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Indiana Mobile-Home Park Devastated by Tornado; Pete Rose Jr. Arrested on Federal Drug Charge

Aired November 07, 2005 - 11:30   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Back to Indiana and the Kentucky area, as well. Searchers say they don't expect to find any more survivors or victims in an Indiana mobile-home park that was devastated by a tornado. The twister killed 22 people and injured more than 200. Ed Lavandera joins us. He is in Evansville, Indiana with the latest.
Ed, hello.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.

Well, we just got a tour here of this mobile-home park, and we're on the southern edge of it, and there are about 350 homes here, and you can just see where this tornado roared right through here. We're kind of on the eastern edge of it, so all these homes through here were kind of cut apart here, and as you start going into this forested area, tree limbs cut in half, and basically the tornado just kept plowing that way, another 20 miles or so.

The sad part of all this is had the tornado just gone about 200 yards off to my right over here, it would have gone through a corn field, and it did hit the corn field pretty heavily as well. Look at these ears of corn here, actually ripping -- the winds, the tornado, ripping the corn kernels off of its stem here. So we see this thrown around here quite a bit. But it's still not safe for residents to return to this area. In fact, we just took a walk through this mobile-home park with the sheriff, and he says it will be at least a day before people are allowed to return home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: You say you don't want people to come back yet. Why is that?

SHERIFF BRAD ELLSWORTH, VANDERBURG CO., ILLINOIS: We want to make sure that we've searched, but if people, the residents come through here, it's still a dangerous scene. We have the gas and all the utilities cleaned up. But as you can see, if people start crawling around on this equipment, there's sharp metal, glass, and so that causes a major problem. We don't want to see people hurt. We're going to bring people back in. We're going let them search through their belongings. We think they need that. They know they need to see that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: Now, the next project that will be happening here this afternoon, if you go back this way about another 500 yards or so, there's actually a lake on the back edge of this mobile-home park, and what the crews here are going to do here shortly, is start emptying out that lake. If you walk through here, or back in that area, you'll see that there is actually a lot of debris from the mobile homes, and there's actually what appears to be a mobile home in there flipped upside down. So the concern is that perhaps there might be someone in there. They don't think it's likely, but it's a pretty decent-sized lake, about six feet deep, and they're going to empty that out and make sure that no one is in there -- Daryn.

KAGAN: So, Ed, we've been hearing about the warning system. Did it work? Didn't it work? Part of the problem is, this isn't exactly the time of year that people are on alert for tornadoes.

LAVANDERA: Right, you know, we're months after what has been traditionally considered to be tornado season. So the fact that this happens in November when the temperatures are starting to dip and start getting a little bit colder, very strange. And on top of that, 2:00 a.m., most people are sleeping, and everyone here believes that these people just didn't hear those warning sirens, which came only 11 minutes before this storm actually hit. So even if they had heard it, what can you possibly do in 11 minutes to get your family ready in the middle of the night?

KAGAN: There weren't a lot of options on Sunday night, Sunday morning.

Ed Lavandera, thank you.

LAVANDERA: To Paris now, they are putting more police on the streets today following an 11th straight night of rioting. The unrest has spread to other cities across France. And today a death to report, the first from the violence.

CNN's Robyn Curnow joins me from the French capital. Robin, hello.

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Daryn.

Well, I can give you more information on that first fatality. It was a 61-year-old man who is the vice president of a housing estate in northeast Paris, sort of at the epicenter of where this where violence started. He fell punched in the face on Friday night. He fell down, hit his head. He's been in a coma ever since then, died of his injuries today.

So this fatality, in addition to the fact that we're seeing the scale of this violence grow, incredibly towards -- across the whole of the country, no longer just contained on the outskirts of Paris. North, south, east, west, across the whole of France, we're seeing incidents of rampaging youths, of burning vehicles, burning buildings and a great, deep sense of frustration from these youths. Also worrying for the police these rioters are targeting them, they say. There've been incidents where the police have been ambushed and even shot at. And just last night, 30 police were wounded, two of them seriously. So a real sense that this violence is escalating and, as you can see, it's early evening here, Daryn, and many people wondering what is going to happen on the streets of France tonight.

KAGAN: And you will be watching it for us, Robyn Curnow. Robyn, thank you.

And this just in to CNN news. The offspring of one of the most famous athletes in all of America, the son is now apparently in some deep legal trouble.

Let's go to Brian Todd standing by in Washington with more on the story of Pete Rose Jr.

Hello.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, hello.

We have learned, in fact, from DEA officials here in Washington, that Pete Rose. His name is Pete Rose Jr. He has been arrested this morning in Nashville, Tennessee on one charge of trafficking, of drug trafficking, specifically conspiracy to possess and distribute the drug known as GBL. It's got a long clinical name, but it's otherwise known as the date rape drug. This, we are told by DEA officials, is part of a six-year long investigation. In January of last year, DEA agents seized about 280 gallons of GBL from a storage unit in Murphysboro (ph), Tennessee. This is one of the biggest hauls of that drug that they have ever reported.

The investigation found that Rose received shipments of this drug while he was playing for the Chattanooga Lookouts. They're a AA minor league affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds. DEA agents tell us they believe that Pete Rose Jr. is part of a much bigger operation. They have arrested someone else who is actually now on the run, who is a little bit of a bigger fish in this operation than Pete Rose Jr.

As we speak, he is, as we said, he is at his arraignment now at a U.S. district court in Nashville, Tennessee. He has not yet pleaded. He is expected to do so within just minutes. Pete Rose Jr. will turn 36 years old, I believe, it's next week -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, we'll be tracking that story.

Brian Todd out of Washington D.C., thank you.

Health news is ahead. Concerns of a possible flu pandemic. We're going to take you to Geneva, Switzerland, where an international meeting is under way. The focus, trying to stop the spread of bird flu. Details just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Once again, telling you the breaking news. It concerns Pete Rose's son, Pete Rose Jr.. We are getting reports that he is in a federal courtroom today, facing charges that he was trying to sell, or part of a distribution ring for steroids. Of course you know more about the father, Pete Rose, well, the potential Hall-of-Famer at one point, but that's a different story. Pete Rose Jr., though, a minor league baseball player, and the allegations that he was attempting to sell or distribute steroids while in Nashville.

So more ahead on that, the latest on Pete Rose Jr.

(NEWSBREAK)

KAGAN: The U.S. military says Navy personnel have cleared unexploded ordinance from that cruise ship that was attacked by pirates over the weekend. It was a 440-foot luxury ship. It was from Seaborn Cruise Line, that came under attack off the coast of Somalia. The cruise line says Pirates in two boats had machine guns and rocket- propelled grenades, but they were unable to board.

Earlier on CNN, a passenger talked about the experience.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR; When the ship came under attack were you awake?

NORMAN FISHER, CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER: Yes, I was. I had been awake for about ten minutes when I heard what sounded like a crack from outside the window. I didn't -- had no idea what it was. I looked out the window and saw the boat with what -- I wasn't sure if it was four or five men in it. And one of them was clearly firing, well, some kind of rifle. Looks like it firing it into the air, but I wasn't quite sure at that point.

COSTELLO: So what did you do, Norman?

FISHER: Well, another one of the men was waving. And I just wondered whether this was some kind of strange welcome, that these people had come across us out at sea and were sort of, you know, saying hello, saying hi. It was only when then he started using the rifle and pointing it towards the ship that I realized that, well, no, that wasn't quite right. A couple of minutes later, the captain came on over the speaker system, saying stay inside, stay inside, we are under attack.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: The cruise line says it's reevaluating whether to offer future cruises off Somalia. Might be a good idea.

Just ahead, health news is coming your way, including on the latest efforts to prevent the spread of bird flu. That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: To our "Daily Dose" of health news now.

Concern growing about the spread of deadly bird flu. Authorities in Hong Kong are giving out flu shots for free today. The vaccinations are for seasonal outbreaks and do not protect against bird flu, but health officials hope the fewer cases of seasonal flu will reduce the chances of a mutated bird flu strain that could pass easily among humans.

China is stepping up its effort to combat bird flu, and officials have asked the World Health Organization to help investigate possible human cases of the virus. The country's state-run news agency says three cases include a 12-year-old girl who died last month. Initial tests for bird flu were negative, but officials say more tests are needed.

An economist with the World Bank saying today that a human flu pandemic could cost the global economy as much as $800 billion. That announcement coming at a conference of international health experts in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting is focused on trying to stop the spread of bird flu that started in Asia and now has crossed into Europe.

Our Becky Anderson reports from the meeting in Switzerland.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BECKY ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The questions here in Geneva today are these. Can the deadly strain of bird flu, which is sweeping across Southeast Asia and has led to the deaths of millions of birds and some 60 people, be contained? And secondly and perhaps more importantly, how real is the risk of a human influenza pandemic that could threaten the lives of millions? Well, those are the questions.

The idea is to put a plan into action that will stop this disease at source, the source being Southeast Asia, where avian flu is now endemic. And that means getting early warning systems in place and those cost money, an awful lot of money. And there are those around the world who have suggested that officials, health officials who are looking for this money in order to get these surveillance systems in place, have been purely scare-mongering.

Christine McNabb addresses that.

CHRISTINE MCNABB, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: We're very concerned and, of course, that's why we're asking for all this action now. We this threat coming out of Southeast Asia. Could come from there, a human flu pandemic evolving out of that virus, which is affecting birds. It could come from another virus. We don't know.

But we do know that history shows us that there are pandemics every 30 years or so. We know that they kill millions of people, that the economic and social disruption is enormous. When we look at SARS, which killed just 800 people, that cost the world $30 billion. So we have every reason from human health, from an animal health, from a social and economic point of view, to do something about this now, to prepare.

ANDERSON: Christine McNabb of the WHO there.

Well, the issue at stake is simply this. They got a plan into action that will halt the deadly avian flu at its source. Source, of course, being Southeast Asia. WHO says there is no human influenza pandemic at present, but it says that the risk is great.

Becky Anderson, CNN, Geneva.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: A study about children and diabetes has health officials concerned. It suggests that as many as two million children here in the U.S. have a pre-diabetic condition that could lead to full-blown diabetes. Researchers examine blood sugar levels measured in a test conducted after of hours of fasting, and they found that overweight adolescents were more likely to have high sugar levels.

Few of the nation's 10 million cancer survivors get the customized long-term follow-up care that they need. That is the conclusion of a major study released today. The number of cancer survivors has more than tripled over the past three decades, but researchers say that many patients are faced with lingering health effects, and they also need screenings to detect any recurrence of cancer and help dealing with the emotional stress.

For your "Daily Dose" of health news online, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical stories, special reports and a health library. The address, CNN.com/health.

And we're going to have a check of weather and business just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Let's tell you a little bit more about this developing story revolving around Pete Rose Jr., the son of the legendary baseball star. He's expected to turn himself in in a federal court today. He is apparently going to plead guilty of charges of drug- trafficking charges in a federal indictment. This is all around a drug that is known as GHB. The DEA describes it as a sexual stimulant and steroid alternative, possibly a date-rape drug.

The DEA saying that Rose's involvement goes back -- this is an investigation has been going on since 1999, and they say in this indictment that Rose has confessed to receiving GBL from an individual in Tennessee while he was a member of the minor league baseball team, the Lookouts. The court papers also say that Pete Rose Jr. admits to supplying half the players on that team with the date-rape drug. So more on the trials and tribulations of Pete Rose Jr. as it becomes available.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(MARKET REPORT)

KAGAN: Now, get ready for your "aww" factor to get ready. It is showtime for baby Panda Tayshan (ph). Does it get any cuter? I think not. Friends of the Zoo, ticketholders, have dibs on today's debut at the National Zoo in Washington. Tayshan, by the way, has been kept under wraps since arriving at the zoo nearly four months ago. Zoo officials hope mama and baby will get used to all the attention. The panda house will reopen for public viewing in December.

Tayshan, adorable, and a great picture to wrap up this hour on.

I'm Daryn Kagan. International news is up next. Stay tuned for "YOUR WORLD TODAY." Jim Clancy, Zain Verjee will be here with you after a quick break. I'll see you tomorrow morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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