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Power Companies Struggle to Keep Up With Demand; Castro's Health; Israeli Troops Push Deeper Into Hezbollah Territory

Aired August 02, 2006 - 15:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it's the top of the hour.
And, if you walk outside, it feels like you're in a blast furnace. It's that hot across a good third of the country. Power companies are struggling to keep up with demand, as people just try to stay cool.

Our senior correspondent, Allan Chernoff, on how folks in the baked Apple are coping.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Many New Yorkers are taking refuge from the heat wave at cooling centers, such as this one in Sunnyside, Queens, at the Sunnyside Senior Center.

New York City has about 380 of these locations. And with the air conditioning running, it's certainly much more pleasant than outside -- right now, the temperature about 82 degrees. Keep in mind, everything in life is relative. And that is about 16, 17 degrees cooler than outside. And then you can add the humidity outside. So, it feels like more than 100 degrees -- plenty of activities here as well for the seniors.

They're enjoying a lecture right now on healthful aging. But the main feature here certainly is the air conditioning, which is very welcome to seniors like Raymond Presario (ph).

Raymond (ph), you didn't have elevator service in your apartment building yesterday during the heat?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's right. That's correct.

CHERNOFF: So, you had to just climb up six flights?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. That's correct.

CHERNOFF: Doing OK here in the cooling center?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's why I came here, to cool off.

CHERNOFF: And it's doing just fine by you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very good.

CHERNOFF: Very well. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excellent.

CHERNOFF: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excellent.

CHERNOFF: Well, make sure you drink lots of fluids as well.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I sure do. Thank you.

Con Edison, the utility here in New York, says it's receiving record demand, because are running their air conditioners night and day. And the mayor is urging New Yorkers residents to conserve by using the air conditioners only when people are actually in their apartments, in their homes.

Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Often, people are overcome by heat before they know it -- a 15-year-old boy in Georgia collapses and dies after football practice -- a 75-year-old woman in Wisconsin found dead in her home, the air conditioner turned off to save money. And, in Boston, a pregnant woman collapses at the ballpark.

Heartbreaking story from reporter Kumi Tucker with CNN affiliate WNYT.

Apologize for that. We will bring you the proper piece or the story as soon as we get it racked up there. That was the wrong piece of video.

Well, Chris is in the Caribbean, and he's picking up steam. Could the tropical storm be the season's first hurricane?

Reynolds Wolf in the CNN Weather Center with more.

Hey, Reynolds.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, we are going to talk about Chris. We are also going to be talking about this -- this incredible heat we have been seeing in the Northeast.

And what's amazing is that, with all the -- the technology that we have, we're still at the mercy of Mother Nature, especially when it comes to all these -- this weather phenomenon, especially what we're dealing with in the Northeast.

Take a look at the temperatures that we have. This does not include the high humidity. These are just your current temperatures -- in Boston, 97 degrees, 96 in New York, Washington with 97, 95 in Philadelphia -- still warm in parts of just off the Great Lakes, into the Great Lakes, into the Ohio Valley, 80s and 90s for you.

Now, we are going to see improvements, in terms of those temperatures for the Northeast. Case in point, check out Boston, going from 100 degrees expected for a high today, back into the 80 for Thursday, into Friday, back to 77 degrees. It will warm up just a little bit into the weekend, but what a tremendous transition we're going to see, from the extreme heat to a big cooldown, as we get closer to the weekend.

In the short term, we may see some scattered showers in the Northeast, which would certainly help things cool down, and parts of New York, as well as other parts of the Northeast. We have a severe thunderstorm watch that will be in effect through the afternoon and into the early evening.

Now let's talk about Chris. We're talking about the tropics, Tropical Storm Chris, possibly the first named hurricane -- hurricane, rather, of the Atlantic season. At this point, it's north of the U.S. Virgin Islands, expected to make more of a northwesterly jog, as we make our way from Thursday morning, into Thursday evening, expected to intensify and become a Category 1 storm, that is with those maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour, increasing to at least 74, expected to reach that point, again, as I mentioned, by 8:00 p.m. Thursday, should be north of the Dominican Republic, to the north of Haiti, again, by 8:00 p.m. Friday.

However, what you really need to focus on is not that line, because these storms are not like -- it's not like a bowling ball going down a line -- a lane, where it's just a perfectly smooth path. These storms tend to wobble quite a bit. So, you have the cone of probability, which shows the storm could move farther to the north, or possibly more to the south.

At this point, Puerto Rico, back to the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands could anywhere from, say, two to four inches of rainfall, some places, even more. And with that, there's the potential for mudslides into Haiti, into the Dominican Republic. It is going to be a mess and something we need to watch very carefully -- back to you.

PHILLIPS: All right, Reynolds, thanks so much.

WOLF: You bet.

PHILLIPS: Want to get back now to that piece we were talking about in Boston, that pregnant woman who collapsed at the ballpark. It's a heartbreaking story.

And now Kumi Tucker with CNN affiliate WNYT gives us the details.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KUMI TUCKER, WNYT REPORTER (voice-over): Todd and Denise Quickenton of Schenectady, both avid Red Sox fans, went to the game at Fenway Park in Boston Saturday afternoon.

TODD QUICKENTON, HUSBAND: About the second inning, we just -- I turned to her and just said, wow, it's -- it's way too hot to be in the bleachers today, way too hot to be in the bleachers today. Let's get down out of the sun.

TUCKER: So, they moved. Denise was seven months pregnant.

QUICKENTON: I turned my head for one second. And, when I turned back, she was already cold and clammy and sweating, and sort of had her teeth clenched, with her tongue right there. So, she wasn't breathing.

TUCKER: Medical staff at Fenway rushed over. Denise's heart had stopped.

QUICKENTON: She knew and through the whole thing that it's going to come down to either him or her. And she chose him.

TUCKER: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston saved her son, born two months premature. Maxwell Gregory Quickenton was 17 inches long, weighing three pounds, 15 ounces. His father says Maxwell is well and doing well in the hospital in Boston, soon to be transferred to Albany Med.

Todd wants to thank the people of Boston, the staff at Fenway and at Beth Israel Deaconess.

Denise Robairs (ph) Quickenton was 29 years old.

QUICKENTON: I'm hurt, but it's -- I have to kind of redirect it, because I have got -- I miss her terribly. I mean, she was my heart. But I have someone to take care of that needs me to be strong. So, that's what you do.

TUCKER: Kumi Tucker, CNN, Schenectady, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, the military is close to wrapping up its investigation into last year's death of 24 civilians in Haditha, Iraq.

Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr just attended a Pentagon briefing. She joins us live with more -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, what appears to have happened now is, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which was conducting the criminal probe into this matter, has essentially wrapped up its work.

This is all, of course, about that very tragic incident and very not well understood incident yet. Last November, when 24 Iraqis died in Haditha, Iraq, the initial incident was reported by the Marines that a number of Iraqis died in a roadside blast. But, very quickly, it was learned that many of these Iraqis died in houses, suffering close-range gunshot wounds, after the Marines came through there on a mission -- a very controversial matter, has been under investigation for some time, both the alleged cover-up and the possibility of criminal activity, criminal misconduct by Marines in all of this.

Now that the criminal investigation is over, it is being turned over to prosecutors. Military prosecutors will look at it, decide on charges. And, according to all the sources we have spoken to, it is expected that a number of Marines in this matter will face criminal charges, still to be announced, of course.

But there is another wrinkle. Representative John Murtha, Congressman John Murtha, some weeks ago, had made a number of public statements about all of this that, now, one of the staff sergeants involved -- alleged to be involved -- facing the possibility of charges has filed suit against Congressman Murtha, saying that his, the Marine's character, was defamed in all of this.

It's another wrinkle in the case. But, still, it does seem now it is on a track where it is most likely criminal charges will be filed against some of the Marines involved in this matter -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Barbara Starr from the Pentagon, thanks.

So, what's going on with Fidel Castro? "Well, I'm stable, and that's all anyone needs to know." That's the Cliff Notes version of the latest statement from ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

So, how is this information -- or lack thereof -- affecting Castro's is countrymen?

CNN's Morgan Neill has the latest from Havana.

Morgan Neill, my guess is, you're still not getting a lot to work with.

MORGAN NEILL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're not getting a lot from the government in terms of anything new.

The latest we heard was, Tuesday afternoon, a message from President Fidel Castro read on state television, saying that his condition was stable, that he is in good humor, and that the country is well defended.

Now, this came after Monday's initial announcement that, for the first time in 47 years, President Fidel Castro was giving over power, at least temporarily, to his brother, 75-year-old Raul Castro.

Now, how is this being accepted in the streets? Well, we have just been out here very -- very near the bureau, talking to people. And what we came across was a lot of people we asked, "Does this feel like the end of an era?" And they would say, "No, no, no" -- possibly the end of a man, but not the end of an era."

We asked what they would feel like if -- if President Fidel Castro were to remain in this condition for the long term, and -- and -- and his brother were to remain in power. And they said, "We don't think there would be a great deal of change."

Now, probably the most important thing to note is, they said all this while eating ice cream that they had just bought across the street. So, that gives you a good idea of just how -- how much a normal day this seems, at least here in the capital -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: All right, Morgan Neill, appreciate it, live from Havana.

Well, it's a little calmer today in Miami, where the expat Cuban community has toned down the street party over word that their nemesis, Fidel Castro, is ailing. But Castro's condition is still the talk of the town.

CNN's Rusty Dornin has the latest from Miami's Little Havana.

Still pretty lively, Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it has calmed down quite a bit, Kyra.

That celebratory air has sort of changed to one of more caution right now. And, of course, those reports that Fidel Castro's condition is stable are being met here with utter disbelief. There's speculation, there are rumor about many things, but not that he is doing well.

Most of the people here still believe that the Cuban government is hiding something and that, indeed, Fidel Castro has died, despite reports to the contrary.

Now, of course, Raul Castro, the idea that he would take over the country, that also inspires disbelief by many here, who say he just doesn't have the grip on the government or the hearts of the people that Castro does.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAVIER COTO: I don't think he has the intelligence to lead the country. He doesn't have the charisma. He has been always known as a heavy drinker.

He can't do what Fidel did. Fidel was a person that people were behind. They -- he had a charisma that was incredible. He had a way of, you know, doing speeches that motivated and inspired the country, you know, not all of them, because a lot of them came over here, and they hated him. But a good percentage did like him, and they embraced his ideas, you know? But I don't think Raul has the power and the capability to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: Of course, that speculation continues, because Raul Castro has yet to step up to the microphone and say, "I am in charge." And, of course, that just makes people here even more suspicious.

We do understand the Cuban American National Foundation is going to be having a press conference talking about asking Cubans to help with dismantling this government and helping some kind of peaceful transition. They're calling on all the Cuban exiles to pitch in, should they be able to, of course, in the next few weeks and months, to help that happen in Cuba -- Kyra. PHILLIPS: Rusty Dornin in Little Havana -- thanks, Rusty.

Well, regardless of Fidel Castro's current condition, the fact is, he will not live forever. And the Bush administration says it's ready to help the people of Cuba, whenever that time comes. But some lawmakers argue that the U.S. has tied its own hand with a strict embargo and other restrictive policies, and that transitioning Cuba to democracy will be much easier said than done.

CNN's Dana Bash has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DANA BASH, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Forty- five years after he fled his homeland, Cuban-born Senator Mel Martinez happily imagines a world without Fidel Castro.

SEN. MEL MARTINEZ (R) FLORIDA: I think it's a possibility that he may be either very, very ill, or dead. I don't think that there would be an announcement such as this unless it was pretty clear that he was incapacitated, beyond recovery.

BASH: But, if there is change in Cuba's future, there will likely be little immediate change in U.S. policy. Decades of embargo and, most recently, the 10-year-old Helms-Burton law, strictly limits diplomatic and economic ties and most travel, allowing little, beyond food and medicine, to go to Cuba.

The president could waive sanctions, if the Cuban government is moving toward democracy, but, under Helms-Burton, the president can do this only if the governments does not include Fidel or Raul Castro. Opponents of the current U.S. policy say, it limits America's options in this potentially crucial period.

KIRBY JONES, PRESIDENT, U.S.-CUBA TRADE ASSOCIATION: We are keeping American companies out. We're keeping out American visitors who can spread the word of the United States and the values that we hold.

BASH: Republican Congressman Jeff Flake complained, "The United States is in no position to help. We are more distant now than we ever have been from the Cubans, who could pursue the kind of change that we would like to see."

But most lawmakers are reluctant to lift the embargo until real reform is under way.

MARTINEZ: I think it's a moment for us to just express our desire for change and our openness to those who would be voices of change. But I think beyond that is premature. I think we need to see how events unfold within Cuba.

DORNIN (on camera): Some in Congress are pushing interim measures, like more support for U.S. government broadcasts into Cuba, and financial aid for dissidents, though nothing is expected to pass before summer recess here. At the White House, a spokesman there says they have no plans to reach out to Raul Castro.

Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Well, fighting intensifies in Lebanon, as Israeli troops push deeper into Lebanon territory. Our Brent Sadler is in Beirut. Our John Roberts is in northern Israel. We will check in with both of them straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: It's the deepest penetration into Lebanon yet. Israeli special forces conducted an overnight helicopter raid on a Hezbollah stronghold 70 miles north of the Israeli border.

CNN Beirut bureau chief Brent Sadler joins us live with more -- Brent.

BRENT SADLER, CNN BEIRUT BUREAU CHIEF: Yes, Kyra, this was a sudden shift in Israel's military tactics.

We have seen, more or less, set-piece ground operations in the south. But this strike was deep into Lebanon, some 70 miles from the border with Israel, and pretty close to the Syrian border, just seven miles away in the Bekaa Valley town of Baalbeck, this a notorious stronghold of Hezbollah.

Now, the Israeli air force and the Israeli Defense Forces combined in this operation, including, we understand, special forces. They were targeting a hospital said to be a logistical base, by the Israelis, for Hezbollah, inside that building that -- was a hospital, funded and operated, it's said by eyewitnesses on -- eyewitnesses on the ground, by Hezbollah -- inside that building, fierce firefights.

And, during that operation, Israeli commandos snatched five Lebanese. Now, it's not quite sure who they are, other than Hezbollah fighters, say the Israelis.

The Hezbollah, on the other hand, say that they were ordinary Lebanese civilians. Hezbollah denies Israel succeeded in its mission and said that it was an operation targeting Lebanese civilian infrastructure -- so, a very important and dramatic development -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Brent Sadler in Beirut -- thanks, Brent.

Israel's prime minister describes it as an extraordinary operation. And its military commanders say it's just proof of their long arm. They're providing a dramatic inside look at their operations against Hezbollah.

CNN's John Roberts joins us now from northern Israel.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The Israeli Defense Forces released video just a short time ago of that daring raid deep into the Bekaa Valley, deep into Hezbollah territory, in the ancient town of Baalbeck, which they say is a Hezbollah stronghold.

The video shows Israeli commandos landing on the ground, what they say are Hezbollah fighters scattering, as those three Black Hawk helicopters come in. It also shows video of Israeli forces going through what they say are Hezbollah files.

Hezbollah claims that the area that the Israelis attacked into last night is a hospital. I talked with one of Israel's big commanders, General Beni Gantz, who told me, if that's a hospital, it's the most empty hospital that we have ever seen. Israel contends that that's a major base of operations for Hezbollah.

And that area of the Bekaa Valley has been, for years, a base of operations for extremist groups, not only Hezbollah, but the Palestinian Liberation Organization during the 1990s, Islamic Jihad and other groups. There are training camps in that areas. The hospital or the building in which the Israeli military launched that raid is apparently funded by Iran.

It's giving some credence to Israeli claims that could in fact be a major Hezbollah stronghold. During that raid, the Israeli military says they killed a number of Hezbollah guerrillas, and they also spirited back to Israel what Israel is painting as high-value Hezbollah targets. These would be probably mid-level leadership people.

Why did they stage this raid? Well, the reasons are probably twofold. General Gantz told me that Israel wants to have as many cards as possible when it comes to final negotiations over the status between Israel and Hezbollah. Don't forget, Hezbollah still holds on to those two Israeli soldiers that were kidnapped back on July the 12th.

And not only that, but Hezbollah is claiming to be having success against the powerful Israeli military, bogging them down, holding them up, casualties mounting on the Israeli side. So, the Israelis also wanted to strike deep into what is really Hezbollah territory, almost to give them a bloody nose. There's a real propaganda war that is raging in this Middle East crisis.

And the Israeli military believes it can win a round in that P.R. war by saying: "Look it, we can operate in southern Lebanon, even northern Lebanon, up close to the Syrian border, when we want, where we want. We can strike deep into Hezbollah territory and bring back their leadership."

So, one round, the Israeli military is claiming, but Hezbollah still proving themselves to be a very adept and adequate fighting force -- more than 200 rockets fired into Israel today. That was after a pause of a couple of days during that 48-hour partial suspension of the air campaign -- Hezbollah also not firing a lot of rockets into Israel, but it would appear that the rockets they didn't fire for the previous two days were lit up today, because Israel fell under heavy attack from those Katyushas.

John Roberts, CNN, along the Israel-Lebanon border.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And we expect new exclusive video from John Roberts' location soon. We will bring that to you.

Also ahead: the war at sea. John Vause has an exclusive report from the nerve center of an Israeli blockade.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Companies and governments throughout the world are looking for ways to boost their energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gases. Now a high-profile climate initiative is trying to tackled the problem head on.

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

Hey, Susan.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Kyra.

Well, 22 of the world's biggest cities have joined an effort to limit global warming, a program that is led by former President Bill Clinton. The Clinton Climate Initiative will create an international consortium to bargain for cheaper energy, efficient products. And it will share ideas on cutting greenhouse gas pollution.

The group includes Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Philadelphia, as well as London, Cairo, Delhi and Mexico City. The initiative will not set specific targets for reducing emissions. But Clinton said in L.A. yesterday that he's confident that the effort will both cut pollution and create jobs in the cities that produce the most greenhouse gases.

Some folks say they're not sure exactly how much it will do, because we still don't have mandatory emission standards -- or caps, I should say, on greenhouse gases.

And, of course, this move comes on the heels of Monday's announcement by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and British Prime Minister Tony Blair that they will work together to trade carbon dioxide emissions and share clean energy technology -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, one reason clean energy technologies are in such high demand is the high cost of fuel. So, how did -- or what did oil prices do today?

(LAUGHTER) LISOVICZ: Well, they did what they have been doing for a long time now. They -- they're up again, closing back in on record -- record -- close to record territory, I should say, right now -- today's gains coming amid concerns about the violence in the Middle East, along with new fears that Tropical Storm Chris could disrupt oil operations in the Gulf of Mexico, where there are so many oil rigs.

Crude prices jumped 90 cents, to settle at $75.81 a barrel, just over a dollar shy of the all-time high -- back to you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Susan, thanks so much. We will see you as we get closer to the closing bell.

LISOVICZ: You got it.

PHILLIPS: Well, from shock rocker to Christian philanthropist, the man called Alice has come a long way. Alice Cooper joins me live to talk about his school of rock, his new effort to put at-risk kids on the straight and narrow -- straight ahead on LIVE FROM.

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