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Fighting Words; Base Closings; Hurricane Season
Aired May 16, 2005 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Deadly demonstrations apparently a response to an erroneous "Newsweek" report. Will the U.S. be able to repair its image in the Muslim world? We'll talk about it.
Brace yourself for more of this, forecasters and predictions for you. We're talking about this year's hurricane season.
Female in the fast lane. A young woman winning fans and making history behind the wheel.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, where we always go fast, I'm Kyra Phillips. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
One is sacred to hundreds of millions of people learned and absorbed, lived and loved and defended by death, if necessary, the other is a widely respected news magazine read and respected for decades, dependent, as are all journalists, on sources who are sometimes wrong. Today, "Newsweek" is apologizing for an apparently erroneous report about the Quran, U.S. soldiers and Muslim detainees at Guantanamo Bay. To say the report was inflammatory is not in dispute.
We get the details from CNN's Suzanne Malveaux at the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two weeks ago, "Newsweek" magazine reported that U.S. interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay prison had flushed the Muslims' holy book, the Quran, down the toilet to rattle terror suspects.
MICHAEL ISIKOFF, "NEWSWEEK" REPORTER: The specific allegations about the desecration of the Quran did -- did surface.
MALVEAUX: The article by the "Newsweek" reporters Michael Isikoff and John Barry was quickly picked up in newspapers in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Rage and riots erupted throughout the Middle East, leaving 15 dead in Afghanistan and scores injured. U.S. officials already tarnished by the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal pledged to get to the bottom of it.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I want to speak directly to Muslims in America and throughout the world. Disrespect for the holy Quran is not now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be tolerated by the United States.
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The detainees at this base are treated humanely.
MALVEAUX: Pentagon officials said there was no corroboration of "Newsweek's report that the Quran was being desecrated.
GEN. RICHARD MYERS, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: There are several logged entries that show the Quran may have been moved to -- and detainees became irritated about it, but never an incident where it was thrown in the toilet.
MALVEAUX: Now it turns out the Pentagon was right and "Newsweek" was wrong.
DANIEL KLAIDMAN, "NEWSWEEK" WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: This was an honest mistake. We are obviously not very happy about it.
MALVEAUX: In this week's issue, the magazine writes how it happened, explaining, "On Saturday, Isikoff spoke with his original source, the senior government official, who said that he clearly recalled reading investigative reports about mishandling the Quran, including a toilet incident. But the official, still speaking anonymously, could no longer be sure that these concerns surfaced in a southern command report."
Told of what the "Newsweek" source said, Defense Department spokesman Larry DiRita exploded. "People are dead because of what this son of a b---- said. How could he be credible now?"
DiRita confirmed to CNN his quote in "Newsweek" and separately said to CNN, "People are dying. They are burning American flags. Our forces are in danger because of this."
"Newsweek's" Washington bureau chief offered a public apology.
KLAIDMAN: We extend our sympathies to the victims here, and we think it's terribly unfortunate.
MALVEAUX (on camera): National Security Adviser Steve Hadley, who at the time was not aware of "Newsweek's admission, said on CNN's "LATE EDITION," "The political damage is already done."
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, the State Department weighed in just moments ago with this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: How do we deal with it? First, I think we deal with it by the same way we have been dealing with it, with being transparent and up front and open about what U.S. policy is, what U.S. soldiers do.
We have promised that we will look into these allegations, even if the magazine itself has more or less retracted the assertion. But we promised we would look into them and we will. We are looking into them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And in just a few minutes we will look into damage control, if such thing -- such a thing is possible, with Mideast analyst Fawaz Gerges. That's at quarter-past the hour right here on LIVE FROM.
Well, bombs and guns are still inflicting huge amounts of death and destruction in Iraq. Five Iraqi troops are dead in a bomb or mortar blast at the outskirts of Baquba today. And a blast reportedly followed by near simultaneous car bombs in Baghdad. The AP reports that nine Iraqi soldiers died in that attack on a crowded market.
Meanwhile, dead bodies keep turning up in numerous cities. More than 50 at last count. Most, if not all, shot execution-style and dumped.
Also today, Iraqi troops report a victory in the northern city of Mosul. They've nabbed a man described as a very busy car bomb maker with indirect ties to the Zarqawi terror network.
Out west, Operation Matador is over, and these are the results: heavy damage to the city of al-Qaim and a minimum of hostile forces. U.S. Marines say that they accomplished their objective to root out, capture or kill insurgents who had been slipping into Iraq from other countries.
Well, Friday, the bombshell. Today, the damage control. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Richard Myers are defending the Pentagon's proposed restructuring of U.S. military bases.
Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, live with the latest -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, that hearing now under way. The very first public hearing of the independent Base Closure Commission now at this hour hearing from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Pentagon officials, General Myers, all about the Pentagon's proposal indeed for base closure, the first proposal in 10 years, which as we saw on Friday called for closing 29 major bases and making realignments, if you will, to hundreds of others.
Some of the top bases that we've noticed, of course, to be proposed to be closed include Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and New London Submarine Base in New England; Fort Gillem and Fort McPherson in Georgia, Fort Monroe, Virginia; Pascagoula Naval Station in Mississippi; Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota; and Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico. One of the most interesting, perhaps most historic proposals is to close down Walter Reed Army Medical Center here in Washington, D.C., which is virtually a historic landmark. Not only has it looked after presidents for generations, but it has been the place that so many of the wounded, hundreds of them, wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan have come back to for their initial treatment in the United States.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, knowing full well a very sensitive historic matter for the Army, talked a little bit a few moments ago at the hearing about why they want to close Walter Reed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We can be, I believe, especially encouraged by what the department proposed to do with Walter Reed, making it an even better medical facility than today. When the proposed consolidation is completed, the Walter Reed Medical Center at Bethesda will stand as a state-of-the-art medical center, bringing together the best possible medical talent and improving the treatment and other services provided to the troops and their families.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: To be clear, what the secretary is talking about is closing down this current Walter Reed Army Hospital that's known for so many years, basically taking that function, moving it across town to Bethesda Naval Medical Center, building a new what he called state- of-the-art facility. There is still the loss of a very historic medical facility for the United States military. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld saying if the entire plan goes into effect, it will save the military up to $50 billion a year -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, you and I both will be monitoring that hearing. Barbara Starr, thank you so much.
Hurricane season is just around the corner, and it could shape up to be a pretty busy one. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras here with the details about what the experts are forecasting.
You're one of the experts. You're telling us what's going on.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm not a climate expert, however, but unfortunately we know how bad last year was. Here we go again.
It looks like 2005 could be another record-breaker with above- average activity in the Atlantic Basin. Today, NOAA officials released their forecast for the 2005 season, saying that they expect to see 12 to 15 named storms, seven to nine becoming hurricanes, and three to five of those becoming major hurricanes. If you look at those bigger numbers, that's almost exactly what we had in 2004.
A lot of reasons why this is going to be happening this season. Experts are saying that the ocean temperatures in the Atlantic are going to be very warm once again. In fact, we were just checking, and the ocean temperatures in the Atlantic right now warmer than they were this time last year. So that's not good news.
Also talking a little about what we call multidecadal patterns. They're saying -- I know, it's a big word.
PHILLIPS: Say that six times really fast.
JERAS: Yes, right. Anyway, basically what that means -- we'll put it in layman's terms for you -- we see these patterns every 20 or 30 years, where we'll see average conditions to be above normal, or we'll see them to be below normal in hurricane activity. And we're in one of those peak seasons right now, which began in 1995.
So, put it in a nutshell, we're talking another 10, maybe 20 years of above normal hurricane seasons just like this one. So that is certainly not something that people in Florida want to hear, as they're still recovering.
Now, Dr. William Gray, another hurricane expert that we all pay very close attention to from Colorado State University, we've got a graphic to show you some of the numbers from him. He is predicting very similar to what NOAA says, about 13 named storms, seven hurricanes, three of those becoming major hurricanes. And if you look there at the bottom of your screen, what we see in a normal season, about 10 named storms, six hurricanes, and two or three major hurricanes.
And also, they say they have very high confidence in this forecast. The conditions are very ripe. This is going to be just as bad as it was last year.
And Kyra, I know you love to look for your name on there.
PHILLIPS: Yes, you and I both.
JERAS: There you go.
PHILLIPS: Well, we're a living hurricane, is what we are. Well, lessons learned from last season, boy, it was a doozy last year.
JERAS: Yes, it really was. I think there were really some -- two key factors that we learned from last year, one of which was don't focus on the skinny black line, right? We all learned that one, particularly from Charley, that we can't focus on one area. We have to remember that cone of error, that on 75 miles on either side of that line is still where that hurricane can still be hitting. So don't focus on one spot.
Another big lesson we learned from last year, you don't have to live on the coast to be affected by a hurricane. Hurricane Gaston was a good example of that. We had a lot of inland flooding. And there could be deaths from flooding than anything else in a hurricane.
PHILLIPS: And some brutal damage, too. I remember.
Now, you were on the air I remember for 20 hours. What do you remember the most, besides how tired you were? What do you remember from all that coverage? Anything stand out? Any sort of interesting weather tidbits?
JERAS: Well, you're working on fumes, and Jeanne was, I guess, the big hurricane that I worked for so long on. And when Jeanne made landfall, that was the big thing that I remember. And it's just -- it was the same spot.
It was the same spot as Frances. We knew an idea of what area it was going to, but then when it came right in over Stuart, Florida, it was just deja vu. You had to think, OK, am I talking about Frances this morning or am I talking about a different storm here?
PHILLIPS: That confusing?
JERAS: Yes. Those poor people hit twice by that storm. And there's actually a part of central Florida that got hit by all three storms.
PHILLIPS: All right.
JERAS: Very devastating.
PHILLIPS: Jacqui Jeras, thank you so much. And besides talking to you, you can also just point to your mouse to cnn.com/hurricanes to keep up with the latest info about hurricanes online, or call Jacqui. She loves to answer the phone down there.
You're going to find safety tips...
JERAS: Email.
PHILLIPS: ... interactive maps, email with Jacqui, a listing of the worst hurricanes to hit the U.S. You can also sign up to receive email alerts about hurricanes.
Well, straight ahead, two brothers separated for years find each other in a war zone. Wait until you hear their story straight ahead on LIVE FROM.
And later, the Supreme Court uncorks a new ruling. Now the wine lovers can send away for their cabernet.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: More now on our top story, the fallout from "Newsweek's" report about alleged abuse of the Quran. "Newsweek" is backing off of the story that sparked deadly anti-U.S. protests in Afghanistan. It had a lot of anger across the Muslim world.
The White House says it's puzzled why the magazine hasn't retracted that report. But could that help undo the damage?
Fawaz Gerges is a Mideast analyst with Sarah Lawrence College. He joins us live from New York.
Fawaz, great to see you.
FAWAZ GERGES, MIDEAST ANALYST: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Culturally, let's set up for our viewers why this is such a big deal and why we're talking about this, and just the power of the Quran and what it means to the Muslim world. GERGES: The Quran, Kyra, is the holy text of the 1.2 billion Muslims in the world. It holds tremendous spiritual and moral power. And as one cleric, one of the most important clerics in the Muslim world said today, he said, "If you deface the Quran, you are consciously and systematically insulting, humiliating and torturing all Muslims."
So even though Muslims were repulsed and angered by the stories about the abuse of prisoners, Muslim prisoners in American prisons, this particular story to them very heinous, because it really touches one of the most important religious symbols for Muslims.
PHILLIPS: And you think of the burning of the American flag and how Americans responded to that. Could you -- could you say that it's very similar?
GERGES: It is very similar, but I also would argue, Kyra, that the Quran, at least in the eyes of the Muslims, you cannot -- I mean, the Quran, you cannot burn it. And, I mean, Muslims and Jews in this particular sense have a particular fond for their holy book. And if you want to get (ph) sort of a holy book in the case of Muslims, you bury it.
So it tells you the implications, the spiritual and the cultural implications of trying to deface the Quran. And this is why in the eyes of many Muslims this is the ultimate crime. This is a very serious business indeed.
PHILLIPS: OK. So let me ask you, "Newsweek" has owned up to this, apologizing that the source might have misspoken. But "Newsweek" is not retracting the article. First, let me ask you, are Muslims buying this?
GERGES: No, Kyra. I wish they had been. In fact, I would argue that the damage has already been done.
I have spoken to many Muslims, in fact liberal Muslims, who basically say, listen, this is too late and, in fact, some people are saying probably "Newsweek" was forced to do so because of the pressure by the U.S. government. And, in fact, many Muslims tell you, Kyra, listen, this is not an isolation, this is not an isolated case. There is a pattern of abuse of Muslims, humiliating Muslim prisoners in American prisons in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in the United States itself.
So in this particular sense, Muslims don't see this particular story about the Quran as the exception to the rule but rather as a part and parcel of what's been happening to Muslims in the last four years.
PHILLIPS: Fawaz, what about military leaders that have come out and said -- we heard Richard Myers say it last week -- that it's possible that a detainee, a Muslim detainee, might have ripped the pages out of the Quran and stuffed it into the toilet in this prison? Culturally, do you think that a Muslim detainee would do that?
GERGES: Well, it's extremely unlikely, Kyra, culturally speaking, because this would be the ultimate, you might say, crime, the ultimate sin. And for a Muslim, in particular for an activist Islamist to do that, would be quite extremely -- I mean unlikely, even though it's possible.
But let's put it this way, Kyra, the stories in the Arab and European press for the last years have mentioned detainees who were released by American -- from American prisons who mentioned that the Quran was defaced by some American soldiers. I don't know the veracity of this particular story, but for our American audience, the story of the Quran has a particular context.
Many Muslims and Arabs see this particular story as a pattern, a pattern of abuse and humiliations of Muslim prisoners by American soldiers. And this is why it's essential that the president himself step forward and make it very clear that the United States was founded on the principle of religious diversity and tolerance. The United States will respect all religions. Of course, I take it for granted but the United States will never act and behave and condone and sanction the violation of the Quran, or any other holy book for that matter.
PHILLIPS: Well, Fawaz Gerges, Mideast analyst with Sarah Lawrence College, we will follow up to see if indeed a retraction does happen, and if that does make an impact on the violence overseas. Thank you for your time today.
GERGES: My pleasure.
PHILLIPS: Well, what do Darth Vader and President Bush have in common? Does that catch your attention? Fans at the Cannes Film Festival see a resemblance in the new "Star Wars" movie. That's ahead on LIVE FROM.
KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kathleen Hays at the New York Stock Exchange. Up next, I'll tell you why some United Airline employees are baring all to tell the naked truth on a risque calendar. LIVE FROM continues right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: I think our photographer buys Mondavi. Well, now you can have your wine and ship it across state lines, too. That story tops our news "Across America."
The Supreme Court ruled today that a ban on out-of-state wine shipments is unconstitutional. Supporters of the law say that it was aimed at protecting local wineries. Twenty-four states have laws barring interstate wine shipments.
In St. Paul, Minnesota, prayers for a unity -- prayers for unity, rather, in a congregation divided. More than 100 people were denied communion because they wore rainbow sashes to show support for gay Catholics. Well, the archbishop says the sashes appear to be a protest against church teaching.
PETA protests in Chicago. The animal rights group demonstrated outside the Lincoln Park Zoo. There's been a recent string of animal deaths there and PETA wants a criminal investigation into whether the zoo violated animal cruelty laws. The federal government already launched an investigation. The zoo says the deaths must be examined on a case-by-case basis.
Well, some United Airlines flight attendants have found a novel way to protest their company's pension crisis. Kathleen Hays has the story live from the New York Stock Exchange -- Kathleen.
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired May 16, 2005 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Deadly demonstrations apparently a response to an erroneous "Newsweek" report. Will the U.S. be able to repair its image in the Muslim world? We'll talk about it.
Brace yourself for more of this, forecasters and predictions for you. We're talking about this year's hurricane season.
Female in the fast lane. A young woman winning fans and making history behind the wheel.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, where we always go fast, I'm Kyra Phillips. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.
One is sacred to hundreds of millions of people learned and absorbed, lived and loved and defended by death, if necessary, the other is a widely respected news magazine read and respected for decades, dependent, as are all journalists, on sources who are sometimes wrong. Today, "Newsweek" is apologizing for an apparently erroneous report about the Quran, U.S. soldiers and Muslim detainees at Guantanamo Bay. To say the report was inflammatory is not in dispute.
We get the details from CNN's Suzanne Malveaux at the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two weeks ago, "Newsweek" magazine reported that U.S. interrogators at the Guantanamo Bay prison had flushed the Muslims' holy book, the Quran, down the toilet to rattle terror suspects.
MICHAEL ISIKOFF, "NEWSWEEK" REPORTER: The specific allegations about the desecration of the Quran did -- did surface.
MALVEAUX: The article by the "Newsweek" reporters Michael Isikoff and John Barry was quickly picked up in newspapers in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Rage and riots erupted throughout the Middle East, leaving 15 dead in Afghanistan and scores injured. U.S. officials already tarnished by the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal pledged to get to the bottom of it.
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I want to speak directly to Muslims in America and throughout the world. Disrespect for the holy Quran is not now, nor has it ever been, nor will it ever be tolerated by the United States.
SCOTT MCCLELLAN, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The detainees at this base are treated humanely.
MALVEAUX: Pentagon officials said there was no corroboration of "Newsweek's report that the Quran was being desecrated.
GEN. RICHARD MYERS, CHAIRMAN, JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF: There are several logged entries that show the Quran may have been moved to -- and detainees became irritated about it, but never an incident where it was thrown in the toilet.
MALVEAUX: Now it turns out the Pentagon was right and "Newsweek" was wrong.
DANIEL KLAIDMAN, "NEWSWEEK" WASHINGTON BUREAU CHIEF: This was an honest mistake. We are obviously not very happy about it.
MALVEAUX: In this week's issue, the magazine writes how it happened, explaining, "On Saturday, Isikoff spoke with his original source, the senior government official, who said that he clearly recalled reading investigative reports about mishandling the Quran, including a toilet incident. But the official, still speaking anonymously, could no longer be sure that these concerns surfaced in a southern command report."
Told of what the "Newsweek" source said, Defense Department spokesman Larry DiRita exploded. "People are dead because of what this son of a b---- said. How could he be credible now?"
DiRita confirmed to CNN his quote in "Newsweek" and separately said to CNN, "People are dying. They are burning American flags. Our forces are in danger because of this."
"Newsweek's" Washington bureau chief offered a public apology.
KLAIDMAN: We extend our sympathies to the victims here, and we think it's terribly unfortunate.
MALVEAUX (on camera): National Security Adviser Steve Hadley, who at the time was not aware of "Newsweek's admission, said on CNN's "LATE EDITION," "The political damage is already done."
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PHILLIPS: Well, the State Department weighed in just moments ago with this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICHARD BOUCHER, STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN: How do we deal with it? First, I think we deal with it by the same way we have been dealing with it, with being transparent and up front and open about what U.S. policy is, what U.S. soldiers do.
We have promised that we will look into these allegations, even if the magazine itself has more or less retracted the assertion. But we promised we would look into them and we will. We are looking into them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: And in just a few minutes we will look into damage control, if such thing -- such a thing is possible, with Mideast analyst Fawaz Gerges. That's at quarter-past the hour right here on LIVE FROM.
Well, bombs and guns are still inflicting huge amounts of death and destruction in Iraq. Five Iraqi troops are dead in a bomb or mortar blast at the outskirts of Baquba today. And a blast reportedly followed by near simultaneous car bombs in Baghdad. The AP reports that nine Iraqi soldiers died in that attack on a crowded market.
Meanwhile, dead bodies keep turning up in numerous cities. More than 50 at last count. Most, if not all, shot execution-style and dumped.
Also today, Iraqi troops report a victory in the northern city of Mosul. They've nabbed a man described as a very busy car bomb maker with indirect ties to the Zarqawi terror network.
Out west, Operation Matador is over, and these are the results: heavy damage to the city of al-Qaim and a minimum of hostile forces. U.S. Marines say that they accomplished their objective to root out, capture or kill insurgents who had been slipping into Iraq from other countries.
Well, Friday, the bombshell. Today, the damage control. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Richard Myers are defending the Pentagon's proposed restructuring of U.S. military bases.
Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, live with the latest -- Barbara.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, that hearing now under way. The very first public hearing of the independent Base Closure Commission now at this hour hearing from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Pentagon officials, General Myers, all about the Pentagon's proposal indeed for base closure, the first proposal in 10 years, which as we saw on Friday called for closing 29 major bases and making realignments, if you will, to hundreds of others.
Some of the top bases that we've noticed, of course, to be proposed to be closed include Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and New London Submarine Base in New England; Fort Gillem and Fort McPherson in Georgia, Fort Monroe, Virginia; Pascagoula Naval Station in Mississippi; Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota; and Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico. One of the most interesting, perhaps most historic proposals is to close down Walter Reed Army Medical Center here in Washington, D.C., which is virtually a historic landmark. Not only has it looked after presidents for generations, but it has been the place that so many of the wounded, hundreds of them, wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan have come back to for their initial treatment in the United States.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, knowing full well a very sensitive historic matter for the Army, talked a little bit a few moments ago at the hearing about why they want to close Walter Reed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We can be, I believe, especially encouraged by what the department proposed to do with Walter Reed, making it an even better medical facility than today. When the proposed consolidation is completed, the Walter Reed Medical Center at Bethesda will stand as a state-of-the-art medical center, bringing together the best possible medical talent and improving the treatment and other services provided to the troops and their families.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STARR: To be clear, what the secretary is talking about is closing down this current Walter Reed Army Hospital that's known for so many years, basically taking that function, moving it across town to Bethesda Naval Medical Center, building a new what he called state- of-the-art facility. There is still the loss of a very historic medical facility for the United States military. Defense Secretary Rumsfeld saying if the entire plan goes into effect, it will save the military up to $50 billion a year -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Well, you and I both will be monitoring that hearing. Barbara Starr, thank you so much.
Hurricane season is just around the corner, and it could shape up to be a pretty busy one. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras here with the details about what the experts are forecasting.
You're one of the experts. You're telling us what's going on.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm not a climate expert, however, but unfortunately we know how bad last year was. Here we go again.
It looks like 2005 could be another record-breaker with above- average activity in the Atlantic Basin. Today, NOAA officials released their forecast for the 2005 season, saying that they expect to see 12 to 15 named storms, seven to nine becoming hurricanes, and three to five of those becoming major hurricanes. If you look at those bigger numbers, that's almost exactly what we had in 2004.
A lot of reasons why this is going to be happening this season. Experts are saying that the ocean temperatures in the Atlantic are going to be very warm once again. In fact, we were just checking, and the ocean temperatures in the Atlantic right now warmer than they were this time last year. So that's not good news.
Also talking a little about what we call multidecadal patterns. They're saying -- I know, it's a big word.
PHILLIPS: Say that six times really fast.
JERAS: Yes, right. Anyway, basically what that means -- we'll put it in layman's terms for you -- we see these patterns every 20 or 30 years, where we'll see average conditions to be above normal, or we'll see them to be below normal in hurricane activity. And we're in one of those peak seasons right now, which began in 1995.
So, put it in a nutshell, we're talking another 10, maybe 20 years of above normal hurricane seasons just like this one. So that is certainly not something that people in Florida want to hear, as they're still recovering.
Now, Dr. William Gray, another hurricane expert that we all pay very close attention to from Colorado State University, we've got a graphic to show you some of the numbers from him. He is predicting very similar to what NOAA says, about 13 named storms, seven hurricanes, three of those becoming major hurricanes. And if you look there at the bottom of your screen, what we see in a normal season, about 10 named storms, six hurricanes, and two or three major hurricanes.
And also, they say they have very high confidence in this forecast. The conditions are very ripe. This is going to be just as bad as it was last year.
And Kyra, I know you love to look for your name on there.
PHILLIPS: Yes, you and I both.
JERAS: There you go.
PHILLIPS: Well, we're a living hurricane, is what we are. Well, lessons learned from last season, boy, it was a doozy last year.
JERAS: Yes, it really was. I think there were really some -- two key factors that we learned from last year, one of which was don't focus on the skinny black line, right? We all learned that one, particularly from Charley, that we can't focus on one area. We have to remember that cone of error, that on 75 miles on either side of that line is still where that hurricane can still be hitting. So don't focus on one spot.
Another big lesson we learned from last year, you don't have to live on the coast to be affected by a hurricane. Hurricane Gaston was a good example of that. We had a lot of inland flooding. And there could be deaths from flooding than anything else in a hurricane.
PHILLIPS: And some brutal damage, too. I remember.
Now, you were on the air I remember for 20 hours. What do you remember the most, besides how tired you were? What do you remember from all that coverage? Anything stand out? Any sort of interesting weather tidbits?
JERAS: Well, you're working on fumes, and Jeanne was, I guess, the big hurricane that I worked for so long on. And when Jeanne made landfall, that was the big thing that I remember. And it's just -- it was the same spot.
It was the same spot as Frances. We knew an idea of what area it was going to, but then when it came right in over Stuart, Florida, it was just deja vu. You had to think, OK, am I talking about Frances this morning or am I talking about a different storm here?
PHILLIPS: That confusing?
JERAS: Yes. Those poor people hit twice by that storm. And there's actually a part of central Florida that got hit by all three storms.
PHILLIPS: All right.
JERAS: Very devastating.
PHILLIPS: Jacqui Jeras, thank you so much. And besides talking to you, you can also just point to your mouse to cnn.com/hurricanes to keep up with the latest info about hurricanes online, or call Jacqui. She loves to answer the phone down there.
You're going to find safety tips...
JERAS: Email.
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Well, straight ahead, two brothers separated for years find each other in a war zone. Wait until you hear their story straight ahead on LIVE FROM.
And later, the Supreme Court uncorks a new ruling. Now the wine lovers can send away for their cabernet.
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PHILLIPS: More now on our top story, the fallout from "Newsweek's" report about alleged abuse of the Quran. "Newsweek" is backing off of the story that sparked deadly anti-U.S. protests in Afghanistan. It had a lot of anger across the Muslim world.
The White House says it's puzzled why the magazine hasn't retracted that report. But could that help undo the damage?
Fawaz Gerges is a Mideast analyst with Sarah Lawrence College. He joins us live from New York.
Fawaz, great to see you.
FAWAZ GERGES, MIDEAST ANALYST: Thank you.
PHILLIPS: Culturally, let's set up for our viewers why this is such a big deal and why we're talking about this, and just the power of the Quran and what it means to the Muslim world. GERGES: The Quran, Kyra, is the holy text of the 1.2 billion Muslims in the world. It holds tremendous spiritual and moral power. And as one cleric, one of the most important clerics in the Muslim world said today, he said, "If you deface the Quran, you are consciously and systematically insulting, humiliating and torturing all Muslims."
So even though Muslims were repulsed and angered by the stories about the abuse of prisoners, Muslim prisoners in American prisons, this particular story to them very heinous, because it really touches one of the most important religious symbols for Muslims.
PHILLIPS: And you think of the burning of the American flag and how Americans responded to that. Could you -- could you say that it's very similar?
GERGES: It is very similar, but I also would argue, Kyra, that the Quran, at least in the eyes of the Muslims, you cannot -- I mean, the Quran, you cannot burn it. And, I mean, Muslims and Jews in this particular sense have a particular fond for their holy book. And if you want to get (ph) sort of a holy book in the case of Muslims, you bury it.
So it tells you the implications, the spiritual and the cultural implications of trying to deface the Quran. And this is why in the eyes of many Muslims this is the ultimate crime. This is a very serious business indeed.
PHILLIPS: OK. So let me ask you, "Newsweek" has owned up to this, apologizing that the source might have misspoken. But "Newsweek" is not retracting the article. First, let me ask you, are Muslims buying this?
GERGES: No, Kyra. I wish they had been. In fact, I would argue that the damage has already been done.
I have spoken to many Muslims, in fact liberal Muslims, who basically say, listen, this is too late and, in fact, some people are saying probably "Newsweek" was forced to do so because of the pressure by the U.S. government. And, in fact, many Muslims tell you, Kyra, listen, this is not an isolation, this is not an isolated case. There is a pattern of abuse of Muslims, humiliating Muslim prisoners in American prisons in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in the United States itself.
So in this particular sense, Muslims don't see this particular story about the Quran as the exception to the rule but rather as a part and parcel of what's been happening to Muslims in the last four years.
PHILLIPS: Fawaz, what about military leaders that have come out and said -- we heard Richard Myers say it last week -- that it's possible that a detainee, a Muslim detainee, might have ripped the pages out of the Quran and stuffed it into the toilet in this prison? Culturally, do you think that a Muslim detainee would do that?
GERGES: Well, it's extremely unlikely, Kyra, culturally speaking, because this would be the ultimate, you might say, crime, the ultimate sin. And for a Muslim, in particular for an activist Islamist to do that, would be quite extremely -- I mean unlikely, even though it's possible.
But let's put it this way, Kyra, the stories in the Arab and European press for the last years have mentioned detainees who were released by American -- from American prisons who mentioned that the Quran was defaced by some American soldiers. I don't know the veracity of this particular story, but for our American audience, the story of the Quran has a particular context.
Many Muslims and Arabs see this particular story as a pattern, a pattern of abuse and humiliations of Muslim prisoners by American soldiers. And this is why it's essential that the president himself step forward and make it very clear that the United States was founded on the principle of religious diversity and tolerance. The United States will respect all religions. Of course, I take it for granted but the United States will never act and behave and condone and sanction the violation of the Quran, or any other holy book for that matter.
PHILLIPS: Well, Fawaz Gerges, Mideast analyst with Sarah Lawrence College, we will follow up to see if indeed a retraction does happen, and if that does make an impact on the violence overseas. Thank you for your time today.
GERGES: My pleasure.
PHILLIPS: Well, what do Darth Vader and President Bush have in common? Does that catch your attention? Fans at the Cannes Film Festival see a resemblance in the new "Star Wars" movie. That's ahead on LIVE FROM.
KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Kathleen Hays at the New York Stock Exchange. Up next, I'll tell you why some United Airline employees are baring all to tell the naked truth on a risque calendar. LIVE FROM continues right after this.
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PHILLIPS: I think our photographer buys Mondavi. Well, now you can have your wine and ship it across state lines, too. That story tops our news "Across America."
The Supreme Court ruled today that a ban on out-of-state wine shipments is unconstitutional. Supporters of the law say that it was aimed at protecting local wineries. Twenty-four states have laws barring interstate wine shipments.
In St. Paul, Minnesota, prayers for a unity -- prayers for unity, rather, in a congregation divided. More than 100 people were denied communion because they wore rainbow sashes to show support for gay Catholics. Well, the archbishop says the sashes appear to be a protest against church teaching.
PETA protests in Chicago. The animal rights group demonstrated outside the Lincoln Park Zoo. There's been a recent string of animal deaths there and PETA wants a criminal investigation into whether the zoo violated animal cruelty laws. The federal government already launched an investigation. The zoo says the deaths must be examined on a case-by-case basis.
Well, some United Airlines flight attendants have found a novel way to protest their company's pension crisis. Kathleen Hays has the story live from the New York Stock Exchange -- Kathleen.
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