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CNN Live Saturday
The Latest on Hurricane Katrina; Two Sides of Protest Battle At Bush's Ranch; Oil All Dried Up? New Book Breaking Rank; Subway Surveillance; Mice Find Fountain of Youth; Coming Soon; Celebrities Changing Names
Aired August 27, 2005 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: The Big Easy braces for a possible big blow. Hurricane Katrina now taking aim at the Gulf Coast. Will New Orleans find itself in the direct path of the storm?
(UNINTELLIGIBLE) today, as dueling rallies in Crawford, Texas, as supporters and opponents of the president make their cases. We're going to bring you a live report.
And the story of four brothers, all serving in Iraq for the U.S. military. It's Saturday, August 27. You're watching CNN LIVE SATURDAY.
Coming to you from the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Erica Hill. Thanks for joining us today. We'll take you to our top story in just a moment, but first, we want to get you caught up on some of the stories making news right now.
Almost 1,000 Iraqis held at Baghdad's notorious Abu Ghraib Prison now free. They're released at the request of the Iraqi government under pressure from Sunni Arab leaders. Coalition officials say all of the prisoners were accused of nonviolent crimes, and all of them have renounced violence.
One U.S. soldier was killed, four others wounded in a bomb attack Friday in Afghanistan. The Pentagon says the soldiers were part of a combat patrol working to stabilize the area ahead of next month's parliamentary elections. Fifteen American troops have been killed in Afghanistan so far this month.
A warning from the Federal Reserve chairman. Alan Greenspan says the housing market will, in his words, "simmer down." Greenspan told a conference today in Wyoming that the steady increase in U.S. home prices will slow, and he said home prices could even decrease.
ANNOUNCER: CNN, your hurricane headquarters.
HILL: Our top story this Saturday, thousands of people heeding advice to flee coastal Mississippi and Louisiana as Hurricane Katrina approaches land. Now, Katrina is currently a Category 3 storm but it could strengthen into a Category 4 before making land fall on Monday. The latest projections show New Orleans could be in line for a direct hit. Louisiana is expected to issue voluntary evacuations there tomorrow. People in other low-lying areas though are already under mandatory evacuation orders. Meantime, in South Florida, Katrina has already proved deadly, blamed now for killing seven people there.
And massive preparations already under way right now, as you can imagine, along the Gulf Coast. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour joining us now on the phone to talk about what is being done to keep people there safe from the still strengthening storm.
Governor Barbour, thanks for being with us today. A state of emergency was issued by you earlier today. How are things going at this point?
GOV. HALEY BARBOUR (R), MISSISSIPPI: Well, Erica, we've gone through two storms in the last 12 months. It looked like they were going to hit Mississippi and then right at the last turned east. So the first thing we want to make sure is people take this seriously. This is a dangerous storm. And if the predictions are accurate, it's going to slam right into New Orleans. And Mississippi's Gulf Coast is going to be on the most dangerous side of the eye with big storm surge, high winds tornadoes. And it does seem like -- despite the last two near misses, seems like people are taking this very seriously, and I sure hope so. They must.
HILL: That's good to hear. And as you said, really the most important message there because even we saw some of the numbers, for those evacuating for Dennis, not nearly as high as those who evacuated for Ivan in 2004. I understand Interstate 59 is already under a contraflow plan, is that correct?
BARBOUR: It is, as well as Interstate 55. The two big interstates that come north out of New Orleans, we've agreed in the past that if they're going to try to evacuate New Orleans that we will contraflow, that is, make them one way coming into Mississippi. And that's another reason we're urging our own citizens to recognize there's going to be a lot of traffic, and the sooner you move out, the better.
HILL: And I imagine too, even some reports I'd read on the wires, that certain hotels not far from the coastal areas, even just 30, 40 miles inland, saying they're already booked. How far north or how far out of the path of the storm are you urging coastal residents to go?
BARBOUR: Well, Erica, first of all, there are thousands of Mississippi families that during Ivan took in their family members, their friends, their co-workers, people that they had known that used to live in their hometown and said, "Come on up here to Jackson, Come up to Yazoo City, ride out the storm at our house." And that's a great tribute to our people and the generosity and compassion. And we'll see people go as far north as Memphis, Tennessee, as Birmingham, Alabama because we are talking about hundreds of thousands of people we live on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and more than 1 million people that live in metropolitan New Orleans.
HILL: A lot of traffic going on there. Well, again, we thank you for your time, Governor Barbour. We know you're busy tonight.
BARBOUR: Well, I'll tell what we're doing, we're preparing for the worst and praying for the best.
HILL: As I think most folks are. Again, thanks for your time. Governor Haley Barbour joining us from Mississippi.
And you want to stay with us because tonight at 10:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN, we're going to speak with another governor whose state is in the path of the storm. Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco will share the latest on what her state is doing to prepare for Hurricane Katrina.
And when it comes to Louisiana, many people at this point wondering about the Big Easy. New Orleans is, of course, below sea level, and that makes it one of the worst places for a big hurricane to hit. CNN's Jonathan Freed has been watching preparations all day in New Orleans.
All right, give us an idea. How many people are really leaving? What does it look like?
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Erica, I can tell you that so far, most of the area here has only been advised of a voluntary evacuation, and the very low-lying areas are under a mandatory evacuation. But officials here now, for quite a while, have been urging everybody to pack up and get out of town before this storm comes near.
And let's take a look live right now at Interstate 10 heading west of New Orleans, and it is bumper to bumper traffic. We're on another part of Interstate 10 here, and we've been watching the traffic pick up steadily for the last little while. People are definitely heeding the warnings of officials.
Earlier today, we saw quite a few lines at gas stations, people filling up there, as well as people doing the usual thing, boarding up their homes and property, trying to get ready even though this storm is still the better part of two days away, according to the latest predictions. Now, earlier today, the governor, Erica, the governor here in Louisiana, was urging people to remain calm as they try to make their way out of the city. Let's listen to that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. KATHLEEN BLANCO, LOUISIANA: I'm urging people to be very patient drivers. You're leaving to protect yourselves and your family. A small accident can cause you a lot of frustration and back up traffic dramatically. A big accident can really injure a lot of people. So we have to be very, very careful as you proceed to make your plans and as you're leaving out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FREED: Now, Erica, even though we're seeing the shots of bumper to bumper traffic, people trying to get out of town here before the storm moves in, earlier today we had an opportunity to walk around downtown. We were near the French Quarter as well, very popular tourist areas, and people would recognize us as a media crew, come up to us and ask us if it was true, if they really to cut short their weekend vacation plans and get out of town. We would give them the best information that we had at the time.
But clearly, Erica, there was some reluctance on the part of some people, perhaps verging on being in denial about what was going on. If you have long plans to be in town, this is such a beautiful city you don't necessarily want to have to turn around and leave. But the people that we spoke to were reluctantly coming around to the conclusion that they were going to have to do just that -- Erica.
HILL: Better to be safe than sorry, as they say. All right, Jonathan, thanks. We'll check in with you a bit later.
Let's get a look now for you at where Katrina is right now, and for that, we turn to CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey Erica. Well, it's less than 400 miles away from the mouth of the Mississippi River. And it's in the middle of what we call an eye wall replacement cycle. You know the eye wall of the storm, those thunderstorms that are closest to the center, the worst of the weather in the eye wall, those thunderstorms develop and then they weaken, and they redevelop. And they've been in the process of weakening over the last couple of hours. The overall intensity has changed -- stayed the same at 115 miles per hour. But we think those thunderstorms will build back up later on tonight, and then we'll watch for that strengthening trend to move back in.
There are hurricane watches now, which have been posted from Intracoastal City, Louisiana, extending all the way over to the Florida/Alabama state line. That means that hurricane conditions are possible in the next 36 hours. If you haven't watched us in the last hour, you haven't seen the change in the forecast track. It's pretty minor, but it did shift ever so slightly off to the west. We do have higher confidence that it's going to be moving in over southeastern parts of Louisiana. And the big bull's eye is still over New Orleans. It's been hanging over Lake Pontchartrain. But keep in mind, we talk about the cone of uncertainty because there could be still be changes in the forecast track as we get closer to land fall. And keep in mind that Katrina right now is moving off to the west, and until we start to see that turn, we can't rule out any changes in this forecast track.
Water temperatures -- the temperature of the water helps to provide energy for the storm. Right now, this is where the center of Katrina is, and water temperatures from a buoy very near there, about 86.5 degrees. But take a look at the water temperatures as you get closer towards Louisiana. They really jump up very considerably. And you can see near Grand Isle, Louisiana, 89.4 degrees. That is very ripe and will continue to support a strengthening storm.
Back to you, Erica.
HILL: All right, thanks, Jacqui.
ANNOUNCER: Keep watching CNN, your hurricane headquarters. HILL: Our gas price is out of sight right now, but that is not slowing the world demand. So can the world's oil suppliers keep up, or have they reached production peak of our gas guzzling habits?
Also ahead, the domestic side of the Iraq war, now the subject of verbal battles outside the president's ranch in Texas. We're going to bring you a live update just ahead.
And from Iraq, the remarkable story of four soldiers from one family, all serving their country on the frontlines.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: President Bush's ranch has put Crawford, Texas, in the world spotlight on more than one occasion, and it is back there this weekend due in large part to dueling protests, pitting those who support the president and the war in Iraq against the anti-war movement. Our Ed Lavandera is listening to the message of both sides and reporting back on both of them for us tonight -- Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Erica. Well, we are standing along the road, this Prairie Chapel Road, which takes you to President Bush's ranch. And this is one of the areas where several of the rallies and protests have been held today. Basically, on this side of the street, you have those who have come out to support President Bush. Authorities here, a much stronger presence we've seen in the last few weeks, essentially keeping the pro-Bush folks on this side of the street, and those who have come out to support Cindy Sheehan and the anti-war movement across the street.
We estimate some 2,500 people are so have flooded -- come into Crawford to rally this weekend. Many of those folks have come out, and this is to support President Bush as well. And I should mention that in the three weeks that Cindy Sheehan has been here, this is really the most vocal opposition we have heard to that movement in a long time, since we've been here. In fact, strong messages coming out against Cindy Sheehan today, essentially saying that she is supporting the terrorists.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HOWARD KALOOGIAN, FOUNDER, MOVE AMERICA FORWARD: The terrorists that are watching Cindy Sheehan's protest believe that this is something that might topple the current administration, and I have a question that I want the media to begin asking Cindy Sheehan: How many more American soldiers are going to die because you are giving hope and encouragement to our enemies?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: Now, there have been a number of arrests. Three people arrested in this location right here, another person arrested in town. Cindy Sheehan's folks holding another rally just closer to President Bush's ranch, about 1,500 people attending that rally as well. And Cindy Sheehan's folks emboldened by what is happening here. They continue to say that all of this turnout proves they are making the country focus on this issue, and Cindy Sheehan very happy about that and vows that just after this working vacation is over for the president, she's not going to stop here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CINDY SHEEHAN, ANTI-WAR PROTESTER: I'm going to be sad to leave on August 31, and you know what, I won't be escaping. I'll be going and we're going to take Camp Casey to Congress, and we're going to force them to end this war.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAVANDERA: Now, the incredibly hot temperatures out here today has not squelched the atmosphere out here. As I mentioned, thousands of people coming out to Crawford this weekend -- 100 degree plus weather. And authorities were hoping that would help to kind of calm attitudes and tension here, but it hasn't subdued the outcome at all, or the outturn at all -- Erica.
HILL: No such luck? Well, go get some shade for yourself, Ed. Thanks for the report.
LAVANDERA: Sure.
HILL: Well, since the instability in Iraq is a contributing factor to the sky rocketing gas prices. Whether or not that is the case, one thing we know for sure, they are nearing an average of $3 a gallon now here in the U.S. But oil experts warn the current pain at the pump could actually be minor compared to what consumers will feel if oil supplies peak and fail to keep up with the demand. Our Kathleen Koch has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Soaring demand for oil. Not just from the U.S., the world's largest consumer, but developing countries and China. Some experts say that demand is as well as the fact that it's a finite resource, is leading to an inevitable peak in how much oil can be pumped from the earth.
MATTHEW SIMMONS, AUTHOR/OIL INDUSTRIES EXPERT: What it does mean is we basically have reached a peak in production, and it won't grow. What it generally also leads to is a relatively quick beginning of production decline.
KOCH: Author Matthew Simmons traveled to the world's largest oil producer, Saudi Arabia. Upon his return, he analyzed scientific reports on its oil fields. Simmons book concludes Saudi Arabia seems to be nearing or at peak oil output.
SIMMONS: If they can't deliver the goods, then we have a global shortage of oil on our doorstep.
KOCH: But Saudi officials vehemently disagree. The country is producing 9.5 million barrels of oil a day. A senior scientist for the state-owned oil company Saudi Aramco, in a presentation last year, insisted -- quote -- "sustained production levels of 10, 12, and 15 million barrels a day well beyond 2054 are very achievable."
NATHANIEL KERN, PRESIDENT, FOREIGN REPORTS, INC.: As long as price is increasing, you will be able to produce steady volumes of oil, not necessarily ever increasing volumes, but, again, with an increased price, demand will grow less or even start to shrink.
KOCH: But for now, predictions our oil demand will continue to rise. And a report commission this year by the Energy Department's National Energy Technology Laboratory concludes, peak world oil production is -- quote -- "fast approaching...oil peaking will be abrupt and revolutionary."
(on camera): There is no definitive word on how much oil is in world reserves because it's difficult to determine scientifically and countries are reluctant to share what data they have. That's because OPEC quotas regulating how much countries can produce are based on each country's oil reserves.
(voice-over): Regardless, many believe major oil consumes like the U.S. need to begin planning now for the day when demand outstrips supply.
SIMMONS: And start radically, reorganizing our economy so it becomes far less energy intensive. If we don't do that, we're going to hit a brick wall that could be of epic proportion.
KOCH: Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Coming up, the remarkable story of one American family's sacrifice in the fight for Iraq, and why officials in the Big Easy are so uneasy about the threat from Hurricane Katrina.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Every week we like to bring you the more personal stories from the frontlines. Today, the story of one family and four soldiers, all four are brothers, all are on active duty in Iraq. CNN's Alex Quaid has their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALEX QUAID, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Eric, an assistant manager at a Wal-Mart, Jeff, a grocery store clerk, Evan, a bartender, and Greg, a missionary, four citizen soldiers with something in common, their last name, Pruett, four brothers deployed with different units in Kirkuk. Youngest brother Jeff is on house-to-house searches...
JEFF PRUETT, ONE OF FOUR BROTHERS SERVING IN IRAQ: It's not a raid. You just knock, and then you go in.
QUAID: ...training new Iraqi forces.
J. PRUETT: We let the police go in force, and we follow in behind them.
QUAID: Jeff just turned 20.
(ON CAMERA): Do you think that your parents worry more about you because you are the youngest out here?
J. PRUETT: No, I think my mom's scared out of her mind for every one of us, so just because we're gone and we're in a combat zone.
GREG PRUETT, ONE OF FOUR BROTHERS FIGHTING IN IRAQ: This is Howell radio check. Howell Base, Howell Base, this is Howell com all ready.
QUAID: Middle brother, Greg, is communications expert.
G. PRUETT: You know let's say this antenna goes down and we get attacked really bad, we lose communications with the outside, and we can't call for back-up or anything like that. You know being a radio operator; I hear everything that goes on. And so when I hear stuff that's happening or hear about IEDs and stuff like that, I just kind of get this queasy feeling in my stomach and say, you know, hopefully, my brothers are OK, hopefully, the guys out there are OK, and...
ERIC PRUETT, ONE OF FOUR BROTHERS FIGHTING IN IRAQ: Let's mount up!
QUAID: Big brother Eric is a tank platoon commander, who now patrols Kirkuk by Humvee and on foot. He's responsible for 23 soldiers and also trains Iraqi police.
E. PRUETT: It's difficult. We've got two missions here. We have to provide security for ourselves and the people here, but we also got to at the same time make the people feel like we're here to help them and not just be occupiers and that sort of thing.
Candy?
QUAID: And even on patrol...
E. PRUETT: Do you want a piece of candy?
QUAID: ...Eric never stops worrying about his brothers.
E. PRUETT: I'm concerned for all of us. I just have to trust that there's guys taking care of my brothers when I can't be there.
EVAN PRUETT, ONE OF FOUR BROTHERS FIGHTING IN IRAQ: Whatever is broken, they'll bring to us, and we try to fix it as fast as we can.
QUAID: Evan's job is critical. He fixes the vehicles his brothers and their units use for missions and repairs those damaged by roadside bombs.
E. PRUETT: That keeps my brother's unit, you know, that's infantry right now, up and running, you know. They've got to go through town and all that. And if they don't have vehicles that work, they can't do their jobs.
QUAID (on camera): And in a way you're still helping your brothers?
E. PRUETT: Yes, I'm helping my brothers, so...
QUAID: Watching their back side.
E. PRUETT: Yes, that's the way I look at it, is I'm helping my brothers get through their day.
QUAID (voice-over): While we're taping, a recruiter tries to sign Evan up for six more years.
E. PRUETT: The whole thought of being gone away from your family for, you know, 18 months, a year, whatever it's going to be, it's tough. I just hope nothing bad happens. I just want us all to be safe and all my brothers and everything to go home and be with our families.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Coming up just ahead on CNN SATURDAY, the latest on the path of Hurricane Katrina. We're going to go live to Max Mayfield at the hurricane center. Plus, find out what makes the people of New Orleans feel like they're on a sinking boat when a hurricane heads their way.
And a bit later, a former top cop's book isn't making him a lot of friends among the police fraternity. He's going to tell us why.
You're watching CNN LIVE SATURDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Now in the news, Category 3 Hurricane Katrina heading for the Gulf Coast. Mandatory evacuations going on in the low-lying parts of Louisiana as Katrina churns through the Gulf of Mexico. In New Orleans, they plan to call for voluntary evacuations by tomorrow morning.
One last meeting for the Base Closure and Realignment Commission today. The panel held a series of hearings on which U.S. military bases to close and which to leave operating. The commission chairman says the final report will go to President Bush on September 8.
And French fans are supporting Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong. In fact, many are writing critical letters to the sports weekly, L'Equipe, calling on the magazine to leave Armstrong alone. The publication accused Armstrong of using a banned substance in his first tour victory in 1999.
We're going to turn you back to our top story. Hurricane Katrina. The storm is keeping the experts at the National Hurricane Center tracking Katrina's movements in Miami. Good to have you with us. The question on everyone's mind, where and when? All right, we're going to turn you back now to our top story, Hurricane Katrina. The storm is keeping the experts at the National Hurricane Center very busy this weekend. And they are warning it could be a very, very powerful and intense storm. The director of the National Hurricane Center, Max Mayfield, is tracking Katrina's movement in Miami, and he joins us live.
Good to have you with us. All right, the question on everybody's mind: where and when?
MAX MAYFIELD, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: Well, right now, the center of dangerous Katrina is about 375 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. It's going to be a little bit north and due west, but we think it will turn more toward the north. And we've issued the hurricane watch on the Florida-Alabama border over to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, and that includes the greater New Orleans area. We'll likely be putting up the hurricane warning later tonight. This is a very, very dangerous hurricane, and capable of causing a lot of damage and loss of life if we're not careful.
HILL: All right, you've used dangerous twice already to describe the hurricane. How important is it for people who do live in these coastal areas to get out of town?
MAYFIELD: It's very important, especially in the low-lying areas in Southeast Louisiana. You know this has always been our greatest concern around the New Orleans area, just so low-lying. And if those levees get topped, they have a real problem there. It's very, very complex with the levee system they have there, and the governor and the mayor of New Orleans, they're already telling people -- some people -- they have voluntary evacuations in some areas, mandatory in some other areas.
HILL: And we're still looking at landfall sometime on Monday, correct?
MAYFIELD: Correct, but this is a large hurricane and getting even larger. And even though the landfall will be on Monday, the tropical storm force winds are very likely to be approaching Southeast Louisiana early tomorrow evening.
HILL: OK, and...
MAYFIELD: So that really gives everybody tonight and tomorrow to make their preparations.
HILL: ... and real quickly, what about after landfall because it's not over at that point? It keeps moving north?
MAYFIELD: Absolutely, Erica. A hurricane is not just a coastal event. The strong winds, heavy rains and tornadoes can spread well inland. It'll go through Tennessee, Kentucky, and in five days be up somewhere near Pennsylvania and New York.
HILL: And we'll probably keep checking in with you for those five days. Max Mayfield, we appreciate it as always. Thanks. MAYFIELD: Thank you.
HILL: Well, a direct hit on New Orleans could prove catastrophic, as you just heard. The city already sits below sea level, and a tremendous amount of flooding could leave the Big Easy a big memory for some time. CNN's John Zarrella takes a look at the worst case scenarios.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN MIAMI BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): New Orleans is all about attitude, from its music to its streetcars and riverboats. It oozes charm. It's a city that moves a bit slower, saving its energy to party a little harder. It is also a city that flirts with disaster nearly every hurricane season.
WALTER MAESTRI, EMERGENCY MANAGER: It's going to happen. We can't continue to beat the odds. We've beaten the odds for a long, long time now.
ZARRELLA: Walter Maestri is the Jefferson Parish emergency manager. Of the 1.3 million people living in metropolitan New Orleans, he is responsible for nearly half a million, which during hurricane season leaves him with many sleepless nights. Maestri is keenly aware there is little he can do to keep people from falling victim to a natural disaster or to save his city. The possibilities play out in his mind over and over again.
MAESTRI: And very, very rapidly within a 10-hour period, you know, the metropolitan New Orleans area is totally devastated, gone.
ZARRELLA: Several expert studies and computer models show New Orleans even more vulnerable than anyone previously thought. Maestri says levees and flood walls designed to protect the city from moderately intense hurricanes might be overtopped and fail in just such storms.
MAESTRI: The way it's described, we describe it here as Lake Pontchartrain has now become Lake New Orleans.
ZARRELLA: In 1998, Hurricane George brushed New Orleans, going inland to the east and Mississippi. A fairly powerful storm, it was not on the order of Betsy, which in 1965, killed 61 people in New Orleans, flooded the city, and led to the construction of the flood walls. But had it struck, the death toll from George might have been horrific.
MAESTRI: Stop for a second. The greatest disaster that any of us have looked at in the United States was 9-11-2001, about 3,000 people died. Forty-four thousand if George makes the direct hit on New Orleans.
ZARRELLA: Maestri estimates most of the dead would be people who, for whatever reason, did not or could not evacuate, left trapped in the city as the water rises. The problem is population has mushroomed. Evacuation routes are limited. And New Orleans is like a bowl. The city sits below sea level. On three sides there's water: the Gulf of Mexico, Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi River. Jackson Square, the cathedral, and just about everything else in New Orleans would be under water, 12 to 15 feet of it. In the storm's aftermath, water would sit in the city for an estimated six months. Pumps needed to get the water out would be themselves under water. And it would take up to 120 days to rebuild them. In this worst case scenario, Maestri's vision is chilling.
MAESTRI: While we're rebuilding the pumps, we're getting everybody who's still in here and who's alive out, and we're gathering the casualties, we're gathering the fatalities and getting them out of here.
ZARRELLA: Every building in the city, having been submerged to one degree or another, would have to be structurally analyzed. For months, no drinking water, no sewer system, and no electricity. There are ideas and some plans to save New Orleans from this doomsday vision. The levees and flood walls surrounding the city can be raised higher. That would cost billions of dollars and take years to complete. Another thought, wall off a portion of New Orleans. The area behind the barrier would include the government center and the French Quarter. For now, the only hope is to escape the city. Given the new studies, the evacuation order may come even for moderate hurricanes. It will take 72 hours to get 65 to 70 percent of the people out if everything goes smoothly.
MAESTRI: This is the one agency in government that not only is allowed to pray, it's demanded. We've got calluses on our knees in this business.
ZARRELLA: Divine intervention, good fortune, the whims of nature, whatever it is, it is all that separates this city on the Mississippi from Walter Maestri's nightmare.
John Zarrella, CNN, New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Well, that'll make you sit up and take notice, won't it? Hurricane Katrina packed a powerful punch, meantime, as it roared across South Florida. One of our citizen journalists, Bill Fant, sent us this picture of the damage Katrina did to several sail boats in Coconut Grove. Jim in Miami sent us a photo of a small airplane seen here that was actually picked up and thrown upside down onto another airplane.
And if you live in areas affected by Katrina, you can help add to our coverage, just e-mail us your stories, pictures are or video. Log onto CNN.com/stories. Make sure you include your name, location, and phone number. But most importantly here, folks, whatever you do, please be careful.
ANNOUNCER: CNN, your hurricane headquarters.
HILL: Just ahead, we're going to talk to a former police chief who's got his own ideas about running a big city department during times of crisis.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: In our "CNN Security Watch" today, extra eyes that may soon be watching you when you use public transportation, especially if you live in New York. Several big cities are already using video surveillance for extra security, and now New York's Transit Authority is following suit, unveiling plans for a network of cameras with tools to fight terror. CNN's Alina Cho explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Toni Catanzaro takes a New Jersey transit train to New York's Penn Station every day. And every day she worries about safety.
TONI CATANZARO, COMMUTER: Usually, this train is so crowded, especially at this time, so people are kind of hanging out in between the cars. So sometimes it's a little unsettling.
CHO: But each morning when she begins her commute, there are cameras watching her. That's because New Jersey already has installed 1,400 surveillance cameras with so-called smart technology in its train stations. Among other things, it helps authorities identify suspicious packages, even suspicious behavior.
JOSEPH BOBER, N.J. TRANSIT POLICE CHIEF: We've spotted baggage that was left unattended and helped us solve it before we literally had to shut down the system, and that was during the Republican National Convention. So it was very beneficial for us and beneficial for the customer.
CHO: On Tuesday, New York City's Metropolitan Transit Authority unveiled its own plan, price tag $212 million, to place 1,000 cameras with similar technology through the city's vast network of train and bus stations and bridges and tunnels. It is the country's most complex and most used transportation system. And the goal is to avoid the type of attack that hit London seven weeks ago.
BOBER: This object has been left, and it's flashing red. That's what issued our alert.
KATHERINE LAPP, MTA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: This is cutting edge technology for a transit environment. As we begin to identify a workable bioterrorism systems, chemical and explosive detection systems, those will be hooked up into this.
CHO: Critics say the money would be better spent on manpower.
DONNA LIEBERMAN, N.Y. CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION: Cameras can't prevent a crime. They can't jump in to stop a crime from happening. They can't jump in to help a passenger in distress.
CHO: Commuters like Toni Catanzero say, "Get over it." Her brother-in-law was near Ground Zero and survived on 9/11. In this day and age, she says, the more eyes watching, the better Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Brave, tough, even heroic, an accurate description, many would say, of police officers in this country, the men and women who risk their lives every day trying to protect their communities. But a new book describes a different side to law enforcement, one you don't often hear about. "Breaking Rank" takes a critical and sometimes shocking look at American policing, and it's written by a man who knows, an insider, former Seattle police chief Norm Stamper joins us tonight from Seattle.
Good to have you with us, Sir. First of all, you do kind of break rank here. What's the reaction you've gotten to the book from some of your former colleagues?
NORM STAMPER, FORMER CHIEF, SEATTLE POLICE DEPARTMENT: Well, I've certainly heard from some that my writing this book is an act of treason. It violates the Blue Code of Silence, if you will, within the police culture. But I've also been very pleasantly surprised that a whole lot of police officers liked the book.
HILL: What do you hope to achieve with the book?
STAMPER: I hope to achieve major reform in the way police departments are structured and some of the practices by which they are led. But I'd also like to see some reforms in some of the controversial laws that police officers are expected to enforce.
HILL: Let's get back to the actual running -- before we get to those laws, let's talk about the actual running of some of these police departments. One of the things you say here is that in the post-9/11 world that maybe we're -- maybe the police officers themselves in law enforcement aren't really paying attention to their mission, and they may have gotten side tracked a bit. What do you mean by that, and what needs to change, in your opinion?
STAMPER: Well, while I certainly support measures to help ensure homeland security, I think we need to be sensitive to a couple of facts. One is that those twin towers came down almost four years ago now. There has not been another terrorist act in this country. There have been, certainly, terrorist acts in other parts of the world, and anybody, I think, would be crazy to assume there won't be another one in this country. So we need to be prepared.
But we also need to recognize that police officers are going about their daily work, day in day out, night in night out, enforcing laws that, in my view, need to be reformed, and generally creating for better or worse, important relationships with the community as we work to help achieve safe streets.
HILL: Well, some of those laws that you're talking about, they come up in the book, include legalizing some drugs and even prostitution. Someone's going to hear that and go, whoa, wait a minute. I don't know about this. STAMPER: Well, I think we need to think about it. How successful have we been on the war on drugs? I think it's been an abysmal failure. In fact, short of slavery, probably the most flawed domestic policy in the history of this country. We are spending billions upon billions of dollars in an effort to prevent drug use. Prohibition has never worked. It will not work into the future. If we were to project our current policies and practices and expenditures well into the future, I think we would see additional years of misery of a drug war that is causing more problems than it's preventing.
HILL: There's some very interesting ideas in the book. Unfortunately, we don't have time to get to too many more. One thing I'd like to ask you, though, is we talk a lot -- or you talk a lot in the book about maybe what's not working or what needs to be changed. What are some of these law enforcement officials in some of these departments doing right?
STAMPER: They're doing many things right. And one of the things that I make clear in this book is that I love cops, and I believe that police officers perform one of society's most demanding and dangerous jobs. And in 34 years in the business, I saw a lot of police officers behaving with compassion and courage and humor and who just did a terrific job in their service to the community. It's the systems themselves, the disciplinary system, the way policing is organized, the paramilitary organization that, I think, distances not only the police from the community, but the top brass from their own police officers.
HILL: It will be interesting to see if your book, "Breaking Rank," maybe influences some changes there. Thanks again for your time tonight.
STAMPER: Thank you.
HILL: And just a reminder that CNN is committed to providing the most reliable coverage of news that affects your security. You can stay tuned to CNN for the latest information day and night.
And still to come on this program, what can mice teach us about finding the fountain of youth?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: On now to the search for longevity. Researchers say it's possible a vaccine could soon be developed that would not only lengthen our lives but also make the golden years much more enjoyable. Intrigued? With that story, here's CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In human years, this mouse is 120 years old. That's because these scientists made him 120. They cranked up one of his genes that regulates aging. Mice get bigger as they get older. Take a look. The genetically engineered older mouse, the one on the left, is much bigger than the younger one on the right. Dr. Kevin Rosenblatt, one of the researchers, says even his team was surprised at what happened when they manipulated the gene.
DR. KEVIN ROSENBLATT, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER: We did not think it would work quite this strikingly.
COHEN: Humans and mice have this particular aging gene in common. So the question is, given our society's obsession with youth, could scientists manipulate our genes to make us live longer?
ROSENBLATT: The possibility of a sort of age and anti-aging hormone or vaccine, so to speak, that could prolong life or actually protect humans against particular diseases is quite possible.
COHEN: And even better, this mouse isn't old and decrepit, he's old and quite healthy without the usual diseases of aging.
ROSENBLATT: It would be sort of like a 70-year-old man or woman living closer to be 100 years old, but not just living longer, but perhaps healthier without many of the age-related diseases such as cardiovascular disease or atherosclerosis or certain lung diseases that are more common in the elderly.
COHEN: The researchers think in about 10 years their mouse research could translate into medical advances for humans. But they warn it might not be pan out at all. Over the years, scientists have waved their magic wands and made fat mice skinny. They've made paralyzed mice walk again. They've made brain tumors in mice disappear in a matter of days. But none of these advances has ever translated into breakthroughs for humans. So this aging discovery is great news if you're a mouse and might turn out to be helpful if you're a human.
Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: Diddy or fiddy, we're getting down to the nitty gritty. In fact, we're going to play the celebrity name game, that's next. First, though, we want to get you caught up. We're going to find out what's coming up on "ON THE STORY" now with Andrea Koppel.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: We are ON THE STORY" from here in Washington and the Bush ranch in Texas to Boston and Atlanta. Suzanne Malveaux and Ed Lavandera have the inside word on President Bush, Iraq policy, and protests for and against that policy. Ed Henry is on the story of how politics as well as national security saved or sunk military bases this week. Sanjay Gupta is on the story of former President Clinton in Africa in the fight against AIDS. All coming up, all "ON THE STORY."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: Celebrities in Hollywood are playing the name game again. Prince has done it. Madonna has done it. Now, P. Diddy also simplifying. He's dropping the "p." Apparently, it stood for problematic. CNN's Jeanne Moos explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Never has the 16th letter of the alphabet been so insulted.
DIDDY, MUSICIAN: Enough is enough with the "p" getting in the way. You know, just call me Diddy.
MOOS: Easy for him to say.
(on camera): Who is this guy? What's his name?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: P. Diddy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Diddy P.
MOOS: And what was his next oldest name?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Puff Daddy.
MOOS: And then he became?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Became P. Diddy.
MOOS: And now he's?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Puff P. Combs.
MOOS (voice-over): Look likes the "p" isn't going gently into the night. It's tough keeping up with celebrity name dropping.
JENNIFER LOPEZ, MUSICIAN: I'm still -- I'm still Jenny from the block
MOOS: First, Jennifer Lopez opted for J.Lo, then backed off it. And what about Snoop Dogg?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't like rap, and I don't like him. And I forget his name.
MOOS: His mom supposedly nicknamed him after the Peanuts character because of his long snoopy shaped face. First, it was Snoop Doggy Dog.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Snoop Doggy Dog, you need to get a jobby job.
MOOS: Then Doggy became plain old Dogg, always with two "g's". It seems like "g" is getting better treatment than "p."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: P. Diddy.
MOOS (on camera): Diddy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Diddy. Just Diddy. That's it.
MOOS: Did he?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did he?
MOOS: He did.
DIDDY: Diddy, it's simple, you what I'm saying, five letters, one word, period.
MOOS (voice-over): Lately, another one word wonder has been using her Kaballah name Esther.
Perhaps the king of name changers is Prince.
PRINCE, MUSICIAN: You and me...
MOOS: When he recorded this song, he was known as the Artist Formerly Known as Prince.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Is that a guy or a woman?
MOOS: He adopted this unpronounceable symbol combing the male and female signs to get around a contract dispute. Then when the contract was no longer a problem...
PRINCE: I will now go back to using my name instead of the symbol I adopted as a means to free myself.
MOOS: So he's back to Prince though not everyone recognized him.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She said that she thought it was Michael Jackson.
MOOS (on camera): Oh, Michael -- you think this is Michael Jackson? Nope. That's close. It's not really. Prince wouldn't like us to call him Michael Jackson.
(voice-over): And we wouldn't want to short change this guy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 50 cent.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Carter Jackson, 50 cent.
MOOS (on camera): Oh, you're over excited.
(voice-over): It's not that he's changed his nickname; it's just that the way some folks pronounce fitty cent is an automatic laugh inducer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Members of fitty cent's entourage -- isn't that funny? Maybe we should just stop the joke right here.
Actually, Tina, you know, I think how this fight started. Hey, that thing is fitty cents.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, I only have a dollar.
MOOS: These French guys weren't up on Diddy's name change.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: P. Diddy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Puff Daddy.
MOOS (on camera): You think you know why he dropped the "p"?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why?
MOOS: So he could get closer to his fans. You feeling closer?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
MOOS (voice-over): The French guy named Rafael followed Diddy's lead with his own nickname.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rafy.
MOOS (on camera): Rafy?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rafy.
MOOS: See I can't tell...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But I drop the "r" to get closer to my friends. My name is afy.
MOOS (voice-over): Diddy will learn there are worse things than being called by the wrong nickname.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you're this international mongrel now. I mean you have...
DIDDY: Mongrel? Mogul. Mongrel?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Serves you right for diddling with your "P," Diddy.
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HILL: All right, well, that's all we have time for this hour. But coming up next at 7:00 Eastern, "ON THE STORY," and then at 8:00 Eastern, "CNN PRESENTS: DEAD WRONG," then at 9:00, "LARRY KING." Larry's guest tonight Pamela Anderson. And all night long, we're going to track Hurricane Katrina for you. We'll bring you the latest right here at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Stay tuned for a check of the hour's headlines and then "ON THE STORY."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HILL: "ON THE STORY" is coming up in just a moment, but first, a look at what's happening now in the news.
Mandatory evacuations going on in the low...
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