was some critical photographic evidence that was introduced by the state this morning. Can you explain the importance of that?

GRACE: Yes. When I first saw the photos yesterday, Suzanne, I've got to tell you, I showed no emotion whatsoever because everybody's been ordered not to, but I actually got sick to my stomach when I saw a photo of Caylee in life juxtaposed against a photo of her remains. I think I saw her skull with some hair on it out in a field. I think that's what I saw. But I knew it was human remains. And it was sickening.

Big argument today over party pics. Immediately after Caylee dies, after she goes missing, Tot Mom, her mother, Casey Anthony, on trial for murder, is out partying all over the town in push-up bras and miniskirts. Enters a hot body contest. Serves as a shot girl selling shots at a bar. Basically parties for 30 straight days before her mother calls 911. Those photos are coming into evidence today.

MALVEAUX: All right. Well, we'll be following that case. We know that you certainly will be as well. Thank you, Nancy.

GRACE: Thank you.

MALVEAUX: We are getting a lot of responses to today's "Talk Back" question. We asked, is it OK for politicians to run in other states? Edwin Soto says, "politicians can go where they want. It is up to the voters to either keep them or send them packing, preferably the latter." Our Carol Costello is back with more of your responses.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Twenty-five seasons, 48 Emmys, countless lives changed. Final broadcast of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" is airing today as Winfrey focuses on her new network. Kareen Wynter is in Chicago with all the details.

Kareen, what a great story. Would love to be in (INAUDIBLE).

KAREEN WYNTER, ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: It is a great story, isn't it?

MALVEAUX: I mean, unbelievable. What, she has like two star studded events Monday and Tuesday. More of the same today.

WYNTER: No, not even close. It was -- you know, Oprah wanted to go out the way she wanted to go out. And it was star studded, spectacular last week. And she enjoyed that. But today it was very, very subdued. Very emotional. One-on-one with the audience taped at her studios. It was taped yesterday. We've already seen it here in Chicago. You'll see it later on today on the East and West Coast. But it was really Oprah. No stars. I mean sure she had Cicely Tyson there and Tyler Perry, but it wasn't that blockbuster event that we saw last week.

It was her doing what Oprah does best, addressing the audience, really connecting with them, thanking them for, you know, just really sticking by her the last two decades. She talked about what she's learned from so many guests. It was an empowering way to go out. She told the audience, just because I'm not going to be with you every day in your living rooms doesn't mean that you can't keep fighting the good fight. And so she really, really touched on that.

And the show ended, again, such an emotional note. She walked off stage, she was hugging her staff. And as she walked back through the hallways of Harpo, she picked up her little dog, she kicked off her heals and she walked into her office and she said, "we did it." So I think viewers are really going to connect with her on this final taping. But very emotional.

MALVEAUX: That's really nice, Kareen. I'm an Oprah fan. What is next for Oprah?

WYNTER: Yes. Oh, a lot. She'll be focusing on the Oprah Winfrey Network, her big network she launched in January. The ratings aren't where they should be and Oprah has been very candid about that and said now that she's finished her syndicated daytime talk show, she's going to focus on that, getting the network where it needs to be. All the new show. Rosie O'Donnell has a new show that will be debuting later this fall. It's going to be about real people and real issues. Rosie, by the way, will be moving into Harpo Studios here, so Chicagoans will still have a piece of Oprah here. So it will be nice for them.

MALVEAUX: It's just not going to be the same.

WYNTER: I know. I know.

MALVEAUX: Well, we wish her the very best.

WYNTER: I'm trying to make you feel better here. MALVEAUX: We're going to miss her. We're going to miss her. It will be interesting to see what she does with her own network and that's great to see as well.

Thank you very much, Kareen. That's a great story.

Well, Oprah Winfrey, her viewers, they kind of know him as Dr. Oz. And now he's got his own talk show.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. OZ: Oprah touched my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MALVEAUX: She touched a lot of lives. Dr. Mehmet Oz. He's going to join me tomorrow in the NEWSROOM. We're going to talk about Oprah's last day and what he has learned from her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Want to bring in our Chad Myers. Have some breaking news here. A tornado warning.

What are we looking at here, Chad?

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: This is a lowering of the clouds, basically called a wall cloud, right over Kansas City, Missouri. And they've been issuing tornado warnings on this. There have been minor maybe EF-0, 55 miles, 65 mile per hour little spin-up tornados. Not the killer EF-4s and 5s. But Kansas City, Kansas, and Kansas City, Missouri, you have a very big storm right there, right over you right now. You need to be taking cover whether this is an EF-1, 0, 5 or whatever. We will still keep you informed all day long.

Suzanne.

MALVEAUX: Thank you, Chad.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MALVEAUX: Now time for your responses to today's "Talk Back" question. Carol Costello here with the latest.

Carol, what do folks say?

COSTELLO: Yes, the "Talk Back" question today, is it OK for politicians to run for office in other states? You know, other than their home state.

This from Eddy. "Maybe in some other circumstance, where the move was something more than political expediency. Kucinich is actively shopping for a congressional district and I fail to see how he would be representing anyone but himself."

This from Morgan. "As long as they are not moving around the country on the taxpayer's tab, who cares. It's a free country."

This from Chris. "No. How do you do the work of the people in that state if you do not even know the people there. I do not want to see Dennis mess up things in another state like he has done here in Ohio."

This from Peter.