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Jill Carroll Released; President Bush Set to Meet With Mexican President; Sago Mine Survivor Returns Home

Aired March 30, 2006 - 15:00   ET

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

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We're keeping our eyes on the skies in several parts of the country today, especially Tornado Alley.
So, let's go straight to CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider -- Bonnie.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: Thanks very much.

Well, months of prayers have been finally answered for the family and friends and colleagues of Jill Carroll. The 28-year-old freelance journalist should be heading home to the United States in the next two days. She was released on a Baghdad street today by the Iraqi militants who abducted her January 7.

Now, later, she talked about her almost three months as a hostage.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JILL CARROLL, FORMER HOSTAGE: They didn't tell me what was going on. They would come, bring me my food. I would eat. It was fine. I would go to the bathroom. But I was not allowed to, you know...

QUESTION: You felt that you -- you are far distance from Baghdad ...

CARROLL: I really don't know where I was. The -- the room had a window, but the glass was -- you can't see. It's curtains. And you couldn't hear any sound.

So, I would sit in the room. I had to take a shower. I walk two feet, you know, next -- to next door, take a shower, go to the bathroom, come back. That's all. So, I don't know what -- where I was or what was going on.

All I can say right now is that I'm just happy to be free. I was treated very well. It's important people know that, that I was not harmed. They never said they would hit me, never threatened me in any way. And I was -- and I'm just happy to be free and want to be with my family.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Well, Jill's family is overjoyed. Mary Beth Carroll released a statement, saying she hopes her daughter's release will offer encouragement to mothers of other hostages. And Jill's father, Jim, says he is thrilled.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM CARROLL, FATHER OF JILL CARROLL: We got the call this morning. I got the call a little before 6:00. Jill called me directly. And it was quite a wakeup call, to say the least. And she was -- she is doing well. I was glad to see her on TV this morning. She's apparently in good health and mentally strong. And we're all very pleased about that.

It was a fantastic conversation, obviously. We're feeling ecstatic. It's been a long haul, and we're done with it now. And we want to make sure all of us thank the people who helped and also make sure all of you in the media, particularly, don't forget the other American hostages and other hostages of all nationalities still being held in Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Well, we were just watching the pictures of the twin sisters. And it was just yesterday that Jill's sister Katie made a plea on an Arab television station for her sister's release. She had this to say just moments ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (OFF-MIKE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (OFF-MIKE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All right. See you later.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Well, it was hard to hear, but she looks pretty happy.

Stay tuned to CNN for more developments in the Carroll story throughout the day.

All right, Jill Carroll's family and friends aren't the only ones rejoicing. James Loney, a member of the Christian Peacekeeper's group, was a hostage in Iraq for four months. He and two other men in his group were rescued just a week ago.

Now, one fellow hostage, Tom Fox, was killed. Well, today, Loney made his first public statement. He expressed relief for Carroll, but cautioned that coming home after such an ordeal is not easy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAMES LONEY, FORMER HOSTAGE: When we were released, I was sure I could jump right back into ordinary life. And that's what I wanted the most. But I'm afraid, no such luck. I'm learning the hard way that I need to take things slowly, a little at a time, in eyedrop quantities.

When I can get through an ordinary day without shaking legs and a pounding heart, I think that will be a sign that I can start to tell my story. Today is a day for great rejoicing. Jill Carroll is free. Her life has been given back to her and to all those who love her.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Loney says his captors gave him a notebook to help pass the time. And he says that he looks forward to being able tell his story of captivity and rescue as well.

Now, Jill Carroll's release is one of many watershed moments in the fight for Iraq. Sadly, too few are as joyous. The world watched in horror two years ago, as four American contractors were brutally killed in Fallujah. It's an incident that still stings the U.S. military.

CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joins me now with more from that city -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Hello to you, Carol.

Well, indeed, as people here rejoice about the release of Jill Carroll, two years ago tomorrow, there was another incident that no one here has forgotten.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STARR (voice-over): For many Americans, it was an attack that horrified the nation, March 31, 2004, Fallujah -- four U.S. civilian contractors killed at the hands of Iraqis, their bodies desecrated, two corpses hanged across the bridge across the Euphrates River -- the brutality of the insurgency made clear by images like these.

COLONEL JOHN BALLARD, AUTHOR, "FIGHTING FOR FALLUJAH: A NEW DAWN FOR IRAQ": This was one of the first incidents that television and the media brought home violence of the everyday Iraqi citizens and brought home, I think, in a particularly chilling way the consequences of our engagement in Iraq.

STARR: Colonel John Ballard has just written a book about the Marines' battle for Fallujah, where he served.

BALLARD: That old green bridge was the first bridge across the Euphrates that linked Baghdad to the Western world.

STARR: Within hours of the attack, the U.S. military vowed to respond.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, APRIL 2004)

BRIGADIER GENERAL MARK KIMMITT, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR PLANS AND STRATEGY: It's going to be deliberate. It will be precise. And it will be overwhelming.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: A week later, Marines tried to drive out the insurgents, but Sunni leaders objected. The Marines withdrew, and Iraqi units refused to fight.

By November, some seven months later, the Marines were back. They took the city in a violent assault, with the help of hundreds of Iraqi troops.

BALLARD: There's no doubt, when you see insurgent bodies with tourniquets around their arms and their legs, people who knew that they would be wounded and wanted to fight until they died.

STARR: Today, Fallujah is being rebuilt, but still is a symbol to the insurgents.

BALLARD: Fallujah was the one opportunity where they turned back a coalition assault. And that old green bridge that leads to the West, outside of Fallujah, today remains an important symbol that will reveal whether Iraq is going to really remain connected to the West or not.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: And, Carol, of course, two years after that attack, in Fallujah, it is the Iraqi citizens that are bearing most of the brunt of violence in Iraq.

By some U.S. military estimates, more than half the casualties now are Iraqi citizens -- Carol.

LIN: Good to remember that. Thank you, Barbara.

Well, first, a little sightseeing, and then down to work. President Bush is in Mexico for talks with President Vicente Fox and Canadian leader Stephen Harper. This morning, they took a trip to see Mayan ruins. This afternoon, Presidents Bush and Fox will meet one- on-one to talk about the hot issue of this three-day summit, immigration.

Back in Washington, the Senate is debating immigration-reform plans. And President Bush supports a guest-worker program. But most of his fellow Republicans do not. They want to focus on tighter enforcement of the borders.

So, let's get some perspective on the immigration battle and the challenges facing both sides of the border.

Our Ed Lavandera is in Laredo, Texas.

And, Ed, this is really a tale of two cities.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Laredo is one of those ports, and one of these ports of entry into the United States which is an incredibly important commercial entryway. More than 10,000 trucks cross through the border here on Interstate 35, bringing goods and materials into the U.S., going both ways. So, it's a crucial entry port. So, this is a -- you know, a town of about 250,000 people on this side.

Nuevo Laredo on the other side has been mired, unfortunately, in the last year-and-a-half or so in heavy violence because of drug cartels trying to battle for that turf battle there, if you will. And it has been a very deadly situation. And it has really brought tourism in that town to a standstill.

And it's essentially just down this road, through the border checkpoint here, a couple hundred yards, and you're into Nuevo Laredo. But it's -- we have gone through there in the last couple of days. It has been much quieter than it normally is. Usually, you see Americans there in the little border shops, buying up trinkets or whatever they're interested in.

But, at night, a town that used to have incredible night life has been completely silenced, as many people are staying away because of this violence.

LIN: So, Ed, do -- what is law enforcement doing, then, to try to crack down on this violence?

LAVANDERA: Well, you know, it's clearly something that everyone is watching.

Nuevo Laredo is a town without a police chief right now. Last year, last August, there was one man who was appointed police chief. Eight hours later, he had already been gunned down. There was another person who is -- has resigned. Right now, they're in the process of trying to find someone.

But it has been described as the worst job in down. Quite frankly, many people say they don't know why anyone would want the job. So, there have been federal law enforcement brought in, state law enforcement brought in to Nuevo Laredo.

But, if you talk to people in the town there, there is not a lot of faith in those ranks -- a lot of corruption in those ranks. And they -- and they're not sure. And many people feel that they're just not there and able to protect the citizenry of Nuevo Laredo.

On this side, federal law enforcement officials are taking a close look at it. The Immigration, Customs and Enforcement has a task force in place that is using to -- that they're tracking down these drug lords and watching a lot of that movement.

But one of the things that they're afraid of at this point is that much of the weaponry that has been used -- is being used in this war is being found on this side of the border. And people are crossing over, taking care of their business, and coming back here.

LIN: Hmm, life, almost a weird version of business as usual, Ed. Thank you. (CROSSTALK)

LAVANDERA: Yes.

LIN: We're going to continue with this subject, because our Lou Dobbs has been on the immigration beat now for almost two years. And he's covering the Mexico -- covering the Mexico summit in Cancun. He's going to join me in the next half-hour to share his thoughts on the battle for immigration reform.

Now, Major League Baseball is taking steps to clean up its own house and creating a dream team to get started. Former Senator George Mitchell, veteran lawmaker, negotiator and a director of the Boston Red Sox, has been tapped to lead an investigation into steroid use. As you may have seen on CNN, baseball commissioner Bud Selig named Mitchell to head the independent inquiry a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE MITCHELL, FORMER U.S. SENATOR: The allegations arising out of the BALCO investigation or otherwise that Major League players have used steroids and other illegal performance-enhancing drugs have caused fans and observers to question the integrity of play at the highest level of our national game. Those allegations require close scrutiny.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Scrutiny. You saw that live on CNN about an hour ago.

And you also witnessed, perhaps, some might call a miracle. Now, Randal McCloy is a bit unsteady on his feet, and he has lost a good bit of weight. But, to his doctors, he is a walking miracle. He went home, but his rehabilitation is far from over. So, I'm going to talk to a doctor about the challenges he still faces.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: All smiles in West Virginia today -- Randal McCloy is back home. Doctors are calling the lone survivor of the Sago Mine explosion a walking miracle. He lost a lot of weight and is still a little bit stiff, after almost three months in the hospital. But he's home.

And McCloy says it was his family's love that pulled him through. Now, at the hospital, Governor Joe Manchin had a special surprise, you might say, for the McCloys. Their rural road now has a name, Miracle Road.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RANDAL MCCLOY JR., SAGO MINE SURVIVOR: Yes. I would just like to thank everybody for their thoughts and prayers. I believe that's it.

ANNA MCCLOY, WIFE OF RANDAL MCCLOY: Our family is glad to be going home. Today is another part of our miracle, just three months after the accident. However, there are 12 families who are in our thoughts and prayers today and every day. The families of Randy's co- workers are celebrating with us today, just as we continue to mourn with them. Please keep all of us in your thoughts and prayers.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: McCloy's doctors say he was perhaps minutes from death when he was pulled from the mine.

The first one to see him was Dr. Larry Roberts, who heads the Trauma Center at West Virginia University. He's on the telephone with us from Morgantown.

Dr. Roberts, it must have been great for you to see these pictures of Randy McCloy going home.

LARRY ROBERTS, DIRECTOR, WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY TRAUMA CENTER: It was.

And, you know, of course, I was there for the presentation and the ceremony today. The -- the news is fantastic. It's gratifying to take care of people and to see them leave the hospital, and see them leave rehabilitation, and make it home.

LIN: When you first laid eyes on him -- and now I'm hoping you feel free to discuss it -- when you first saw him after he was pulled out of that mine, did you think he was going to make it?

ROBERTS: Probably, the answer is no. I...

(LAUGHTER)

LIN: Yes.

ROBERTS: I mentioned in the press conference that we have to maintain optimism and do the best we can every time. But I think, deep in my heart, I really didn't think, initially, things would go well for him. So, I'm...

LIN: Forty-one hours...

ROBERTS: I'm just thrilled.

LIN: Forty-one hours inside that mine filled with carbon monoxide. Do you have any theories as to how he managed to survive?

ROBERTS: Yes. I think the most logical assumption is that he was not subjected to 41 hours of the same toxins as the others who succumbed.

LIN: Do you...

ROBERTS: I think that's only logical explanation.

And I think there's a little evidence, based on where they found things in the mine, some of the rescuers, but also some of the early information we have gotten a little bit from Randy, since he remembers a few aspects of his ordeal down there.

LIN: And, Dr. Roberts, I understand that he's trying desperately hard actually not to remember the gruesome injuries. He says that he sometimes has flashbacks.

ROBERTS: I think he is remembering parts. And I think other parts, he probably is suppressing. And maybe that's justified and appropriate right now.

LIN: Right.

ROBERTS: Over time, most patients who are subjected to any kind of trauma develop what is called post-traumatic stress syndrome or disorder, and remember parts, with some help, sometimes suppress other parts permanently.

But I think parts -- most of it will come back. He's remarkably aware of what happened in some of my conversations with him recently.

LIN: Oh, great.

ROBERTS: I think it's a matter of time before...

LIN: Yes.

ROBERTS: ... he remembers it all.

LIN: He may be a very key player in the investigation.

But there's the physical recovery. I mean, we see him, you know, a little tenderly walking towards the microphone. He looks a little fragile. What is his therapy going to be like? And how fully do you think he going to regain his strength?

ROBERTS: Speaking with Dr. Biando (ph), who is the psychiatrist at the rehab center, HealthSouth, here in Morgantown, I understand Randy is going to come back up here -- he lives about 45 minutes way -- come back up here three times a week, for up to five hours at a time, for additional rehabilitation, both cognitive and physical.

And I'm quite sure there is going to be quite deal -- quite -- a bit of rehab going on at home, even if he's -- even if he's in his own home. So, I think this will be an ongoing process. But he has made such remarkable recovery in such a short time, I think we expect to see more of it.

LIN: Do you think he will ever fully recover, run, jump, swim?

ROBERTS: I guess, based on how rapidly he has recovered function so far, I would say yes. I really am now a believer that maybe he will make a full recovery. I just don't...

(LAUGHTER)

LIN: You know, you don't want to shortchange this guy, do you?

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

LIN: He can do amazing things. Yes.

ROBERTS: I think he has done an incredible job.

LIN: He has.

ROBERTS: And I think a lot is his own willpower, family support, and, you know, good care all the way around.

LIN: And heard that his wife, Anna, for his 27th birthday, I think last year, he -- she bought him a red Ford Mustang, and it was supposed to be an incentive for him to keep working on that therapy. I think that is a good incentive.

ROBERTS: Well, Randy offered to take me for a ride in it. I -- we will wait and see when that happens.

(LAUGHTER)

LIN: OK. Strap yourself in. I think it's going to be some ride, Dr. Roberts.

(LAUGHTER)

LIN: Thanks so much.

ROBERTS: Thank you very much.

LIN: All right, forget politics and ratings. What happens when you invite Dick Cheney to a room full of TV and radio reporters?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD B. CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have got to admit that I was a little startled by the size and the diversity of the crowd tonight. When I agreed to do this, I was told, eh, don't worry about it. They will all be from Fox.

(LAUGHTER)

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Not so, because our Ali Velshi was there for all the vice presidential punchlines, when he joins me when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Attention, wannabe well-heeled Tar Heels. It's the first day of the North Carolina lottery. And hopes are high, not only for ticket-buyers, but also for the state, expecting $400 million this year alone to fund education programs. North Carolina is the last East Coast state to sponsor a lottery. Officials think they will sell between a million and two million tickets today alone.

Now, most people don't think of the phrase stand-up comedian when they see Dick Cheney. But if word gets out about his performance last night, he could be line for an image makeover.

CNN's Ali Velshi is standing by with more.

Ali, it was better than going on "Letterman."

ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Yes. It was actually kind of funny.

This was the 62nd annual Radio and Television Correspondents dinner in Washington. It's like going to the prom, Carol. It's like there were 2,000 people there, and everybody was fancy, and I felt like I had forgotten to bring a corsage for my date.

And Dick Cheney was the featured speaker. Now, you know, he is known to have had some rough times with the media. The relations are a little bit strained. So, he got up there. And this is -- these are all media people in the audience. And he decided to bring along a slide-show, along with a little script he had written for it. And it was actually quite funny. It really played on some of the things that he has done recently, both his relations with the press and his recent shooting incident.

And at one point, he was talking about the fact that he had been getting some advice from White House spokesperson Scott McClellan. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHENEY: Scott McClellan has been giving me advice, too. He told me to rethink my whole approach to the news media. And I guess he's on to something.

Here's how Scott gets himself ready to meet the press corps. And here's how I have been doing it.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: Which, as you can hear, got -- got big chuckles from the audience, Carol.

The -- then, there was -- after he spoke, there was an impersonator who -- who has been on TV a lot. He has done impersonations of President Bush.

And, of course, he's sitting right next to -- you know, he stood up right next to where Dick Cheney was sitting and did some pretty funny impersonations of people. They weren't -- he himself said they were meant not to be political.

But he did a lot of physical -- sort of physical comedy and gave some impressions what he thought President Bush was about. Here's one of the quips that he had last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANK CALIENDO, COMEDIAN: I think it's great we have a president who seems like he's always looking directly into the sun.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

CALIENDO: Could somebody do me a favor and hand me a pair of sunglasses?

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

CALIENDO: Somebody get me a visor.

(LAUGHTER)

CALIENDO: Sir, you mean adviser.

No, a visor. Weren't you listening, man?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VELSHI: All in all, it was a bunch of laughs and...

(LAUGHTER)

VELSHI: ... a good time had by all.

I'm not quite sure how I got invited. Some -- there was some kind of mix-up in the mailroom.

LIN: You're a player, Ali. Everybody wants to know where oil prices are going. And you're the man with the barrel.

VELSHI: Well, thank you so much.

Oil prices are going way up, by the way, Carol. We are going to talk in about a half-an-hour where markets are, but oil prices now above $67 a barrel. Remember, the high was right after -- right as Katrina hit, $70 a barrel.

We're $3 away from that.

LIN: Wow.

VELSHI: I saw one report that said the average price for 2006 for a barrel of oil is going to be up there above $69 a barrel. So, we will talk more about that and markets in about half-an-hour?

LIN: OK. Sounds good. And pretty good that you got those stats together on three hours of sleep, Ali.

VELSHI: Yes. I got to tell you, I got back on a plane really early today.

LIN: Yes. Hard worker, you are. Thanks, Ali.

VELSHI: See you in a bit.

LIN: All right. In the meantime, they're working hard in the Midwest to track these -- tornadoes that may be touching down.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: Lifesavers are lawbreakers or both. A debate in the desert.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN SPANISH).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: See what happens when immigrants meet up with aid workers near the U.S.-Mexican border. And Lou Dobbs joins me live from Cancun, straight ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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