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CNN Live Today

Florida Prepares for Tropical Storm Alberto; Al-Zarqawi's Successor Named; Iraq Summit; Guantanamo Suicides

Aired June 12, 2006 - 10:00   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We will get started. We have some major stories to spotlight this hour.
The Florida Gulf Coast on alert as Tropical Storm Alberto swirls offshore. Complete live coverage is ahead on that.

Details from the grave. Autopsy results are in on Abu Musab al- Zarqawi. Exactly how and when the terrorist leader died.

And the president calls a summit on Iraq. But he's not talking end game just yet. Our Ed Henry is keeping an eye on that. The very latest in a live report in just a moment.

So, here we go, Florida braces for Alberto. The 2006 Atlantic hurricane season's first tropical storm now swirling toward the sunshine state. Right now warning flags are up along most of Florida's west coast and coastal residents are getting ready. Landfall expected sometime tomorrow. We'll check in with Susan Candiotti in a moment. But first, let's go to our severe weather expert, Meteorologist Chad Myers, in our weather center.

Chad, what can you tell us about Alberto?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, you know, Alberto's already affecting Florida in more than one way. With a little bit of wind and a lot of rain. But also with tornado warnings. There's a tornado watch that was issued earlier today. Means that the potential is there for tornadoes. But now we actually have a warning for northwestern DeSoto and southeastern Manatee County. And that storm is very close to Pinelevel (ph), Florida, but not on the ground that we know of. Only indicated by doper radar. But if you're in that area, you should be taking cover.

The storm gained a lot of strength in the overnight hours. Notice -- let's say go back to about 24 hours ago. There was a lot of yellows in here. But in the overnight hours, we got some purple in this storm, which means the cloud tops are higher, the storm is now gaining some strength.

And it also had a chance, at least for a while, you notice a little wobble to the left. That wobble right there. I believe that wobble was actually some of the storms rotating around the center. For most of this storm, it has been sheered by winds out of the southwest and those sheering winds have blown all of the storms away from the center. Hurricanes don't like that. They don't want sheer. They don't want wind. They want to generate their own wind. And so as we're blowing the winds and we're blowing these storms away, you don't get that center of circulation.

You don't get the eye, and obviously we don't have an eye, it's just a tropical storm. But it is 50 miles per hour. It is going to make some very beneficial rain for Florida. Here's the watch box. You'll see that big box -- that big red box.

Now here's what we call the spaghetti map. A lot of the models that the Hurricane Center runs, and even we run a couple here at CNN, they were taking it down south somewhere between Tampa and maybe over toward Orlando and maybe toward Melbourne yesterday. And then by yesterday night, last night, they were moving it a little bit farther to the north. Maybe over Jacksonville.

But notice the four lines. There are actually four. You can't see the one. But there's four lines here, one, two, three, and four. Those are new models that are moving the storm to the west of Panama City Beach. So this storm is kind of maybe spreading itself out. Becoming a little bit more unpredictable if you will.

Here's one of the models. This is what a model looks like. These are the streamlines, the winds that are coming in with the storm. This is 11:00 tonight. There's Tampa. There's Panama City way up there. And Here's St. Marks. Remember that area that got flooded in Dennis last year. Had like 10 feet of water downtown because of the wind.

Watch what happens to the wind. Watch what happens to the streamlines. I've moved this ahead to Tuesday. This is 11:00 tomorrow night. All of the wind blowing right into Apalachee Bay. That is a terrible thing for Apalachee Bay because the water piles up and you get a storm surge in Apalachee Bay, maybe toward the Steamhat (ph), right on over towards St. Marks. Maybe even over toward St. Georges. Or, for that matter, over to Mexico Beach could get some water there as it starts to rise.

The tropical storm warnings are from Indian Pass, way on up toward the north, not that far from Panama City, and then south of Sarasota. That's where the tropical storm warnings are for this storm at this point.

The storm could change direction a little bit and it probably will. That's why when the hurricane center puts out its forecast, it puts out a cone. The cone goes all the way from Clearwater, New Port Richey, almost all the way over to Sand Destin.

And then the middle of the cone is what's most likely but still, I'll tell you what, not every storm last year rode out that middle of the cone. So some turn left, some turned right. And this one certainly has that possibility, Daryn, to make a little bit of an unpredictability of it if the models start to what we call diverge. They're not all in agreement. They're not all seeing the same thing that other models are. KAGAN: And art and a little bit of science thrown in there.

MYERS: Sometimes I wonder what it is. Whether it's all science or whether it's just all these computers are taking over. We should just throw them all out and make our own forecast. I'm not sure sometimes.

KAGAN: And just kind of roll the dice. Hopefully not. Chad, thank you for that.

Well, let's see what it looks like on the ground right now. Susan Candiotti is in Clearwater Beach, Florida.

Susan, getting soggy yet?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, up until just a few seconds ago we had fairly light winds and rain. But from time to time these squalls come through and then it picks up and then there's a good soaking.

We can show you that it is nearly deserted on this beach here. Beautiful white sand. Very flat. But out there in the distance, a few vacationers here from out of state. These folks from Ohio who couldn't resist sticking their feet in the water. They do have to be careful, however, of a predicted undertow, especially when these storms are approaching.

And the Coast Guard is predicting seas right now of three to five feet. They are warning people to be very carefully because yesterday, Sunday, they had to do about two dozen rescues on a day where normally on a Sunday, because of boating, they only have a handful of problems. But yesterday, because of squalls rolling in, they had more trouble than usual.

Other than that, on a Sunday, people were here yesterday taking advantage of the last sunshine they will see for quite some time. And others going to the store to stock up on hurricane season -- we must stress -- supplies because it's going to be a very long one, in fact. People buy things such as batteries just in case during this tropical storm the power goes out. They are expecting up to 10 inches of rain. And in a couple of communities north of here about an hour or so, Crystal River, Homosassa, they are offering sand bags in case there is some inland flooding.

Now the rain is a good thing for other parts of the state, primarily central, north Florida and parts of south Florida, because they have had less than average rainfalls over the past few months causing a lot of brush fires. So this heavy rain could put an end to those once and for all as we approach, obviously, the rainy season.

Just one last thing. Over my shoulder here you can see a lot of construction going on at the beach here. We see patio furniture out on some of these balconies. No one has taken that in yet. And off in the distance, of course, you can see those cranes. One can only hope that those have been anchored as the tropical storm approaches.

Daryn, back to you.

KAGAN: Just in case, don't go stand at that part of the beach, OK. You just stand right where you are and we . . .

CANDIOTTI: I'll make sure I'm far away from that. Yes.

KAGAN: Good girl. OK. We'll check back with you in the next hour. Susan Candiotti, thank you.

ANNOUNCER: Stay with CNN, your hurricane headquarters.

KAGAN: And this just in to CNN. News out of Iraq. We're getting word that CNN has confirmed that there has now been a successor named to head up al Qaeda in Iraq. It, of course, will be the successor to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who was killed over the weekend. Actually killed on Friday. The successor is named Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Muhajer. And we'll have more on that.

But first, more on Zarqawi. How he died and when and the latest on him. New developments about his death. Just about 90 minutes ago, the U.S. military announced that DNA tests do indeed confirm that this is the body of the terrorist leader. And we have greater details on the autopsy results and how he died in the U.S. air strike. U.S. officials want to counter rumors that he was beaten or executed by coalition forces that found him alive in the rubble.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJ. GEN. BILL CALDWELL, MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ: A coalition medic treated Zarqawi while he did lapse in and out of consciousness. The medic secured his airway at which point Zarqawi expelled blood. The medic ensured Zarqawi was breathing, however he noted the breathing was shallow and labored. The medic then checked his carotid pulse, which is barely palpable and quickly deteriorated and which he determined, therefore, that Zarqawi's death was eminent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: So the military said that Zarqawi died of his wounds less than an hour after that first bomb was dropped. And it seems his response prompted an urgent response from his faithful followers. John Vause joins us from Baghdad. He has a closer look.

First, John, off the top, do you know anything about this man who's being called the successor to Zarqawi, Abu Hamza al-Muhajer?

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely nothing at this stage really to be perfectly honest, Daryn, except for maybe a pronounce of his name. We're being told it's Abu Hamza al-Muhajer. It means, in a rough translation from Arabic, it means the immigrant. So we could assume, and it is only an assumption and speculation at this stage, the translation meaning that he is, in fact, an immigrant, a foreign to Iraq, much like Zarqawi was. He took his last name from the town in Jordan from which he was born, Zarqa, in Jordan. He became Zarqawi. We also know the man that the coalition forces and the Iraqi government was expecting to take over was a guy called al-Masari. And that translated roughly in Arabic to mean the Egyptian. And he was Egyptian. He came to Baghdad in 2002. An expert in IED. That looks like al-Masari is out and al-Muhajer is in.

Right now we just don't know a lot about him. What we do know from the Islamic website, though, is that he claims coming from al Qaeda in Iraq threatening some kind of massive operation in retaliation for the death of Zarqawi. They posted this over the weekend threatening to launch an attack which would make the ground shake under the feet of the enemy.

Now as far as the Iraqi government is concerned, talk of these massive operation is nothing more than propaganda. They say they have such good intelligence now they've infiltrated the al Qaeda in Iraq network. That any kind of massive operation or any threat of it is just an empty threat.

But al Qaeda itself is still being taken very seriously. We saw that this morning. The U.S. launch add raid near Baquba using air and ground forces, killing seven people. According to the U.S. military, seven of those who were killed were, in fact, insurgents who had links to al Qaeda. So while this threat of some kind of major operation is sort of being dismissed, the actual ongoing lingering general threat of al Qaeda is still being taken very seriously.

Daryn.

KAGAN: And, John, meanwhile, you were able to go to the site where the bombing took place. What did you see there?

VAUSE: Yes, on Saturday we were flown out there by military chopper. We were on the ground for about an hour, maybe two hours or so and had a first-hand look. It was quite amazing to see the impact created by those two 500 pound bombs. We were told by the military that they were launched within about 96 seconds of each other. And they clarified for us, saying it was one F-16 which was used in this bombing run because the other one, which they normally fly in pairs, the other one was refueling at the time. It was a time sensitive target, so they sent only one F-16, going against normal protocol.

But the crater on the ground, it was massive. And it had been filled in by the time we got there. It is still about 10, maybe 15 feet deep. We were told by the U.S. military on the ground that originally it was about 45 feet deep. And to think that someone had actually survived that initial blast, as we've now learn from the briefing we had here about two hours ago, had survived for 52 minutes after that blast was actually quite amazing.

The other point which I managed to get out of there, which is how isolated this safehouse was. It was surrounded by dapalms (ph). We didn't really even know we were on the scene until we were actually flying directly over this hole in the ground. All that was left of this two-story house built of concrete and re-enforced steel. There was really just nothing left. It was just debris scattered throughout the -- around the entire area. And very little to tell you precisely what was going on in that house. A foam mattress, a dress, a purse, a sand shoe, that kind of thing. There was no real indication that at the time of the air strike that there was a top level al Qaeda meeting underway.

Daryn.

KAGAN: John Vause live from Baghdad. John, thank you for that report.

Well, for the next two days it is all about Iraq at the war summit at Camp David. A major strategy session is underway as the president meets with his chief defense advisers and cabinet heads.

Our White House correspondent Ed Henry joins us.

Ed, why go to Camp David? Why not call everybody over to the White House?

ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Daryn.

As you know, traditionally Camp David has been used as a retreat for basically various kinds of summits and strategy sessions for a couple of reasons. First of all, there's so much peace and quiet here in the Catoctin Mountains. And you'll remember former President Clinton used it very often as a setting for Mid East peace talks. It really enables the president and his team to get away from some of the noise in Washington.

Secondly, it's so remote, in fact, that it really keeps the president away from the prying eyes of the press. I'm told that where I'm standing is about a mile away as the crow flies. Obviously I'm not a crow. It would probably take me two or three miles to drive over there. But the point is that it's remote, its far, they can go behind closed doors and get the job done.

Daryn.

KAGAN: And what about the talk of any talk of troop reduction coming out of this summit?

HENRY: Well, you know, the president heading into the summit two days of talks is really trying to downplay expectations about that. Saying that while the killing of al-Zarqawi is very important, a major blow to al Qaeda, he's also saying it's still just the death of one man. But various Iraqi officials, including their national security adviser, are being much more bullish about the potential for U.S. troop reductions. Take a listen to what their national security adviser said yesterday on CNN's "Late Edition."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR MOWAFFAK AL-RUBAIE, IRAQI NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: I believe by the end of the year, of this year, I believe that the number of the multinational forces will be probably less than 100,000 in this country. And by the end of next year, most of the multinational forces will have gone home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HENRY: Now the White House is comfortable letting Iraqi officials go out and make these pronouncements because then that puts the onus on the Iraqi officials, not the U.S. officials, to back it up.

Daryn.

KAGAN: All right. Thank you, Ed Henry. Thank you for that report.

Meanwhile, we're going to talk about Iraq and if there's a turning point. One Middle East expert calling al-Zarqawi's death a minor issue. He says insurgents are getting more credit than they deserve. We'll talk with Ken Pollack in just a moment.

Also, new calls to close the Guantanamo prison after three suicides take place there. A live report from the Pentagon.

And she jumped online and hopped on a plane. The myspace runaway is back home with quite a story. We'll tell that to you when LIVE TODAY continues. This is CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: A number of breaking news stories coming to us at CNN.

First, two developments concerning the death penalty out of the U.S. Supreme Court. First of all, the high court unanimously deciding today that the nation's death row inmates are able to file last minute challenges to lethal injection after they have exhausted the regular appeals. However, the court's ruling leaves unanswered broader questions about the chemicals that are currently used in lethal injections around the country and whether they cause excruciating pain.

Also the high court having a specific ruling for an inmate -- a death row inmate in Tennessee, saying that, yes, indeed he can use DNA evidence in an attempt to show his innocence. This is 20 years after this person was convicted of murdering a neighbor. The high court's decision significant here because there have been so many cases where DNA evidence has led to people being released from prison.

Then we go to Florida, to Tallahassee. If you're planning to go to Tallahassee today and fly, make other plans. A Tallahassee airport closed. Likely will remain that way until noon. TSA screeners discovered a suspicious package. That happened a while ago, 6:45 a.m., and yet they're going to keep it closed till noon. The airport is evacuated. No incoming or outcoming flights allowed into Tallahassee, Florida.

There are new details this morning about the three prisoner whose committed suicide at Guantanamo Bay. And we're also hearing more criticism of the U.S. policy upholding suspected terrorists there. Our Barbara Starr joins us from the Pentagon with more on that.

Barbara, good morning.

BARBARA STARR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Daryn.

The military now identifying the two Saudi and one Yemeni man that committed suicide at Guantanamo Bay over the weekend. They tell us that one of the Saudi men was a relatively high level al Qaeda operative. Had dealings with Abu Sabada (ph), a top al Qaeda official. One of the men was captured in Afghanistan during an uprising, for example, that led to the death of a CIA agent a couple of years back.

What the officials are telling us is they are now looking at all the procedures at Guantanamo Bay to try and ensure that there are no more suicide attempts or successful suicide attempts there. They've moved a large number of people through there over the years -- 759, nearly 800 detainees sent to Guantanamo Bay since the war on terror began. But there are only about 460 there right now. Of course, many have been returned to their home countries. Ten are currently facing the military tribunal process.

Daryn.

KAGAN: So these were the first suicides that were completed. I don't know if I want to say successful. But there have been many other suicide attempts there in the past.

STARR: That is correct. This has been an ongoing issue at Guantanamo Bay. The numbers shape up like this. There have been more than 40 suicide attempts since 2002. The other tactic that the detainees engage in, of course, is hunger strikes. That has been an ongoing issue, 131 in the year 2005 and 89 detainees involved in hunger strikes alone this year.

And that has been very controversial because the U.S. military says it has a humanitarian obligation to keep the detainees alive, of course. So when they engage in these hunger strikes, there is force- feeding. All of this, of course, leading to the ongoing debate around the world about the future of Guantanamo Bay. A lot of criticism coming from many countries about their view that the facility should be closed. And we are getting word that the international committee of the Red Cross would like to try and make a visit down to Guantanamo Bay perhaps as soon as this week to get a look at the latest situation.

Daryn.

KAGAN: Barbara Starr, live at the Pentagon. Barbara, Thank you.

News here in the U.S.

It is dangerous out there. After laying low for nearly 13 years, violent crime is jumping up. An FBI report released this morning shows the murder rate climbed 4.8 percent last year. Rapes, assaults and robberies increased 2.5 percent. And it seems much of it is happening in the Midwest where violent crime rose more than 5.5 percent. Analysts suspects criminal gangs are nesting in smaller cities with limited police resources. Overall, violent crime is actually down in many big cities.

Gerri Willis is here with her "Top Five Tips." Students or soon to be graduates also want to pay attention to this.

Good morning, Gerri.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn. Good to see you.

Got debt? Student loan debt that is. We'll tell you how to save money but you'll have to act fast. "Five Tips" is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: The markets have been open almost an hour. Wow, it's kind of a slow start for this Monday morning, isn't it. The Dow barely moving. Down, well you can see, down less than a point. The Nasdaq, though, is down as well. It is down 17 points.

All right. If you have a student loan, then you're facing a new test this month. On the first of July, your costs could skyrocket. And what you don't know could cost you some big bucks. CNN Personal Finance Editor Gerri Willis joins us with her "Top Five Tips" on how to beat that deadline.

Gerri, good morning.

WILLIS: Hey, good morning, Daryn. Good to see you.

You know, you said it, after July 1st interest rates on existing student loans are expected to rise 2 percentage points. So you're going to have to act quickly if you want to keep the current rate, which is 5.3 percent. New loans will have a 6.8 percent interest rate. That's a whole lot of dough and it's the highest in six years.

Parents, if you have plus loans, you'll want to consolidate, too. That interest raise will rise from a fixed 7.94 percent from 6.1. You can go online and send in your application electronically to get the ball rolling.

KAGAN: So you want to try to do some research and perhaps get some leverage here.

WILLIS: Absolutely. You've got to compare lenders before committing to a particular lender. If you only have one though right now, by law you have to consolidate with that lender. Now if your loans come from multiple sources, you can use your leverage to get the best deal. Check out different consolidation options at finaid.com. Now while lenders all charge the same rate, some offer special discounts or have special programs that you can take advantage of. And if you're not sure who has your loans, you can go to the National Student Loan data system. That website, nslds.ed.gov.

KAGAN: So what about those discounts? Can they be kind of tricky?

WILLIS: They can be tricky, but they're definitely worth pursuing. Listen, some lenders knock off a quarter of a percentage point if your loan payments are automatically debited from your account. How hard is that. But you have to have $7,500 in your account before giving you this discount.

You may be able to reduce your interest rate another full percentage point or so by making payments on time for a year or more. Again, you've got to have $10,000 in student loan debt to qualify for the discount, but you need to be asking the question because you can save yourself a lot of money.

KAGAN: And you're suggesting that people try to make higher payments if they could.

WILLIS: Well, look at it this way, Daryn. You know, if you refinance this debt, you'll refinance into a longer period of time. And while the monthly payments will come down by as much as 50 percent, cut it in half, the reality is, is you'll be paying more money over time because you'll have more interest costs. So what you want to do is put more money aside over the long term, pay that down as quickly as you can because there is no, I said no, prepayment penalty.

KAGAN: And don't wait until you get out of school to think about this.

WILLIS: Right. Exactly. You can consolidate while you're still in school. First, call your lender who holds your loans and for what they call early repayment status. Then you'll need to get an in- school deferment so you don't have to start paying while you're still going to class.

Now you're eligible to consolidate if you're in school. Keep that in mind. But you'll have to need at least $5,000 in student loans to consolidate. And starting July 1, Daryn, students will no longer be able to consolidate while still in school. They'll have to wait until after graduation.

One more thing here. Don't forget. We want to hear from you. Send us your questions at 5tips@cnn.com. We will answer them on this program live.

KAGAN: And there's no deadline on that.

WILLIS: There is no deadline on that. Earlier is better, though.

KAGAN: That's true. We'd love to hear from you.

Gerri, thank you.

WILLIS: Thank you.

(WEATHER REPORT) KAGAN: We have a developing story that's taking place off the East Coast of Florida right now. It is a search at sea. The U.S. Coast Guard has scrambled boats and helicopters to search for nine missing boaters. Their situation off the coast of Boynton Beach. It sounds dire. The person calling for help last night said that all five adults and four children had put on their life jackets and one woman was injured and bleeding.

Joining us on the phone right now is Coast Guard officer -- petty officer James Judge. Officer, good morning.

PETTY OFC. JAMES JUDGE, U.S. COAST GUARD: Good morning, Daryn, how are you?

KAGAN: I'm OK. What can you tell us about the status of the search right now for these nine missing boaters?

JUDGE: We are continuing our search efforts. Right now we have about half a dozen surface assets. Every -- we have our boats out there, the Coast Guard's, we have Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's boats out there. We also have some of Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office boats out there, helping with this search. We have two aircrafts right now and a Coast Guard C-130 from Air Station Clearwater, and a Florida Fish and Wildlife aircraft flying, doing search patterns, just trying to find these people alive.

KAGAN: What do we know about these nine people? How did this excursion go wrong?

JUDGE: I don't have the exact information on how it went wrong. I mean, it was -- the details were a little vague. The communication that we had with him wasn't so clear on the radio. He was getting stepped on a lot. But we did talk to him about an hour. He had a handheld radio, and just before it died, we spoke to him and we found out that they did have their lifejackets on.

And we told them to huddle around in a group. That helps with -- prevent hypothermia and it also helps to spot a larger group of people, as opposed to, you know, one or two. So we have strong hopes right now, and we're looking to find these people alive and well and return them to their families.

KAGAN: What kind of boat were they on?

JUDGE: They were on a 33-foot Grady White. It's -- I don't know, like, the exact model it was. But it was a Grady White.

KAGAN: Now, you mention hypothermia. Let's talk about the conditions out there. We were just talking all about Alberto, which of course is coming on the West Coast of Florida. But is it affecting weather there?

JUDGE: Yes, and it's affecting the entire state. Right now, our seas are about a four to six-foot chop and about 10 to 15 knot winds. It's low visibility. So that's going to play a role in the search effort. It's going to damper it a little bit. But we're going to continue to search. We're going to try our best to try to find these people.

KAGAN: But on the positive side, might the waters be a little bit warmer, which might help in preventing hypothermia?

JUDGE: Absolutely. They are a little warmer. I don't have the exact temperature in front of me, but they're in the 80s. And that's a lot better than if it was colder. It gives them a longer time to survive. And that's what we're hoping for, is to find them alive.

KAGAN: Petty Officer James Judge. Petty Officer, thank you.

JUDGE: Thank you.

KAGAN: For the latest. We wish you good luck in that search. And the Coast Guard is asking the public for any information about the possibility identity of the missing boaters. If you have information, please call 305-535-4472.

Is the U.S. focused on the wrong problems in Iraq? As the president is pondering strategy, Mid East expert Ken Pollack warns time is running out. He joins me next. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: And this just in to CNN. We're seeing pictures for the first time from around the Tallahassee Airport. That airport has been shut down. They discovered a suspicious package there around 6:45 a.m. You can see some police activity. They want to make sure that that -- everything is OK, so they've evacuated the airport at Tallahassee. Flights, both incoming and outgoing, have been canceled until further notice. And if you're headed to the airport in Tallahassee, they're asking you to call your airline carrier and make other arrangements. We'll keep an eye on what's happening in Tallahassee.

The president is at Camp David today, planning strategy in Iraq. Terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is dead. Iraq's cabinet is finally full and Iraq's national security adviser predicts there is will be fewer U.S. troops in Iraq by the end of the year.

So what is the outlook? Let's check in with Mideast analyst Ken Pollack of the Brookings Institution, joining me from Washington. Ken, good to see you.

KEN POLLACK, BROOKINGS INSTITUTION: Thank you, Daryn. Good to be here.

KAGAN: What do you think might come out of this summit?

POLLACK: Well, look, we don't honestly know. I think what we're looking for, really, is whether the administration is willing to really start thinking differently about how it's handled strategy in Iraq all along.

You know, you finally now have some people, in particular in the U.S. military, who I think really do have a much better grip on what the United States needs to do in terms of creating real security on the ground for the Iraqi people, using the secured areas of Iraq to build up political, economic and security institutions from the ground up. And give the Iraqis some reason to keep hanging on, give them the security and the basic services that they so desperately need. Because that, ultimately, is the only thing that is really going to turn this situation around.

KAGAN: All different types at the table at Camp David. If we got you a seat, a hot ticket there, what would you say to the president?

POLLACK: Well, I would say pretty much what I just said to you, which is that, Mr. President, there is no silver bullet solution to this. It is only going to succeed -- the only way we're going to turn things around in Iraq is going to be through a fundamental rethink of our strategy, focus on providing security for the Iraqi people and then helping them to receive what they need, in terms of basic services, in terms of clean water and electricity and gasoline and everything else, by helping them to rebuild their political and economic institutions. That's what we failed to do for the last three years, and that's what we've got to do now.

KAGAN: What about last week's death of al-Zarqawi. Does not -- is that not a turning point in your mind?

POLLACK: Well, look, I think there's no question that it is fitting and ultimately good that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has finally found justice. But let's not kid ourselves as to what the impact is likely to be on Iraq. It's likely to not have any impact, quite frankly.

We need to remember that the biggest problems afflicting Iraq today are the breakdown in internal order, the rise of the militias, the inability of the central government to provide any goods and services to the Iraqi people. The insurgency is out there, but it is principally just an exacerbating factor of all things. And Zarqawi was never more than just one component of the insurgency. So it's very, very difficult to see how his death has a real impact on where Iraq is headed.

KAGAN: From your seat is Iraq hopeful or hopeless?

POLLACK: I wouldn't say -- I certainly wouldn't say that it is hopeless. I do believe that it is possible to turn Iraq around. Again, when you've got all these Iraqis who want so desperately to make the situation work out, that's a very positive as long as they stay that way. But again, we've got to start delivering. And the problem is that we failed them for so long, it's unclear how long they will start to keep holding on. So we've got to start delivering. We've got to start delivering soon. If we can do so, I think Iraq can be salvaged. Even then, it's going to be a have long painful process.

KAGAN: Ken Pollack of the Brookings Institution. Ken, thank you.

POLLACK: Thank you, Daryn.

KAGAN: We have health news just ahead. Warning for big babies and the parents who love them. A big baby isn't a little kid. Coming up, making sure that babies stay safe on the road even when they're too big for infant car seats. It's a special report from Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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KAGAN: You're about to see 47 grilled cheese sandwiches. They were gobbled up in 10 minutes. A San Jose man from San Jose,, California, Joey Chestnut, did this in Las Vegas over the weekend. He set a new world record. Chestnut is called the rising star of the competitive eating circuit. Last month, he ate 50 hot dogs in one sitting.

SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We'll see him in Nathan's (ph) this summer.

KAGAN: Yes, absolutely. Have to fight the little guy who wins every year.

LISOVICZ: Exactly.

KAGAN: Thank you, Susan.

LISOVICZ: You're welcome.

KAGAN: Speaking of big, there's a warning when it comes to big babies. What parents need to know to keep them safe on the road, even when they are too big for tin infant car seat. It's a special report from Dr. Sanjay Gupta coming up in a moment.

LISOVICZ: Also we're bracing for Alberto. The season's first tropical storm now heading for Florida. People on the coast are getting ready. CNN is your hurricane headquarters.

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KAGAN: Now health news for you parents. A growing number of American babies are too big to fit into car seats. Many parents of these big babies are struggling to make sure their kids are safe for the ride.

CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more.

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SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Riding in the car seat and watching the world go by is a feature of every childhood. But finding a car seat to fit three-year-old Rafael was a surprisingly daunting task.

GERALDO TOBIAS, RAFAEL'S FATHER: Rafael's 47 pounds and 37 inches long. I see kids his age taller, but they're lighter. Much lighter than him.

GUPTA: Rafael's always been on the heavier side. At just two years old, he already weighed 41 pounds.

DR. AVRIL BECKFORD, PEDIATRICIAN: About 5 percent of children are not able to fit into the regular car seats that would be appropriate for the age and their developmental ability, because they're too heavy for their age.

GUPTA: Which poses a problem when it comes to finding the right fit. Rafael has outgrown two of his car seats so far.

TOBIAS: It's too tight for him on the thigh and his legs are hanging and, as you can see, he's not comfortable with it anymore.

GUPTA: But there are about 283,000 children who are too big for the car seats on the market. That's according to the Columbus Children's Research Institute. Part of the problem is that more and more young children are obese. Nearly 200,000 3-year-olds in the U.S. weigh more than 40 pounds.

BECKFORD: Child obesity is on the increase. And it really is an epidemic and something we have to get on top of, because it has such long-reaching consequences in terms of quality of life.

GUPTA: Right now, Rafael has a booster set that uses the car's built-in safety belt to strap him in. But experts say that's not safe enough. Crash test videos how dangerous the wrong car seat can be, even in a low impact crash.

LARA TRIFILETTI, CHILD SAFETY RESEARCHER: They're developmentally not capable of withstanding the force of a crash and they may also slip out under the adult seatbelt. So a five-point harness just provides another level of security in keeping them in the seat.

GUPTA: The researchers conclusion: parents should look for the five-point harness, follow the manufacturer's guidelines and, of course, make sure their child is comfortable for the long haul.

But for bigger kids like Rafael, that's a tall order.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

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KAGAN: From big babies to big adults, right now obesity is on the rise in the U.S., and so are weight-related illnesses. If you need health tips for yourself or for your children,be sure to watch "Fit Nation" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. That is Sunday at 7:00 p.m., right here on CNN. And we're going to have the latest on Tropical Storm Alberto. A hurricane warning is out there. Chad will be along with the latest information for Florida.

And it's all about the strategy in Iraq as the president huddles with his cabinet chiefs at Camp David. A live report, straight ahead, on that, as well.

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