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Motel Explosion in Bremen, Georgia; Insurgents Released From Abu Ghraib?; Hurricane Hunters

Aired June 27, 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: Top of the hour now. Live pictures from our affiliate KRIV out of Houston. A train derailment, a freight train derailment just northeast of Houston.
We're just getting these pictures in. As you can see, crews haven't even arrived at the scene yet. You can see that people around that area have just kind of been working their way over to the scene.

Don't have any details on what caused this derailment. We're working details on this right now. As soon as we get them, we'll bring them to you, but it looks like the freight train was carrying some type of solvent of some type. But we'll follow up, let you know as we get more information.

Well, a powerful blast and huge damage, and a two-story motel now in ruins in northern Georgia. At least one person is unaccounted for.

CNN's David Mattingly is at the scene near the Alabama line.

Not quite sure how to pronounce that city, if it's Bremen or Bremen, David. I don't want to get it wrong. But any word to what caused the explosion in this area?

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is the town of Bremen, and what we have right now is only what the people who were inside the building at the time are telling us. We don't have an official cause on this blast, but people who were in the building, guests at the hotel are telling us about 8:30 this morning they heard a loud boom, the lights went out, they thought the place might have been hit by lightning, but when they walked out their doors, they realized that was not the case.

They saw smoke, they saw flames. They saw that the back end of the building, a wall portion on the back side of the building, had been blown out and that a roof over that large portion of that end of the building had collapsed, as well.

Everyone evacuated the building, the fire continued to grow. But at this hour I can tell you that there is very little smoke and steam coming up out of the building, suggesting that firefighters have done their job and have knocked those flames down and gotten rid of the hot spots that they were working on earlier today.

That means they will be able to go in there with special equipment to look for the cause and, most important, Kyra, to look for someone who might still be inside in that wreckage. They were able to account for everyone who was inside the hotel, except for one hotel employee. And that person, they believe, could still be inside. They have a search and rescue team from Atlanta here to go in as soon as they're able to try and find this employee inside the ruins -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. David Mattingly, thanks so much. We'll keep checking in with you.

And it was a rough day on the job in Brooklyn, but two construction workers are safe now thanks to a lot of helping hands. The men were pulled from wet cement at a construction site where they were trapped after some sort of collapse. No word on their condition, but they were said to be alert during that rescue. Sixty fire department units responded, along with the paramedics.

Another 450 Iraqi prisoners are free. It's the latest mass release from Abu Ghraib. Part of the new Iraqi government's national reconciliation plan.

Our Nic Robertson was there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As the prisoners wait for their release, they get a lecture from the other side of the barbed wire on reconciliation, delivered by the country's national security adviser, Mowaffak al-Rubaie.

"Your release is real," he explains. "It's not a political game or propaganda. We need to unite Iraq and condemn violence."

Polite applause. Then, as al-Rubaie tries to leave, prisoners appeal for all detainees to be released. Minutes later, the prison gates open. Among the 450 men on their way to freedom, none with American blood on their hands, according to al-Rubaie.

MOWAFFAK AL-RUBAIE, IRAQI NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: All these were detained on a security basis. And none of them have been incriminated or convicted of killing Iraqis or Americans or Brits or any of the coalition or Iraqi security forces, or Iraqi civilians, for that matter.

"Eighteen months I was detained," complains Aziz al-Nuwami (ph), a Sunni from Falluja, "and they only investigated me once." He shows me his U.S. military charge sheet. It says he made car bombs.

(on camera): And it says you test positive for explosives. Had you been handling explosives?

(voice over): He denies the charge but adds he fears that just because he's a Sunni from Falluja he will be arrested again.

(on camera): And this is -- this is where the camera was in the telephone?

(voice over): Twenty-three-year-old Jawad Musad (ph) shows me his cell phone case. He says he was detained for having a camera cell phone, held for seven months, accused of photographing U.S. troops. But like everyone else being released, says he is innocent. From behind the wire, others still being released say they, too, are innocent.

"If the government is really sincere," he says, "they will release all prisoners. Then there is a chance of reconciliation."

AL-RUBAIE: Of course, there is a remote possibility that one in a thousand and one in 10,000 might be going back and do something wrong. But this is a risk we have to take.

ROBERTSON: Already the government says it is getting positive signals from intermediaries. Their reconciliation amnesty is working.

(on camera): This is the sixth of seven prisoner releases planned for the month of June. In total, about 2,500 detainees are expected to be released.

(voice over): Officials say they plan to let still more go, but won't say yet how many or whom.

Nic Robertson, CNN, Abu Ghraib jail, Iraq.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And a new trial awaits Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi high tribunal says that the ex-Iraqi dictator and six co-defendants will stand trial August 21st on genocide charges. Those arising from the killing of an estimated 100,000 Iraqi Kurds in the 1980s. Among the co-defendants is Hussein's cousin, the former general known as "Chemical Ali." Hussein is on trial now in the killings of the Shiite Muslims in a town where an attempt was made on his life in 1982.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban is keeping up attacks on government and coalition forces, and vice versa. Four Afghan and two British soldiers were killed today in separate attacks to which coalition and Afghan troops have responded with raids on Taliban compounds. Twenty- nine militants have been killed in the last two days.

The U.S. wants Pakistan and Afghanistan to join forces, better than they are now. Secretary of State Rice is in Pakistan today meeting with President Pervez Musharraf. He's been brushed off -- or he's brushed off, rather, Afghan criticism that Taliban forces used Pakistan as a hideout and staging area. Rice travels to Afghanistan tomorrow to meet with President Hamid Karzai.

This side of the story is not often heard. Once a trusted priest, now a convicted child molester. He confesses it all in a new documentary, straight ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, in small-town Clinton, Missouri, today shock and sadness. The 32-year-old leader of the local Elks Club is dead, killed when a building collapsed last night. Nine others were trapped and waited hours to be rescued. The collapse happened as the men were eating dinner on the second floor of that building. The trapped victims say that the third floor came crashing down. One man who was rescued says it could have been worse. He shared his thoughts earlier today on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DON EATON, SURVIVED BUILDING COLLAPSE: The community is just -- has really rallied around this. And we're just a few days short of what we call our Old Glory Day celebration, which is a three-day thing where the whole downtown square basically is converted into a large carnival, with singing acts from, you know, different genres here.

It's just a wonderful period. And we're so blessed and so happy that in three days there -- there would very easily be 200 to 300 hundred people in there instead of 45 or 50, including a lot of small children. And so, we're so blessed that if this was going to happen, it happened tonight.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, hills on fire in Nevada. These pictures coming to us from KTVN.

Firefighters thought that they had the upper hand on wildfires burning across the state until last night, when lightning sparked a half-dozen new fires around Reno and Carson City. Homes and businesses have been evacuated, but so far none has burned and no one has been hurt. About a thousand firefighters are on that battle line.

Stranded in Grand Canyon? Well, it's quite a view. Hundreds of visitors and workers are at the north rim now, where a wildfire has jumped the only paved road in or out of there. Until the all-clear is sounded, they're keeping watch from their lodges and hotels.

About 200 people have already made it out. That happened last night on a rarely-used dirt road.

And then to the south, near Sedona, evacuees are headed home. A fire that has burned for more than a week is no longer considered a threat to homes and businesses there. It's about 65 percent contained. Firefighters say they should have it all corralled by tomorrow.

Now, later on LIVE FROM, I'll speak to the spokeswoman for the National Park Service about how they're evacuating vacationers from one of America's favorite parks.

Well, soggy is the word for much of the Mid-Atlantic. In between downpours, crews are pumping water from the basements of federal buildings around D.C. Several museums are still closed. At least the streets there are passable, unlike the part of Maryland -- this part of Maryland, actually.

Here's the view of a bridge in Bowie just before and after the floodgates were opened. People in low-lying areas have been moved and in some cases had to be rescued out of there.

So could it be Beryl? A storm off the coast of North Carolina has caught the eye of the National Hurricane Center. It may or may not develop into a tropical depression. It all depends on what hurricane hunters find as they fly into the storm.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. LANCE AHSLAND: They're out there looking for a closed circulation, which, you know, that's what it will take before anything will develop. And when they get there, they'll be flying 500 to 1,000 feet above the surface looking for that closed circulation. And then at that point, it could become a depression.

That's up to the hurricane center. They're obvious the one voice with any of that information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Well, the storms that they're tracking are 140 miles south of Cape Fear.

So what's the latest from the hurricane center and when's the rain going to let up? Our meteorologist, Bonnie Schneider, says it depends. She's in our weather center.

Hey, Bonnie.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's the safe answer. Right, Kyra.

I actually just got off the phone with the hurricane center, I spoke to Michelle Minelli (ph), who's a hurricane specialist. She's been in constant contact with the plane that has now been passing over the storm at different altitudes. And to get a better idea, they actually go into different quadrants of this disturbed area of weather to look for that closed circulation.

You may be wondering, what does that mean? Well, picture a complete circle. That's what they're looking for with the winds, a circle forming, and eventually the tropical depression could grow stronger and eventually become a tropical storm. But here's the latest information for you.

So far, the mission is not yet complete, but so far they have not found that closed low of circulation, that closed area. So, right now, it's an area of organized or disorganized, I should say, thunderstorms, heavy rain that will be moving across the Carolinas up towards Virginia and to areas that don't need it. But at this time, maximum winds at the surface have been 25 miles for hour.

But once again, the mission is not complete. This is just some preliminary information we are getting for you as it comes in.

And looking at our satellite perspective, you can see the low that pushed off the coast of Florida overnight, then all of a sudden it came over this warm water. Remember, the water temperature is 80 degrees. And you can see that by the areas here in orange and red, indicating some very high cloud tops.

Thunderstorms fired up, and that is why the mission was sent out there to investigate. But what's happening is it's a fast-moving system that will dump more heavy rain to an area that doesn't need it. Whether it's a depression or not, we're looking at localized heavy amounts of rain, possibly up to another three inches.

At this hour we're seeing the rain kind of training along straight up from south to north, just like we did yesterday across much of Virginia, Maryland, and up towards Pennsylvania as well. And some of this into Pittsburgh has been extremely heavy since earlier this morning.

So, as we look towards the future and what we can expect with all this heavy rain, we'll take a look at our future cast.

The next 48 hours will bring more rain. Whether or not this is a depression, it certainly is going to enhance the rainfall for Washington, Richmond, Norfolk and Raleigh, and further up to the north into York, Pennsylvania, up towards the Scranton area. We're looking at heavy rain, as well. Anywhere you see in white, that indicates where we could see up to another two to three inches of rain.

Also want to mention what is happening out in the West. We were showing you some pictures earlier of the wildfires that are burning. Some of the newer fires were ignited by lightning. And that is the problem you when you get these thunderstorms across much of the desert Southwest. They can bring lighting strikes that ignite fires, gusty winds that spread about the flames, and any of the burnt debris, and that ignites fires even further.

It does bring some rain, and that could be beneficial. But the main thing to note right now, it is still very hot in the Southwest. Las Vegas at 99 and Phoenix 99, as well.

Back to you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Bonnie. Thank you so much.

Well, he was an abusive priest who preyed on children in California for two decades. Now his story, as told in his own words, is the subject of a documentary debuting at this week's Los Angeles Film Festival. The film is a disturbing view of abuse through the eyes of the abuser, former priest Oliver O'Grady.

Investigative correspondent Drew Griffin joins us now.

Of course, I have lots of questions, but maybe we should talk about the piece first and what you've worked on for tonight.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN INVESTIGATIVE CORRESPONDENT: You know, to so many of the children in California, his victims, he was known as Father Ollie (ph). Well, now former Father Oliver O'Grady in this very disturbing film, as Kyra said, is trying to apologize to all his victims, though he admits he can't even remember them all.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: (voice-over): The film is not just a horrific story, but also the confession of former Priest Oliver O'Grady.

OLIVER O'GRADY, FMR. PRIEST: I want to promise myself that this is going to be the most honest confession of my life. And in doing that, I need to make the long journey backwards, to understand what I did, to acknowledge that, in some way to make reparation for.

GRIFFIN: In "Deliver Us From Evil," filmmaker and former CNN freelance producer Amy Burke travels to Ireland and is granted unlimited access to this convicted child molester, who for nearly two decades was shuttled from parish to parish in northern California's Catholic Church. And during those decades, O'Grady claims in this film the church knew about the abuse and did little to stop it.

O'GRADY: Basically what I want to say it should not have happened. Should not have happened.

GRIFFIN: The story tracks the lives, then and now...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I need to acknowledge to you face-to-face that I have molested you sexually.

GRIFFIN: ... of O'Grady's child victims, their formerly trusted parents and the church hierarchy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was so excited to meet somebody from home.

GRIFFIN: Maria and Bob Jyono welcomed Father O'Grady in their home when the priest was new to California. Their daughter, Ann, was only five.

O'GRADY: Little Ann was one of the first people I met there.

GRIFFIN: Throughout the film, O'Grady deflects blame from himself, points blame at others for allowing him to abuse. He blames the church for not stopping him. He even blames the parents, like the Jyonos, for allowing him so close to their daughter.

O'GRADY: I was often invited to sleep over there, and that's when some of the problems began, in Ann's situation.

GRIFFIN: The Jyonos would learn only years later, after their beloved priest was arrested, that their daughter Ann may have been his first victim.

BOB JYONO, DAUGHTER ABUSED BY PRIEST: He had the Bible in his hand and said morning prayers, said good morning all.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And would be in there at nighttime molesting Ann. JYONO: During the night, he's molesting my daughter, raping her, not molesting her, raping her! At five years old! God sakes! How can that happen? But that's what he did.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: Oliver O'Grady was eventually convicted in 1993. He served seven years in a California prison, was then deported back to Ireland. Well, most disturbing of all, he now lives a free man, able to wander the streets of Dublin, Ireland.

PHILLIPS: So, are authorities there tracking him?

GRIFFIN: Apparently, he got in prior to Ireland enacting any kind of sexual registration for offenders or anything like that. So, authorities really do not have any official capacity to track him at this time.

PHILLIPS: Well, you would -- do they realize what he has done, what he was convicted of? Are they aware?

GRIFFIN: There have been some communications between the filmmaker and authorities, but they are really learning for the first time from this documentary the past of Oliver O'Grady.

PHILLIPS: So no one really knows if he has reoffended in Ireland?

GRIFFIN: Right. And tonight, in some very disturbing scenes we're going to show on "PAULA ZAHN NOW," you will see this person, this Oliver O'Grady, actually peering over the fences of playgrounds and walking down the street with children next to him. He is completely free.

PHILLIPS: So, he was tracked with cameras. Tracked by undercover cameras?

GRIFFIN: No, no, he was perfectly happy...

PHILLIPS: He had no problem...

GRIFFIN: ... to have the filmmakers follow him around.

PHILLIPS: How -- do we even know how many kids that he molested?

GRIFFIN: He doesn't seem to know. But there are at least a dozen or more cases that have been either filed through civil lawsuits, or in the case of his guilty pleas, there were two boys. And the ages of these victims, whether they're girls or boys, they range anywhere from -- from toddlers, really, up until the teen, preteen.

PHILLIPS: All right. We'll look for more on "PAULA ZAHN NOW" tonight, 8:00 Eastern.

GRIFFIN: Eight o'clock. PHILLIPS: Thanks, Drew.

Well, an Internet guru shot in a parking garage, a multimillion- dollar fortune, and five in line to inherit it. But this mystery is hardly elementary, my dear. Prosecutors say you won't even believe the plot twist.

That's ahead on LIVE FROM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, the stakes are high. Some say the risks are, too. But the crew is ready.

The seven crew members of Space Shuttle Discovery arrived this morning at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Discovery is scheduled to lift off Saturday afternoon, even though two top officials argued against it for safety reasons. The astronauts are counting the minutes.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE LINDSEY, SHUTTLE COMMANDER: We're really excited to be here, ready to go do this for real. We've been training for a long time, we're as prepared as we're going to be. We're ready to go.

The vehicle is ready. I talked to Jim Keddy (ph) this morning. The vehicle is looking real good and everything is looking go. So, weather permitting, which I'm pretty confident in, we're going to be airborne on July 1st.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And join CNN for live coverage of the liftoff of the Shuttle Discovery scheduled for 3:49 p.m. Eastern Saturday.

An important measure of financial stress suggests that the American consumer is getting squeezed and has a limited cushion to deal with the rising expenses.

Susan Lisovicz live from the New York Stock Exchange to explain.

Hey, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.

They are the dreaded credit card delinquencies. And late payments on credit cards rose in the first three months of this year after declines in the previous two quarters. According to the American Bankers Association, the percentage of credit card payments 30 days or more past due rose to 4.4 percent, up significantly from the fourth quarter of last year.

There is some good news, though. Delinquencies on other types of loans, including home equity loans, fell in the first quarter. And, of course, it's one of the first things, Kyra, a personal expert finance will tell you is, get rid of your debt, pay off your credit cards. Revolving credit will kill you.

PHILLIPS: Well, what's the deal? Why are so many people falling behind on their credit card payments?

LISOVICZ: Because they are often the bills that go unpaid when other costs rise, Kyra. You know, you pay your rent because you want to stay in your home, you pay your utility bills, you want the lights on. So with credit cards, we see a close relationship between delinquencies on credit card payments and factors such as rising gas prices and interest rates. Gas prices, of course, went up during the first three months of this year, so that took a bite out of disposable income.

Americans also have a very low savings rate, which means they have a small cushion to deal with rising expenses. And less disposable income means less money to spend on optional items like clothes and electronics, which is bad news for the overall economy, because consumer spending accounts for two-thirds of economic growth.

And we often have to remind our viewers that credit card debt is often the most expensive kind for consumers. It can carry interest rates of 14 percent, 18 percent or higher. When you don't make your monthly payment, your total debt can increase quickly. You get into trouble -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. So, are the bulls spinning (ph) on Wall Street today?

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

PHILLIPS: And that's the latest from Wall Street.

Coming up next hour, new accusations that the government is failing to enforce food and drug regulations.

Stay tuned. LIVE FROM will be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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