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Civilians Killed?; A New Plan for New Orleans

Aired May 02, 2006 - 13:32   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, his name won't ring any bells, but his reputation sets off alarms. Mustafa Setmarian Nasar is a top al Qaeda leader with connects around the world and a $5 million bounty on his head. U.S. law enforcement is confirming for the first time that Nasser was captured in a sting operation in Pakistan back in November. He may now be in U.S. custody. The Justice Department says Nasser trained terror recruits to use chemicals and poisons in al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan.
Close, but not close enough. Al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi may have been a stone's throw from a house U.S. forces invaded last month. That news supposedly from detainees captured in the raid southwest of Baghdad. The U.S. is offering a $25 million bounty for al-Zarqawi's capture.

Civilians killed in the crossfire, it still happens frequently in parts of Iraq. But deliberately by U.S. troops? The Pentagon is investigating a mass killing, possibly involving American Marines.

CNN's Barbara Starr is at the Pentagon.

Barbara, there are apparently photos of this Haditha incident which are being reviewed by military investigators right now?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Kyra, and of course this is a story we have brought our viewers several times in the past, but there are new developments. Military investigators are now confirming there are a series of still photographs of some or all of the 15 Iraqi civilians, including women and children, who apparently died at the hands of U.S. Marines last November in Haditha in Iraq. This very controversial, very disturbing incident appears to be shaping up as a significant issue that the Marines are now investigating as part of a criminal investigation.

The Marines said at the time that the 15 civilians died in a roadside blast in which one Marine was killed. But information then came to light, and these still photographs may now be confirming that, that those 15 civilians died at the hands of U.S. Marines. Investigators specifically now looking at these photographs for evidence that these civilians may have suffered close-range gunshot wounds, and of course that would lead to some very disturbing conclusions -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, we've heard the words overzealous used to describe the actions of the Marines. Are those involved facing any criminal penalties right now? STARR: That is certainly possible. This investigation being conducted by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Sources say it's perhaps another 30 days before their findings are concluded. And then it will remain to be seen whether they refer any further action, whether charges are brought, and further legal military legal activity takes place.

But already, three people, three Marines related to this unit, have been relieved of duty for a loss of confidence by their commander. So we certainly expect to hear more about all of this.

PHILLIPS: All right, Barbara Starr live from the Pentagon. Thanks, Barbara.

Prom night, happy teens, fancy limo. Drunk chauffeur? Well, the news keeps coming. We'll keep bringing it to you, more LIVE FROM next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: A new plan for New Orleans. With a new hurricane season less than a month away, our Gulf Coast correspondent Susan Roesgen tell us all about it now. It's pretty interesting testimony, a lot of changes according to the mayor.

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: Oh, Kyra, a lot of changes this year. Last year, the order came out, this is a mandatory evacuation, now get out, and that was pretty much it. And many people, as you know, of course, didn't have a way to get out and wound up being rescued from their rooftops.

This year, the plan is going to work like this. The mayor says he, or whoever is mayor then, because remember we have the election May 20th. The mayor of the city would call for a mandatory evacuation when there's a category-three hurricane, Category-three, stronger hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. He'll do that 36 hours out. The mayor says he wants everybody to get out. He wants there to be an environment in this city, a culture where people believe they need to get out.

He doesn't want people to rely on city assistance this time. But he says he believes that about 10,000 people will need assistance getting out. And for that, the city plans to use buses to get people out, plans to take people to a staging area at the Convention Center. Again, not for use as a shelter, but as a staging area, process people.

Now, Kyra, whenever someone says process to me, I think, uh-oh, that's going to take a while. But process people who need to get out, put them on buses and take them to a shelter outside of the city -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And a number of other plans. First time for pets, right? There's actually going to be a plan that if you want to take your pet, there are certain restrictions, right? ROESGEN: That's a big thing this year, Kyra, is pets. Because so many people said they didn't want to leave without their pets. So many people refused to leave their homes because they couldn't take their pets. Afterwards, people were despondent when they couldn't find their pets because they were separated from them.

This year, the mayor says they are going to allow pets to be rescued along with their owners, as long as those pets are in a carrier or cage of some type. One reporter said, that would work well for a small cat or a small dog, but what about a big animal? The mayor said, well, we'll have big cages and we'll put those big animals in the bellies of the buses, I guess where you put the suitcases. So it's a good idea for a lot of people who don't want to be separated from pets. It looks like the actual practice of this may not go that smoothly, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: What about all the people that are in the FEMA trailers? What are they going to do?

ROESGEN: Boy, Kyra, that's a lot of people. That's about 12,000 people here in New Orleans, 93,000 people across the Gulf South. The mayor says that this year, those people living in travel trailers may have to be evacuated when there's simply a tropical storm. Which means that the rest of us living in ordinary homes would not evacuate, but people in travel trailers would have to get out.

However, when a tropical storm comes in the New Orleans area and there are people living in travel trailers, the mayor says those folks will be able to go to shelters set up within the city at the university of New Orleans and a couple of local schools. So they might stay in a shelter within the city for a day or so until the tropical storm passes.

But the really big news here, Kyra, is that there's not going to be a Superdome anymore as a shelter of last resort. The city had always called the Superdome a shelter of last resort. Last year, as with know, between 25,000 and 30,000 people showed up at that shelter. This year, the mayor says that's not going to be the case.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS: Read my lips -- this is a plan for getting people out of the city. There is no shelter of last resort. We're going to communicate that. We're going to use PSAs. We're going to use print. We're going to use everything. We're going to try to get as many people out of here as possible.

Now, in the event there are people who have come at the last minute, we're going to still try and move them out of the city. There will be no shelter of last resort in the city.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: But something about that mandatory evacuation may concern some folks, Kyra. The mayor says, I can call for a mandatory evacuation, but he says he can't really enforce it. He says people are adults. If they want to stay in their homes, they will not send the National Guard out or police officers out to go door to door to force people out. He says if people choose to stay, they can stay.

But, again, he wants to create a culture in this city where people simply believe they've got to get out. After what happened last year, I don't think many people would willingly stay. Again, the city says they estimate about 10,000 people might need city assistance to get out, might need to be on buses.

Something else to think about, Kyra, all the tourists in town at any time. Our tourism industry has been knocked down since Katrina. But normally there would be about 20,000 tourists in the city. The mayor has asked Michael Chertoff, the secretary of Department of Homeland Security, for permission to get charter flights, to get tourists out of town, and also for permission to use Amtrak trains to get special needs people and the elderly out of town. That's something that's never been done before here in New Orleans.

PHILLIPS: Susan, we'll talk more about the plan in the second hour. Susan Roesgen, thank you so much.

Let's get to Tony Harris, monitoring the floating city, the USS Enterprise heading out to sea.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Kyra, these are great pictures. We want to show them to you now. A mix of live pictures and some pictures from just a moment ago. Norfolk, Virginia, where nearly 7,500 sailors are leaving their home port, leaving their families for the Middle East aboard eight ships.

The eight ships make up the USS Enterprise carrier strike group heading for the Persian Gulf in support of the global war on terrorism. And the sailors, Kyra, really have been put through their training paces including the successful completion of a series of events from naval surface fire, support training, to air to ground bombing practice, at ranges on the East Coast.

This is the Lake Teague Gulf you're looking at right now, a guided missile cruiser. Let me see if I can find his name, Rear Admiral Raymond Spicer (ph) is leading this team. There was a great shot, Kyra, of all the sailors on deck there looking back to their home port, to their families there at that port. Just that one last moment to say good-bye. What a great shot that is, a live picture for you now.

PHILLIPS: That's the best shot.

HARRIS: Isn't that something?

PHILLIPS: When they leave and when they come home, they're out on the deck. The families right now, they're bawling, there at port side, and when they are all coming home, they're all so antsy, jumping up and down.

The best part is, I don't know if you've ever seen a homecoming, but let me tell you, when they start coming off that ship one by one, you know, the certain order, it's the neatest thing to see them running towards their kids and their loved ones. It's a haul being out on that big gray boat for a number of months especially when you don't get to get off for months.

HARRIS: I tell you what, that is a great shot. I wish I could tell you how long they're deployed. I can't, I don't have that information. You're right, it's a great scene whenever -- when they get back and they're met by their loved ones. It's something to see.

PHILLIPS: I think it's either four to six months if I remember right.

You'll remember during the war the USS Abraham Lincoln were heading home after their tour of duty and then the war in Iraq took place and they ended up out there for ten month, which was really tough, the longest for a carrier to be deployed out there during the war.

So hopefully these men and women will be able to come when their tour is up, be able to come home.

HARRIS: Get the job done and get back home safely.

PHILLIPS: Tony, thanks.

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Good students, strong athletes, but too often, drunk and disorderly. The bottom line on the Duke University Lacrosse team by a faculty committee set up in the wake of that rape allegation at a team party. CNN's Jason Carroll is in Durham, North Carolina.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Two university committees both basically coming to the same conclusion, that the team's alcohol-related behavior was, quote, deplorable and that university administrators who knew about it didn't do enough to stop it.

Some of the other findings from committee committee's reports, they found that a large number of the players were socially irresponsible, that the players need strict monitoring because of their alcohol-related problems. But they also found that the team performed well in academics and athletics.

PROF. JAMES E. COLEMAN, DUKE UNIVERSITY: We recommend that the lacrosse program continue, but that it be carefully monitored and that a mechanism be put in place to fairly and actually hold our athletes to the high standard of conduct their classmates, professors, families and the community expects of them.

CARROLL (on camera): The committee's also recommended that the team should be allowed to resume play next season, but they said that the athletes should have to adhere to a code of conduct that the university should adopt. And they said that the university administrators need to be very strict in terms of how they enforce it.

Jason Carroll, CNN, Durham, North Carolina.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: The backseats of limousines can keep parents up nights in prom season, but it's what happened in the front seat that made prom night a wild ride for some teens in Florida. Their limo driver pleaded no contest yesterday to driving under the influence on prom night 2005. She was sentenced to ten days in jail. Students say that she swerved all over the road, missed a turn, ran a stop sign, so they finally persuaded her to pull over, and they grabbed her keys.

Well, did you catch President Bush's new catch phrase? If you didn't hear it the first time, it's being repeated everywhere, including in a report on LIVE FROM, coming up.

First, though, how about a pop quiz? We don't mean to really put you on the spot, but take a look at the map of the southern United States. Can you find Louisiana? Well, you're not alone if you can't. We're going to show and tell coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Head of DHS Michael Chertoff, side by side with Jeb Bush, governor of Florida, talking about hurricane preparedness. Let's listen in.

MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: ... basic steps of preparedness that I think everybody's got to take in order to make sure we're completely ready for whatever this hurricane season has to throw us.

Governor?

GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: We'd be happy to answer any questions, or the secretary will be happy to answer any of your questions. You've already had a little taste of me today.

QUESTION: ... come up during your conversation?

CHERTOFF: We did talk about it. I'm aware of the situation. I know the Army Corps has been very involved in dealing with those dikes. From our standpoint at Department of Homeland Security and FEMA, of course, our role is not to repair the dikes. Our role is to work with the state and local officials to make sure we can step in if, in fact, something happens this season. We talked about it. We're -- are going to be working very closely with the state in making sure that we are there to support whatever evacuation resources are necessary in that area.

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)

BUSH: Yes, sure. I'm very concerned about this. And I -- we've been probing, asking politely, the court to respond to our concerns. And the catalyst of their quick response after I sent a letter to Mr. Woodley (ph) late last week, I guess, was a report that we sent him from -- that was paid for by the South Florida Water Management District, independent consultants that suggested that there are serious problems with the dike and that if a hurricane was to hit, there's a one in six chance of a major breach, which should concern all of us.

So obviously the first thing that needs to be done is there needs to be a commitment to fortify the dike. Secondly, we need to adjust our evacuation plans for the region, the Kluston (ph), Pohokee (ph), Bellglade, (ph) up to Morehaven (ph), up to Glades County. And we intend to do that...

PHILLIPS: Florida Governor Jeb Bush, side by side with the head of the Department of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, talking to reporters and residents there in Florida about getting prepared for hurricane season.

In the next hour of LIVE FROM, our focus on hurricane season, of course, continues. We're going to speak to the mayor of a town hit hard by Katrina. Has he put up some longer pants yet? We'll explain why we ask that question. More LIVE FROM at the top of the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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