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Gerald Ford Undergoes Angioplasty; Many Wonder if New Orleans Levees Will Hold in Another Hurricane; European Union to Provide Backbone of Troops in Lebanon; Max Mayfield Announces Retirement; Oprah Opens School for Girls in South Africa
Aired August 25, 2006 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, I'm Carol Lin at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
Kyra Phillips has the day off today.
We're talking about severe weather striking -- twisters touching down and though Tropical Storm Debby staying out to sea, anxious eyes turn toward her could be brother, who will be named Ernesto.
Widespread failure -- Katrina and the levees, one year later, is New Orleans any safer?
And building a dream -- Oprah Winfrey follows through on a promise. Our CNN cameras were there when she spread the good news in Africa.
LIVE FROM starts right now.
First up, a developing story out of Minnesota.
Former President Gerald Ford has undergone an angioplasty procedure to reduce blockages around his coronary arteries. Ford is 93 years old and he's being treated at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where we find our Keith Oppenheim standing by -- Keith, how was this decision made and how is the former president doing?
KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't know the details about how the decision was made because this is a very tight- lipped operation around the former president. But in general, an angioplasty is a catheter-guided balloon procedure to open up blocked arteries, especially when a patient is feeling some heart pains. So that may have been the case.
Keep in mind that the former president has been here at the Mayo Clinic for a year-and-a-half -- excuse me -- a week-and-a-half. On Monday, he was given a pacemaker and just yesterday he had the angioplasty procedure.
Hospital officials say that he is resting comfortably with his wife, Betty, the former first lady, as well as children and family. They also indicated, Carol, that they do not expect there to be any press releases about his condition for the next several days, which could be a hint that he may be recuperating here yet for a while -- back to you. LIN: All right, thanks very much, Keith.
Let's find out a little bit more about this procedure.
Our senior medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, joins me by the telephone -- Sanjay, so the former president had a pacemaker installed on Monday and now this procedure.
What does that tell you about this condition?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it sounds like, Carol, when he came in, he probably had several tests of his heart, which is common in anybody who comes into the hospital. And it sounds like they detected a couple of things. One was the abnormal heart rhythm that most likely there was a slow heart or an abnormal heart rhythm that led to the need for a pacemaker, as Keith was just talking about on Monday. Again, a fairly common procedure.
What it sounds like they might have also seen, at that point, was not necessarily a heart attack, but at least some evidence that there was not enough blood flow to the heart. And that is when this angioplasty procedure can be quite handy.
What that is, as Keith, again, was describing, just a catheter put in through the blood vessels, called the coronary arteries, that supply the heart. And you basically balloon them open. That's the angioplasty part of the procedure.
You can also do a stenting where you actually leave this sort of metal scaffolding in the artery, Carol, to sort of hold it open even afterward. It's considered a minimally invasive procedure. It's done under local anesthesia and usually the stent is inserted.
And, you know, as far as recovery time, it's hard to say. In a 93-year-old, obviously it might be a little bit longer.
LIN: Right. Sanjay, I mean that was what I was going to ask you.
What is the prognosis for a 93-year-old patient who not only gets a pacemaker, but just a few days later have this angioplasty procedure?
GUPTA: Well, you know, it's interesting, Carol. We've been doing a lot of homework on this. You know, one of the -- one of my colleagues over at Emory put in a pacemaker in a 104-year-old not that long ago.
LIN: Wow!
GUPTA: And you've got to remember the demographic, if you will, of people who get these procedures is older. I mean, typically at least 60 or 70 years old. But also, and this is something you know about, Carol, it's not so much your age in years that is so important.
LIN: Right.
GUPTA: It's what your physiological age is, if you will. And there are people who are 50 years old who have the bodies of 80 year olds, and vice versa. And, you know, from accounts, he has been hospitalized four times since December, but has otherwise been fairly, fairly healthy for a 93-year-old.
LIN: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks very much for phoning in on this developing story.
GUPTA: Thank you.
LIN: Appreciate it.
Our other big story today, wicked weather. Incredible video. A storm chaser caught these images from a car, as tornadoes tore across South Dakota overnight. One fire chief says he could actually see a twister plucking corn plants out of the field. A half a dozen homes were destroyed, but no one was seriously hurt.
Also, more views and more damage in southern Minnesota. At least three confirmed tornadoes touched down Thursday. An elderly man died after becoming trapped in his home right after it was hit. Several other people were also hurt. The governor is on his way to see what can be done to help.
And, also, we're looking at more stormy weather in the tropics. How dangerous could it get?
Reynolds Wolf tracking it from the CNN Weather Center -- Reynolds, are we going to see a tropical storm by the afternoon?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It sure looks like that's going to happen. We've been watching this storm since its inception. Right now, we're taking a look at tropical depression number five just leaving the Leeward Islands, the Windward Islands. And it's beginning to have more of that classic tropical storm/hurricane shape.
If you look to the north, it's got a much better outflow, also, into the northeast and southeastern quadrants, it looks a lot better.
As the storm ventures deeper into the Caribbean, it's going to move over very warm water, minimal shear environment, which are ripe conditions for these storms to really strengthen.
So, the latest we have from this storm and the latest path we have from the National Hurricane Center shows the storm is expected to take more of a westerly jog. And as it makes its way to the west, by 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, if not before, this storm should be with winds at least of 39 miles per hour, making it a tropical storm. It will be Tropical Storm Ernesto.
Then it will continue its northwesterly march. By 8:00 a.m. Sunday, it should be just to the south of Jamaica. 8:00 a.m. Monday, a category one storm on the Saffir-Simpson Scale. That's winds with just getting into 74 or 75 miles an hour and upwards. Then by 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, a category one storm just off the western tip of Cuba.
However, one thing I want you to keep a really close eye on is not necessarily just the line that connects the symbols, but rather the cone of probability that you see, just this, again, just this big triangular shape that you see. It indicates the storm could move a little bit farther to the south. But at the same time, it could move farther to the north. And if it runs into higher elevations, say, perhaps, in parts of eastern Cuba, that will help destroy the storm, rip the storm apart.
However, if it moves a little bit farther to the south, over open water, this storm could, indeed, strengthen.
Regardless, if it can just hold together and if it just gets to the Gulf of Mexico, where we have, again, very warm water -- water temperatures in the low to mid, even in the upper 80s in some locations -- there's the potential this storm could strengthen even more. So it's something we're going to watch for you very carefully.
We'll have an update coming up very soon -- let's send it back to you at the news desk.
LIN: All right, thanks very much, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
LIN: Now, obviously the big question is, as we head into part of hurricane season, whether the levees in New Orleans, well, are they fixed? Will they hold if there's another hurricane that makes landfall there?
CNN's Sean Callebs has been talking with those who have been looking at what happened last year and what's been done since and what still needs to be done.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Simply put, the American Society of Civil Engineers says there are serious deficiencies in the hurricane protection system in and around New Orleans that need to be corrected before the next hurricane hits this area.
That takes on even greater significance considering there is a storm brewing in the Atlantic that could, theoretically, make its way into the Gulf of Mexico.
The ASCE basically blistered the way that the hurricane system -- meaning the levees -- was conceived, funded, designed and built, and went on to say simply there are no quick fixes. They had 10 bullet points, 10 things that needed immediate attention and 10 ways to look forward at what the Army Corps of Engineers has done in the past, what they've done over this past year and what they should do in the future. First and foremost, make safety the key point. It sounds rather logical, but the way -- they went on to say that people in and around this area need to understand the risk. If they live in a flood plain, what could theoretically happen, breaking it down into two categories -- the loss of land and the loss of life.
Considering what happened last year, the ASCE says evacuations should be first and foremost, with so many trailers in the New Orleans area after Hurricane Katrina. They said these changes are going to take time, they're going to be difficult and they are going to be costly.
Sean Callebs, CNN, in New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Another one of our big stories today -- they finally got him in Boulder. But have they got him for the murder of JonBenet Ramsey?
Well, prosecutors still haven't laid any of their cards on the table about John Mark Karr, the first and only suspect ever arrested in connection with the case. The clock is now running on a couple of legal matters.
Ed Lavandera keeping track for us in Boulder, Colorado -- so, Ed, is there going to be a court hearing?
What's going to happen next?
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we've been told by the court that -- to expect some sort of announcement this morning as to what is going to happen next in this case. We do know that there needs to be an initial court hearing here where Mr. Karr will be advised of his rights, but we don't know exactly when that's going to happen.
The sheriff here in Boulder County said he didn't think that would happen today; more than likely on Monday.
And the court, as well, the prosecutors in this case also have a Tuesday deadline before they have to ask for an extension to file charges in this case.
So those are kind of like the legal matters we're watching here closely, just the day after John Mark Karr arrived here on a small twin engine plane from California, quickly whisked in here to the Boulder County Jail, and booked last night as the sun-was starting to set here in Boulder, Colorado.
So, again, as you mentioned, the investigators and the prosecutors in this case not laying any of their cards on the table so far. In fact, we got an emphatic no comment again yesterday, as we went back trying to ask them -- to get a sense of where their case stood. But in a court document filed Wednesday and made public on Thursday, there was a reference to -- by prosecutors -- in this court document, saying that they had only learned of John Mark Karr's full identity only five days before he was arrested in Thailand. So you can get a sense of just how quick moving this entire investigation has changed, an investigation that has been going on for 10 years -- Carol.
LIN: Ed, he was quite chatty in a Thai prison.
Has -- do you know any more about how he has spent his time since he arrived in Boulder? Is he talking?
LAVANDERA: Boy, how quickly things have changed. We do know that there were Colorado authorities on the plane with him, flying three hours. Whether or not John Mark Karr made any statements on that flight from California to Colorado, we don't know about, and, of course, he was whisked in here under armed guard, as well.
So we don't know and prosecutors and investigators aren't saying, either, whether or not they've gotten any additional statements. He hasn't said anything publicly here. In fact, the sheriff's office says that communication to John Karr will be very limited, to those on a specified list of who will have access to talk to him.
LIN: Ed Lavandera, thank you very much for the latest on that story.
Straight to the newsroom now.
Fredericka Whitfield working details on a developing story, one of the big stories from yesterday -- Fred.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: That's right, Carol.
The man who went on a shooting rampage in Vermont, shooting four people, now appears in court today. Twenty-six-year-old Christopher Williams is held without bail on two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. You're looking at videotape from yesterday. Well, now you're looking at live pictures inside the courtroom, where soon he is to be brought inside the courtroom.
He was injured himself, after this shooting rampage, turning the gun-on himself after allegedly shooting his ex-girlfriend's mother, killing her, then going to the ex-girlfriend's place of work, which was an elementary school, shooting two more people, fatally wounding one of the teachers and then going to a condominium complex and shooting yet another person before he turned the gun-on himself.
He was injured. He was hospitalized and transferred from the hospital to the jail. And now we're awaiting his arrival at the courthouse, where he will be facing two charges of murder and two counts of attempted murder.
Christopher Williams to appear in court there in Vermont -- Carol. LIN: All right, thanks very much, Fred, for following that story.
Get back to us when you know more.
In the meantime, we want to bring you up to speed. Coming up, on the Middle East, what's happening there?
Thousands more troops committed to the peace deal there.
Well, where are they going to come from and how soon are they going to make it to Lebanon?
More LIVE FROM next.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: It's shaping up to be a busy day. Another American plane diverted.
Fredericka Whitfield standing by at the breaking news desk -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: Carol, lots of interruptions in air travel these days. This time the interruption taking place while the plane is in the air, so much so that this U.S. Airways plane, Flight 146, which was traveling from Phoenix to Charlotte, had to be diverted to Oklahoma City and make a landing here at Will Rogers Airport, where the plane is now sitting at the gateway. It's been there for about two hours now, after making this diversion.
All because reports are indicating an unruly passenger was on board. We don't have any details about what that passenger was doing and why it was alarming enough to have this plane diverted, but this is the case, two hours that it's been on the ground now at Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City.
Again, for those folks who are waiting for passengers who are on board this U.S. Air Flight 146, it is not landing in Charlotte as scheduled. Instead, it is now sitting in Oklahoma City airport -- Carol.
LIN: Fred, do you know if the air marshals were on board that flight?
WHITFIELD: Don't know. We're still waiting to confirm some information about the circumstances of this flight and what was observed with this unruly passenger who raised the red flag and how it resulted in this diverting of the flight.
LIN: All right, good to have you.
Thanks, Fredericka. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on European countries to provide thousands of troops for peacekeeping duty in Lebanon. Now, despite some concerns, it looks like they're going to deliver.
CNN's Robin Oakley standing by in Brussels right now, covering the emergency E.U. meeting.
He joins us live -- Robin.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.
Well, they were talking really about three things here -- the numbers of troops to join the international peacekeeping force, who was going to command it and what the role of the force would be.
Now, Kofi Annan cleared up pretty quickly who was actually going to command this force.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KOFI ANNAN, U.N. SECRETARY-GENERAL: I have asked France to lead UNIFIL to, until the end of February, 2007, when the rotation will then go to Italy. Italy will provide the next commander after February 2007.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OAKLEY: As for the numbers, a clearly satisfied Mr. Annan announced that the European Union countries, the 25 countries in the E.U. would, between them, be providing the backbone of the force, 6,900 in addition to the 2,000 already in the existing UNIFIL force. And he was clearly well satisfied with those numbers.
On the role, though, there have been a lot of questions at the back of the minds of the European nations as to whether their troops would be forced into some kind of role disarming Hezbollah.
I raised that question with Javier Solana, the E.U.'s international policy chief, and this was his response.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAVIER SOLANA, E.U. FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF: Well, the disarmament of Hezbollah, as you know, has been agreed to. It's the primary work of the Lebanese armed forces. The armed forces of Lebanon, they will do it, and it's also a political process. We cannot forget that Hezbollah still is part of the Lebanese government.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
OAKLEY: The big question now, Carol, is just how quickly those forces will get there. Mr. Annan says the cease-fire is holding, but it is fragile. And what they're hoping is that some of them will be there within a week. But it's going to take up to three months to get the whole E.U. commitment there -- Carol. LIN: All right, thanks very much, Robin.
Now, while E.U. officials debate the size of the peacekeeping force, some French troops hit the ground in Southern Lebanon today.
CNN's Jim Clancy is there with the very latest.
JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The first contingent of French Army troops is now on Lebanese soil. They came ashore at Nakura, at the U.N. port that is just north of the Israeli border. They came ashore in landing craft. The admiral in charge of the task force offshore had more about their mission.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REAR ADM. XAVIER MAGNE, FRENCH NAVY: Whatever happens, the French forces Baliste will remain here in support. So I have on board helicopters. I have combat capabilities so that in case of something I can extract people from here. I also have medical facilities and that was one of the lessons learned from Lebanon '83. We have a roll to (ph) hospital. And so we are able to come and pick up someone on the ground and do heavy surgery on board.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CLANCY: Rear Admiral Magne also touched on the delicate security issue. He was here in 1983, aboard an aircraft carrier, when U.S. and French troops were attacked a part of a multinational force, by suspected Hezbollah suicide bombers. More than 50 French paratroopers died. More than 240 U.S. Marines. He says lessons have been learned.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAGNE: The troops I'm landing today is 170 men plus all their heavy equipment. And so they are engineering troops. They have engineering capabilities. So that means that they can do reconstruction, rebuilding. They also can do de-pollution and demining. One of their tasks will probably be -- but that is up to the U.N. -- first having safe areas for the deployment of the next ones.
So they will be able to neutralize unexploded ordinance and then probably be able to rebuild the infrastructure so that they can host the additional troops coming in later on.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CLANCY: That task force is going to include a landing ship with a hospital aboard it, as well as a destroyer and a frigate.
Now, these troops are going to take up engineering duties almost immediately. But they will be part of the peacekeepers on the ground, if you will. There are many questions here about where they will deploy, what will be the rules of engagement, things that have to be worked out by the United Nations Security Council itself. All of that is critical, as we wait to see what other nations are going to commit troops to this delicate mission and how soon they're going to arrive.
Jim Clancy, CNN, Nakura, Lebanon.
LIN: And there are still questions over how this war was conducted. The State Department is now investigating allegations Israel used U.S.-made cluster bombs in civilian areas during the Israeli-Hezbollah war.
Now, cluster bombs are anti-personnel weapons that scatter smaller bombs over a wider area. According to the United Nations, unexploded cluster bombs litter homes and gardens and highways in Southern Lebanon. The State Department wants to know whether Israel violated secret agreements with Washington on the use of those weapons. The Israeli Army says all weapons it uses are legal under international law.
Now, in case you needed a reminder, Oprah Winfrey still has the magic touch.
Wow! The talk show host fulfills a promise and makes dreams a reality for some girls in South Africa. Straight ahead, it is an inspiring story and it's only on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: We've got another developing story from the breaking news desk.
Fredericka Whitfield standing by with that -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: Well, Carol, in Washington, the war in Iraq and the continuing escalating violence in that country, with the insurgency, continues to be top priority among the Bush administration, so much so that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld today having a formal greeting with the Iraqi deputy president, Adil Abd Al-Mahdi. And just after meeting him there in the nation's capital, he turned to reporters and had these comments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: Greetings.
Good afternoon.
We -- I'm very pleased to have the deputy president here at the Pentagon. We've had occasion to visit over the years in Iraq and here in the United States and it's always good to see him.
He has had visits with the national security adviser, Steve Hadley, and the president, via SVDS, secure videos, and has been visiting some people on Capitol Hill. And we just had a very good discussion about the situation in Iraq and the activities of his government. I should add that this morning I spent a good deal of time on the phone with General Abizaid and with General Casey, which reinforced the impressions I've been given by General Chiarelli, when he was here yesterday, and we had a personal meeting, with respect to the efforts taking place in Baghdad and the progress that's being achieved.
The last period of July and August have been, since the beginning of the effort in Baghdad, have been successful in the sense that we are seeing a reduction in the levels of violence and in the numbers of attacks in the areas particularly that the forces have been able to clear. And the Iraqi forces have been doing a very good job. And I should emphasize that because, from time to time, we hear things to the contrary. But both General Casey and General Chiarelli both were complementary of the work that's being done by the Iraqi security forces in this effort in Baghdad.
Mr. Deputy President, would you like to say a few words to this distinguished gathering, many of whom have been over to Iraq and been in your country and had a chance to report from there?
ADIL ABD AL-MAHDI, IRAQ'S DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Good afternoon.
Well, first to thank you for this delicious lunch we had together.
I came for a private visit here to the United States, but it turned to be one of the most important of my visits here to Washington.
I met yesterday with President Bush, with Vice President Cheney, now I am with Secretary Rumsfeld. We have -- we will have good talks.
Our purpose here, really, is to support the national unity government of Mr. Nouri Al-Maliki, which is doing well. It started its work on the reconciliation plan. It's working. There is a good dialogue now going on in Iraq, a good plan to secure Baghdad. Baghdad is a key issue and this is our response, our answer to all those talking about civil war in Iraq.
We don't think we are leading to one. Zarqawi was planning to push the country toward such an issue, but all communities in Iraq refuse such a result.
But the government is stronger than ever. Our armed forces is getting much better than before in number, in quality, in operations. They are leading operations now.
In 2004 it was the MNF leading the operations. The Iraqi army is doing a good job in Baghdad, as Secretary Rumsfeld said. All of the reports we had since now for five weeks, there's a trend for decreasing violence.
There is a lot of work to be done with our neighboring countries on the international level, with the United States here, and there is a lot of work to be done also on investment, on reconstruction, which is necessary. We have stable areas in Iraq; 70 percent of Iraq is in a stable situation, secured one. So reconstruction works should be done there. This will enforce security also.
So we are fully optimistic of our future. Iraqi people think that there is no other issue but victory in Iraq. Iraqi people can't leave the country. There is no withdrawal for the Iraqi people.
The MNF are supporting the Iraqi people and will continue to support and have the sympathy of Iraqis. So we are really very grateful, Secretary Rumsfeld, for all of your efforts, all your assistance to Iraq and the Iraqi people. We shed blood together in this battle and we will continue our work together.
Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: For the most part, an optimistic view being taken by the Iraqi deputy president, as well as defense secretary, Rumsfeld. The Iraqi deputy president saying that his government is having good dialogue going on right now, and that there is a good plan in place to help secure his country.
At the same time, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld saying he and the department of defense are encouraged by the reduction of levels of attacks, he says, specifically, in areas where forces are able to clear them. So that's the latest coming from Washington -- Carol.
LIN: All right. Thank very much, Fred.
In fact, while you were talking I just heard a report, Associated Press reporting that Max Mayfield, the director of the National Hurricane Center has announced his retirement in January. So he'll be making it through this hurricane season. We're about to head into the heart of it, where the storms move out of the Caribbean into the Gulf. So we'll keep our fingers crossed for the season and wish Max well at end of it.
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: You're hearing it right here on CNN, yet another plane diverted, Fred?
WHITFIELD: That's right. Flying is a real challenge these days. This time, American airlines flight 55, a Boeing 763, which was traveling from Manchester, England on the way to Chicago is diverted now to Maine. Apparently that plane on the ground at Bangor International Airport. The engines are off, and over the next few hours, reportedly, people will be interviewed, many of the passengers will be interviewed.
Federal agents are on the scene, trying to piece things together. The plane at Bangor International Airport right now. Bangor is the first large U.S. airport for any kind of incoming European flights, and that's why this plane has now been diverted to that location. It's unclear exactly what may have transpired on that flight on that flight or that airport as it was departing, only that they are trying to piece things together, and they're saying now, officials are, that it will take them quite a few hours to try get to the bottom of this, that including interviewing many of the passengers onboard.
And of course when we get any more information about this, Carol, we'll be able to bring that to you.
LIN: Wow. Mysterious. All right. Thanks very much, Fred.
In the meantime, a short time ago we heard that Max Mayfield, the director of the National Hurricane Center, has announced his retirement. Our very own Reynolds Wolf knows the man, met him. Max Mayfield, such a comforting presence during, you know, all of our hurricane coverage. We've always been able to go to him to look at maps and the tracking, and I know you guys have really appreciated his expertise.
WOLF: Oh, he's a great guy, a wonderful fellow. I had a chance to meet Max on several occasions. In central Florida, I worked for the CBS affiliate in Orlando, Florida and got to meet him at a couple of conferences down in Melbourne.
He's a great guy. As you mentioned, he's a very calming presence. He's been doing this for 33 years. He's a great leader. He's a great family man, three kids. Tireless, tireless worker and was truly dedicated to his craft. And I'll tell you, when he leaves it certainly won't be the same without him.
If I'm not mistaken, I believe that he's actually going to be leaving in January. So he'll be here through the season. But he's just been a heck of a guy for us, and you have to respect someone with that dedication. He's the best there is.
LIN: And, you know, when Max says something, it has the ring of truth. I mean, he really knows his stuff.
WOLF: Oh, very much so.
LIN: He's like the grandfather of hurricane season, isn't he?
WOLF: Yes, he is. Again, I'll tell you what -- you know how he has that presence on the air where he just seems like this really approachable, nice, kind of door -- next door kind of guy? That's Max. That's the way he is. It's no show, it's no joke, it's not a play. He is exactly what you see.
And, you know, that's exactly the kind of voice you need during a time of crisis when you have a Katrina, when you have an Andrew, when you have a Hurricane Hugo, that kind of thing. That's the person you want there at the National Hurricane Center. And they've got a lot of great guys there, but he's certainly one that we're going to miss. You just can't replace someone that special. It's going to be a loss.
LIN: Those are big shoes to fill. We haven't heard of a replacement yet, but this news just coming out about his announcing his retirement in January.
WOLF: Absolutely. Well I will say this: Although we don't want to see him go, I hope he has a happy retirement because he's earned it. I mean, there's no question about it. I mean, this is guy who's put in so many years. And, you know, he's one of those kind of guys who never really has a day off. You know, when he's not working, he's still working, you know, that kind of thing.
LIN: Right.
WOLF: So it's going to be a rough time for us. But one thing Max has told us, speaking of the situation we're dealing with now in terms of the hurricane season, it that although it has had a slow start, we've got plenty of time for things to get busy. So as Max rounds out the rest of his career, I'm sure we may have some busy times ahead.
LIN: You bet.
WOLF: So I'm sure we'll see plenty of Max before all is said and done.
LIN: You bet. All right. Can wait to talk to him about that as well, and his plans retirement.
WOLF: No question, absolutely.
LIN: Thanks, Reynolds.
Well, a quick update on a story we're following. Within the last hour or so, we learned that former President Gerald Ford underwent an angioplasty procedure yesterday at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Now an angioplasty is designed to reduce or eliminate blockages in the coronary arteries. Ford's office describes the procedure as successful. The former president, who is 93 years old, is said to be resting comfortably with his family.
Now, coming up, Oprah Winfrey explains why she is pouring millions of dollars into South Africa to transform young lives. It's a story you will only see right here on CNN. The news keeps coming. We're going to bring it to you. More LIVE FROM next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: She has achieved wealth and fame beyond her wildest dreams, and she has determined to share her good fortune. Oprah Winfrey made a promise years ago to Nelson Mandela, a promise to help educate young girls in South Africa. Well, now that promise is a reality.
Our Jeff Koinange has more in a story you will only see right here on CNN.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEFF KOINANGE, CNN AFRICA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): 12-year- old Palesa and her 13-year-old cousin Lebohang (ph) live in this three-roomed house along with four other family members in Soweto, one of Johannesburg's sprawling townships.
They've heard U.S. talk show host Oprah Winfrey is in town and she's looking for a few good girls to be part of her new project. What they don't know is that Oprah's about to pay them a visit. Word spreads fast about Oprah's presence in Soweto and the visit is no longer top secret.
After all, this is Oprah. Oprah has been coming to South Africa for the past several years, determined to fulfill a promise she made to former President Nelson Mandela, or Madiba to most here.
OPRAH WINFREY, TALK SHOW HOST: So I said to Madiba, I would like to build a school and I would like to commit $10 million. This was five years ago. And he said, yes.
KOINANGE: And just like that, the two broke ground for a girl's school just outside Johannesburg in what began as a $10 million project. It's since grown to $40 million and counting.
(on camera): Less than four years later this is the result: the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls. Set on more than 50 acres of land, it houses more than two dozen buildings and Oprah says she was personally involved in the design and layout of most of them.
WINFREY: The dream for me was to create a school that I would most want to attend. So from the very beginning I sat down with architects and I said, we have to have a library in the fireplace so that the girls can -- it can be a place of learning as well as living for them.
We have to have a theater because this is a school for leaders and in order to be a leader you have to have a voice. In order to have a voice you need oration. So the idea for the school came about based on what I felt would be an honor for the African girls.
KOINANGE (voice-over): And all this for free. Free uniforms, free books, free meals. Everything is free at Oprah's school, which brings us back to Soweto and Palesa and Lebohang's house.
Lebohang's mother died of AIDS nearly two years ago. Palesa's mother and grandmother now help feed five hungry mouths. But Oprah sees potential here, the right ingredients for leadership in her leadership academy.
PALESA, 12-YEAR-OLD: The future awaits you.
WINFREY: The future awaits you, I agree. I think your future awaits you.
PALESA: Yes?
WINFREY: Yes, your future is so bright it burns my eyes. Yes, that's how bright your future is.
KOINANGE: Palesa's mother is overwhelmed by Oprah's philanthropy. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was thinking that angels are white and they have wings and you only see angels in heaven. So now I can see that we are living in this world with angels. Oprah, you are an angel. Angel from God, I believe in that.
KOINANGE: And outside the word had spread like wildfire. The Oprah fan club had instantly multiplied.
GROUP: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE).
WINFREY: Hello?
KOINANGE: Oprah insisted on personally interviewing all the prospective students from schools around the country. Her requirements were simple: the girls had to have better than average grades and they had to come from underprivileged homes, much like she did.
WINFREY: I look in their faces, I see my own. The girls who came from a background just like my own. I was raised by a grandmother, no running water, no electricity, but yet because of a sense of education and learning I was able to become who I am.
And I want to do the same for these girls and so I think there's no better place than Africa because the sense of need, the sense of value for education and appreciation for it could not be greater.
KOINANGE: And in true Oprah fashion, she invited all the finalists to what was supposed to be an informal get together and dropped this bombshell.
WINFREY: I brought you all here today to tell you that you will be a part of the very first class of the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy.
(APPLAUSE)
KOINANGE: And just like that, 150 young lives were transformed in an instant.
(on camera): What does this mean, this moment right now, what does it mean?
WINFREY: Oh, it is a complete, full circle moment in my life. It is -- I feel like it's what I was really born to do and that's what all of that fame and attention and money was for. It feels like the complete circle of my life.
KOINANGE: As for cousins Lebohang and Palesa ...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm overwhelmed. I don't know what to say. I'm that happy, I'm just waiting for next year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The 12th of January, I'm just waiting for that date. KOINANGE: It seems that date can't come soon enough for South Africa's best and the brightest here, an all expenses paid top class education. And all because one woman wanted to help out an old man.
GROUP: We love you, Oprah.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LIN: Jeff Koinange now joins me by telephone from Kisuma, western Kenya, along the shore of Lake Victoria.
Jeff, you're tracking another famous American today?
KOINANGE: That's right, Carol. Look at that. I'm tracking Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who believe it or not, has some Kenyan roots of his own. His mother originally from Kansas. His father originally from Kenya. And Barak is coming to Kenya for the first time as senator. I tell you, Carol, a rock star welcome awaits this man. It's unbelievable how people are looking forward to seeing this famous relative grand Kenyan, you name it.
LIN: What does he want to accomplish there? Or is this strictly a personal journey for him in.
KOINANGE: You know what? this is part of a six-nation African tour. So what he's doing, he started off in South Africa, Kenya is the second stop, and it's basically both. He wants to touch bases with his family, reconnect with his roots, and you know, just let people know that he's an ordinary kind of guy, despite the amazing things he's done despite the short time he's been senator. So again, it will be a homecoming and also a reconnection if you will.
LIN: Do you see any of his campaign cameras there? Do you think any of this footage will be used in advertisements when he runs for re-election, maybe even president someday?
KOINANGE: Very good question. I tell you what, he does have a crew onboard with him, and the media frenzy is unbelievable. You won't believe it, Kyra, there's a local beer here called "the senator," made by a local brewery. It's been re-nicknamed "the Obama." And people are selling T-shirts, caps, you name it. I'm telling you, the only way to describe it is rock star status here. Everyone is so excited -- Carol.
LIN: Hard to beat Oprah Winfrey, but perhaps Barack Obama having his day in Kenya today.
Thanks very much, Jeff.
We've had some developing news on the JonBenet Ramsey murder investigation. John Mark Karr is going to be in court Monday afternoon, 4:30 Eastern Time. We've just learned this. He was transferred from the L.A. jail to Boulder, Colorado, and is facing murder charges, among some others, in the death of that 6-year-old little girl. All right., we are working also several developing stories this hour. Two flights diverted, one domestic, one trans-Atlantic. We've live pictures of both planes on the ground now. We're going to update you on those two situations.
The news keeps coming. We're going to bring it to you.
More LIVE FROM next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LIN: Two flights diverted. Fredricka Whitfield follow this story from the breaking newsdesk -- Fred.
WHITFIELD: Well, let's begin with the trans-Atlantic flight. This was on an American Airlines. This was an American Airlines flight 55, which was on its way from Manchester, England to Chicago being diverted to Bangor, Maine. You see the plane there now on the ground. We're told a few different things from a few different sources.
A Bangor police lieutenant is telling us the plane was diverted because of disorderly persons, and fire and police units have been dispatched.
Just shortly after that, all of this taking place in the last 30 minutes, the FAA said it was diverted because of -- quote/unquote -- "unspecified threats." And now American airlines, a spokesperson is telling us the plane was not grounded due to unruly passengers, but because of a security issue.
Now, reportedly it will be quite I few hours before federal agents who are on the ground are able to interview those passengers onboard.
Meantime, the other plane that was diverted this morning, a plane, U.S. air flight 146 from Phoenix to Charlotte diverted from Oklahoma City. You're seeing it at the gateway there. That reportedly because of an unruly passenger. We're still awaiting more information about what exactly may have happened. But serious enough to have the pilot to divert it to Oklahoma City.
LIN: Tough times to travel, Fred.
WHITFIELD: It is, indeed. A lot of patience.
LIN: Thanks for bringing us that. You bet.
All right, we are learning more about what is next in the JonBenet Ramsey murder investigation. The suspect, having a court appearance on Monday.
Also, in the next hour of LIVE FROM, we're going to have a whole lot more. That starts in two minutes.
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