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CNN Live Saturday

Tornado Levels Midwestern Town; Prince, Commoner Exchange Wedding Vows

Aired May 22, 2004 - 16:00   ET

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

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


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A tornado levels one Midwestern town and more severe weather may be on the way this weekend.
The prince and the commoner exchange wedding vows and a nation celebrates.

And which home remodeling projects give you the most bang for your buck. The answer may surprise you. That's our topic on dollar signs coming up at the bottom of the hour. E-mail your questions now or you can call us toll free, 1-800-807-2620. The phone lines open in 30 minutes.

Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Those stories and more after a check of the top stories.

Wait until June to see if there will be any action from OPEC to ease high gas prices. OPEC ministers meeting in Amsterdam say they're not likely to make a decision on increasing output before their June 3 meeting. Saudi Arabia has proposed boosting production immediately.

More bloodshed in Iraq today. At least five Iraqis killed and 10 others wounded when a suicide bomber detonated a car loaded with explosives in Baghdad. The car was parked outside the home of Iraq's deputy interior minister. Both he and his wife were injured. Their wounds are not life threatening. We'll have more on that attack in a moment.

Volunteers from all over Iowa are heading to the north central section of the state to help clean up tornado damage. Nearly every home in Bradgate was damaged when the twister touched down last night. And 15 people were injured. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras will have more on the severe weather in a moment.

Michael Moore's anti-Bush documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" is being honored at the Cannes Film Festival. The controversial documentary has won the Golden Palm, or the Best Film Award. Moore's film received massive publicity before the festival when Disney refused to distribute it during an election year. In accepting the award, Moore said, he was overwhelmed.

Saturday has just ended in Iraq, but like so many others, it was a day riddled with violence against the U.S.-led coalition and Iraq's transitional leaders. It's casualties include a U.S. soldier, an Iraqi woman, and four guards protecting a government official's home, which came under attack. CNN's Harris Whitbeck has more. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A suicide car bomber attacked the home of Iraqi Deputy Interior Minister Abdul Jabbar Yousif early Saturday morning. The explosion killed at least five Iraqis, four of them Iraqi government bodyguards.

A group linked to Al Qaeda's Abu Musab Zarqawi claimed responsibility for the attack, calling the deputy interior minister a traitor for working with the Coalition Provisional Authority.

Last Monday, Iraqi governing member Izzadin Salim was killed in a suicide bombing at a U.S. military checkpoint. The violence in the capital comes amid reports of an ease in fighting in Karbala, the oil city that has been the scene of intense combat between U.S. forces and militia's loyal to anti-U.S. Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. But while the militia claims the U.S. has withdrawn from the city, U.S. military spokesmen say troops have merely been repositioned.

U.S. military actions in Iraq are still causing controversy. Last Wednesday's air strike on a group of people on the desert border between Iraq and Syria continues to be disputed by some who claim the strike was on a civilian wedding party.

On Saturday, U.S. Military Spokesman Mark Kimmitt showed paragraphs of what he described as terrorist training manuals, military binoculars, foreign passports and medical equipment found the at the site of the attack.

(On camera): Kimmitt says the more intelligence they look at, the more they are convinced it was not a wedding. And he added, "that bad people have parties, too."

Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Turning now to the prisoner abuse scandal, the U.S. military is expanding its investigations of detainee deaths, both in Iraq and Afghanistan. And a civilian contractor is being implicated in the probe. CNN's Elaine Quijano has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Two weeks ago, the Pentagon announced that 25 investigations had been launched. Now Pentagon officials say the U.S. military has added eight more. That means a total of 33 investigations are underway into the deaths of 37 detainees who were in U.S. custody in Iraq and Afghanistan.

According to Pentagon officials, of those 37 who died, 32 of those deaths occurred in Iraq and five in Afghanistan. Officials also say that 30 of the cases happened inside U.S. detention facilities, the rest were not in prisons.

The deaths of eight people were justified homicides, according to the Pentagon, that happened as prisoners were trying to escape. One of those killed was at camp Buccah (ph) in southern Iraq and seven were at Abu Ghraib. Two other cases were listed as homicides and on death certificates, which the Pentagon released, causes of death included blunt force injuries, a closed head injury and asphyxia due to chest compression and smothering.

The Pentagon says nine other investigations are still pending. And 15 others were declared to be death by natural or undetermined causes, say officials.

In addition, interrogation procedures continue to be the focus of a probe, as well, as a result of that, the Justice Department says the Pentagon has referred the case of a civilian contractor to Justice officials for possible criminal prosecution.

Now, all of these developments come amidst more photos that emerged Friday, something that Donald Rumsfeld has warned might surface in the days and weeks ahead.

Elaine Quijano, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Other stories making news around the world. In Afghanistan, a deadly U.S. air strike and some confusion about those killed. And overnight helicopter raid on suspected militants killed three people, a U.S. military spokeswoman said they were enemy combatants. But local officials say at least one civilian was killed.

In India, a new prime minister is sworn in, Manmohan Singh. He took the oath a New Delhi's presidential place. Singh was tapped for that post after Sonia Gandhi declined it.

In Tunis, Tunisia, the Arab League Summit started with a moment of silence for the 41 Palestinians killed recently in Gaza. Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat addressed the summit have via videophone for the third year, because of an Israeli lock down of his compound. Arafat condemned Israel but said progress could be made if Israeli occupation ended.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Here are the top stories right now. A suicide car bombing in Baghdad kills at least five and wounds at least 10, including a deputy interior minister.

Several storms ripped through the Midwest. Three are killed in Michigan and an Iowa town is destroyed.

And OPEC says it will hold off until next month on deciding about increasing oil production.

And any moment now we're expecting a phone call from our Jane Arraf, who is in embedded with troops in Najaf, Iraq. And when that happens, we'll be bringing you that telephone call.

Well, tonight is prom night at many high schools across the nation. And too often, the festivities end with alcohol-related deaths on the highway. Schools in Miami Beach are discouraging prom revelers from drinking and driving through a program called "Cheat the Reaper". CNN's John Zarrella reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The opening scene depicts a night of partying and drinking at the prom. In the bleachers, seniors at Miami Beach high are for the most part amused. That will soon change. This reality play put on just before prom night hits the students hard. It turns quickly from fun to the reenactment of a car crash involving the teens leaving the prom drunk.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's been a really bad accident at the high school.

ZARRELLA: Everything is staged as close to reality as possible. As police arrive, they find two cars filled with victims. Students from the high school play the roles. They are covered in artificial blood. By now, expressions on the faces of the students in the bleachers is changing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three.

ZARRELLA: The fire department and paramedics have arrived.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get the spreaders on the door and pop that door.

ZARRELLA: Saws and the Jaws of Life are used to simulate cutting the kids free.

(on camera): The accident depicts what happens in a head-on collision at 35 miles per hour. In the first 0.7 of a second after impact, the bumper and grill collapses, the steering wheel disintegrates, the car frame buckles and people die. Fire officials relate this gory time line to the students, who in some cases are by now in tears.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully we reach more, but if we reach one student and make them think twice about taking that drink. We've done our job.

ZARRELLA: According to national statistics, 24 percent of drivers 15-20 years old, who are killed in crashes, were intoxicated. This reality play ends with the teenage driver led away in handcuffs as his girlfriend is taken away in a body bag.

JANIECE SARDUV, BEACH HIGH STUDENT: I've had people come up to me and say, you know, I don't think I'm going to drive. I think I'm going to get a hotel. I've had a lot of that.

ZARRELLA: During the seven years this reenactment has been staged, police here say there have been no DUI arrests involving teens on prom night. It has had a sobering effect.

John Zarrella, CNN, Miami Beach.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: With us from Miami, he's one of the people who made "Cheat The Reaper" happen at Miami Beach Senior High School. School crisis counselor Rachelle Hamm, an adviser to Drug Free Youth In Town, co-founded the program with fire, rescue and other community services.

All right Rachelle, glad you could join us.

RACHELLE HAMM, CO-FOUNDER, "CHEAT THE REAPER": Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: Just looking at the video, it's very real, very graphic, and clearly very impactful to these young people, isn't it?

HAMM: Yes, absolutely. This is a program that saves lives. And I'm so honored to be part of it. It's a community effort. As you can tell from the clips, we have Miami Beach Police, the Miami Beach Fire Rescue, the coroner's office, convention center, the local funeral home, so many people work together to put this program on.

WHITFIELD: Was there a feeling that this topic just really was not sinking in with the young people and you had to hit them with this topic hard in this very graphic approach? And that's how it came about?

HAMM: Actually what happened was the year that we began this program, there was a serious accident at the high school involving some of our students. And inspector Mogan (ph) of the fire rescue approached me about doing a program where we would actually reenact a drunk driving accident.

Prom was approaching and we were trying to figure out a way we could get the message across to persuade the kids not to drink and drive. We had the program. And it was so successful we did it again the following year. It caught momentum and we've been doing it for seven years now. And it's a tradition and I don't see that we could ever stop doing it.

WHITFIELD: Now, you guys could have had actors or perhaps you could have had some of the fire and rescue people playing the role as the students in the car. Why did you feel like it was so much more effective to actually have students?

HAMM: Students appreciate listening to other students. Students that are in the program are actual members of a club we have on campus called Drug Free Youth In Town. And they're very dedicated to getting the message across to living a healthy drug-free lifestyle. So it's just been very effective to use these students.

WHITFIELD: How do you know it works? How do you know that these messages stick with the students come prom night? It's one thing, you know, to see this and a few days later or a few weeks later you actually have prom, a lot of these kids feel like they've distanced themselves from what they witnessed.

HAMM: The experience, in most cases, lasts with them for a long time. In fact, one of the students who participated as a victim in the program said to me afterwards that being removed from the vehicle by the rescue personnel, and put on a backboard into the waiting ambulance, was so emotional for her, that she cried. That's an experience that's going to stay with her forever.

It really makes the kids stop and think. And as you heard in the clip, we have had no accidents involving drinking and driving on prom night since we began this program seven years ago.

WHITFIELD: And Rachelle, a senior student Jose Triani is also with you. And he's a member of the Drug Free Youth In Town. And he actually played one of the drunk drivers, or at least a passenger in the vehicle.

Didn't you Jose? What was that experience like for you?

JOSE TRIANI, STUDENT: It was very, very realistic and down to earth compared to like any other acts. And it's just made you think about real life tragedies that happen that drinking and driving can cause.

WHITFIELD: Did you ever give this topic much thought before having to play a role in this project?

TRIANI: About drinking and driving?

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

TRIANI: Really not that much thought to it because mostly common sense, you know, to drink and drive. My friends, you know, I don't let my friends drink to drive, and if they do drink, you know, I always consider myself to be the responsible one. And take them home or just take the keys away from them.

WHITFIELD: Before this program, did you and some of your friends kind of always feel like, this would never happen to me. So I really don't have to think about how real a scenario this just is?

TRIANI: Yes. It's like, most people don't think that it would happen to them because it's just not a thing that happens in everyday life. It's just very tragic and loving to friends.

WHITFIELD: How convinced are you this program sinks in? What are you hearing from your fellow students?

TRIANI: Actually, it's a lot of compliments, making them actually see the ways of like not to drink and drive. A lot of my friends are actually, you know, very serious. I thought they were going to be like making jokes about it and everything. But most of them got really serious. Some of them even cried and everything, you know, so it's like very touching.

WHITFIELD: And Rachelle, how will you all try to monitor just how effective this program is? Do you have any plans on studying what the accident rate or the drinking and driving rates is for young people of those who have actually seen the program versus those who haven't?

HAMM: We just keep doing this every year. It's what we do. It's been so successful so far and we hope that by getting some media attention, we can inspire other communities to try to put on similar programs. If we can save one life or prevent one person from being paralyzed, it's worth it.

WHITFIELD: Rachelle Hamm and Jose Triani, thanks for joining us from Miami.

HAMM: Thank you very much.

TRIANI: Thank you.

HAMM: It was our pleasure.

WHITFIELD: It's a story as old as fairy tales themselves. The handsome prince and the commoner he falls in love with. Today that fairy tale came true in Spain. Find out why the royal wedding was just what Spaniards needed about now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: As promised, Jane Arraf is embedded with U.S. troops in Najaf. She's on the telephone now. Let's get an update from Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: We are moving in the direction of Kufa or actually there is an armored personnel carrier that rolled out with tanks and other ATVs just a short while ago from the U.S. base in Najaf. Now it does appear to be heading toward the middle of Kufa and it will be the first time U.S. forces have been in the stronghold of radical leader Muqtada Al Sadr.

(UNINTELLIGIBLE) We are moving through these darkened streets. Just awhile ago, heavy artillery was fired, by U.S. forces, into Kufa for the first time. And shortly after the lights went out.

We're now hearing mortar fire around as well as scattered gunfire reports and a major operation that appears to be headed into Kufa.

WHITFIELD: And Jane, what about the reception in that area near Najaf? What is the response from the Iraqi people there of the presence of the U.S. troops that you're embedded with?

ARRAF: This is rather a classic military operation. In that it is a big, big operation and they are using overwhelming force. There are no people in the streets. In fact, the streets have been unusually empty all day. And now that it's after midnight, the streets are dark.

Probably the only Iraqis out there are either the Mehdi army, who are attacking or waiting to attack, or ordinary Iraqis, who are again huddled at home in fear of what is going to happen. These are huge, as you can imagine, the sounds and the look of tanks rolling through the streets is quite intimidating.

It does not appear that the intent is to go after Muqtada Al- Sadr. That would be a fairly explosive development. But clearly they are making a show of force in what they call (UNINTELLIGIBLE) reconnaissance, which essentially is going into areas they have not been before and looking for the Mehdi army and looking for weapons in what really is a very large show of forces here in Najaf and Kufa.

WHITFIELD: And Jane --

ARRAF: We're just hearing the sound of mortars now. There's a lot of mortar being fired on both sides, it seems.

WHITFIELD: About how large is that unit that you're with?

ARRAF: I'm sorry. Could you say that again?

WHITFIELD: How large is the troop unit that you're with? A very significant number?

ARRAF: There are a significant number. We think quite a lot of tanks, quite a lot of troops. We can't go into specific numbers. It certainly is the largest operation we have seen since we have been embedded for the last several weeks.

And to do an operation of this size is quite a major undertaking as well as some risk to these soldiers who are going into areas they have not been before. But again, it's a stronghold of Muqtada Al-Sadr and the Mehdi militia.

He goes back and forth between Kufa and Najaf, but this is where he gives his Friday sermons at the mosque. This is where there are a lot of entrenched fighters that U.S. forces have been battling for sometime. It is a major development in terms of where the U.S. is heading in this area. And where they are willing to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) show of force.

While at the same time, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) waiting for political developments to work, clearly is a sign they are not stepping back from the military options.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jane Arraf. Thanks very much for that will report. On the telephone in, of course, the audio is quite muffled there. She's in an armored personnel vehicle as they travel through and near the town of Najaf. And we'll get an update on the goings on with that unit as soon as we're able to get that with Jane Arraf.

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Aired May 22, 2004 - 16:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A tornado levels one Midwestern town and more severe weather may be on the way this weekend.
The prince and the commoner exchange wedding vows and a nation celebrates.

And which home remodeling projects give you the most bang for your buck. The answer may surprise you. That's our topic on dollar signs coming up at the bottom of the hour. E-mail your questions now or you can call us toll free, 1-800-807-2620. The phone lines open in 30 minutes.

Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Those stories and more after a check of the top stories.

Wait until June to see if there will be any action from OPEC to ease high gas prices. OPEC ministers meeting in Amsterdam say they're not likely to make a decision on increasing output before their June 3 meeting. Saudi Arabia has proposed boosting production immediately.

More bloodshed in Iraq today. At least five Iraqis killed and 10 others wounded when a suicide bomber detonated a car loaded with explosives in Baghdad. The car was parked outside the home of Iraq's deputy interior minister. Both he and his wife were injured. Their wounds are not life threatening. We'll have more on that attack in a moment.

Volunteers from all over Iowa are heading to the north central section of the state to help clean up tornado damage. Nearly every home in Bradgate was damaged when the twister touched down last night. And 15 people were injured. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras will have more on the severe weather in a moment.

Michael Moore's anti-Bush documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" is being honored at the Cannes Film Festival. The controversial documentary has won the Golden Palm, or the Best Film Award. Moore's film received massive publicity before the festival when Disney refused to distribute it during an election year. In accepting the award, Moore said, he was overwhelmed.

Saturday has just ended in Iraq, but like so many others, it was a day riddled with violence against the U.S.-led coalition and Iraq's transitional leaders. It's casualties include a U.S. soldier, an Iraqi woman, and four guards protecting a government official's home, which came under attack. CNN's Harris Whitbeck has more. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A suicide car bomber attacked the home of Iraqi Deputy Interior Minister Abdul Jabbar Yousif early Saturday morning. The explosion killed at least five Iraqis, four of them Iraqi government bodyguards.

A group linked to Al Qaeda's Abu Musab Zarqawi claimed responsibility for the attack, calling the deputy interior minister a traitor for working with the Coalition Provisional Authority.

Last Monday, Iraqi governing member Izzadin Salim was killed in a suicide bombing at a U.S. military checkpoint. The violence in the capital comes amid reports of an ease in fighting in Karbala, the oil city that has been the scene of intense combat between U.S. forces and militia's loyal to anti-U.S. Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. But while the militia claims the U.S. has withdrawn from the city, U.S. military spokesmen say troops have merely been repositioned.

U.S. military actions in Iraq are still causing controversy. Last Wednesday's air strike on a group of people on the desert border between Iraq and Syria continues to be disputed by some who claim the strike was on a civilian wedding party.

On Saturday, U.S. Military Spokesman Mark Kimmitt showed paragraphs of what he described as terrorist training manuals, military binoculars, foreign passports and medical equipment found the at the site of the attack.

(On camera): Kimmitt says the more intelligence they look at, the more they are convinced it was not a wedding. And he added, "that bad people have parties, too."

Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Turning now to the prisoner abuse scandal, the U.S. military is expanding its investigations of detainee deaths, both in Iraq and Afghanistan. And a civilian contractor is being implicated in the probe. CNN's Elaine Quijano has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Two weeks ago, the Pentagon announced that 25 investigations had been launched. Now Pentagon officials say the U.S. military has added eight more. That means a total of 33 investigations are underway into the deaths of 37 detainees who were in U.S. custody in Iraq and Afghanistan.

According to Pentagon officials, of those 37 who died, 32 of those deaths occurred in Iraq and five in Afghanistan. Officials also say that 30 of the cases happened inside U.S. detention facilities, the rest were not in prisons.

The deaths of eight people were justified homicides, according to the Pentagon, that happened as prisoners were trying to escape. One of those killed was at camp Buccah (ph) in southern Iraq and seven were at Abu Ghraib. Two other cases were listed as homicides and on death certificates, which the Pentagon released, causes of death included blunt force injuries, a closed head injury and asphyxia due to chest compression and smothering.

The Pentagon says nine other investigations are still pending. And 15 others were declared to be death by natural or undetermined causes, say officials.

In addition, interrogation procedures continue to be the focus of a probe, as well, as a result of that, the Justice Department says the Pentagon has referred the case of a civilian contractor to Justice officials for possible criminal prosecution.

Now, all of these developments come amidst more photos that emerged Friday, something that Donald Rumsfeld has warned might surface in the days and weeks ahead.

Elaine Quijano, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Other stories making news around the world. In Afghanistan, a deadly U.S. air strike and some confusion about those killed. And overnight helicopter raid on suspected militants killed three people, a U.S. military spokeswoman said they were enemy combatants. But local officials say at least one civilian was killed.

In India, a new prime minister is sworn in, Manmohan Singh. He took the oath a New Delhi's presidential place. Singh was tapped for that post after Sonia Gandhi declined it.

In Tunis, Tunisia, the Arab League Summit started with a moment of silence for the 41 Palestinians killed recently in Gaza. Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat addressed the summit have via videophone for the third year, because of an Israeli lock down of his compound. Arafat condemned Israel but said progress could be made if Israeli occupation ended.

(WEATHER FORECAST)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Here are the top stories right now. A suicide car bombing in Baghdad kills at least five and wounds at least 10, including a deputy interior minister.

Several storms ripped through the Midwest. Three are killed in Michigan and an Iowa town is destroyed.

And OPEC says it will hold off until next month on deciding about increasing oil production.

And any moment now we're expecting a phone call from our Jane Arraf, who is in embedded with troops in Najaf, Iraq. And when that happens, we'll be bringing you that telephone call.

Well, tonight is prom night at many high schools across the nation. And too often, the festivities end with alcohol-related deaths on the highway. Schools in Miami Beach are discouraging prom revelers from drinking and driving through a program called "Cheat the Reaper". CNN's John Zarrella reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The opening scene depicts a night of partying and drinking at the prom. In the bleachers, seniors at Miami Beach high are for the most part amused. That will soon change. This reality play put on just before prom night hits the students hard. It turns quickly from fun to the reenactment of a car crash involving the teens leaving the prom drunk.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's been a really bad accident at the high school.

ZARRELLA: Everything is staged as close to reality as possible. As police arrive, they find two cars filled with victims. Students from the high school play the roles. They are covered in artificial blood. By now, expressions on the faces of the students in the bleachers is changing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: One, two, three.

ZARRELLA: The fire department and paramedics have arrived.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get the spreaders on the door and pop that door.

ZARRELLA: Saws and the Jaws of Life are used to simulate cutting the kids free.

(on camera): The accident depicts what happens in a head-on collision at 35 miles per hour. In the first 0.7 of a second after impact, the bumper and grill collapses, the steering wheel disintegrates, the car frame buckles and people die. Fire officials relate this gory time line to the students, who in some cases are by now in tears.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully we reach more, but if we reach one student and make them think twice about taking that drink. We've done our job.

ZARRELLA: According to national statistics, 24 percent of drivers 15-20 years old, who are killed in crashes, were intoxicated. This reality play ends with the teenage driver led away in handcuffs as his girlfriend is taken away in a body bag.

JANIECE SARDUV, BEACH HIGH STUDENT: I've had people come up to me and say, you know, I don't think I'm going to drive. I think I'm going to get a hotel. I've had a lot of that.

ZARRELLA: During the seven years this reenactment has been staged, police here say there have been no DUI arrests involving teens on prom night. It has had a sobering effect.

John Zarrella, CNN, Miami Beach.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: With us from Miami, he's one of the people who made "Cheat The Reaper" happen at Miami Beach Senior High School. School crisis counselor Rachelle Hamm, an adviser to Drug Free Youth In Town, co-founded the program with fire, rescue and other community services.

All right Rachelle, glad you could join us.

RACHELLE HAMM, CO-FOUNDER, "CHEAT THE REAPER": Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: Just looking at the video, it's very real, very graphic, and clearly very impactful to these young people, isn't it?

HAMM: Yes, absolutely. This is a program that saves lives. And I'm so honored to be part of it. It's a community effort. As you can tell from the clips, we have Miami Beach Police, the Miami Beach Fire Rescue, the coroner's office, convention center, the local funeral home, so many people work together to put this program on.

WHITFIELD: Was there a feeling that this topic just really was not sinking in with the young people and you had to hit them with this topic hard in this very graphic approach? And that's how it came about?

HAMM: Actually what happened was the year that we began this program, there was a serious accident at the high school involving some of our students. And inspector Mogan (ph) of the fire rescue approached me about doing a program where we would actually reenact a drunk driving accident.

Prom was approaching and we were trying to figure out a way we could get the message across to persuade the kids not to drink and drive. We had the program. And it was so successful we did it again the following year. It caught momentum and we've been doing it for seven years now. And it's a tradition and I don't see that we could ever stop doing it.

WHITFIELD: Now, you guys could have had actors or perhaps you could have had some of the fire and rescue people playing the role as the students in the car. Why did you feel like it was so much more effective to actually have students?

HAMM: Students appreciate listening to other students. Students that are in the program are actual members of a club we have on campus called Drug Free Youth In Town. And they're very dedicated to getting the message across to living a healthy drug-free lifestyle. So it's just been very effective to use these students.

WHITFIELD: How do you know it works? How do you know that these messages stick with the students come prom night? It's one thing, you know, to see this and a few days later or a few weeks later you actually have prom, a lot of these kids feel like they've distanced themselves from what they witnessed.

HAMM: The experience, in most cases, lasts with them for a long time. In fact, one of the students who participated as a victim in the program said to me afterwards that being removed from the vehicle by the rescue personnel, and put on a backboard into the waiting ambulance, was so emotional for her, that she cried. That's an experience that's going to stay with her forever.

It really makes the kids stop and think. And as you heard in the clip, we have had no accidents involving drinking and driving on prom night since we began this program seven years ago.

WHITFIELD: And Rachelle, a senior student Jose Triani is also with you. And he's a member of the Drug Free Youth In Town. And he actually played one of the drunk drivers, or at least a passenger in the vehicle.

Didn't you Jose? What was that experience like for you?

JOSE TRIANI, STUDENT: It was very, very realistic and down to earth compared to like any other acts. And it's just made you think about real life tragedies that happen that drinking and driving can cause.

WHITFIELD: Did you ever give this topic much thought before having to play a role in this project?

TRIANI: About drinking and driving?

WHITFIELD: Yeah.

TRIANI: Really not that much thought to it because mostly common sense, you know, to drink and drive. My friends, you know, I don't let my friends drink to drive, and if they do drink, you know, I always consider myself to be the responsible one. And take them home or just take the keys away from them.

WHITFIELD: Before this program, did you and some of your friends kind of always feel like, this would never happen to me. So I really don't have to think about how real a scenario this just is?

TRIANI: Yes. It's like, most people don't think that it would happen to them because it's just not a thing that happens in everyday life. It's just very tragic and loving to friends.

WHITFIELD: How convinced are you this program sinks in? What are you hearing from your fellow students?

TRIANI: Actually, it's a lot of compliments, making them actually see the ways of like not to drink and drive. A lot of my friends are actually, you know, very serious. I thought they were going to be like making jokes about it and everything. But most of them got really serious. Some of them even cried and everything, you know, so it's like very touching.

WHITFIELD: And Rachelle, how will you all try to monitor just how effective this program is? Do you have any plans on studying what the accident rate or the drinking and driving rates is for young people of those who have actually seen the program versus those who haven't?

HAMM: We just keep doing this every year. It's what we do. It's been so successful so far and we hope that by getting some media attention, we can inspire other communities to try to put on similar programs. If we can save one life or prevent one person from being paralyzed, it's worth it.

WHITFIELD: Rachelle Hamm and Jose Triani, thanks for joining us from Miami.

HAMM: Thank you very much.

TRIANI: Thank you.

HAMM: It was our pleasure.

WHITFIELD: It's a story as old as fairy tales themselves. The handsome prince and the commoner he falls in love with. Today that fairy tale came true in Spain. Find out why the royal wedding was just what Spaniards needed about now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: As promised, Jane Arraf is embedded with U.S. troops in Najaf. She's on the telephone now. Let's get an update from Jane.

JANE ARRAF, CNN BAGHDAD BUREAU CHIEF: We are moving in the direction of Kufa or actually there is an armored personnel carrier that rolled out with tanks and other ATVs just a short while ago from the U.S. base in Najaf. Now it does appear to be heading toward the middle of Kufa and it will be the first time U.S. forces have been in the stronghold of radical leader Muqtada Al Sadr.

(UNINTELLIGIBLE) We are moving through these darkened streets. Just awhile ago, heavy artillery was fired, by U.S. forces, into Kufa for the first time. And shortly after the lights went out.

We're now hearing mortar fire around as well as scattered gunfire reports and a major operation that appears to be headed into Kufa.

WHITFIELD: And Jane, what about the reception in that area near Najaf? What is the response from the Iraqi people there of the presence of the U.S. troops that you're embedded with?

ARRAF: This is rather a classic military operation. In that it is a big, big operation and they are using overwhelming force. There are no people in the streets. In fact, the streets have been unusually empty all day. And now that it's after midnight, the streets are dark.

Probably the only Iraqis out there are either the Mehdi army, who are attacking or waiting to attack, or ordinary Iraqis, who are again huddled at home in fear of what is going to happen. These are huge, as you can imagine, the sounds and the look of tanks rolling through the streets is quite intimidating.

It does not appear that the intent is to go after Muqtada Al- Sadr. That would be a fairly explosive development. But clearly they are making a show of force in what they call (UNINTELLIGIBLE) reconnaissance, which essentially is going into areas they have not been before and looking for the Mehdi army and looking for weapons in what really is a very large show of forces here in Najaf and Kufa.

WHITFIELD: And Jane --

ARRAF: We're just hearing the sound of mortars now. There's a lot of mortar being fired on both sides, it seems.

WHITFIELD: About how large is that unit that you're with?

ARRAF: I'm sorry. Could you say that again?

WHITFIELD: How large is the troop unit that you're with? A very significant number?

ARRAF: There are a significant number. We think quite a lot of tanks, quite a lot of troops. We can't go into specific numbers. It certainly is the largest operation we have seen since we have been embedded for the last several weeks.

And to do an operation of this size is quite a major undertaking as well as some risk to these soldiers who are going into areas they have not been before. But again, it's a stronghold of Muqtada Al-Sadr and the Mehdi militia.

He goes back and forth between Kufa and Najaf, but this is where he gives his Friday sermons at the mosque. This is where there are a lot of entrenched fighters that U.S. forces have been battling for sometime. It is a major development in terms of where the U.S. is heading in this area. And where they are willing to (UNINTELLIGIBLE) show of force.

While at the same time, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) waiting for political developments to work, clearly is a sign they are not stepping back from the military options.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jane Arraf. Thanks very much for that will report. On the telephone in, of course, the audio is quite muffled there. She's in an armored personnel vehicle as they travel through and near the town of Najaf. And we'll get an update on the goings on with that unit as soon as we're able to get that with Jane Arraf.

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