Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

President Bush Throws First Pitch at Cincinnati Season Opener; White House Shake-Up?; Severe Weather in Tennessee; Jill Carroll Returns Home

Aired April 03, 2006 - 13:59   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And here's just a taste of what the storms brought to Tennessee as seen through a sheriff -- sheriff deputy's dashboard camera as he chased a twister.
Take a look at this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEP. LYNN WALLER, DYER COUNTY, TENNESSEE, SHERIFF'S DEPT.: About 45 feet high dust cloud base. The funnel cloud itself, it was large. That's all I can tell you, it was very large, moved very fast. I chased it all the way up to Highway 78, and that's when it started doing damage where I couldn't chase it any further.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: OK.

There is all kinds of reporting and rumors of a shake-up inside the White House. And speculation is really swirling right now. Sources say two key members of the Bush administration may soon leave their current posts.

CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux joins us on the phone.

And Suzanne, I know that you're -- you're leading our reporting on this. What is it that you're learning?

SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Liz (ph). Are we connected in? Can I hang up the cell phone?

HARRIS: Sure. Suzanne, can you hear me?

MALVEAUX: Yes. I need to hang up this line.

HARRIS: OK. While you do that, let me sort of just set the scene that we're seeing right now. Live pictures now out of Cincinnati, Ohio, where the president is attending opening day for the Cincinnati Reds as they take on the Chicago Cubs today.

Live pictures now of Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, where any moment now -- actually, three minutes from now we expect the president -- I think we're hearing the national anthem -- will -- why don't we do this, let's pause and let's listen to the national anthem. And there you have it. The national anthem, opening day in Cincinnati, which is traditionally where the baseball season begins. But now, as you know, last night the White Sox played in a ball -- played a ballgame last night, and that is sort of the start of the baseball season. But this is the traditional start of the baseball season, usually in Cincinnati.

Once again, let's bring in CNN White House Correspondent Suzanne Malveaux.

And Suzanne, while we take a look at this picture of the president any moment now coming out to make the first pitch, to start the season for the Reds, I have to ask you about the reporting you're doing of -- about an imminent -- I don't know if that's the right word -- possible shake-up, further shake-up of the White House.

MALVEAUX: Well, Tony, I guess it's fitting here, being at the opening game here. The president and his staff are looking for some heavy hitters when it comes to his team.

HARRIS: Yes.

MALVEAUX: And this is, of course, because of the turnaround. Josh Bolten will become the new chief of staff fairly soon. And according to a lot of people in Washington in and outside of the White House, as well as Republican friends, they say that there is expected to be some announcements perhaps as early as this week, a shake-up, if you will. Some senior staff level positions will change.

There are a couple of things that they're looking at. White House communications being one of them, of course.

The president reaching out to members of Congress and others. One of those people who might be impacted is the White House press secretary, Scott McClellan. Discussions are ongoing whether or not he would be moved to another position and perhaps have White House counselor Dan Bartlett, who's been a strong spokesman for the president, perhaps fill that role.

We know that legislative affairs are looking for kind of that elder statesman person to reach out to Republican members of Congress. And some on the short list, former representative Bill Paxton of New York, as well as former senator Phil Graham.

And finally, Treasury is something that has been a very hot topic for some time now, despite the fact that the White House has publicly been very supportive of the secretary of the Treasury, John Snow. Sources in and outside of the White House for some time say the president has been looking for a replacement.

You see him right there.

HARRIS: Yes. Yes.

MALVEAUX: There's the president waiting to go. He's got his Reds jacket on. We were told, Tony, by the way, that he actually warmed up over the weekend at the Crawford ranch.

HARRIS: No. Come on. No.

MALVEAUX: That he was -- he was practicing. That's what he does.

You may remember it was his father that threw out the first pitch. I guess this is back in 2003 for the Reds. And a little bit of an embarrassing moment with the wall...

HARRIS: Well, did he bounce it, or what did he do?

MALVEAUX: Twice. Twice.

HARRIS: He bounced it twice.

MALVEAUX: So this is something that the president, of course, wants to avoid. So he actually does do quite a bit of warming up for this event. And as you know, he's no stranger to baseball. I mean, he, you know, was the co-owner of the Texas Rangers in the '80s.

HARRIS: Well, I have to ask you -- I mean, you're right, he's no stranger to baseball. And he's going to be fine with this. You know, he'll throw a fastball or a curveball. He knows what those pitches are, by the way. But I have to ask you, is he doing a bit of a favor -- I understand that Bob Castellini is the majority owner of the Reds, and I think it's true that he was also a part of George Bush's ownership team with the Rangers.

So is he doing a bit of a favor here?

MALVEAUX: Yes, that's absolutely right. These two men go way back. And, of course, they were co-partners of the Texas Rangers back in the late '80s.

HARRIS: Yes.

MALVEAUX: And Castellini was a big supporter of the president for his reelection campaign. As a matter of fact, this stadium itself, this is the Great American Ballpark. This is where he had his last big campaign rally for the re-election.

There he goes, waving to the crowd.

HARRIS: And here we go.

(APPLAUSE)

HARRIS: So how about that, Suzanne? That's a big red state welcome for the president.

MALVEAUX: Oh, absolutely. There he goes A little warm-up there.

HARRIS: Oh, look at this. MALVEAUX: A little warm up right in the cameras.

HARRIS: Hey, we didn't get a wide shot. We didn't get to see how well he did.

Oh. Did anyone see it? Did anyone see it?

MALVEAUX: We've got...

HARRIS: No?

MALVEAUX: From where we are, we're just getting...

HARRIS: Yes, we couldn't see it.

MALVEAUX: Getting a close-up here.

HARRIS: Yes. Well, that was a nice little warm-up. The motion looked good. It looked like he had a nice -- nice rotation on that.

Maybe a split finger fastball. Who knows? Who knows? But this is a good moment for the president.

MALVEAUX: Well, the catcher caught it, we're told. We'll soon be getting that shot.

This is a historic moment, by the way, Tony. I don't know if you know this. He's the first sitting president to throw the first ceremonial pitch in Cincinnati in history.

You know, his father was the former president when he did it, and then of course the vice president threw out the first pitch as well. And the late Ronald Reagan was supposed to, but was shot the week before. So this is a very special moment for Cincinnati Red fans and for fans of baseball.

HARRIS: Yes. And Suzanne, as we take a look at the president here, let's get back to some of the politics. You mentioned there is a lot going on in the White House now, and a lot of talk of a shake-up to come.

Josh Bolten, does he come into this new job with a sense that, yes, changes need to be made?

MALVEAUX: Josh Bolten is really someone who has been described as being very logical and very pragmatic. And the two things that he sees in this administration is problems in the White House Communications Department, how the White House has been communicating with members of Congress, with the American people strategically, that that is something that -- he doesn't focus on personalities necessarily, but he does focus on positions. And people telling me over the weekend who are plugged into this that he is looking at to fix what is broken.

HARRIS: Yes. MALVEAUX: And that's one of the areas that he believes there are improvements that need to be made. That, and of course, someone who can reach out to senior members of Congress, Republicans who have defected from the president and this administration.

He's lost a lot of support. They're looking for someone who really can play ball, if you will, with some of those heavy hitters on the Hill.

HARRIS: Once again, let's see this tape again. The president, the first pitch.

High and tight. Strike one. You have to assume strike.

Suzanne Malveaux, we appreciate it. Thanks for your time. Thanks for being with me.

MALVEAUX: OK. Thanks a lot, Tony.

HARRIS: More cover of the tornadoes sweeping the country. We'll go live to Dyersburg, Tennessee, one of the hardest-hit towns.

The news keeps coming. We'll keep bringing it to you.

More LIVE FROM next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Boy, look at those pictures.

Joining us now is a man who has a lot of work ahead of him. Allen Hester is the chamber of commerce president in Dyer County, Tennessee, and he joins us live.

Allen, thanks for your time.

I have to first ask you, as you begin this process, you have to, it seems to me, be able to wrap your arms around the extent of the problem. Are you able to do that? How much devastation has this county sustained?

ALLEN HESTER, DYER COUNTY, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Well, Tony, it's hard to say right now. We still have crews out in the field trying to assess the damage, but, of course, the first priority for us is the people that are involved and the loss of life, which has been substantial. The last count I heard from the county fire chief a few minutes ago was 15 confirmed fatalities. So that's -- that's a very big concern for us right now.

HARRIS: How big of a county? What's your -- what's your population?

HESTER: The population of Dyer County is about 40,000 people. And we're in northwest Tennessee bordering the Mississippi River.

HARRIS: How many people do you believe are impacted? HESTER: Well, it's hard to say exactly how many people have been impacted. I did hear from a person who was in a helicopter earlier up over the area and said the damage was extensive and very widespread, estimated 200 to possibly 300 structures had been damaged.

HARRIS: My goodness. What are you able to provide for people? What are their needs?

HESTER: Well, that's what we're doing here now. And we've got a good team in place to coordinate the effort for rescue and recovery and so forth.

Our county sheriff and the Tennessee Emergency Management Association, all are county services are in place. Neighboring counties have come over to help out.

We had a calm from Governor Phil Bredesen this morning, offered his assistance. We've heard from Senator Frist's office. We've heard from our congressman, John Tanner. We expect the governor to be here tomorrow.

So, I think the relief effort is well coordinated and it's ongoing. But, of course, again, it's a pretty grim day for us to think about 15 people deceased.

HARRIS: Who have passed away. Yes.

I almost hate to go here, Allen, but I have to ask the question, is, could this end up being a FEMA effort? Will you anticipate needing some FEMA help in all this?

HESTER: It's really too early for me to know. I can't really say. I do know that TEMA is involved at the state level. But based on some of the damage I've seen myself this morning, it's pretty substantial.

HARRIS: So where are people going? Are you talking about shelters? Where are the people going, and what can you do for them in terms of...

HESTER: Well, I know that we've had -- a lot of the people were taken to the local hospital, Dyersburg Regional Medical Center, last night. We had some, I think, transported to Jackson, Tennessee. So we've had a number of people taken to area hospitals.

As far as the number of people that may be displaced and needing shelter, it's really too early for me to know that right now. But we have the local National Guard armory on standby to help us with that. So we will provide temporary shelter for people.

HARRIS: Allen, have you talked to some of the victims of this? Have you heard some personal stories?

HESTER: Well, only one or two that I've heard personally. A person who works on a chamber staff rode out the storm last night in her home in Newbern and described standing in her bathroom as the ceiling insulation rained down from above. And when she emerged unhurt, thankfully, her house was basically destroyed.

So I have heard from one person who actually was in the middle of it.

HARRIS: Probably going to take a day or so to get your arms around the extent of the problem, isn't it? Is that fair?

HESTER: It will. It will take a day or two for us to know. We only have one substantial business that we know of that's been impacted, and that's a large Sara Lee food plant that's in Newbern, Tennessee. But as I said, our main concern is for the people that have been hurt and those that have lost their lives. That's our main focus right now.

HARRIS: Allen Hester is the chamber of commerce president in Dyer County, Tennessee.

Allen, thanks for your time. Appreciate it.

HESTER: Thank you.

HARRIS: And the best of luck to you and your people.

In Fairview Heights, Illinois, police say the amount of damage is remarkable. These pictures from the air show the devastation on the ground. Homes and buildings destroyed, and one man was killed when a Fairview Heights clothing store collapsed. People there say they didn't know what hit them until it was too late.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard this rumbling, and I looked up and I saw the whole ceiling coming down.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just came up so fast. We looked -- all we did is I looked out the windows and things were flying across the parking lot. And I go, "Oh, my god."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: In Hopkinsville, Kentucky, rescuers had to walk to get to some of the hardest-hit rural areas. That's because the storms clogged the roads with uprooted trees and downed power lines. Also, many people are now homeless.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were in the hallway and the house just started shaking. And the next thing I know, the ceiling is just down on top of us. No ceiling joist or nothing on the house. It took everything.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: And in Arkansas, the storms have died down a bit, but the barricades are going up. Workers have cordoned off the tornado- ravaged town of Marmaduke after a gasoline broke. The twister that swept through Marmaduke injured dozens of people and destroyed half of the town's buildings. As for the other half, just about all of them sustained some kind of damage.

So have we seen the worst weather? Well, the worst it has to offer? Or is this just the beginning?

Let's go upstairs now to meteorologist Jacqui Jeras in the CNN weather center.

Hi, Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Tony.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a tornado right out my back door! You can see it! Oh, my god! Oh!

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice over): The word "tornado" comes from two Spanish words, tornada, meaning thunderstorm, and the verb tornar, to twist or to turn. They're ferociously unpredictable, but most tornadoes form in the same way.

As a thunderstorm develops, air begins spinning in a horizontal column. Violent updrafts tip that column up into an upright shaft of horrendous potential. That dark funnel we see is formed by clouds, dust and debris from the ground.

The average tornado travels northeast, but twisters can zigzag in any direction. And while a typical forward speed is 30 miles per hour, tornadoes can race at highway pace. Never try to outrun one.

Nationwide, more than 800 twisters form each year. They cause an average of 80 deaths and over 1,500 injuries. They can occur in any month.

Spring is high season in the South, summer for the plains and the upper Midwest. Tornadoes have formed in all 50 states, but 70 percent occur in the Great Plains, otherwise known as Tornado Alley. Kansas and Oklahoma are the top tornado producers, and Kansas holds the record for the most in a year, 124 twisters in 2004.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JERAS: And here we are. It's only early April. We tend to see more tornadoes in the month of May than any other -- Tony.

HARRIS: All right. Jacqui, stay with me for a second here. You know, just a moment ago we had the president throwing out the first pitch to open the season for the Cincinnati Reds.

JERAS: Yes.

HARRIS: And I told folks that the pitch looked good. It looked like...

JERAS: Was it? It looked a little high when I looked at this video.

HARRIS: Did it look a little high to you?

JERAS: Yes, a little bit, perhaps.

HARRIS: I called it a strike, a split-fingered fastball. I called it a strike, and now I'm getting e-mails, folks saying, "How do you know?"

JERAS: It looks a little deep.

HARRIS: It was a little high. It was a little high and inside.

Oh my goodness.

JERAS: What can I say? I used to be a pitcher, Tony.

HARRIS: Really? Did you?

JERAS: Yes, I did. Fast pitch, though.

HARRIS: Something wrong with the release point. Is that what you picked up there?

JERAS: Yes. It looked a little high. You didn't see it kind of going down on the arc.

HARRIS: There you go.

JERAS: It just kind of stayed a little more level.

HARRIS: Jason LaRue trying to frame it. Trying to frame it, but a little high and inside.

(CROSSTALK)

HARRIS: OK, Jacqui. Appreciate it. Thank you.

And still to come, is somebody tracking your every move and stealing your identity? It's a growing problem, but just how much is it growing?

More when Susan Lisovicz joins us after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: What a set of storms.

In the air and on the ground, the paramedics are out in force across Arkansas. Tim Rigsby is part of the Air Evac Lifeteam. He is on the phone with us now from Jonesboro, Arkansas.

Tim, thanks for your time. Give us a sense of what you saw. TIM RIGSBY, AIR EVAC LIFETEAM: Hey, Tony. Thanks for calling.

It's something I've never seen, to be honest with you. There's quite an amount of devastation up there. And I think Marmaduke is the town that's hardest hit that I've seen. Significant amount of damage there, some of the houses, factories, schools that are destroyed in this small town that's probably three-quarters of the way to utter devastation.

HARRIS: How many people live in Marmaduke, Tim?

RIGSBY: I'm thinking around somewhere in the neighborhood of probably 1,200, maybe a little less than that, maybe a little more than that.

HARRIS: You think everyone was impacted in some way or another?

RIGSBY: Oh, definitely. Definitely.

HARRIS: What's that scene, sort of sheer, utter devastation? Are we talking about houses blown apart, are we talking about a wide debris field?

RIGSBY: Yes. There's -- there's -- the town itself -- what houses that are standing are -- the roofs are destroyed. There's houses that are completely gone. There's just debris scattered everywhere.

I think they had a rail car factory there that sustained significant damage, and they had rail cars scattered, just littered throughout the fields. And there was trucks, just trailer houses scattered throughout. Just debris almost everywhere.

HARRIS: And as part of your work, you're trying to find folks, correct?

RIGSBY: Well, actually, once they find them and determine whether or not they're critically ill or injured, then they'll call us and we'll transport to the appropriate facility. So we don't actually go in and do the actual searching.

HARRIS: Right. Right. Right. How many have you transported?

RIGSBY: We transported three from about 7:00 last night when it started coming through. We started -- I think we had done three since 7:00 last night.

HARRIS: What kind of injuries?

RIGSBY: We've seen anything from broken bones, broken backs...

HARRIS: Wow.

RIGSBY: ... spinal injuries, hip fractures, that sort of stuff. A lot of broken bones and internal injuries.

HARRIS: How safe or unsafe was it for you flying?

RIGSBY: The safety factor -- the weather came through in two separate lines, and so it's pretty safe for us. The only thing we were concerned with is all the debris on the ground and just landing in those areas and blowing the debris around. And I think there's some thunder cells that were developing last night to our south that hampered our efforts for about a couple of hours after the fact.

HARRIS: How long is it going to take do you think for this town to recover?

RIGSBY: I would say years.

HARRIS: Really?

RIGSBY: It's going to take months for, you know, everything to get back to normal, but they won't forget it by any means. They were starting on a house-by-house search this morning of the -- for the rescue efforts as far as the small town and fire departments were going house to house to search for victims.

But most of the walking wounded was triaged out and transported to appropriate facilities last night. I had talked to the low local fire departments there and the rescue squads and (INAUDIBLE) services there that they had a command set up early on, started directing resources and transporting those patients where they needed to go.

HARRIS: Any fatalities that you're aware of?

RIGSBY: Not to my knowledge in Marmaduke. I didn't have any kind of reports this morning of any fatalities yet.

I'm sure that once they do -- start doing the house-by-house search -- it was reported that a lot of folks were in church during the timeframe Sunday evening, and so I don't know -- most folks weren't at home, so that's probably a good thing. So I hadn't heard any kind of fatality counts that I know of yet.

HARRIS: Are you on standby?

RIGSBY: Yes, we're still waiting ready to go so if they find more we'll be sure heading that way.

HARRIS: Yes. Tim, thanks for your time.

RIGSBY: Hey, thank you, Tony.

HARRIS: That's a vivid description.

Tim Rigsby is part of the Air Evac Lifeteam. He's been working in Arkansas out of Jonesboro for us.

Either there was a huge drop-off in cases of identity theft last year or something is cooking. Something is up with the latest numbers from the government. Susan Lisovicz is live from the New York Stock Exchange to explain. Susan, hello.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Hello again, Tony.

I'd like to tell you be able to tell you that there's a huge drop-off in identity theft, and that would appear when you look at the numbers which we're about to show you -- and the latest numbers from the Department of Justice show that 3.6 million households were victimized by identity theft last year. And by identity theft, we mean unauthorized use of your credit card, your cell phone or personal information.

I mean, look at the difference between 2004 and 2005, 10.1 million. But Tony, as you noted, something is up. It's like comparing apples to oranges because this DOJ study really can't compare to '04 when the comparison by the Federal Trade Commission was looking at individuals, right? So there's quite a big difference there.

HARRIS: Well, what explains is that? Why the discrepancy?

LISOVICZ: Well, obviously, households, for instance, I mean, can have more than one. Lots of households, such as my own, are headed just by one person. But there are plenty that are more than one -- two, three or more than that.

And so there are two different bodies that are conducting these interviews. This was Department of Justice compared to the FTC. And no matter what the number is, it's too many, and it's devastating because we're talking about $3.2 billion in losses, to say nothing of the nuisance, the problems that can exist with credit card ratings, criminal probes, debt collectors, interruption in service. It's a real drag, to say the least, if your theft has been tampered with.

HARRIS: Right. So, Susan, what groups -- can we figure this out? What groups of people are most likely to be victimized by this?

LISOVICZ: Well, this is actually interesting, in some ways no surprise here, Tony. It's the youngest groups heading a household that are victimized, 18 to 24 years old. There you see it, 4.9. It's almost 5 percent. The folks who authored this study say that is typical of most crime, whether it's violent crime or this kind of crime, personal identity theft. But the difference here is in the wealth effect.

So it's not only the younger households, but it's actually affluent households, households that earn at least $75,000 a year or more. And that's something interesting. And so these criminals that are preying on households are obviously going after people that have some capital to play with here.

HARRIS: OK, Susan. We appreciate it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Drew Griffin is here. You'll see him, talk to him, in just a moment.

Restricting abortions. How far should states go? Well, the debate is topic one in South Dakota's governor's race, where the incumbent has just signed into law a near total ban on abortion. This evening here on CNN, Drew Griffin takes a behind the scenes look at the last abortion clinic left in that state.

Here's a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a 15-minute drive from the airport to the Sioux Falls Planned Parenthood Clinic. Because abortions are only offered one day a week by the out-of-state doctors, the parking lot full. There are no protesters. Still, the doctor enters through a back door.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For security reasons.

GRIFFIN: A medical staff has already done most of the medical screening. The patients have been counseled and have waited at least the mandatory 24-hour period to think it through.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We always worry about people who are ambivalent and they're not sure they want to do this. And sometimes we'll say don't do this, you don't want to do this today, you're not ready. Please go home, think about it some more and come back if you want.

GRIFFIN (on camera): That happens?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes. Yes. So, adoption is a wonderful thing, and they're always given the option to have a pregnancy and have the child placed for adoption. So they're all given that during their counseling session, that choice. And I admire those that do. But not very many do, I have to say.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: Oh, boy. Drew, good to see you. Bunch of stuff to talk about here. Let's see if we can work our way through it all. The law has been passed by the legislature, been signed by the governor, but that's not the last word. It's due to be enacted when? In July?

GRIFFIN: July, if nothing happens. But Tony, three things could happen. Number one, lawsuits. Planned parenthood already planning a lawsuit to try to block this law. Number two, a petition drive now under way. If they get enough petitions in that state by mid-June, June 19th, I think, they will be able to put this law on the ballot for the voters to decide. If the legislators say yes, the governor says yes, now the people may get a chance to say do we want the law? Yes, if so, it will go into effect after the election. If not, scrapped.

HARRIS: Well, Drew, that's an interesting strategy. Who is leading the petition drive? GRIFFIN: The petition drive is, you know, Planned Parenthood, it's NARAL (ph) it's feminist rights groups. It's people who believe that every woman in the state of South Dakota should have access to a legal abortion at an abortion clinic such as the one....

HARRIS: So they feel like they have a better chance, perhaps, with the people?

GRIFFIN: They feel they have a better chance with the people, and perhaps they have a better chance circumventing what could be a Supreme Court showdown.

HARRIS: I see.

GRIFFIN: Because if we can put -- if the groups can put this onto the ballot, the law in July will effectively be aside until the voters decide. If the voters decide that, then there will be no case to bring to the Supreme Court.

HARRIS: Hey, I have to ask you, why out of state -- first of all, how many abortion clinics are there in South Dakota?

GRIFFIN: There is only one, and it is this one, run by Planned Parenthood. It's in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Your next question is why the out-of-state doctor? Not a single doctor in the state of South Dakota will perform an abortion.

HARRIS: So the doctors who come in from out of state, why are they doing it?

GRIFFIN: They're doing it -- well, I've only met one of them. There are four. The woman that we have in our piece and who went on camera, which is somewhat of a rarity for an abortion doctor, is a 70- year-old grandmother of ten who comes out of retirement once or twice a month to perform abortions at this particular clinic. She feels it's her mission to serve these women who want an abortion.

HARRIS: Isn't there talk that an Indian reservation in South Dakota may actually open a clinic if this law in South Dakota stands?

GRIFFIN: Yes, that's the third option I didn't get to, but that is the option. You put it on an Indian reservation outside of the state jurisdiction and therefore outside of the state law, which would effectively ban -- that is being considered at that point, although I don't know how far along that has gotten. Right now you have a legal challenge potentially and you have a voter initiative challenge secondly.

HARRIS: Good to see you. Thank you, sir. Can't wait to see it tonight. You can see more of Drew's in depth look at this clinic and the abortion debate in South Dakota tonight on "PAULA ZAHN NOW." That's 8:00 eastern right here on CNN.

A seemingly routine takeoff, an emergency in flight and a crash landing. This is the result. A C-5 cargo plane in pieces at Dover Air Force Base. Seventeen people were on board. All survived miraculously. Some were taken to hospitals. A military spokesman says the crew reported a problem with one of the engines after takeoff and tried to make it back to Dover but crash-landed just short of the runway. The C-5 galaxy is the U.S. military's largest plane.

More carnage in a Baghdad neighborhood to report today. A car bomb exploded near a Shiite mosque just as worshipers were leaving after evening prayers. At least 10 people were killed and 30 more were wounded. Iraqi police say it appears the bomb was set off by remote control.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is urging Iraqi leaders to form a new government as soon as possible. She and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw spent a day and a half in Iraq during an unannounced visit. Rice said the country's troubles call for a strong leader who can unify the people. But she stressed it's up to the Iraqis to choose that person.

Another story we've been following for several days now, former hostage Jill Carroll is in seclusion on her first full day back on U.S. soil. The journalist was covering a story when she became the story in Iraq. Her assignment now is spending time with family and friends.

CNN senior correspondent, Allen Chernoff, reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLEN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Home at last. Former hostage Jill Carroll back on American soil, the final leg of Carroll's flight to freedom arrived in Boston Sunday afternoon. On board Carroll found a red rose on her dinner tray and admired its color as she held it up to sunlight shining through the window according to a Christian Science Monitor report. I finally feel like I am alive again, The Monitor quoted Carroll.

CNN correspondent Paula Hancocks was on board.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I did talk to her just briefly. She said that she was happy with how things have gone since her release. She said that the people at the Ramstein Air Base have been fantastic.

CHERNOFF: A police escorted motorcade brought Carroll to the offices of The Christian Science Monitor, her employer. There, a tearful family reunion. The Monitor released this picture of Jill hugging her twin sister Katie as dad, Jim, and mom, Mary Beth, looked on. In a statement that The Monitor's editor read Saturday, Jill Carroll asked for privacy.

RICHARD BERGENHEIM, EDITOR, CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: Now I ask for the time to heal. This has been a taxing 12 weeks for me and for my family. Please, allow us some quiet time alone together.

CHERNOFF: Carroll also wrote in the statement she intentionally lied in an interview with her captors as a condition for her release. JILL CARROLL, FORMER HOSTAGE: There are a lot of lies that come out of the American government calling mujahedeen terrorists and other things. I think it's important the American people hear from me the mujahedeen are only trying to defend their country.

CHERNOFF: Now after 82 days of captivity, Jill Carroll will be able to share the joy of her new freedom with her family. Allan Chernoff, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: The Christian Science Monitor, the newspaper Jill Carroll was freelancing for in Iraq, plans a news conference at 3:00 eastern. CNN will bring it to you live, of course.

We bring you now some of the names and faces of fallen heroes from the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Army sergeant Kevin D. Akins. Was known as 'Big Ache' (ph). He had a legendary work ethic and led his fellow soldiers by example. Akins had served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He lost his life during combat operations near Asadabad, Afghanistan. An improvised explosive device exploded near his humvee.

Air Force Captain Derek Argel was extremely dedicated to his favorite sport, water polo. He showed up for high school practices when he was in fifth grade. He also played the sport at the Air Force Academy. Argel died in a plane crash during a training mission northwest of Baghdad.

Navy Hospital Corpsman Third Class Michael Vann Johnson, Jr., wrote a letter to his mom shortly before he was killed. In it, he said, 'Mom, I love you. Don't be afraid if I don't return. I'm in heaven with God.'

In March of 2003 Johnson was killed by shrapnel while attending to a wounded Marine in Iraq. The marines later named a medical clinic in his honor and a new American Legion Post in Little Rock, Arkansas was also named after him. In all 2,341 men and women have died in Iraq. In Afghanistan the total is 280.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And this just in to CNN. Look at pictures now just in. Firefighters are on the scene of a five-alarm fire at an industrial area on Canal Street, this is in Stamford, Connecticut. Thanks to News 12 Connecticut for these pictures.

Wow, what pictures they are. Once again, a five-alarm fire in an industrial area. Smoke, we understand, can be seen for miles. At least one exterior wall of this brick structure has collapsed. No word of injuries yet. A number of fire units are on the scene right now. Way too early to determine a cause of the fire. Once again, a five-alarm blaze burning pretty much out of control right now in an industrial area.

If you know this area, Canal Street, this is in Stamford, Connecticut. We will keep an eye on these pictures and get you more information. Let's go to a break and more LIVE FROM right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: If you are an Elvis fan, check out eBay later this month. The first house Elvis bought in Memphis is going on sale. No, it's not Graceland. When the money started rolling from Heartbreak Hotel in 1956, Elvis bought a ranch house on Audubon Drive.

He only lived there a year before moving to Graceland for more privacy. Online bidding starts for the first Elvis house starts April 14th. Straight ahead, entertainment news with A.J. Hammer of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." A.J., what are you working on, doctor?

A.J. HAMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, there's a big question that's been floating around, Tony. Is Katie Couric leaving the "Today Show?" The rumors continue to build. A lot of momentum over the weekend.

Also, Russell Crowe's brand new legal battle. He's in trouble again, maybe. We've got that and more when LIVE FROM returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: $12.5 million for "ATL." I needed more out of that, A.J. My buddy actually directed that.

HAMMER: Now was "Basic Instinct 2" even on that list there? I'm sorry, I was looking away at that moment.

HARRIS: Yes, was it nine or 10 or something? Where is it? It's 10.

HAMMER: There are indie films that open in smaller release that make more money than that. This is a big disappointment. In fact, that's something we're going to be talking about on the show.

HARRIS: OK, a couple of things going on right now that we need to get to. Katie Couric -- and I guess the question right now is, do we know whether or not, A.J., she has made a decision whether to leave the "Today Show" and jump ship to another network? Do we know?

HAMMER: Well, what we know, is that there are rumors that have been floating around for months now. Nothing confirmed yet. In fact, NBC and CBS both say no comment.

But the rumors were picking up steam over the weekend. There was an article in "Television Week" that reported that the Couric deal was completed in principle.

Now if this deal is true, the move would happen at the end of the May, when Couric's NBC contract expires. And it would mark the first time that a female anchor has ever hosted a network flagship newscast alone. Now currently Meredith Vieira from ABC's "The View" and "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" is the reported frontrunner to replace Couric. Both NBC and CBS, as I mentioned, declined to comment on this. Now of course, if Couric does move over to the evening news, she's likely to focus on more serious topics like the recent student walkouts in Los Angeles, which were in protest of anti-immigration legislation.

And a very good person to interview on that subject would be actor Edward James Olmos, whose also a director. In fact, his recent HBO film "Walkout" is about the 1968 protests when thousands of Latino teens walked out of class to protest what they considered to be substandard school conditions. Olmos had screened his movie for thousands of students just days before the recent walkout. And he tells CNN that it may have helped to empower their decision.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

EDWARD JAMES OLMOS, DIRECTOR: I've never been inside a movie house with kids, when they've seen this kind of movie. I felt like I had just empowered them with a tremendous sense of joy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HAMMER: Olmos says he made "Walkout" to honor the under- recognized efforts of Latinos in American history.

Well already getting plenty of recognition is this story. Major Hollywood studios are now going to start selling digital versions of their movies online. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Now for the very first time, films like "Brokeback Mountain" and "King Kong" will be available for legal downloading from the Internet. Two sites so far, movielink.com and cinemanow.com are co-owned by major studios and they've offered new releases and some older titles for about what you would pay for a hard copy of those movies. The films cannot be burned onto disk for viewing on a regular old DVD player. But instead, they would just remain part of your computer's digital library.

And finally today, actor Russell Crowe's latest antics have left some in his native New Zealand fuming -- literally. Well he was doing the fuming during a weekend performance with his hard rock band called "The Ordinary Fear of God." The Wellington-born star decided to light up a whole bunch of cigarettes. The problem is in New Zealand, there are smoke-free laws governing concert venues.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com