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Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Successor; Iraqis Launch Huge Security Sweep in Baghdad; Heavy Rain Floods Parts North Carolina; Married to a Minister

Aired June 14, 2006 - 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: We don't have a face, but we may have a name in a developing story about the man who's taking over Iraq's most notorious terror group.
Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, has all the details -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, good afternoon to you.

The Pentagon, the U.S. military now identifying the successor to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, of course a man they have spoken just a little bit about.

He is an Egyptian named Abu Ayyub al-Masri. But what we have learned is that the U.S. military, as we speak, is trying to decide how much information to put out about this man, whether there is a photograph that they can put out, a description that they can put out. As one official said, whether to turn him into another public Zarqawi, because, of course, what they must do is get them information out to troops in Iraq so if they come across him they will know that they have captured him.

But we have just concluded a press briefing here, where it was very clear this matter is of the utmost delicacy. Have a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRIG. GEN. CARTER HAM, U.S. ARMY: He's said that he has assumed the leadership. We have -- we have enough information to do what you talked about.

STARR: Do you have a photograph? Do you know what he looks like, General Ham?

HAM: That would be inappropriate, Barbara, for me to talk about that. We have enough information to do what you -- the things that you talked about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STARR: And, of course, what we asked about was, would the troops recognize this man, al-Masri, if they came across him? This is the man who has, as General Ham said at the beginning of that, claimed to be the successor to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi of the Al Qaeda in Iraq organization. And, Kyra, military and intelligence officials involved in military intelligence tell us they are absolutely convinced at this point that indeed this Egyptian is the person who is trying to take over the Zarqawi organization -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Just another target for the U.S. military.

Tell us now about Operation Mountain Thrust.

STARR: The other war, if you will. Afghanistan, of course.

U.S. coalition and Afghan forces, Kyra, have now begun a major combat operation in four southern provinces in Afghanistan. This had been long expected, had been in the works, but now is, we are told, fully under way. About 11,000 troops total.

And the reason they are doing this, of course, conducting these sweeps, going into Taliban strongholds, is, over the last many weeks and months, the Taliban has regrouped in southern Afghanistan, have staged a number of attacks, gone into a number of villages, terrorized people. This is an area of Afghanistan where there is very little Afghan government presence and not that many troops. So now they are making a major effort to establish a presence there and get the Taliban out -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Barbara Starr from the Pentagon.

Thanks, Barbara.

Well, you heard Barbara mention the security sweep across Baghdad, the biggest in recent memory. But as our John Vause reports, it might take more than curfews and checkpoints to stop those insurgents.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Even a widespread security sweep wasn't enough to stop this car bomb which left two civilians dead in northern Baghdad. "One of the terrorists left his car here and detonated it by remote control," said this policeman.

A police patrol was also targeted not far from here by a road side bomb. But no one was hurt. And Iraqi soldiers came under fire from insurgents in a Sunni neighborhood. No injuries were reported despite a 30-minute shootout.

The government called this Operation Forward Together. Hundreds of checkpoints were manned on roads into the capital, vehicles were searched. Police say they found Katyusha rockets and diffused roadside bombs.

Many Iraqis welcomed the extra security despite long lines of traffic in the searing heat of the Baghdad summer.

"We're getting late to work because of the checkpoint," says this man. "But this is good to arrest terrorists and seize car bombs." For now, there has been no all-out offensive in the most violence-prone areas, neighborhoods controlled by militias and insurgents.

And a day after the visit by the U.S. president, more than 2,000 protested the American-led occupation. Most are followers of the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, a powerful Shiite leader who in the past has led bloody uprisings against U.S. forces.

"We condemn the ill-fated visit by the leader of the occupation, Bush. We tell him, no. No America," said one of al-Sadr aides. But for many others, the president's brief five-hour visit left behind a rare sense of optimism.

"Bush came to boost the morale of the Iraqi government and give assurances of support," says this man. "We hope it will end the problems of the militias and put an end to the kidnappings and mass killings."

(on camera): No one is expecting quiet overnight, but the Iraqi government has now made a start. Operation Forward Together is moving ahead, albeit slower than many had expected.

John Vause, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Let's get straight to Carol Lin watching a developing story in North Carolina -- Carol.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Kyra, you want to see a bad commute? Take a look at the pictures that are just coming in to the CNN Center.

We are looking at cars in what used to be the middle of the road. They've gotten, like, five inches of rain in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area. And some of these vehicles we actually saw the windshield wipers going.

And we were talking about, well, you know, clearly there is nobody inside there right now. Maybe the rising waters flipped the windshield wiper control in the car. But look, that looks like lampshade floating by.

There are so many low points in this city that all of the rain coming from Tropical Storm Alberto is filling up the streets. We have a report right now that the Crabtree Valley Mall in the Raleigh area has been flooded.

Jacqui Jeras -- oh, hold on. We're not going to go to the weather center yet. We've got Sandra Geist from that mall on the telephone with us right now.

Sandra, are you OK?

SANDRA GEIST, CRABTREE VALLEY MALL: Yes, we're doing fine here.

LIN: So the mall has been evacuated?

GEIST: The mall was evacuated at noon. Our parking lot is flooded, but the water has not gotten into the mall yet.

LIN: But you are right by a creek, is that right? Is that why there's a danger?

GEIST: Yes, we are. Yes, the creek behind us is what flooded our parking lot. And we're doing every precaution possible to keep that water from entering the mall.

LIN: So at least everyone is safe right now.

GEIST: Yes, we have no injuries. Everyone is safe and everyone was evacuated.

LIN: Sandra, we're looking at these amazing pictures of your city, virtually under water in some parts.

GEIST: That's what I'm told. I'm here at the mall just taking a look at our parking lot, and that's what we're trying to take care of at this moment.

LIN: All right. Some people even -- there's a street that we're looking at right now, and it looks like a boat ramp that goes into lake, and then you see telephone poles. Those are virtually the only reason why we know that's probably a residential street.

GEIST: Yes. I'm not sure, unfortunately. Like I said, I'm here at the center. So I can't see that.

LIN: OK. All right, Sandra. But clearly a lot of rain.

GEIST: Yes, there was. And we're trying to handle it. And we should be -- we're hopefully through the worst of the storm.

LIN: All right. Well, it's supposed to be clearing by about 9:00 tonight. But Sandra, let me double-check with our weather center.

That's Sandra Geist from the Crabtree Valley Mall, able to evacuate everybody out as the creek bed is rising and their parking lot is flooded.

Jacqui Jeras at the CNN weather center.

Jacqui...

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, Carol.

LIN: ... they need the rain, but this much rain?

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: Jacqui, thank you so much.

So, Kyra, that is the situation in the Raleigh, North Carolina, area. But a lot of water, and water rising quickly right now.

PHILLIPS: All right, Carol. Thanks so much.

These pictures coming to us via our affiliate WRAL there in Raleigh, North Carolina. We'll continue to monitor the conditions.

Well, bogus victims, bogus claims, mind-boggling fraud. Government auditors turned up all that and more in FEMA's Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

Remember those debit cards that -- just like these. They were handed out to help victims pay for necessities. Well, some of them paid for jewelry, vacations, adult videos, divorce lawyers, even a sex change operation.

The audit also found FEMA-funded housing for people who weren't displaced or who were living in free hotel rooms. Potential fraud and waste may top $1 billion. Investigators are giving lawmakers a strict accounting on Capitol Hill.

Well, a senior Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee says that fraud is a symptom of a much bigger problem. Congressman Bennie Thompson joins me straight ahead on LIVE FROM.

Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Zero violence in Iraq? President Bush says that makes zero sense. The president talked to reporters this morning about his surprise trip to Baghdad yesterday. He says there's steady progress but the insurgents may always have a presence.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: People say, well, there's got to be no violence in order for there -- this to be a successful experience, and it's not going to happen. All that does is gives the power of, you know, a handful of murderers to determine success.

Obviously we would like violence to go down. And that's what, you know, the operation in Baghdad is intending to do starting in the capital, is to reduce violence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Mr. Bush again refused to set a timetable for pulling troops out.

Well, George W. Bush is just the latest in a long line of American presidents who visited war zones.

Here's a look back.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice over): In 1999, President Bill Clinton traveled to the Balkans and spoke to refugees and NATO troops. He made the visit shortly after the end of NATO airstrikes aimed at driving Yugoslav troops out of Kosovo.

President George H. W. Bush greeted American troops in Saudi Arabia on Thanksgiving Day, 1990. Just weeks later, the Persian Gulf war erupted with U.S. and coalition planes attacking Baghdad.

Two different presidents visited American troops fighting in the Vietnam War. President Richard Nixon made his only trip to South Vietnam in 1969. President Lyndon Johnson met with the troops twice in Cam Ranh Bay, South Vietnam, first in 1966 and again the following year.

In 1952, President-Elect Dwight Eisenhower made good on a campaign pledge by making a secret visit to South Korea to meet with U.S. troops fighting communist North Korean forces.

During World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt rendezvoused with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in Casablanca in January of 1943.

And during the Civil War, President Lincoln met with union general George McClellan after his victory over Robert E. Lee at the Battle of Antietam in 1862. That was just one of several visits by Lincoln to the battlefield.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Abu Bakar Bashir, his name might not ring a bell, but a horrible bombing that he helped plan in Indonesia will. Bashir is an al Qaeda-linked jihadist operating a continent away from the Middle Eastern Islamic mainstream. He was sent to prison for the deadly terror strike in Bali 2002, but today he's a free man.

Here's CNN's Dan Rivers.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Emerging from prison to a hero's welcome, this is the man the authorities think inspired and morally justified the Bali bombings. Abu Bakar Bashir is an unlikely looking jihadist leader. But this frail, avuncular, 68-year- old cleric is accused of being the spiritual leader of the shadowy Jemaah Islamiya terror network. And now, he's free again to radicalize young men, to carry out attacks like this.

The devastating Bali bombings in 2002 is Jemaah Islamiya's most spectacular and deadly attack, incinerating a packed bar of Westerners on the holiday island of Bali that left 202 people dead and 300 injured. Many were Australian. This has been likened to their September 11th. It put J.I. on the map as a major terrorist force in the region, and Bashir became a wanted man.

But prosecutors couldn't find direct evidence linking him to the attack. They tried to charge him with treason, but he was acquitted in 2003. The only charges which stuck were minor immigration offenses. But J.I.'s violent bombing campaign had continued during his trial with this attack on the Marriott Hotel in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.

In early 2004, Bashir's supporters clashed with the police on news the cleric had been rearrested. He was tried for the Marriott bombing and was acquitted. But the police did finally put him behind bars for his part in the Bali bombing conspiracy.

Like al Qaeda, Jemaah Islamiya has operated secret terror training camps, instructing young men in the art of combat, kidnapping and bombmaking. Bashir has always denied running these. His critics, though, says he provides the religious justification for these men to kill in the name of Islam.

(on camera): So after just a couple of years in prison, Abu Bakar Bashir is free to preach once again at his school. He wants to create a panregional Islamic state uniting more than 420 million Muslims across Southeast Asia. It's a cause for which Jemaah Islamiya is prepared to bomb and kill innocent people.

Dan Rivers, CNN, Maruki, Indonesia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Back here in Tennessee, a not guilty plea from a preacher's video. Mary Winkler is accused of murdering her husband Matthew three months ago at the church parsonage in the town of Selmer. Winkler said little in her brief arraignment this morning.

Her lawyers asked that she be released on bond, a motion that will be heard June 30th. Her trial has been set for the end of October. No one has introduced a motive, though one of her attorneys tells CNN postpartum depression may have been involved.

We're going to look closer at what Mary Winkler may have been going through. Stress isn't unique to spouses of ministers -- straight ahead on LIVE FROM.

Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Oh, with deepest apologies to George Gershwin, summertime and the saltin' ain't easy. Anyone who's ever lived in the south or lived near water knows that.

Why? Well, table salt molecules are cube-shaped, and all those flat surfaces tend to stick together, especially when humidity rises. But researchers in India say they figured out how to mass produce salt that's been washed with a certain amino acid.

The process puffs salt square crystals into rounder, 12-sided crystals called -- you ready for this -- rhomboid dodecahedrons. Say that three times -- dodecahedrons. More like a soccer ball than an A block, huh? So it's more likely to go with the flow and still taste exactly the same.

It hasn't exactly been a positive atmosphere recently for a big Wall Street debut, but one company took the plunge today anyway.

Susan Lisovicz live from the New York Stock Exchange with that story.

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, will a daring flight to Baghdad put some wind under the wings of President Bush? CNN's John Roberts gauges the political mileage from the long distance, high-drama mission when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

PHILLIPS: Well, married to a minister. A life full of promise and pressures that only another minister's wife or husband can understand. People in Selmer, Tennessee, want to understand. Mary Winkler is in jail there, accused of killing her preacher husband. Police say she's confessed, but they haven't released a motive. And in court this morning, she pleaded not guilty to murder.

Well, my next guest says Winkler herself may not understand what happened. Nancy Burgess has been a minister's wife for 36 years. A few years ago, she founded a support group for ministers' wives. She's on the go today in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Good to see you again, Nancy. And you're actually at a convention there, is that right?

NANCY BURGESS, HEART AND SOUL CONNECTION: I am, Kyra. I'm at the Southern Baptist Convention, working with ministry families.

PHILLIPS: Well, I'm curious. Are there a lot of people talking about the Mary Winkler case and about this woman?

BURGESS: Not a whole lot of people talking about her. I have heard some people mention the case. And everybody's still asking why did she do it?

PHILLIPS: Well, and I know you have tried to see her. You have wanted to talk to her. Why -- you haven't been able to meet with her, right?

BURGESS: Not yet. Not yet.

PHILLIPS: Why do you want to see her?

BURGESS: I just think I would like to just talk to her and let her know that somebody understands the pressures that she was under. Not I'm not saying she did something that was good or right, because what she did was a very awful thing. But I just believe there were things going on in her life, Kyra, that caused her to do something this bad.

PHILLIPS: Well, let's talk about that. Because you have gone through a number of very stressful situations being a pastor's wife. You have even contemplated suicide.

BURGESS: Yes.

PHILLIPS: What is it -- why are you feeling compassion with her? What are the pressures? What is it about pastor's wife that is different than another type of marriage?

BURGESS: I think that's a great question. I think that some of our pressures are -- there are many secrets that can be going on in our home because we're afraid many times to express those to somebody else because we can negatively affect our husband's job. We might even be able to cause him to lose his job if they perceive us of having a weakness or trouble of any sort or stress in our homes. So I think that many minister's wife put up a mask. Many ministers do the same thing.

And so that's a very unique stressor and because of that kind of situation, many times they feel lonely, they feel discouraged, they feel isolated. And they feel like they have to hurt alone. And that's not good. And in this type of life, there's a constant give out. Give, give, give, give.

And there's a term that was coined I think maybe even -- it was probably coined before that, but during the Oklahoma City bombing. "Compassion fatigue" for those that would go in and care for people that had gone through that great devastation, or go into New Orleans and give, give, give without replenishing. Well, that's the life of a minister's family. It's a constant give out. And unless ministry families are taking time to replenish and rest -- and many don't feel like they can.

PHILLIPS: There's been talk that this is possibly post-partum. Also there's talk out there about him. Was he doing something to her, something to the kids? Was there a secret? Like you mentioned, there are many secrets at times that she just could not deal with or confront. There is a certain expectation that people have of a minister. I mean, you look at him or her and you say, they're not supposed to do anything wrong.

BURGESS: Right, exactly.

PHILLIPS: So...

BURGESS: And that's a unique pressure in itself. Because we think that we have to be perfect, too, and we know we're not.

PHILLIPS: Why did you consider suicide?

BURGESS: I got overwhelmed and I could not do everything that I thought that I should be doing. And I felt like my husband could have a better life, that she would probably be a better minister's wife than me because I didn't play the piano and I didn't sing and I didn't do all those things that I thought a good minister's wife would do. In fact, I've talked to many ministers wives and they'll tell you if they think they fit the mold of a minister's wife, and most of them tell you no. We're just as surprised as anybody else that we're ministers' wives.

But they start feeling that pressure to be something sometimes that they feel like they can't live up to. And that's the way I felt. I was overwhelmed. I couldn't do everything right. And I felt like my child could have a better mother than me. And that's stinking thinking. But that's where I was.

PHILLIPS: If, indeed, it's post-partum, if it turns out that that's the case, have you had to counsel any other ministers' wives or anybody who's in the congregation on this? And how do you approach that?

BURGESS: Well, there was a minister's wife that came to me a couple of years ago. And I had spoken at her church, just to a woman's group. And because I was a minister's wife and shared part of my story of wanting to take my life, she felt like I was safe all of a sudden, that she could tell me her secret.

And her secret was that she was struggling so with post-partum depression from her fourth child. And her comment to me that night was if I don't get some help, I'm going to be one of these ladies that you see on television that's killed all of her children and then turns the gun on herself and kills herself. And she said I've tried to get doctors to help me. I can't get in for two to three months. And I need help now. And so we were able to get her help immediately and she is doing so great now.

But I'm telling you, this is a real problem. If it is indeed post-partum depression, it is something that is not to be toyed with. And you're not -- if you'll understand the expression, you're not in your right mind, truly, when you are going through that kind of thing. And I've learned that there's three different types of post-partum. There's the baby blues, then there's regular post-partum, and then there's a psychosis that can come. So it could be something like that.

PHILLIPS: We're going to wait and see if, indeed, we do find out about a motive. Nancy Burgess, we always appreciate your insight on this.

BURGESS: Thank you so much.

PHILLIPS: I know you're following the case. So are we. Thank you.

BURGESS: Thank you, Kyra.

Well, straight ahead, FEMA fraud. Money marked for Katrina relief spent on luxury vacations, strip clubs, even a divorce lawyer. One billion dollars down the drain. I'll speak with the top Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee. Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Billions of your dollars went to help ease the misery after Hurricane Katrina, so you will be sorry to learn a big chunk of that money was lost to fraud, for instance, the FEMA-issued debit card someone used to buy "Girls Gone Wild" videos California, or $200 champagne in Texas, or an all-inclusive, week-long Caribbean vacation.

Joining me from Capitol Hill, Congressman Bennie Thompson, ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, which oversees FEMA. So, I'm curious, Congressman, when you found out where this money had gone, what was your first reaction?

REP. BENNIE THOMPSON (D), MISSISSIPPI: Well, I was absolutely shocked that taxpayers' money could be spent for these items, especially when the money was designed to deal with disaster response and recovery.

PHILLIPS: Just looking at the amount of money and where exactly this went with regard to conning FEMA, $20,000 went to a Louisiana prisoner, $1,000 to a divorce lawyer, $600 to a strip club -- and then it just keeps going -- $400 adult erotica products, $200 dollars of champagne at Hooters, $300 "Girls Gone Wild" video.

I mean, the list goes on. How did it happen? Where was the gap and how were individuals able to get their hands on these cards, on this money, and just continue to spend like that?

THOMPSON: Well, I think FEMA failed a test. They did not have the systems in place to pick up residents, or they did not have systems in place to do inspections, to verify authenticate addresses, so basically the system was ripe to be gained and once the word got out that FEMA could not guarantee any of those securities, people took advantage of it.

I'm shocked at it, because we had contracts in place that should have picked up these things and FEMA, for whatever reason, failed to do that.

PHILLIPS: One family that came to mind when we heard about this story, we focused on the Reynolds family in southeast Texas. I just want to tell you about them. The Reynolds family -- Mrs. Reynolds, she is legally blind. She takes care of her brother who is in a coma. They still have holes in their homes, their ceiling is falling in, they've got rodents and snakes coming in.

I think about a family like this, I think about all this money went to waste, and I guess I want to ask you, will any of this money get returned? Will any of these individuals be held accountable, because there are records that show who got these credit cards and when they spent the money.

THOMPSON: Well, I think, at this point, we were told in a hearing today that there are over 7,000 of these incidents right now that have been turned over. But, you know, this is just a drop in the bucket compared to the broader issue of contracting under Katrina situations.

We have over $900 million in trailers sitting in Hope, Arkansas, that we bought with nowhere to go. We have blue tarps being paid for at a rate that we could put shingles on a house rather than a temporary facility. So we have a number of instances of waste, fraud and abuse, not just in individual assistance, but also in some of the other programs with FEMA.

PHILLIPS: Will anybody be held accountable?

THOMPSON: Well, absolutely. It was unfortunate in today's hearing we had -- we could not get the FEMA director, nor the secretary of Homeland Security to come before the committee. They sent a regular employee and, so to speak, they threw her under the bus when those gentlemen should be accountable for the missteps taken during Katrina.

PHILLIPS: So Chertoff nor Paulison showed up, knowing that there was a billion dollars lost within fraud and errors. Neither one of those individuals showed up?

THOMPSON: That's correct. They were invited and refused to come.

PHILLIPS: I do have a quote from FEMA. Aaron Walker, the representative there, said, "FEMA's highest priority during a disaster is to get help quickly to those in desperate need. Even as we put victims first, we take seriously our responsibility to be outstanding stewards of taxpayer dollars."

OK, we're hearing -- you are now telling me Chertoff and Paulison didn't even show up to this hearing. We are getting a reaction from FEMA saying, look, we tried to do our best but I guess a lot of people are still sitting back saying that's a billion dollars down the tubes. There are a lot of people suffering. What can you tell me right now that can help fix this?

THOMPSON: Well, they tried to put a good face on it today by saying that the next catastrophe will be better, but they couldn't tell us exactly what they have done to do that. They only have about 20 percent of the staff needed to process the work. They have some 36 people in place to do contracting when all reports say they need over 100.

So there are still systems that are not in place, and I don't have the confidence at this point with our leadership that it is either leadership or the resources or the lack of as a reason we're not getting anything done.

PHILLIPS: Finally, do you have a list? Can you give me one or two examples of exact mechanisms that you are proposing to discourage fraud or any type of safeguards that, Congressman, you can actually go to FEMA and say, look, get this in place right now?

THOMPSON: Well, you know, if we can Google an address on the Internet and you can pinpoint that address, that's a simple system that we could contract out with any number of entities in the country that could verify addresses instantly. So to give and send checks to cemeteries, to send checks to prisoners, all of those things would be avoided by putting that contract in place.

PHILLIPS: Congressman Bennie Thompson, thank you so much for your time. We're going to keep track of this, and let us know what kind of developments arise.

THOMPSON: Thank you.

PHILLIPS: Appreciate it.

You can read more about that audit of post-Katrina spending and get updates on the progress of New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast. Just go to CNN.com/katrina.

Well, straight ahead, entertainment news with A.J. Hammer of "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT." Hey, A.J.

A.J. HAMMER, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": Hey there, Kyra.

Well, a legendary comedian had a heart attack over the weekend. I'll give you an update on his condition.

And the two kids who met on a bus a dozen years ago reunite at the lake house. I'll have all the details when LIVE FROM continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, we're just getting in new video from the White House of President Bush meeting with cabinet members. Let's listen in.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I want to thank a distinguished group of Americans led by Jim Baker and Lee Hamilton for your willingness to look at the way forward in Iraq and provide to advice to the administration, to the Congress, and to the American people about the proper strategies and tactics to achieve success.

Iraq's a complex situation. It is vital that we succeed. And the fact that you are willing to lend your expertise to help chart the way forward means a lot. And I can't thank you enough. We've got Republicans at the table. We've got Democrats at the table. We've got people who have served in the administration, administration's past, court system, legislative branch and you bring a lot of expertise and a lot of knowledge.

And the fact that you're willing to lend your expertise and knowledge to help our country means a lot. Once again you have been called to serve and once again you are serving and we thank you for that a lot. Appreciate it very much.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Head straight to Carol Lin, she's watching a developing story out of North Carolina -- Carol.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Kyra, we've just gotten some fresh pictures in from around the Raleigh area, North Carolina. More than five inches of rain have fallen because of Tropical Storm Alberto. Look at that situation. People are walking in water around Raleigh. A local mall was evacuated, the Crabtree Valley Mall, which is right next to a creek bed. And according to officials out there the creeks and the drainage ditches simply cannot handle the excess water.

Now this is a situation around the city. So along the coast, there are gale force wind warnings being issued. Brunswick County emergency services director Randy Thompson has been saying that "Look, anytime you have a nuclear power plant in a large munitions depot in your coastal community, any roadways that are flooded are a potential concern." It weighs heavily on their minds because they want to make sure that people have an evacuation pattern.

But hearing from Jacqui Jeras earlier, Kyra, she says that the rain may be dying down towards tonight, but this is a situation. In fact, Jacqui's over there at the CNN Weather Center. Jacqui, taking a look at these pictures, I mean it looks like there are lakes forming right in the middle of roadways.

JERAS: Well that's from the creek, yes, spilling out across the road there. The creek is at 22.2 feet. That's Crabtree Creek. And flood stage is at 18, so it's well over that. As you mentioned that rain coming to an end. In fact, I think that rain's going to stop all together probably as early as even 15 minutes from now. So that's some good news, so it won't continue to aggravate the situation.

(WEATHER REPORT)

LIN: All right, thanks very much, Jacqui. So Kyra, that's the situation around Raleigh, North Carolina. Very wet, getting deeper in some parts, but hopefully the rain's going to stop shortly.

PHILLIPS: All right, we'll follow it, thanks Carol. Thanks, Jacqui. Well a health crisis puts a comic legend's comeback on hold. Let's check with "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT'S" A.J. Hammer for the latest on that. Hey, A.J.

HAMMER: Hey, Kyra. A health crisis indeed, but good news to report. Legend Jerry Lewis is doing great after suffering a heart attack on Sunday. Now the comedian was flying back from New York to San Diego when he felt ill. He sought immediate medical attention and now the 80-year-old was diagnosed with a touch of pneumonia, as well.

Lewis is expected to make a full recovery. He's scheduled to be released from the hospital early next week. The funny man was supposed to perform at the Orleans Casino in Las Vegas for several days in mid-July. Those shows have been postponed at this point. And all of this happened right after he announced a comeback of sorts.

Jerry Lewis hasn't performed live since 2000. He has recently struggled with pulmonary fibrosis. That's a crippling lung ailment that has added 60 pounds to his once agile frame. We of course wish him a speedy recovery and we're looking forward to seeing him at the end of the summer as always, hosting the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon on Labor Day.

Well it's now been a dozen years since Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves sped into theaters in the film "Speed." And now they are buckling down in the romantic drama, "The Lake House."

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SANDRA BULLOCK, ACTRESS: Like a good book, you're able to feel and get lost in this world. And I think that's what the writer and the director did with this. They wrote a film that allowed you to be pulled in and say what I would do in this situation rather than us telling you.

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HAMMER: Last night Bullock and Reeves shared the red carpet in Los Angeles for the premiere of their new love story. Now this is what some might call a chick flick. Not me, but that's what some people call it. "The Lake House" tells the story of Alex and Kate, two people who reside at the same magical house two years apart, but they manage to transcend time and fall in love.

Kyra, "The Lake House" opens up on Friday. I just can't use the word chick flick because my sister raised me as somewhat of a feminist, I guess, and if I said chick on national television from me, she wouldn't think kindly of it.

PHILLIPS: And besides, men just don't like to show that sensitive side. You know, there are a lot of guys who would like to see that movie, they just don't want to admit it.

HAMMER: Ah, well some of us will admit it. Well here's what's coming up on "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT" tonight, Kyra. A network news anchor makes a triumphant return after being nearly killed in Iraq. It was great to see him back in the news room, but now the battlefield is happening in his news room. Some of the biggest news in T.V. news are threatening to quit. So we're wondering what's going on over at ABC. You'll find out the secrets behind the scenes tonight on T.V.'s most provocative entertainment news show. It's of course, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT," 11 p.m. Eastern on CNN Headline Prime.

PHILLIPS: We'll be watching. Thanks, A.J.

HAMMER: All right, Kyra, see you later.

PHILLIPS: Well you can run, but you just can't hide from the Virginia watchdog.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would I have driven to Miami Dade to get Jeb Bush's? No.

JEB BUSH, GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA: This meeting was a very productive one.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Did she say Jeb Bush? Yes, the president's brother. To prove her point, she has gone on celebrity style identity hunts. The governor of Florida's Social Security number posted along with other Floridians.

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PHILLIPS: You'll be surprised at how simple it is for someone to steal your personal info. Drew Griffin investigates, coming up on LIVE FROM.

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