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Philippines Death Toll Could Top 10,000; Negotiating an Iran Nuke Agreement; Amazon Launches Sunday Delivery

Aired November 11, 2013 - 13:30   ET

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

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The government of the Philippines also declared today a national calamity what's happening here, and that allows them to free up resources to hasten the relief response and also to fix the prices of key essential supplies on the ground so no one, heaven forbid, engages in profiteering during this critical time. The government of the Philippines has issued an international aid alert that has been answered by over 20 countries around the world, including the United States, because the government here, they desperately need help due to the scale of the devastation. The Philippines government says 600,000 people are displaced. The death toll, according to the Red Cross in the Philippines, stands at 10,000 across the storm zone.

Wolf, back to you.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: How hard, Kristie, is it to get to those areas torn apart by the typhoon?

STOUT: You know, recently my colleague, Ivan Watson, participated in an aerial tour of the devastated sites with the civil aviation authority here. What he learned was that the devastation was not so much in the more remote areas, the western section of eastern Vasias (ph), here in the Philippines, but actually centered in Samar and Leyte Provinces. The problem is not getting to the areas because of the remoteness. It's because of the logistical challenge. For example, right now, it's the middle of the night here. No aid can be delivered on the ground to the Tacloban City Airport because there is no power to light up the runways. No power means no aid can arrive at this time at night. Roads are impassable because of debris and fallen trees. That is all amounting to a desperate situation because the survivors of this typhoon are waiting for help to arrive. It's now four days on. They're getting increasingly angry and frustrated and they have told CNN what they are experiencing is worse than hell.

Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Kristie Lu Stout, in Manila for us, thank you.

Kristie, people are desperate for fuel. The government is standing limits on how much people can buy. Some have been lining up at a gas station in Ormoc for more than a day just to get a gallon of gasoline.

Chara Zambrano, from our affiliate ABS-CBN, has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHARA ZAMBRANO, REPORTER, ABS-CBN, ORMOC, PHILIPPINES: This is one of the smaller streets. Even here, you can see the complete disarray the town is in at the moment. You see business establishments, hospitals, their homes, big or small, either severely damaged or completely destroyed. Power lines like these snapped like twigs or scattered in the middle of the street making it difficult for vehicles to negotiate through the rubble.

But I'd like to show you some at the other side of the street a bit. In some parts of Ormoc, you'll see long lines like these. This queue stretches from that side of the road all the way to the other end. These are people queuing for fuel. You can see their small containers. They get to buy a maximum five liters of fuel each but they have to endure hours under the heat of the sun. Some people have fallen in line since yesterday and they haven't reached the end of the fuel line until now. They say they need this fuel to power their motorcycles, their motor boats, their kerosene lamps, anything that will give them mobility, warmth or light in the midst of this crisis.

But the people who we've been talking to here have been saying this. They haven't spoken a word. They just said this, and that I take that to mean their stomachs are about as empty as their gas thanks, about as empty as their containers at the moment.

The need of Ormoc for food, for water, medicine, fuel -- all the basic necessities that people need at the moment is gone. There is a big need for help here in Ormoc, and these people are not shy in admitting it. They're calling for everyone's help.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Chara Zambrano reporting for us from our affiliate.

In many ways, the airport at Tacloban City in the Philippines represents the best and worst of the situation facing the battered country since the typhoon. It is badly damaged but still offers hope for those who have taken refuse there, hope that they'll be able to board a flight and escape the devastation.

Here's CNN's Andrew Stephens.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is what remains of Tacloban International Airport. It's been shattered, as you can see, by the storm that roared through here four days ago. But it's also a place of hope for many people who, as you see, are now sleeping rough here praying that they can get the next flight out to get away from what has happened around them, the sheer devastation.

But take a look. These are the conditions these people face. People are grabbing a piece of dry floor where they can. There are great gaping holes in the roof here. It has been raining on and off heavily over the past few days. There's families here with as much belongings as they could salvage from their own homes. Many people here have lost just about everything. They're hoping they can get away from it. One of the biggest problems is a lack of food, a lack of water. There is no power here, as you can see. If you look around, it's right around the entire building.

You turn around, this is where we are, as well. You're looking here at the CNN team. We've got a lot more, obviously, in terms of supplies here. We're being asked to help wherever we can in terms of food and water. And we've bed down also whenever we can. This is going to be our base for a while. We're lucky. We'll eventually get back to our homes and families. But for many of these people, their homes and many of their family members they'll never see again.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Andrew Stevens reporting from the scene for us.

By the way, once again, for more on how you can help the victims of this disaster in the Philippines, please visit CNN.com/impact.

Other news we're following, including the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency has taken a step towards the agreement with Iran. But the head of the IAEA says a lot more needs to be done. We're going to talk with a Middle East analyst about what's going on when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: The International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, signed a joint statement with Iran today. It's an important first step toward containing that country's nuclear program, possibly. But the head of the group says a lot more work needs to be done. And until an agreement is signed, Britain's foreign secretary says there will be no letup in sanctions against Iran.

All of this comes as Secretary of State John Kerry says there's no disagreement among the so-called P-5-Plus-1 nations trying to negotiate a nuclear deal with Iran.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN KERRY, SECRETARY OF STATE: There was unity. But Iran couldn't take it at that particular moment. They weren't able to accept that particular agreement. So hard work was done. Progress was made. The P-5-Plus-1 was united. There is a gap still between what language may be appropriate that they're prepared to accept, but the concept that we are all working on, we have absolute unity on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Let's bring in Aaron David Miller, Middle East analyst from the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies here in Washington, a former Middle East negotiator under several administrations.

Aaron, thanks very much for coming in. AARON DAVID MILLER, MIDDLE EAST ANALYST, WOODROW WILSON CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES & FORMER MIDDLE EAST NEGOTIATOR FOR THE U.S.: Always a pleasure.

BLITZER: Is he papering over the differences, for example, between the U.S. and France? France was more reluctant to go ahead with this deal.

MILLER: I think so. The real tick-tock, the back story what transpired isn't clear. Were the French that hard over on several issues and refused to let the Iranians off the hook? Was it language, Iran's right to enrich that screwed things up? It's not clear. The reality is there's no deal yet. You've got a lot of unhappy people. And that, I think, is not good for the sustainability of any agreement.

BLITZER: Some are suggesting the hard liners in Iran didn't want a deal either, that the negotiators had their hands tied to a certain degree.

MILLER: I think that's right. Every actor has political restraints. The president has them. Mr. Rouhani has them, as well. I've been pretty annoyingly negative on this subject for a long time. I think we're probably headed for agreement because the risks and the alternatives are worse. The reality is nobody, including the Israelis, wants to put themselves in a position where the only option to try to block Iran's quest for a nuclear capacity is military force. I think there will be an agreement. The P-5-Plus-1 will sort out their differences. The Israelis and Americans will go through an extended drama on this, but at the end of the day, I think they'll reach an agreement, not ideal, and it's still going to leave a lot of unhappy people.

BLITZER: You have a new article you just posted on CNN.com -- excellent piece, very long. Among other things, you say, "Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel is far more invested politically in seeing a nuke free Iran, far more suspicious of Iranian motives, and far more worried about the consequences of a bad deal for Israel."

Where is the division now between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Secretary Kerry?

MILLER: There's a conceptual reality. Where you stand in life is a function of where you sit. The Israelis have a very little margin for error on this one. We're living thousands of miles away. We have non-predatory neighbors to our north and south, fish to our east and west. These liquid assets, so to speak, the oceans keep us safe. The Israelis cope with existential threats, non-existential threats. And the reality is, to trivialize those fears and concerns would be wrong. To exaggerate them is wrong, as well. But the two sides, particularly these two guys, have a very different conception of neighborhoods.

BLITZER: Are we going to see a rift in U.S.-Israeli relations right now?

MILLER: You already have a functional relationship that is marked by and has in the past been marked by personality differences and substantive differences, both on Iran and the pursuit of Israeli- Palestinian peace. The reality is that this Israeli prime minister and this American president and secretary of state have a different world view. I think, unlike Lehman Brothers, this relationship is way, way too big to fail. The differences will be accommodated but not before a lot of bumpy rides.

BLITZER: As difficult as the relationship on this issue, Iran nuclear power, nuclear weapons, whatever, is concerned, and it's straining U.S.-Israeli relations, it's also straining U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia, with the United Arab Emirates, with Kuwait, some of the Gulf States. They are not very happy what the Obama administration is doing right now either.

MILLER: Critical point. Like the Israelis, they live in the neighborhood. Different set of fears and concerns but Iran is the preeminent challenge. The Shia-Sunni split, this so-called political war, is crucial consideration in Saudi foreign policy. And absolutely right. They're not happy. I said on a panel a couple of weeks ago, with a former Israeli Mossad analyst and Prince Turki --

BLITZER: The former Saudi intelligence chief.

MILLER: Exactly. And they disagreed on Arab-Israeli issues. But it was a high degree of coincidence of interests between these publicly --

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: Did they talk to each other, the Saudis and Israeli?

MILLER: Absolutely. Absolutely.

BLITZER: That's unusual, at least in public.

MILLER: Right. It may well be there's more that brings those two together, the Israelis and Saudis, than they have in common with us right now. So --

BLITZER: Prince Turki was the Saudi ambassador here in Washington.

MILLER: He was.

BLITZER: Who was the person he was talking to?

MILLER: Yousi Alfer (ph) --

(CROSSTALK)

MILLER: A very smart guy, former Mossad, DMI analyst. But again, high degree of coincidence of interests between the Israelis and the Saudis. Our two special relationships in the Middle East that, frankly, on this issue, are madder at us than they are at one another.

BLITZER: Aaron David Miller, thanks very much.

MILLER: Always a pleasure.

BLITZER: The story is, unfortunately, not going away. Let's hope they get closer and work this out and that there's peace. I've been saying that for a long time.

MILLER: I know you have. I hope so, too.

BLITZER: Thanks very much.

Amazon is getting ready to roll out extra delivery for some of its customers this holiday season. Up next, I'm going to show you how the company is planning to deliver your gifts on Sundays this year.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Let's do a quick check of the markets right now. After hitting a record high last week, you see the Dow Jones up almost 18 points. Fairly quiet trading on this Veterans Day. Investors are waiting for Senate confirmation hearings later this week for Janet Yellen, the White House nominee to replace Ben Bernanke as the next chair of the Federal Reserve. Tht important hearing is coming up.

If online shopping is part of your holiday ritual, Amazon wants to make it a little bit easier this year. The company is teaming up with the U.S. Postal Service to start Sunday delivery service for millions of its customers.

Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange.

This obviously helps Amazon but is this a big enough deal to help the postal service and its financial troubles?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, that's a good question. But it's no big surprise that the U.S. Postal Service is in a pretty deep hole at this point. It lost almost $16 billion in fiscal 2012. It's going to take more than Sunday delivery to dig them out, but, hey, it's a start.

If you live in New York or Los Angeles, beginning this weekend, whatever you order from Amazon could arrive at your doorstep on a Sunday with the help of the U.S. Postal Service. A USPS spokesperson said, while the amount of mail shipped has declined, the number of package shipments, which are more profitable, are increasing. The postal service is looking to form similar agreements with other retailers. It really gives it a chance to get a leg up on UPS and FedEx, which do not deliver on Sundays -- Wolf?

BLITZER: Is this going to cost customers a lot more?

KOSIK: So it's not going to cost customers extra. You're not going to be charged extra to get the delivery on Sunday, but if you're an Amazon prime member, which does come with an annual fee, you can place orders on as late as Friday to get your orders on Sunday. As the Sunday shipping starts to roll out, keep in mind, it's only available in New York and L.A. at first, but the company does expect to expand the service to Dallas and Houston, New Orleans, and Phoenix next year -- Wolf.

BLITZER: All right, we'll see how it goes in New York and Los Angeles first.

KOSIK: Right.

BLITZER: We'll see how it goes in the other cities as well.

Thanks very much, Alison, for that.

The quiet serenity of flying in a glider for a group of wounded veterans, it's a chance to forget problems. Their story when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: On this Veterans Day, we honor all veterans, but some a little more than others. Once a month in the California desert, a group of patients from the Naval Medical Center in San Diego gather for something very special. They have all come home from war, wounded and scarred in so many ways, physically, emotionally. Here, for a few moments, at least, they can leave the problems on the ground and soar above them.

Photo journalist, Gabe Ramirez, takes us along.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED VETERAN: My experience in Afghanistan, it's kind of a favorite question of people, you know. Sometimes I ask, do you really want to know? Because sometimes it's not good stuff that goes on out there.

After my first deployment, one of my close buddies, they died in deployment. There's nothing you can do. And you feel really guilty, so I just held it in. You know.

Usually, I like to stay here by myself. That's why the doctor said, go out and have some fun. So bond together with guys who have gone through the same things and just basically help us to just get back to normal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our program is the Wounded Service Members Soaring or Gliding Program. Once a month, we take them up soaring. Basically, put them in a glider and take them out flying.

(LAUGHTER)

UNIDENTIFIED VETERAN: Being up there, you really, honestly get to see God's landscape, like he painted it so beautiful up there. To appreciate everything, and you should never take life for granted.

I had no fear up there. All love, nothing to be scared of at all. No fear. To be honest, I haven't had my heart pumping that fast in a while. It was cool. We had a Vietnam fighter pilot, and he went super aggressive.

UNIDENTIFIED VETERAN: I flew jets all my life, f-4s and f-5s. We had our own combat experiences. We see these fine young men and gals coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq. We have a passion for flying planes and want to share with these guys and get their adrenaline pumping and give them an opportunity they might not have otherwise.

UNIDENTIFIED VETERAN: It's different. It's just like kind of a peace. You feel free.

UNIDENTIFIED VETERAN: It was sweet, man. It was sweet. Feel like crying, almost.

(LAUGHTER)

Let me stop.

UNIDENTIFIED VETERAN: You know, I wouldn't be standing here talking to you about it right now if you were to hit me up four or five months ago. I would have been in tears and heartbroken. But the sunshine is out and I'm happy to be alive again and happy to be just living.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Please be sure to watch CNN's "Veterans in Focus" special later today. It airs at 2:30 p.m. eastern. That's a half hour from now. You can also read more veterans stories at CNN.com/veterans. I suggest you do it, especially on this Veterans Day.

That's it for me. Thanks very much for watching. I'll be back, 5:00 p.m. eastern in "The Situation Room." We have a special report coming up at 6:00 p.m., on the latest, the devastation in the Philippines. Much more on that coming up, obviously, throughout the day as well.

NEWSROOM continues right now with Kyra Phillips.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, thanks so much.