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CNN Live Saturday
Tropical Storm Arlene Hits Land; New Developments in Holloway Case; Parents Drop Objection To Cancer Treatment for Daughter
Aired June 11, 2005 - 14:01 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: It is 2:00 p.m. on the East Coast, 1:00 p.m. in Mobile, Alabama, as Arlene bears down on the Gulf Coast.
I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY.
Ahead this hour, the latest on the path and potential destruction from Arlene. Also, thousands of damaged homes from last year's hurricane season have not all been repaired. The watch and worry over this year's season.
Later, cancer and the child custody battle in Texas. What action the parents plan to take after the state seized their daughter. Those stories in a moment, but first, here are the headlines.
Three suspects arrested two days ago in the disappearance of an American teenager in Aruba are scheduled to be in court this hour. A judge will determine whether they can be held for another eight days. A senior police official in Aruba tells CNN one of those suspects has confessed to killing Natalee Holloway. The official does not say which suspect confessed and prosecutors refuse to confirm or deny that report.
The search is on in Namibia for a small group of Americans and citizens from other countries who are believed to be missing. Officials in the southern African nation have not released any details about the search. The U.S. embassy in Namibia's capital has been notified.
Some of the world's poor developing countries are getting a big break, a debt relief package from the world's richest countries. G-8 finance ministers agreed today to cancel 100 percent of the debts owed by poor and developing nations. The final tab could top $55 billion. The decision comes ahead of next month's G-8 summit in Scotland.
We begin with the story that's impacting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the north central Gulf coast of the United States. Tropical storm Arlene is bearing down on the region, where memories of last year's monster storm season and hurricane Ivan, specifically are still very fresh. CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti is with us now from Pensacola Beach, Florida. Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Even though this isn't anything like hurricane Ivan, which was a category three storm, Arlene nevertheless, is a cause of concern because it is the first named storm of the season. And looking at those waves over my shoulder, you can see they're starting to look meaner and meaner. I probably will not get an opportunity to do this as the day goes on, so I'm going to try to clean off that lens just a little bit, because after this, it will get far too powerful to probably do that.
In any case, let me show you what it looks like just over here. This restaurant that you see with the red roof over my shoulder, that was heavily damaged during hurricane Ivan. And just a few months ago (AUDIO GAP) so badly hurt but it is now filled with people who have come down to look at the storm (AUDIO GAP). We have tracked gusts of more than 55 miles an hour (AUDIO GAP). We are still probably a couple of hours away from landfall. Over in this (AUDIO GAP)
WHITFIELD: And we're getting that intermittent signal and now we've lost it coming out of Pensacola Beach, Florida, particularly because of the high winds there that are bearing down on the Gulf coast because of Arlene. CNN meteorologist is checking -- Jacqui Jeras, rather is checking the conditions from a nice dry spot, in the weather center. Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right, good place to be for me here tonight keeping track of everything going on or this afternoon rather. Arlene has weakened. That's our headline of the hour. The 2:00 Eastern time advisory has come in and Arlene's winds, the maximum sustained winds have dropped down to 60 miles per hour, now. So that's pretty significant and that's good news. And keep the chances of this thing becoming a hurricane extremely minimal. It's just not going to happen. The center as you can see on our map here, 38 miles south of Pensacola. But it's about 20 miles south-southeast of Gulf Shores, Alabama. So it's moving northward at 14 miles per hour. So we're going to watch the center make landfall here we think about an hour or so from now.
Central pressure also has gone up just a bit from 990 to 991. So this is all good news. We still don't want to let down our guard, however, because it still will be packing a punch, with primary concerns being heavy rain, flooding potential and some of those gusty winds that we just saw Susan experiencing. We want to show you our live radar picture here. This is the loop and there you can see the center of the storm. Here's Gulf Shores, Alabama and the winds right now are pulling in from the east at this time, pushing westward. So you're in a pretty heavy band right now. That will be pushing off to the west and you're going to get a little break, but take note. Down here, this is a new line developing and this is going to be pushing on northward and that's going to be heading right into Pensacola. That's when we're going to start to see those winds really begin to pick up across the Pensacola area.
As the storm moves inland, of course it's going to be weakening pretty significantly. It will become a tropical depression and then just become extra tropical. But still, all of you living in the Tennessee Valley and the Ohio River valleys need to be aware that some heavy rain is on the way. Here's our current wind gusts being reported, Panama City at 29 miles per hour, 30 miles per hour gusts in Pensacola at the top of the hour, Mobile at 26 and we also had 26 miles per hour reported in Gulfport, Mississippi. Tornadoes will be a threat this afternoon. We have a tornado watch in effect here. It's primarily these lines that will be triggering some of the rotation here. This is pushing in toward the Tallahassee area, so be aware that you're going to be under the gun throughout much of the afternoon for today. So we're getting in the thick of it now Fredricka. The next two hours are really going to be touch and go and then it will calm down a little bit later on tonight.
WHITFIELD: Jacqui, does it seem too late in the game at this point for this storm to quickly pick up steam and make up for some of the speed to help it get into a category one hurricane status?
JERAS: Right, I really think it is. Right, it's 20 miles away from the coastline, so we've got an hour for any potential strengthening, but it's dropped down so much. So it's 60 miles per hour now. You've got to get up to 74 for this to become a hurricane. I just don't think it's going to happen.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, that's good news. Thanks so much Jacqui, appreciate it. After last year's smashing blow from hurricane Ivan, south Alabama is taking no chances with Arlene. On the phone with us now, Walt Dickerson, the emergency management director in Mobile County. Thanks so much, Walt, for joining us.
WALT DICKERSON, MOBILE COUNTY EMA DIRECTOR: How you doing, this is Walt Dickerson in Mobile.
WHITFIELD: Doing pretty good. So what are you experiencing right there in Mobile?
DICKERSON: Right now, things are pretty moderate. We're getting rain and some gusting winds, probably up to about 40 miles an hour at some points. It may be 50. We still currently have three shelters open and the like. We have one specialty shelter. We have -- the banquet tunnel (ph) is closed down. That's really the only roadway that we have at this point in time that's closed. We're gearing up after it makes landfall to take a look at some damage assessment and that type of thing.
WHITFIELD: Well, lots of lessons learned after last year's season. So what sort of things took place to alter people's behavior this go-round?
DICKERSON: Well, I think people are more conscientious about what's going on, doing the preparedness. They are preparing better for these storms. Although this is a tropical storm, you never want to push the panic button also. But you don't want to really take things for granted. I just think the people are getting better prepared, which is a good thing.
WHITFIELD: What are the big mistakes you're hoping people don't repeat this time?
DICKERSON: Well, I don't know whether -- the big mistakes are, is that I think we've improved on, is the special needs shelters for one thing. We've done as an agency. I think the people -- they'll be better prepared to really understand that you can lose power for a long period of time. So maybe they'll take a look at generators or being prepared to go without any help for about 72 hours. That possibility always exists.
WHITFIELD: Do you also fear that there may be a level of complacency since folks endured hurricane-strength storms last year and with this being a tropical storm, a lot of folks deciding, you know what, I can ride this out, I've been through worse?
DICKERSON: I think that people really have gotten a great deal of confidence in technology. Our technology's a lot better now than it was four, five years ago. We now have a five-day prediction, versus a couple years ago when it was a three-day. So I think when we indicate that there's a possibility of a strong, two, three or four hurricane, I think people will take the appropriate action.
WHITFIELD: Walt Dickerson in Mobile County emergency management agency, thanks so much for joining us.
DICKERSON: Thank you and have a great day.
WHITFIELD: Be safe. This latest storm is tracking a path nearly identical to hurricane Ivan last year. The damage from Ivan was so severe, however that many people are still out of their homes. A little later this hour, I'll talk with FEMA Director Michael Brown about the help still needed from last year's hurricanes and what impact that may have on people in need of assistance this year.
Plus, is there really a crucial break in the case of a missing American teen in Aruba? We'll have more from the Caribbean island when CNN LIVE SATURDAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Three of the suspects in the case of missing teenager Natalee Holloway are going before a judge in Aruba this hour. At issue, whether there is enough evidence to keep the suspects detained for another eight days. Today's appearance comes amid conflicting reports about a possible confession. CNN's Karl Penhaul brings us the latest from the island.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Last night, shortly before midnight, a senior Aruba police official told CNN that one of three young men detained has made a confession in the killing of Natalee Holloway. He didn't mention any further evidence that was presented in the interrogation. We do know, however, that those three men detained Thursday were the last three men to be seen in Natalee Holloway's company in the early hours of May 30th, outside the Carlos 'n Charlie's bar. On Saturday, around 11:00 a.m. in a press conference, a spokeswoman for the prosecution office, the other entity heading the investigation here, made this statement.
VIVIAN VAN DER BIEZEN, ATTY. GEN. SPOKESWOMAN: The prosecution service has -- is aware of some information that are related to the investigation of alleged statements of witnesses -- sorry of suspects in this case. The prosecution service would like to state at this moment, we neither confirm or deny any information coming from other sources. The investigation at this point is the following -- we have five suspects. They are being interrogated. And we are at a very crucial, very important moment in our investigation. And as soon as we have other information, we will make that available to you.
PENHAUL: Other law enforcement officials close to the investigation have told CNN there is no confession at this stage, but they do say there are cracks and discrepancies appearing in the young men's stories. Karl Penhaul, CNN, Palm Beach, Aruba.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: What happens when parents disagree with doctors about the proper medical treatment for their child? In one Texas case, it ended up with the child in protective state custody. Our legal eagles debate the case next on CNN.
Plus, Arlene inches towards the northern Gulf coast. We'll have an update on the tropic storm's status when CNN LIVE SATURDAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Here's the latest on tropical storm Arlene right now. Conditions along the Gulf coast are steadily growing worse as the storm gets closer to landfall. Arlene has weakened a bit. It still contains strong wind and lots of rain. Besides damage from the expected landfall, Arlene also has the potential to spawn violent thunderstorms and tornadoes hundreds of miles away. Stay with CNN for the very latest on the storm throughout the day.
In a case that pitted parents against the state, this 13-year-old girl you're about to see in Corpus Christi, Texas right there will undergo radiation treatment for cancer despite her parents' initial objections. Child protective services took custody of Katie Wernecke last week after doctors said stopping the treatment could threaten her life. A judge ordered the therapy when it became clear the cancer was not in remission as they her parents first believed. The girl's parents have since dropped their opposition to the treatment.
And that case leads off today's legal roundup with attorneys Avery Friedman and Pamela Hayes. Good to see both of you.
AVERY FRIEDMAN, LAW PROFESSOR: Hi, Fredricka.
PAMELA HAYES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Good to be here.
WHITFIELD: All right. Good to see both of you. Avery, let me begin with you. Katie Wernecke celebrating her 13th birthday apparently today, still not in the legal custody of her parents.
FRIEDMAN: Right. WHITFIELD: And at the same time, she's going to be receiving radiation. Did the courts step beyond their bounds? Did they go too far or is it a case of the parents just not understanding the parameters of what was involved with her medical care?
FRIEDMAN: Well, the court didn't step too far Fredricka. What happened was we had the parents' first amendment right to practice religious freedom by saying "we don't want treatment" and fabricating, frankly, the idea that remission was existent and therefore, treatment wasn't required, balanced off against the power of the government to protect children.
WHITFIELD: Fabricating? Do we know it was fabricated?
FRIEDMAN: Oh, absolutely. They took the position that there could be no blood transfusion unless it was the mother's blood even though doctors said, Fredricka, that the blood didn't match up. I mean, this was a very, very difficult case conceptually, but in practical terms -- and I'm often critical of child protective services, they did absolutely the right thing here.
WHITFIELD: So Pamela, the parents have expressed that their point of view is this. The little girl's already been through an awful lot of chemotherapy, has already been subjected to some intense medical care and that because it was their understanding she was in remission, why say yes to radiation when they felt like the evidence wasn't there. Didn't they ask the pertinent questions that any parent would ask?
HAYES: I think so. I think they acted appropriately because they were under the impression that the child was in remission. If the child was in remission and it wasn't anything about their conduct that would lead the department of social services to think that they were doing something wrong, I didn't think they had any standing. Once the parents found out that the medical diagnosis was different, they said they would cooperate. But just to jump in without, you know, any type of finding that the parents are not living up to their contractual obligation I think is just going a step beyond.
WHITFIELD: Is this common, that this becomes a case of family services stepping in it interpreting the parent's trepidation as being criminal, Avery?
FRIEDMAN: The difficulty here was that we have to look at the specific facts. The parents had made a decision that their child was in remission, irrespective of medical decisions and medical determinations. This was a battle of science versus religious doctrine and the U.S. Supreme court, Fredricka, has made very clear, when it comes to the balance of religious freedom and the protection of children, children prevail. So I don't buy the idea that the government overstepped its bounds. There was medical support that this child was not in remission and in the absence of medical involvement, Fredricka, she was going to die. So I don't think there was any question in this case.
HAYES: Well, there must have been a question because they had some type of hearing. Unless, you know, one doctor's saying one thing -- is quite different than a series of medical intervention and series of medical doctors --
FRIEDMAN: Wasn't there, not in this case --
HAYES: ... hey, this say problem. But it's not this case. It's what this case stands for. You won't to look on that not having a precedent that just allows child protective services to make a decision for the parents. So I think you need to get involvement of the parent, doctors and teachers. I think that the doctors always trump anybody else's --
FRIEDMAN: And that's why the parents lost.
WHITFIELD: All right. All right. Let's move on to another case high-profile case in Santa Maria, California, the jurors now deliberating six days, going into a seventh day on Monday. Avery, is this a good jury? We're talking about 12 jurors, eight women, four men, and an interesting mix of folks, a retired school counselor, a horse trainer, a mother of two who lives with her boyfriend. All of these details. Why do they matter, the makeup of the jury? And how does that constitute a good jury or not?
FRIEDMAN: Well, this isn't a good jury, this is a great jury --
WHITFIELD: Why?
FRIEDMAN: And let me tell you why. Because here's something a lot of people don't know, especially legal commentators, lawyers who have not tried cases for four, five, six months. Everybody is exhausted. Believe me, I understand and the jurors are exhausted. And yet they have now - they're now going to go into their seventh actual day of deliberations. You know what that tell us. That tells us they are looking at the 98 pages of legal instruction. They're considering the testimony of 130 witnesses and when they took their oath to swear that they would consider the facts within the context of the law, that's exactly what they're doing right here.
WHITFIELD: Pamela, is this very encouraging that it seem like they are meticulously going over each detail of these 10 counts? They're doing what jurors are, you know, being asked to do, take everything very seriously and not be swayed -- particularly, they're not sequestered, not be swayed by what's going on outside of the courtroom, what's being reported on television or in the newspapers.
HAYES: Well, hopefully, that's what they're doing. I would have felt much better if they were sequestered, but in this instance, I think they are going over all the testimony. But, you know, you have to understand. This was a very long trial. These people have been there since the end of January, February, trying to put all this evidence together. And, you know, although, I think the public thinks they're entitled to just settle it right on the nose, jurors have back and forths. My view might be different than someone else's view. You try to convince me of my perspective and vice versa. So they go through this all the time. I don't think they've been there a long time. They certainly haven't been there 40 hours. And, you know, I think that they're going to be there a few more days before they come with a verdict.
WHITFIELD: All right, and as we wrap it up, Pamela, you want to venture out, go out on a limb, what kind of verdict we might be seeing?
HAYES: I think we might have a hung jury. I don't know if you'll have a verdict on the molestations. I think you'll have a not guilty on the conspiracy and the giving of the wine.
WHITFIELD: Avery?
FRIEDMAN: It only takes one juror to gum this thing up. I think acquittal on conspiracy, on alcohol and molestation, we're looking at a guilty plea.
WHITFIELD: All right. Avery Friedman, Pamela Hayes, thank you very much.
HAYES: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Have a good Saturday.
FRIEDMAN: Likewise.
WHITFIELD: The 2005 hurricane season is under way. But Florida is still not done picking up the pieces from last year's devastating storms. I'll speak with the director of FEMA about what the government needs to do now.
And coming up, at 4:00 Eastern on CNN, thinking about whitening your teeth? We'll talk with a doctor about what really works.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Our top stories now. Tropical Storm Arlene weakens as it pushes toward the north central Gulf Coast. The storm is making landfall right now. Tornados, wind damage, flooding, remain a big danger, however. But many people are riding it out. We're staying with the storm. Our next live report is coming up in one minute.
Prosecutors in Aruba won't confirm or deny reports of a confession by a suspect in the case of missing Alabama teen Natalee Holloway. Three males who were seen with Holloway the night she disappeared are expected in court this hour. A judge will determine if there's enough evidence to hold them another eight days.
And the group of eight finance ministers agree to completely forgive debt owed by some of the world's poorest nations. The historic deal is worth around $40 million. It's expected to free up money for healthcare, education and others needs in those developing countries.
Storm trackers and residents along the Gulf Coast are keeping a close watch on Tropical Storm Arlene. The first storm of the hurricane season continues edging closer to land.
Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is tracking the storm.
JERAS: Fredricka, the leading edge of the center of the storm is now starting to make landfall. This is our titan Doppler radar. And this is from NextRad (ph) out of Mobile. And here you can see a very large center of circulation and that leading edge of it now making its way into the Gulf islands national sea shores. Here's Pensacola, here's Gulf shores, Alabama. So it's kind of right in the middle of that center of circulation still of more than 10 miles offshore.
But the leading edge of the center now making landfall. The winds are beginning to pick up. We just got a report out of Valparaiso, which is right near Pensacola, of a 41-mile-per-hour wind gust. We can start -- expect to start to see winds gusting between 40 to 50 miles per hour and then maybe in another 15 minutes or so, we're going to start to see some gusts around 60 plus miles per hour, as this continues to make landfall.
The rain is picking up in intensity, too. You can see these outer bands, here. This is going to be pushing in towards the Pensacola area, maybe within the next half an hour or so. And really expect the big gusts, as those squall lines begin to push on through the area. Maximum sustained winds now with Arlene are 60 miles an hour. It weakened from an hour ago. So as it makes landfall, we're not dealing with a hurricane, which is really great news.
You mentioned the tornado threat. That is still out there. You can see the tornado watch remains in effect. This is until 4:00 local time. And you can see some of these outer bands. That was -- would be our main concern area for some of the tornadoes. So again, starting to make landfall now. Tropical storm Arlene -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Jacqui, thank you so much.
Well, while people along the Gulf Coast are busy preparing for Arlene's arrival, many in Florida are still scrambling to pick up the pieces from last year's hurricane season.
CNN's John Zarrella reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wayne Sallade's message is simple. Just try to relax.
WAYNE SALLADE, CHARLOTTE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER: We are sitting on a tinderbox of emotions in this state right now. Everybody is skittish.
ZARRELLA: The man who has been the Charlotte County emergency manager for 18 years delivered his sermon during one of three stops on his day-long hurricane caravan, preaching preparedness and dispelling myths.
SALLADE: Tornadoes is Dorothy in Kansas in the "Wizard of Oz," not in Hurricane Charley. ZARRELLA: Sallade is focused on getting people ready for this hurricane season. The problem is many folks like Miriam Caruthers are still living last year's nightmare.
Ten months after Charley and $16,000 later, all she has is a new roof and drywall. The rest of the house remains gutted. While she waits for work to be done, she lives in a FEMA trailer right outside her bedroom window.
(on camera) You're looking right out this window.
MIRIAM CARUTHERS, HURRICANE VICTIM: Right out that window. We wash and eat and cook over there.
ZARRELLA: So you've been living in there all this time?
CARUTHERS: Yes. Yes, sir.
ZARRELLA: How much longer are you going to have to -- hurricane season is here.
CARUTHERS: Tell me about it. I don't even want to hear about that.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): Caruthers, a grandmother who has lived here for more than 20 years, is one of nearly 27,000 people in Florida still living in FEMA-provided housing. Many are in mobile home cities set up by the agency. Affordable housing is scarce and is the biggest post-hurricane issue facing the state.
Across Florida blue tarps still cover thousands of roofs. Building materials are in short supply. All people can do is try to be patient.
Painting landscapes keeps Miriam Caruthers' blood from boiling.
(on camera) Snow and it's not like a hurricane in Florida, is it? A little bit of a different setting.
CARUTHERS: Yes.
ZARRELLA: I don't see you painting any of those.
CARUTHERS: No, I'm not.
ZARRELLA: She doesn't use canvas either. Caruthers paints on pieces of drywall left over from the work her contractor did finish.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: John Zarrella reporting.
All right. Coming up next, state and federal officials are still working to help people in the areas hit hardest by last year's hurricanes to rebuild and repair the damage. Joining us from Washington to talk about recovery efforts and preparations for the coming storm, FEMA director Michael Brown. Good to see you, Mr. Brown.
MICHAEL BROWN, FEMA DIRECTOR: Good to see you, Fredricka. How are you?
WHITFIELD: I'm doing pretty good. How many folks is FEMA still assisting right now, after last year's hurricane season?
BROWN: You know, in Florida alone, we assisted more than 1.2 million people. I know in the -- in Charlotte County and other places you were just talking about, we have tens of thousands of people still in mobile homes. And I'm going to do everything I can and probably extend those deadlines and allow them to stay in the mobile homes. Because, as your report showed, there's a shortage of supplies to repair those homes. And I don't want to kick people out of those trailers until we've done everything we can to give them time to get their homes repaired.
WHITFIELD: So how concerned are you about being able to continue to assist those people who are staying in temporary housing and help the folks who are likely to be displaced, possibly, from this season?
BROWN: Well, President Bush and I both made a commitment to stay in Florida as long as it takes. And I've said that throughout the state. I've said it throughout the Southeast over the last hurricane season. And I'm saying it again. We will stay in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, all those devastated areas, as long as we have to, whether that's two more years or five more years. We'll stay there and help them as long as we need to.
WHITFIELD: So you have some people on the ground right now helping those who have already been affected. Have you already sent in a contingent of folks at the ready, just in case Arlene displaces some folks, or even whether there's another storm right behind it?
BROWN: Well, we have our hurricane liaison teams working with Max Mayfield (ph) in the hurricane center now. And what I really want to do is I want to take the opportunity with Tropical Storm Arlene to remind everybody, it is hurricane season, we've already seen the first storm, we know how bad last year was.
So please, use this time right now to get ready for the hurricane season. Understand your evacuation routes. Get your go kits ready. Do everything you can to get ready. Because as we saw last year, some people were out of their homes for days. Some people were without power for literally weeks at a time. Now is the time to start getting ready.
WHITFIELD: And what are the other tips that you can give folks about getting ready, besides having those go kits, besides knowing the evacuation routes? Aren't there other things they need to know about their properties -- proof of their properties, all of those things, just in case their homes are damaged. So often people forget about that stuff and they don't have anything when they go to these FEMA lines to prove that you know, yes, I lived in this home, this was my home or my property.
BROWN: That's right. And Governor Bush and I have talked so many times down there about -- it's so simple. I was with Governor Bush a few weeks ago at the National Hurricane Conference. And he talked about how he pulled his insurance policy out and actually read it. And he's encouraging people to do that, to understand what your coverage is, what will be covered and not covered, and to get additional coverage if you need to do that.
It's things like having all those kinds of documents ready to go, having your medications ready to go. Actually being ready to be out of your home for upwards of not just 72 hours, or perhaps, as this poor lady said, 72 days or more.
WHITFIELD: All right. Michael Brown, director of FEMA, thank you so much for joining us, from Washington.
BROWN: Thank you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And you can view an online map of Arlene's predicted path and prepare yourself with safety tips at CNN.com/weather.
You don't have to be hit by bullets or get caught in an insurgent attack to become a victim of war. After the break, how the help of everyday Iraqis suffers just from the fear of violence.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: This story just in to CNN. The U.S. military confirms that air strikes in western Iraq have killed an estimated 40 insurgents. That's in addition to yesterday's violence. Ten people were killed last night by a car bomb outside a cafe in northern Baghdad, another 27 wounded.
And in western Iraq near the Syrian border, the grim discovery of more than a dozen bodies strewn across the desert. Most had their hands tied behind their backs. Some had been beheaded. Authorities don't know if yet if they are Iraqi soldiers recently kidnapped from a nearby base.
U.S. and Iraqi forces have gained -- regained, rather -- control of some key locations in Tal Afar. But life for people in the region is far from normal.
CNN's Jane Arraf ventured into a hospital that had been controlled by insurgents just a short time ago. We caution you, what she found may be upsetting to some viewers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 5-month-old Hadisha (ph) has no more tears left to cry. She's severely dehydrated. Doctor Omar Ahmed (ph) says her parent should have brought her in much sooner.
DR. OMAR AHMED, TAL AFAR HOSPITAL: When you squeeze this, the skin, there's no (INAUDIBLE) because it is dehydrated.
ARRAF: In this hospital in Tal Afar, a fly hovers around her dry mouth. Her mother, Ida Abdesgadar (ph) says they didn't bring her sooner because they were afraid to go out at night.
Look at her now. I'm afraid she's going to die, says her father, Abbas Ali (ph). He says he had to beg and bribe to get past a checkpoint to bring her here. In his neighborhood, the police are afraid of insurgents and don't let anyone in or out after dark. At home, she looked like she was dead, her eyes like this, just always staying like that. He says if she died it would completely rip them apart. She's on antibiotics.
ARRAF (on camera): What are the chances that she will be OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This patient? 50.
ARRAF (voice-over): There are only two other patients in this 200-bed hospital, the only one in the city. The hospital was controlled by insurgents until two weeks ago.
(on camera): All of these rooms are empty. Not only are people afraid of the fighting around here, they're afraid that if they come, they could be killed in their beds.
(voice-over): Dr. Ashuref Abdel Rasaf (ph), the chief resident, says, twice, gunmen have come in and shot patients. One was the brother of an Iraqi soldier, shot dead after he was operated on. Since the U.S. and Iraqi Army took it back, there's been fighting between insurgents and the Iraqi soldiers guarding the hospital.
AHMED: Yesterday, at 3:00 a.m. -- for about nine hours, there was a (INAUDIBLE) here. Guns and hammers.
ARRAF (voice-over): He doesn't know who it was, he didn't ask.
AHMED: It's empty today, no patients.
ARRAF: He's from Baghdad. He's been here five days and has already asked for a transfer.
AHMED: Tal Afar is the most dangerous area in Iraq now.
ARRAF: Like most of the city, it rarely has running water. There's no electricity most of the time. The equipment is outdated. The third patient in the hospital is with his father, awaiting surgery for appendicitis. Mohamed Una Saluman (ph) says he wasn't afraid to bring his friend. Asked about the Iraqi police and army, he says they're doing fine.
But his son Nadine (ph), 21 years old and just married, summons us to his sick bed to disagree. Neither the Iraqi army nor the police are good, he tells us. No one can go outside their houses. He says if American forces left, it would stop the violence. But he agrees that most of the attacks are against Iraqis, not Americans. Solution, he says, there is no solution. Jane Arraf, CNN, Tal Afar, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Some of the other major headlines today around the world.
A flash flood swept through northeast China, engulfing a school filled with hundreds of children. At least 62 children drowned, along with two adults. Dozens of homes in the area were destroyed.
Near Damascus, Syrian forces raided the hideout of suspected militants, killing two of them and arresting another. Police say they found weapons, cell phones and documents in the document. Syria's official news agency reports the group may have been planning attacks in and around Damascus.
And in London. Britain today is officially marking the queen's 79th birthday. It's one of the country's most elaborate and colorful displays of royalty. The queen's birthday is in April, but the official celebration is always held in June.
Where is Arlene now? We'll get another update straight ahead. Plus, can the hurricane season really bring baby benefits? That story when CNN LIVE SATURDAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Ooh, that looks nasty. That is Tropical Storm Arlene, slamming Pensacola, Florida. Jacqui Jeras is in the weather center with a closer look. And this is just the beginning, isn't it, Jacqui?
JERAS: Yes, it really is. This is kind of -- if you call it an eye wall, that's what would be making landfall right now. Kind of the leading edge of the center of the storm. The exact center looks like it's probably going to be maybe the bottom of the next hour, before that officially makes landfall.
But we saw that live picture from Pensacola. It's the east side of Pensacola right now that's getting hit very, very hard. Right around Navarre (ph), you can see Santa Rosa Island is right here. Here's Fort Walton Beach, and there's Pensacola itself. So right smack dab in between is where we have the strongest thunderstorms.
We can expect to see wind gusts around 50, 60 miles an hour now with this line, as it pushes on through. And this is going to curving northward and then heading on off to the East. So Pensacola itself and west side of town's doing OK right now, but will see some gusty winds. And that's going to be picking up in intensity, we think, over the next half an hour to an hour.
Here's some current wind gusts being reported right. Valparaiso and Pensacola both reporting 41 miles per hour gusts, with 36 mile per hour gusts around Panama City. And even on the West side of this storm, it's picking up a little breeze there into Gulfport and over to New Orleans, with wind gusts around 20, 25 miles per hour.
The storm itself not expected to strengthen any more. This is it. It's a tropical storm, as it makes landfall. 60 mile an hour winds. Flooding rain is going to be our primary concern here, Fredricka. With three to five inches of rain widespread, locally, heavier amounts possible. And as it moves inland, if you live into the Tennessee River Valley, even into the Ohio River Valley, this is going to be affecting you tomorrow and the next day -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Jacqui.
Preparing for a hurricane means action. Boarding up windows and hauling sandbags. But riding out the storm can be a kind of uneventful existence. A recent baby boom nine months after a flurry of Florida hurricanes seems to indicate how some folks spent their time. Linda Gialanella of Tampa affiliate WFTS reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LINDA GIALANELLA, WFRS (voice-over): It was nine months ago when Frances visited Tampa Bay, and most of us remember where we were and what we were doing. Some at work; some at home, like Karen and Jonathan.
JONATHAN CEREZO, NEW DAD: Everybody's in the house. Sometimes the electricity goes out, you know. So people tend to get closer together.
GIALANELLA: They say natural disasters bring people closer.
CAREN BRUSH, NEW MOM: When you're locked up inside, you know, all day, there's, you know not much to do.
GIALANELLA: The result? Just this month alone, the hospital is reporting a 22 percent increase in deliveries, leaving even maternity nurses to speculate like meteorologists.
JESSICA RIGGENS, NURSE: Who knows if it's a change in barometric pressure or just, you know, people with more time on their hands, but there's been a lot more babies because of that increased weather activity, I guess.
BRUSH: The department store where I worked at, I worked in the children's department, there were a lot of pregnant women, a lot around the same -- as far along as I was.
GIALANELLA: Making for a very busy maternity ward this season. These proud parents believe that last year's destructive storms have a saving grace.
CEREZO: Whenever there's a negative, there's always a positive. And with that negative, we got this positive.
GIALANELLA: But they're positively not planning a baby Arlene for this season.
CEREZO: One's good for right now.
BRUSH: Yeah. Not any time soon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks to Linda Gialanella.
All right, still much more ahead on CNN Saturday. At the top of the hour, it's a celebration of CNN at 25. We'll take a look at the defining moments of this network's history. At 4:00 p.m. Eastern, CNN LIVE SATURDAY with the latest on Arlene and possible damage to the Gulf Coast region. At 5:00 p.m. Eastern, "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" profiling actress Angelina Jolie and her problems with tabloid reports. A check of the top stories right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look at our top story now. Tropical Storm Arlene has been tormenting the northern Gulf Coast all day. Let's get the very latest with Jacqui Jeras in the weather center.
JERAS: Hey, Fredicka. Getting close to making landfall now with Tropical Storm Arlene. 60 mile-per-hour maximum sustained winds. The leading edge of the center of the storm is beginning to make landfall at this time. But the center of the storm doesn't happen maybe for another half an hour. So 30 minutes-ish, somewhere in there, that's when we technically call it making landfall. So the leading edge beginning to push in the worst of the weather on the east side of Pensacola.
Here you can see the East Bay and that's where some of the worst of the weather is pushing in. That's where we're going to see the strong, gusty wind. We're also going to see a little bit of storm surge in this area. To the east and to the north side of the storm is where we tend to see. Storm surge a little bit lesser -- we're thinking maybe one to three feet overall, as this continues to make its way onshore at this time.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired June 11, 2005 - 14:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: It is 2:00 p.m. on the East Coast, 1:00 p.m. in Mobile, Alabama, as Arlene bears down on the Gulf Coast.
I'm Fredricka Whitfield at the CNN global headquarters in Atlanta. Welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY.
Ahead this hour, the latest on the path and potential destruction from Arlene. Also, thousands of damaged homes from last year's hurricane season have not all been repaired. The watch and worry over this year's season.
Later, cancer and the child custody battle in Texas. What action the parents plan to take after the state seized their daughter. Those stories in a moment, but first, here are the headlines.
Three suspects arrested two days ago in the disappearance of an American teenager in Aruba are scheduled to be in court this hour. A judge will determine whether they can be held for another eight days. A senior police official in Aruba tells CNN one of those suspects has confessed to killing Natalee Holloway. The official does not say which suspect confessed and prosecutors refuse to confirm or deny that report.
The search is on in Namibia for a small group of Americans and citizens from other countries who are believed to be missing. Officials in the southern African nation have not released any details about the search. The U.S. embassy in Namibia's capital has been notified.
Some of the world's poor developing countries are getting a big break, a debt relief package from the world's richest countries. G-8 finance ministers agreed today to cancel 100 percent of the debts owed by poor and developing nations. The final tab could top $55 billion. The decision comes ahead of next month's G-8 summit in Scotland.
We begin with the story that's impacting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the north central Gulf coast of the United States. Tropical storm Arlene is bearing down on the region, where memories of last year's monster storm season and hurricane Ivan, specifically are still very fresh. CNN national correspondent Susan Candiotti is with us now from Pensacola Beach, Florida. Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Even though this isn't anything like hurricane Ivan, which was a category three storm, Arlene nevertheless, is a cause of concern because it is the first named storm of the season. And looking at those waves over my shoulder, you can see they're starting to look meaner and meaner. I probably will not get an opportunity to do this as the day goes on, so I'm going to try to clean off that lens just a little bit, because after this, it will get far too powerful to probably do that.
In any case, let me show you what it looks like just over here. This restaurant that you see with the red roof over my shoulder, that was heavily damaged during hurricane Ivan. And just a few months ago (AUDIO GAP) so badly hurt but it is now filled with people who have come down to look at the storm (AUDIO GAP). We have tracked gusts of more than 55 miles an hour (AUDIO GAP). We are still probably a couple of hours away from landfall. Over in this (AUDIO GAP)
WHITFIELD: And we're getting that intermittent signal and now we've lost it coming out of Pensacola Beach, Florida, particularly because of the high winds there that are bearing down on the Gulf coast because of Arlene. CNN meteorologist is checking -- Jacqui Jeras, rather is checking the conditions from a nice dry spot, in the weather center. Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right, good place to be for me here tonight keeping track of everything going on or this afternoon rather. Arlene has weakened. That's our headline of the hour. The 2:00 Eastern time advisory has come in and Arlene's winds, the maximum sustained winds have dropped down to 60 miles per hour, now. So that's pretty significant and that's good news. And keep the chances of this thing becoming a hurricane extremely minimal. It's just not going to happen. The center as you can see on our map here, 38 miles south of Pensacola. But it's about 20 miles south-southeast of Gulf Shores, Alabama. So it's moving northward at 14 miles per hour. So we're going to watch the center make landfall here we think about an hour or so from now.
Central pressure also has gone up just a bit from 990 to 991. So this is all good news. We still don't want to let down our guard, however, because it still will be packing a punch, with primary concerns being heavy rain, flooding potential and some of those gusty winds that we just saw Susan experiencing. We want to show you our live radar picture here. This is the loop and there you can see the center of the storm. Here's Gulf Shores, Alabama and the winds right now are pulling in from the east at this time, pushing westward. So you're in a pretty heavy band right now. That will be pushing off to the west and you're going to get a little break, but take note. Down here, this is a new line developing and this is going to be pushing on northward and that's going to be heading right into Pensacola. That's when we're going to start to see those winds really begin to pick up across the Pensacola area.
As the storm moves inland, of course it's going to be weakening pretty significantly. It will become a tropical depression and then just become extra tropical. But still, all of you living in the Tennessee Valley and the Ohio River valleys need to be aware that some heavy rain is on the way. Here's our current wind gusts being reported, Panama City at 29 miles per hour, 30 miles per hour gusts in Pensacola at the top of the hour, Mobile at 26 and we also had 26 miles per hour reported in Gulfport, Mississippi. Tornadoes will be a threat this afternoon. We have a tornado watch in effect here. It's primarily these lines that will be triggering some of the rotation here. This is pushing in toward the Tallahassee area, so be aware that you're going to be under the gun throughout much of the afternoon for today. So we're getting in the thick of it now Fredricka. The next two hours are really going to be touch and go and then it will calm down a little bit later on tonight.
WHITFIELD: Jacqui, does it seem too late in the game at this point for this storm to quickly pick up steam and make up for some of the speed to help it get into a category one hurricane status?
JERAS: Right, I really think it is. Right, it's 20 miles away from the coastline, so we've got an hour for any potential strengthening, but it's dropped down so much. So it's 60 miles per hour now. You've got to get up to 74 for this to become a hurricane. I just don't think it's going to happen.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, that's good news. Thanks so much Jacqui, appreciate it. After last year's smashing blow from hurricane Ivan, south Alabama is taking no chances with Arlene. On the phone with us now, Walt Dickerson, the emergency management director in Mobile County. Thanks so much, Walt, for joining us.
WALT DICKERSON, MOBILE COUNTY EMA DIRECTOR: How you doing, this is Walt Dickerson in Mobile.
WHITFIELD: Doing pretty good. So what are you experiencing right there in Mobile?
DICKERSON: Right now, things are pretty moderate. We're getting rain and some gusting winds, probably up to about 40 miles an hour at some points. It may be 50. We still currently have three shelters open and the like. We have one specialty shelter. We have -- the banquet tunnel (ph) is closed down. That's really the only roadway that we have at this point in time that's closed. We're gearing up after it makes landfall to take a look at some damage assessment and that type of thing.
WHITFIELD: Well, lots of lessons learned after last year's season. So what sort of things took place to alter people's behavior this go-round?
DICKERSON: Well, I think people are more conscientious about what's going on, doing the preparedness. They are preparing better for these storms. Although this is a tropical storm, you never want to push the panic button also. But you don't want to really take things for granted. I just think the people are getting better prepared, which is a good thing.
WHITFIELD: What are the big mistakes you're hoping people don't repeat this time?
DICKERSON: Well, I don't know whether -- the big mistakes are, is that I think we've improved on, is the special needs shelters for one thing. We've done as an agency. I think the people -- they'll be better prepared to really understand that you can lose power for a long period of time. So maybe they'll take a look at generators or being prepared to go without any help for about 72 hours. That possibility always exists.
WHITFIELD: Do you also fear that there may be a level of complacency since folks endured hurricane-strength storms last year and with this being a tropical storm, a lot of folks deciding, you know what, I can ride this out, I've been through worse?
DICKERSON: I think that people really have gotten a great deal of confidence in technology. Our technology's a lot better now than it was four, five years ago. We now have a five-day prediction, versus a couple years ago when it was a three-day. So I think when we indicate that there's a possibility of a strong, two, three or four hurricane, I think people will take the appropriate action.
WHITFIELD: Walt Dickerson in Mobile County emergency management agency, thanks so much for joining us.
DICKERSON: Thank you and have a great day.
WHITFIELD: Be safe. This latest storm is tracking a path nearly identical to hurricane Ivan last year. The damage from Ivan was so severe, however that many people are still out of their homes. A little later this hour, I'll talk with FEMA Director Michael Brown about the help still needed from last year's hurricanes and what impact that may have on people in need of assistance this year.
Plus, is there really a crucial break in the case of a missing American teen in Aruba? We'll have more from the Caribbean island when CNN LIVE SATURDAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Three of the suspects in the case of missing teenager Natalee Holloway are going before a judge in Aruba this hour. At issue, whether there is enough evidence to keep the suspects detained for another eight days. Today's appearance comes amid conflicting reports about a possible confession. CNN's Karl Penhaul brings us the latest from the island.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Last night, shortly before midnight, a senior Aruba police official told CNN that one of three young men detained has made a confession in the killing of Natalee Holloway. He didn't mention any further evidence that was presented in the interrogation. We do know, however, that those three men detained Thursday were the last three men to be seen in Natalee Holloway's company in the early hours of May 30th, outside the Carlos 'n Charlie's bar. On Saturday, around 11:00 a.m. in a press conference, a spokeswoman for the prosecution office, the other entity heading the investigation here, made this statement.
VIVIAN VAN DER BIEZEN, ATTY. GEN. SPOKESWOMAN: The prosecution service has -- is aware of some information that are related to the investigation of alleged statements of witnesses -- sorry of suspects in this case. The prosecution service would like to state at this moment, we neither confirm or deny any information coming from other sources. The investigation at this point is the following -- we have five suspects. They are being interrogated. And we are at a very crucial, very important moment in our investigation. And as soon as we have other information, we will make that available to you.
PENHAUL: Other law enforcement officials close to the investigation have told CNN there is no confession at this stage, but they do say there are cracks and discrepancies appearing in the young men's stories. Karl Penhaul, CNN, Palm Beach, Aruba.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: What happens when parents disagree with doctors about the proper medical treatment for their child? In one Texas case, it ended up with the child in protective state custody. Our legal eagles debate the case next on CNN.
Plus, Arlene inches towards the northern Gulf coast. We'll have an update on the tropic storm's status when CNN LIVE SATURDAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Here's the latest on tropical storm Arlene right now. Conditions along the Gulf coast are steadily growing worse as the storm gets closer to landfall. Arlene has weakened a bit. It still contains strong wind and lots of rain. Besides damage from the expected landfall, Arlene also has the potential to spawn violent thunderstorms and tornadoes hundreds of miles away. Stay with CNN for the very latest on the storm throughout the day.
In a case that pitted parents against the state, this 13-year-old girl you're about to see in Corpus Christi, Texas right there will undergo radiation treatment for cancer despite her parents' initial objections. Child protective services took custody of Katie Wernecke last week after doctors said stopping the treatment could threaten her life. A judge ordered the therapy when it became clear the cancer was not in remission as they her parents first believed. The girl's parents have since dropped their opposition to the treatment.
And that case leads off today's legal roundup with attorneys Avery Friedman and Pamela Hayes. Good to see both of you.
AVERY FRIEDMAN, LAW PROFESSOR: Hi, Fredricka.
PAMELA HAYES, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Good to be here.
WHITFIELD: All right. Good to see both of you. Avery, let me begin with you. Katie Wernecke celebrating her 13th birthday apparently today, still not in the legal custody of her parents.
FRIEDMAN: Right. WHITFIELD: And at the same time, she's going to be receiving radiation. Did the courts step beyond their bounds? Did they go too far or is it a case of the parents just not understanding the parameters of what was involved with her medical care?
FRIEDMAN: Well, the court didn't step too far Fredricka. What happened was we had the parents' first amendment right to practice religious freedom by saying "we don't want treatment" and fabricating, frankly, the idea that remission was existent and therefore, treatment wasn't required, balanced off against the power of the government to protect children.
WHITFIELD: Fabricating? Do we know it was fabricated?
FRIEDMAN: Oh, absolutely. They took the position that there could be no blood transfusion unless it was the mother's blood even though doctors said, Fredricka, that the blood didn't match up. I mean, this was a very, very difficult case conceptually, but in practical terms -- and I'm often critical of child protective services, they did absolutely the right thing here.
WHITFIELD: So Pamela, the parents have expressed that their point of view is this. The little girl's already been through an awful lot of chemotherapy, has already been subjected to some intense medical care and that because it was their understanding she was in remission, why say yes to radiation when they felt like the evidence wasn't there. Didn't they ask the pertinent questions that any parent would ask?
HAYES: I think so. I think they acted appropriately because they were under the impression that the child was in remission. If the child was in remission and it wasn't anything about their conduct that would lead the department of social services to think that they were doing something wrong, I didn't think they had any standing. Once the parents found out that the medical diagnosis was different, they said they would cooperate. But just to jump in without, you know, any type of finding that the parents are not living up to their contractual obligation I think is just going a step beyond.
WHITFIELD: Is this common, that this becomes a case of family services stepping in it interpreting the parent's trepidation as being criminal, Avery?
FRIEDMAN: The difficulty here was that we have to look at the specific facts. The parents had made a decision that their child was in remission, irrespective of medical decisions and medical determinations. This was a battle of science versus religious doctrine and the U.S. Supreme court, Fredricka, has made very clear, when it comes to the balance of religious freedom and the protection of children, children prevail. So I don't buy the idea that the government overstepped its bounds. There was medical support that this child was not in remission and in the absence of medical involvement, Fredricka, she was going to die. So I don't think there was any question in this case.
HAYES: Well, there must have been a question because they had some type of hearing. Unless, you know, one doctor's saying one thing -- is quite different than a series of medical intervention and series of medical doctors --
FRIEDMAN: Wasn't there, not in this case --
HAYES: ... hey, this say problem. But it's not this case. It's what this case stands for. You won't to look on that not having a precedent that just allows child protective services to make a decision for the parents. So I think you need to get involvement of the parent, doctors and teachers. I think that the doctors always trump anybody else's --
FRIEDMAN: And that's why the parents lost.
WHITFIELD: All right. All right. Let's move on to another case high-profile case in Santa Maria, California, the jurors now deliberating six days, going into a seventh day on Monday. Avery, is this a good jury? We're talking about 12 jurors, eight women, four men, and an interesting mix of folks, a retired school counselor, a horse trainer, a mother of two who lives with her boyfriend. All of these details. Why do they matter, the makeup of the jury? And how does that constitute a good jury or not?
FRIEDMAN: Well, this isn't a good jury, this is a great jury --
WHITFIELD: Why?
FRIEDMAN: And let me tell you why. Because here's something a lot of people don't know, especially legal commentators, lawyers who have not tried cases for four, five, six months. Everybody is exhausted. Believe me, I understand and the jurors are exhausted. And yet they have now - they're now going to go into their seventh actual day of deliberations. You know what that tell us. That tells us they are looking at the 98 pages of legal instruction. They're considering the testimony of 130 witnesses and when they took their oath to swear that they would consider the facts within the context of the law, that's exactly what they're doing right here.
WHITFIELD: Pamela, is this very encouraging that it seem like they are meticulously going over each detail of these 10 counts? They're doing what jurors are, you know, being asked to do, take everything very seriously and not be swayed -- particularly, they're not sequestered, not be swayed by what's going on outside of the courtroom, what's being reported on television or in the newspapers.
HAYES: Well, hopefully, that's what they're doing. I would have felt much better if they were sequestered, but in this instance, I think they are going over all the testimony. But, you know, you have to understand. This was a very long trial. These people have been there since the end of January, February, trying to put all this evidence together. And, you know, although, I think the public thinks they're entitled to just settle it right on the nose, jurors have back and forths. My view might be different than someone else's view. You try to convince me of my perspective and vice versa. So they go through this all the time. I don't think they've been there a long time. They certainly haven't been there 40 hours. And, you know, I think that they're going to be there a few more days before they come with a verdict.
WHITFIELD: All right, and as we wrap it up, Pamela, you want to venture out, go out on a limb, what kind of verdict we might be seeing?
HAYES: I think we might have a hung jury. I don't know if you'll have a verdict on the molestations. I think you'll have a not guilty on the conspiracy and the giving of the wine.
WHITFIELD: Avery?
FRIEDMAN: It only takes one juror to gum this thing up. I think acquittal on conspiracy, on alcohol and molestation, we're looking at a guilty plea.
WHITFIELD: All right. Avery Friedman, Pamela Hayes, thank you very much.
HAYES: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: Have a good Saturday.
FRIEDMAN: Likewise.
WHITFIELD: The 2005 hurricane season is under way. But Florida is still not done picking up the pieces from last year's devastating storms. I'll speak with the director of FEMA about what the government needs to do now.
And coming up, at 4:00 Eastern on CNN, thinking about whitening your teeth? We'll talk with a doctor about what really works.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Our top stories now. Tropical Storm Arlene weakens as it pushes toward the north central Gulf Coast. The storm is making landfall right now. Tornados, wind damage, flooding, remain a big danger, however. But many people are riding it out. We're staying with the storm. Our next live report is coming up in one minute.
Prosecutors in Aruba won't confirm or deny reports of a confession by a suspect in the case of missing Alabama teen Natalee Holloway. Three males who were seen with Holloway the night she disappeared are expected in court this hour. A judge will determine if there's enough evidence to hold them another eight days.
And the group of eight finance ministers agree to completely forgive debt owed by some of the world's poorest nations. The historic deal is worth around $40 million. It's expected to free up money for healthcare, education and others needs in those developing countries.
Storm trackers and residents along the Gulf Coast are keeping a close watch on Tropical Storm Arlene. The first storm of the hurricane season continues edging closer to land.
Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is tracking the storm.
JERAS: Fredricka, the leading edge of the center of the storm is now starting to make landfall. This is our titan Doppler radar. And this is from NextRad (ph) out of Mobile. And here you can see a very large center of circulation and that leading edge of it now making its way into the Gulf islands national sea shores. Here's Pensacola, here's Gulf shores, Alabama. So it's kind of right in the middle of that center of circulation still of more than 10 miles offshore.
But the leading edge of the center now making landfall. The winds are beginning to pick up. We just got a report out of Valparaiso, which is right near Pensacola, of a 41-mile-per-hour wind gust. We can start -- expect to start to see winds gusting between 40 to 50 miles per hour and then maybe in another 15 minutes or so, we're going to start to see some gusts around 60 plus miles per hour, as this continues to make landfall.
The rain is picking up in intensity, too. You can see these outer bands, here. This is going to be pushing in towards the Pensacola area, maybe within the next half an hour or so. And really expect the big gusts, as those squall lines begin to push on through the area. Maximum sustained winds now with Arlene are 60 miles an hour. It weakened from an hour ago. So as it makes landfall, we're not dealing with a hurricane, which is really great news.
You mentioned the tornado threat. That is still out there. You can see the tornado watch remains in effect. This is until 4:00 local time. And you can see some of these outer bands. That was -- would be our main concern area for some of the tornadoes. So again, starting to make landfall now. Tropical storm Arlene -- Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Jacqui, thank you so much.
Well, while people along the Gulf Coast are busy preparing for Arlene's arrival, many in Florida are still scrambling to pick up the pieces from last year's hurricane season.
CNN's John Zarrella reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Wayne Sallade's message is simple. Just try to relax.
WAYNE SALLADE, CHARLOTTE COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGER: We are sitting on a tinderbox of emotions in this state right now. Everybody is skittish.
ZARRELLA: The man who has been the Charlotte County emergency manager for 18 years delivered his sermon during one of three stops on his day-long hurricane caravan, preaching preparedness and dispelling myths.
SALLADE: Tornadoes is Dorothy in Kansas in the "Wizard of Oz," not in Hurricane Charley. ZARRELLA: Sallade is focused on getting people ready for this hurricane season. The problem is many folks like Miriam Caruthers are still living last year's nightmare.
Ten months after Charley and $16,000 later, all she has is a new roof and drywall. The rest of the house remains gutted. While she waits for work to be done, she lives in a FEMA trailer right outside her bedroom window.
(on camera) You're looking right out this window.
MIRIAM CARUTHERS, HURRICANE VICTIM: Right out that window. We wash and eat and cook over there.
ZARRELLA: So you've been living in there all this time?
CARUTHERS: Yes. Yes, sir.
ZARRELLA: How much longer are you going to have to -- hurricane season is here.
CARUTHERS: Tell me about it. I don't even want to hear about that.
ZARRELLA (voice-over): Caruthers, a grandmother who has lived here for more than 20 years, is one of nearly 27,000 people in Florida still living in FEMA-provided housing. Many are in mobile home cities set up by the agency. Affordable housing is scarce and is the biggest post-hurricane issue facing the state.
Across Florida blue tarps still cover thousands of roofs. Building materials are in short supply. All people can do is try to be patient.
Painting landscapes keeps Miriam Caruthers' blood from boiling.
(on camera) Snow and it's not like a hurricane in Florida, is it? A little bit of a different setting.
CARUTHERS: Yes.
ZARRELLA: I don't see you painting any of those.
CARUTHERS: No, I'm not.
ZARRELLA: She doesn't use canvas either. Caruthers paints on pieces of drywall left over from the work her contractor did finish.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: John Zarrella reporting.
All right. Coming up next, state and federal officials are still working to help people in the areas hit hardest by last year's hurricanes to rebuild and repair the damage. Joining us from Washington to talk about recovery efforts and preparations for the coming storm, FEMA director Michael Brown. Good to see you, Mr. Brown.
MICHAEL BROWN, FEMA DIRECTOR: Good to see you, Fredricka. How are you?
WHITFIELD: I'm doing pretty good. How many folks is FEMA still assisting right now, after last year's hurricane season?
BROWN: You know, in Florida alone, we assisted more than 1.2 million people. I know in the -- in Charlotte County and other places you were just talking about, we have tens of thousands of people still in mobile homes. And I'm going to do everything I can and probably extend those deadlines and allow them to stay in the mobile homes. Because, as your report showed, there's a shortage of supplies to repair those homes. And I don't want to kick people out of those trailers until we've done everything we can to give them time to get their homes repaired.
WHITFIELD: So how concerned are you about being able to continue to assist those people who are staying in temporary housing and help the folks who are likely to be displaced, possibly, from this season?
BROWN: Well, President Bush and I both made a commitment to stay in Florida as long as it takes. And I've said that throughout the state. I've said it throughout the Southeast over the last hurricane season. And I'm saying it again. We will stay in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, all those devastated areas, as long as we have to, whether that's two more years or five more years. We'll stay there and help them as long as we need to.
WHITFIELD: So you have some people on the ground right now helping those who have already been affected. Have you already sent in a contingent of folks at the ready, just in case Arlene displaces some folks, or even whether there's another storm right behind it?
BROWN: Well, we have our hurricane liaison teams working with Max Mayfield (ph) in the hurricane center now. And what I really want to do is I want to take the opportunity with Tropical Storm Arlene to remind everybody, it is hurricane season, we've already seen the first storm, we know how bad last year was.
So please, use this time right now to get ready for the hurricane season. Understand your evacuation routes. Get your go kits ready. Do everything you can to get ready. Because as we saw last year, some people were out of their homes for days. Some people were without power for literally weeks at a time. Now is the time to start getting ready.
WHITFIELD: And what are the other tips that you can give folks about getting ready, besides having those go kits, besides knowing the evacuation routes? Aren't there other things they need to know about their properties -- proof of their properties, all of those things, just in case their homes are damaged. So often people forget about that stuff and they don't have anything when they go to these FEMA lines to prove that you know, yes, I lived in this home, this was my home or my property.
BROWN: That's right. And Governor Bush and I have talked so many times down there about -- it's so simple. I was with Governor Bush a few weeks ago at the National Hurricane Conference. And he talked about how he pulled his insurance policy out and actually read it. And he's encouraging people to do that, to understand what your coverage is, what will be covered and not covered, and to get additional coverage if you need to do that.
It's things like having all those kinds of documents ready to go, having your medications ready to go. Actually being ready to be out of your home for upwards of not just 72 hours, or perhaps, as this poor lady said, 72 days or more.
WHITFIELD: All right. Michael Brown, director of FEMA, thank you so much for joining us, from Washington.
BROWN: Thank you, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: And you can view an online map of Arlene's predicted path and prepare yourself with safety tips at CNN.com/weather.
You don't have to be hit by bullets or get caught in an insurgent attack to become a victim of war. After the break, how the help of everyday Iraqis suffers just from the fear of violence.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: This story just in to CNN. The U.S. military confirms that air strikes in western Iraq have killed an estimated 40 insurgents. That's in addition to yesterday's violence. Ten people were killed last night by a car bomb outside a cafe in northern Baghdad, another 27 wounded.
And in western Iraq near the Syrian border, the grim discovery of more than a dozen bodies strewn across the desert. Most had their hands tied behind their backs. Some had been beheaded. Authorities don't know if yet if they are Iraqi soldiers recently kidnapped from a nearby base.
U.S. and Iraqi forces have gained -- regained, rather -- control of some key locations in Tal Afar. But life for people in the region is far from normal.
CNN's Jane Arraf ventured into a hospital that had been controlled by insurgents just a short time ago. We caution you, what she found may be upsetting to some viewers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANE ARRAF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 5-month-old Hadisha (ph) has no more tears left to cry. She's severely dehydrated. Doctor Omar Ahmed (ph) says her parent should have brought her in much sooner.
DR. OMAR AHMED, TAL AFAR HOSPITAL: When you squeeze this, the skin, there's no (INAUDIBLE) because it is dehydrated.
ARRAF: In this hospital in Tal Afar, a fly hovers around her dry mouth. Her mother, Ida Abdesgadar (ph) says they didn't bring her sooner because they were afraid to go out at night.
Look at her now. I'm afraid she's going to die, says her father, Abbas Ali (ph). He says he had to beg and bribe to get past a checkpoint to bring her here. In his neighborhood, the police are afraid of insurgents and don't let anyone in or out after dark. At home, she looked like she was dead, her eyes like this, just always staying like that. He says if she died it would completely rip them apart. She's on antibiotics.
ARRAF (on camera): What are the chances that she will be OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This patient? 50.
ARRAF (voice-over): There are only two other patients in this 200-bed hospital, the only one in the city. The hospital was controlled by insurgents until two weeks ago.
(on camera): All of these rooms are empty. Not only are people afraid of the fighting around here, they're afraid that if they come, they could be killed in their beds.
(voice-over): Dr. Ashuref Abdel Rasaf (ph), the chief resident, says, twice, gunmen have come in and shot patients. One was the brother of an Iraqi soldier, shot dead after he was operated on. Since the U.S. and Iraqi Army took it back, there's been fighting between insurgents and the Iraqi soldiers guarding the hospital.
AHMED: Yesterday, at 3:00 a.m. -- for about nine hours, there was a (INAUDIBLE) here. Guns and hammers.
ARRAF (voice-over): He doesn't know who it was, he didn't ask.
AHMED: It's empty today, no patients.
ARRAF: He's from Baghdad. He's been here five days and has already asked for a transfer.
AHMED: Tal Afar is the most dangerous area in Iraq now.
ARRAF: Like most of the city, it rarely has running water. There's no electricity most of the time. The equipment is outdated. The third patient in the hospital is with his father, awaiting surgery for appendicitis. Mohamed Una Saluman (ph) says he wasn't afraid to bring his friend. Asked about the Iraqi police and army, he says they're doing fine.
But his son Nadine (ph), 21 years old and just married, summons us to his sick bed to disagree. Neither the Iraqi army nor the police are good, he tells us. No one can go outside their houses. He says if American forces left, it would stop the violence. But he agrees that most of the attacks are against Iraqis, not Americans. Solution, he says, there is no solution. Jane Arraf, CNN, Tal Afar, Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Some of the other major headlines today around the world.
A flash flood swept through northeast China, engulfing a school filled with hundreds of children. At least 62 children drowned, along with two adults. Dozens of homes in the area were destroyed.
Near Damascus, Syrian forces raided the hideout of suspected militants, killing two of them and arresting another. Police say they found weapons, cell phones and documents in the document. Syria's official news agency reports the group may have been planning attacks in and around Damascus.
And in London. Britain today is officially marking the queen's 79th birthday. It's one of the country's most elaborate and colorful displays of royalty. The queen's birthday is in April, but the official celebration is always held in June.
Where is Arlene now? We'll get another update straight ahead. Plus, can the hurricane season really bring baby benefits? That story when CNN LIVE SATURDAY returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Ooh, that looks nasty. That is Tropical Storm Arlene, slamming Pensacola, Florida. Jacqui Jeras is in the weather center with a closer look. And this is just the beginning, isn't it, Jacqui?
JERAS: Yes, it really is. This is kind of -- if you call it an eye wall, that's what would be making landfall right now. Kind of the leading edge of the center of the storm. The exact center looks like it's probably going to be maybe the bottom of the next hour, before that officially makes landfall.
But we saw that live picture from Pensacola. It's the east side of Pensacola right now that's getting hit very, very hard. Right around Navarre (ph), you can see Santa Rosa Island is right here. Here's Fort Walton Beach, and there's Pensacola itself. So right smack dab in between is where we have the strongest thunderstorms.
We can expect to see wind gusts around 50, 60 miles an hour now with this line, as it pushes on through. And this is going to curving northward and then heading on off to the East. So Pensacola itself and west side of town's doing OK right now, but will see some gusty winds. And that's going to be picking up in intensity, we think, over the next half an hour to an hour.
Here's some current wind gusts being reported right. Valparaiso and Pensacola both reporting 41 miles per hour gusts, with 36 mile per hour gusts around Panama City. And even on the West side of this storm, it's picking up a little breeze there into Gulfport and over to New Orleans, with wind gusts around 20, 25 miles per hour.
The storm itself not expected to strengthen any more. This is it. It's a tropical storm, as it makes landfall. 60 mile an hour winds. Flooding rain is going to be our primary concern here, Fredricka. With three to five inches of rain widespread, locally, heavier amounts possible. And as it moves inland, if you live into the Tennessee River Valley, even into the Ohio River Valley, this is going to be affecting you tomorrow and the next day -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Jacqui.
Preparing for a hurricane means action. Boarding up windows and hauling sandbags. But riding out the storm can be a kind of uneventful existence. A recent baby boom nine months after a flurry of Florida hurricanes seems to indicate how some folks spent their time. Linda Gialanella of Tampa affiliate WFTS reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LINDA GIALANELLA, WFRS (voice-over): It was nine months ago when Frances visited Tampa Bay, and most of us remember where we were and what we were doing. Some at work; some at home, like Karen and Jonathan.
JONATHAN CEREZO, NEW DAD: Everybody's in the house. Sometimes the electricity goes out, you know. So people tend to get closer together.
GIALANELLA: They say natural disasters bring people closer.
CAREN BRUSH, NEW MOM: When you're locked up inside, you know, all day, there's, you know not much to do.
GIALANELLA: The result? Just this month alone, the hospital is reporting a 22 percent increase in deliveries, leaving even maternity nurses to speculate like meteorologists.
JESSICA RIGGENS, NURSE: Who knows if it's a change in barometric pressure or just, you know, people with more time on their hands, but there's been a lot more babies because of that increased weather activity, I guess.
BRUSH: The department store where I worked at, I worked in the children's department, there were a lot of pregnant women, a lot around the same -- as far along as I was.
GIALANELLA: Making for a very busy maternity ward this season. These proud parents believe that last year's destructive storms have a saving grace.
CEREZO: Whenever there's a negative, there's always a positive. And with that negative, we got this positive.
GIALANELLA: But they're positively not planning a baby Arlene for this season.
CEREZO: One's good for right now.
BRUSH: Yeah. Not any time soon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, thanks to Linda Gialanella.
All right, still much more ahead on CNN Saturday. At the top of the hour, it's a celebration of CNN at 25. We'll take a look at the defining moments of this network's history. At 4:00 p.m. Eastern, CNN LIVE SATURDAY with the latest on Arlene and possible damage to the Gulf Coast region. At 5:00 p.m. Eastern, "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS" profiling actress Angelina Jolie and her problems with tabloid reports. A check of the top stories right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: A look at our top story now. Tropical Storm Arlene has been tormenting the northern Gulf Coast all day. Let's get the very latest with Jacqui Jeras in the weather center.
JERAS: Hey, Fredicka. Getting close to making landfall now with Tropical Storm Arlene. 60 mile-per-hour maximum sustained winds. The leading edge of the center of the storm is beginning to make landfall at this time. But the center of the storm doesn't happen maybe for another half an hour. So 30 minutes-ish, somewhere in there, that's when we technically call it making landfall. So the leading edge beginning to push in the worst of the weather on the east side of Pensacola.
Here you can see the East Bay and that's where some of the worst of the weather is pushing in. That's where we're going to see the strong, gusty wind. We're also going to see a little bit of storm surge in this area. To the east and to the north side of the storm is where we tend to see. Storm surge a little bit lesser -- we're thinking maybe one to three feet overall, as this continues to make its way onshore at this time.
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