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CNN Live Today

No Launch for Atlantis; Blast Hits Turkey Tourist District of Antalya; Investigators Study Comair Crash

Aired August 28, 2006 - 10:59   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right. Let's go ahead and get started.
I'm Daryn Kagan.

I'm Monday morning. Thank you for joining us for our second hour of CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

Something is sapping Ernesto's energy. Will the storm regain hurricane status as it targets south Florida. I'll talk live this hour with an expert at the National Hurricane Center.

A year since Katrina whipped the Gulf Coast. This hour President Bush is in the hour flying to the hurricane zone for a solemn remembrance.

And at the end of the hour, federal investigators get us up to speed on the Comair crash. They want to know why the plane was on the wrong runway. The briefing is coming up live on CNN.

We'll begin our hour with Tropical Storm Ernesto. Here's what we know right now.

The storm rolling ashore in eastern Cuba. Just hours ago it battered Haiti. At least one death reported there.

The latest storm update released just minutes ago shows Ernesto shifting a bit toward Miami. NASA is taking no chances. Ahead of the approaching storm, it has scrubbed tomorrow's launch of the space shuttle Atlantis.

Chad Myers is watching all of this.

Chad, what's standing out to you about Ernesto?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The fact that it turned to the northwest for at least a little while when it got by Haiti.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Let's take a look what this looks like for the folks at NASA. This is high above the Earth, and this is what Ernesto looks like, the view from the International Space Station. NASA is concerned enough to scrub tomorrow's launch of the space shuttle Atlantis. Let's go to the Kennedy Space Center, where our technology correspondent, Daniel Sieberg, is standing by, because, Daniel there are still more decisions to make besides tomorrow's launch.

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT: That's correct. Tomorrow's launch has been delayed, but because of the path of Ernesto, NASA has set a series of events in motion that could and most likely will lead to the physical rollback of the space shuttle from its launch pad.

You can see it there, a live look at shuttle Atlantis on launch pad 39B. It's enclosed in its rotating service structure to protect it from things like thunderstorms. Not enough to protect it from a hurricane or a severe tropical storm.

So we do have some pictures actually that are pretty interesting taken from the International Space Station that show Ernesto as it heads toward Florida. They are, of course, keeping an eye on that.

Now, if this leads to a physical rollback of the shuttle -- the things they are doing right now are offloading some onboard fuels and things like that -- by tomorrow morning we are hearing about 8:00 or 9:00 they would have to make a decision to physically take the shuttle off the launch pad. This is not a small task.

They use something called a crawler (ph) transporter. They were out here yesterday taking them out for a test drive. The shuttle when fully loaded weighs about 4.5 million pounds. The crawler (ph) transporter goes less than one mile per hour as it makes that three- mile journey back to the vehicle assembly building, where it would be protected from a hurricane.

So, they are sort of leaving an escape hatch open, in a sense, Daryn, just waiting to see if things could happen, holding out hope against hope that possibly the storm track will change between now and tomorrow. But more than likely we're going to see a physical rollback of the shuttle starting tomorrow.

KAGAN: All right. Daniel, thank you.

Daniel Sieberg at the Kennedy Space Center.

Thank you.

Let's go back to Tony Harris. He's been watching a story that's been developing out of Turkey -- Tony.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And just building in its drama, Daryn. A dramatic scene unfolding right now in Turkey. Let's take a look at some of these pictures just in to CNN.

You're looking at pictures in just a moment now with the latest in a series of bomb attacks along the Mediterranean coast there in Turkey, and also in Istanbul. And the pictures that you're looking at right now are the most -- of the most recent attack in the resort town of Antalya. Sources telling our sister network, CNN Turk, that two people have been killed in this attack on Antalya. We've watched a steady stream of injured being placed on to stretchers for the trip to local hospitals. And I mentioned a moment ago that this is the latest in a series of attacks.

Yesterday four bombs went off in another coastal town. And in Istanbul, 27 people were injured in the blasts, including 10 British tourists. One of the blasts, Daryn, actually occurring on a minibus.

Again, this is unfolding right now in Antalya. That's in Turkey, a resort town along the Mediterranean coast. So far there's been no claim of responsibility for these attacks. We'll continue to gather these pictures into CNN and we'll bring you updates on this story -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, Tony. Thank you.

HARRIS: Sure thing.

KAGAN: Watching the situation as it develops in Florida as they anticipate what is now Tropical Storm Ernesto but what could become a hurricane, folks are already starting to fill up gas tanks so they can get out of town.

This is Davie, Florida, outside of Miami. And I understand they're getting some longer gas lines. People wanting to fill up so they can get out if need be.

And you can see they are not only doing their cars -- you see the guy on the left there? Gas cans. Want enough to be able to get out.

We'll have the latest from Florida in just a moment.

Also, talking about searching for clues in the crash of Comair Flight 5191. Here is what we know.

Investigators today are studying the plane's flight recorders. They want to know why the pilot took off from the shorter runway in Lexington, Kentucky. It's not long enough for commercial jets. All but one of the 50 people on board died. The co-pilot remains in criminal condition this morning.

Let's get an update now from our Jason Carroll. He is in Lexington, Kentucky, with the latest -- Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And good morning to you, Daryn.

We spoke to an investigator from the National transportation Safety Board. She told us this morning that there was a conversation between the crew and the tower before takeoff and during that conversation the plan was to use the longer runway, runway 22. It is still unclear at this point why the pilot and the crew made the fatal decision to take the shorter runway. Just to recap exactly what happened out here yesterday, it was shortly after 6:00 a.m. That is when the tower cleared the Comair jet to take off from runway 22. The longer runway, again. That runway about 7,000 feet long. But the pilot, again, turned on the shorter runway, runway 26, which is just about half as long.

The plane then crashed through a perimeter fence and burst into flames. The plane's first officer, Jim Polehinke, was pulled from the wreckage. He is the only survivor. All 49 others on board perished.

This morning we are told from the University of Kentucky Medical Center that he is still in critical condition.

Also on board that flight, a man by the name of Jon Hooker and his new bride, Scarlett Parsley. Both of them had just gotten married the day before the crash.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEITH MADISON, FMR. COACH, UNIV. OF KENTUCKY: He was a very, very excited, very happy guy last night. And Scarlett was a beautiful young woman, and she seemed very happy. And it's just a tragic loss.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CARROLL: At this point investigators are still in the process of reviewing the cockpit data -- I mean, the flight data recorder, as well as the cockpit voice recorder. And, in fact, Daryn, at this point in Washington right now they are transcribing the conversations from the cockpit voice recorder.

We are expecting to have some sort of update from NTSB at about noon Eastern Time. Perhaps at that time we'll get a little bit more information about the conversation that took place between the crew and the tower. Again, that's going to be taking place at about noon Eastern Time -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right. Jason Carroll live from Lexington, Kentucky.

Thank you.

Also want to tell you about some of the other victims that were on board the flight. Three of them.

Pat smith, the Habitat for Humanity International board member, was on his way to Gulfport, Mississippi. He was helping build homes for people displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Also on board the flight, Homer and Diane Combs. The Lexington couple was headed to Monterey, California. They were celebrating their 31st wedding anniversary.

And the pilot, 35-year-old Jeffrey Clay, leaves behind his wife and two daughters, a 2-year-old and a 3-month-old.

Those bios and that information courtesy of the "Lexington Herald-Leader."

Tropical Storm Ernesto. We're going to continue our coverage as it gets close to Florida. We're checking in live with the National Hurricane Center.

And getting out a year after Hurricane Katrina. One mother describes her escape.

In Colorado, in court and under scrutiny, a first appearance for John Karr in Colorado today. What you can expect.

There's a new twist in the case, and that's ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: More now from Turkey. Here's Tony Harris.

HARRIS: Well, Daryn, just want to continue to show you the latest pictures of what is happening as this scene unfolds in Turkey. Just dramatic pictures into CNN. And the death toll continues to rise from a series of attacks in Turkey along the Mediterranean coast and in Istanbul.

Pictures that you're looking at right now are from the resort town of Antalya. Three people are now confirmed dead. That number going up by one from just moments ago. Three people now dead, 18 injured in this attack on the resort town of Antalya.

And I've got to tell you, this number of injured, at least, will probably go much higher, because we have watched literally, Daryn, just a stream of people injured being loaded onto stretchers and being placed on -- into ambulances, offloaded and taken into the hospital for treatment. This is the latest in a series of attacks.

Yesterday, four bombs went off at another coastal town. And in the commercial center of Istanbul, 27 people were injured in those blasts, including 10 British tourists. One of those bombs going off on a minibus.

But again, Daryn, dramatic pictures into CNN. Just want to keep bringing those to you of this most recent attack in Antalya. And so far no claim of responsibility for these attacks -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, Tony. Thank you.

HARRIS: Sure thing.

KAGAN: Tropical Storm Ernesto is turning its way toward Florida. Here is what we know at the quarter hour.

Ernesto's 45-mile-per-hour winds made landfall on Cuba's southeast coast this morning, just west of the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay. The storm killed at least one person in Haiti.

Forecasters believe Ernesto will strengthen into a hurricane as it heads toward Florida. Jittery residents there are getting ready. A hurricane watch is in effect for south Florida, stretching from New Smyrna Beach on the east coast, to just north of the Everglades, on Florida's west coast.

Officials ordered tourists to evacuate the Florida Keys. However, the latest advisory shows a slight shift toward Miami.

You are watching live pictures as the story develops. Take a look at this.

Gas lines. No, we haven't pulled out some 1970 video. This is actually Davie, Florida, just outside of Miami, as folks pull up trying to not only load up their cars, but we've seen a lot of people pull up with gas cans as well. They want enough gas to get out of town if they need to.

Let's go to Miami and the National Hurricane Center. Richard Knabb is a senior hurricane specialist and joins us. And I also want to welcome Chad in to talk to Richard.

RICHARD KNABB, SR. HURRICANE SPECIALIST: Good morning.

KAGAN: Tell us what Ernesto is looking like right now.

KNABB: Well, you can see on the satellite imagery behind me that it is not a terribly well organized system, but it's still a tropical storm. It's hard to tell where the center is on satellite here, but it is inland over southeastern Cuba, dumping a lot of rainfall down there.

We're very concerned about flashfloods and mudslides. It could be up to a foot or even more in some places of rain in that mountainous terrain down there. But we're just going to watch very closely, have reconnaissance aircraft offshore here during the next 12 hours to watch for that center to come off the northern coast of Cuba, which should happen sometime within the next 12 to 18 hours.

KAGAN: Chad?

MYERS: Richard, are we unable to fly over the storm when it's over Cuba?

KNABB: Well, we generally don't fly aircraft reconnaissance into a system when it's over any land mass.

MYERS: OK.

KNABB: It's just too dangerous and turbulent. But the aircraft will be offshore of Cuba, monitoring the wind field there as the thunderstorm activity comes off the shore. We'll try to see if we can show any signs of seeing the circulation center coming off the coast.

We're not sure if that will happen later this afternoon or this evening, or if it will take into late night or early morning. But regardless, it's going to have at least a day to strengthen over the warm waters between northern Cuba and Florida. MYERS: You guys drove the Gulf Stream jet last night. And that seemed to really tighten the models up quite a bit, bringing them all pretty much in line, at least somewhere over Florida, either west coast or east coast.

How did that help you out?

KNABB: Yes, we -- we do that for a reason, because the data that comes from that G4 jet that NOAA flies drops these sonns (ph) in the atmosphere in the environment. That data gets into the models, and history tells us that that data generally improves the model track forecast. And the overnight model runs as a result of that data did come into a little closer agreement on the impact over Florida.

If you look at our forecast track, though, on the 11:00 a.m. advisory, it hasn't changed very much. The models are still on the generally good agreement on this forecast track. But if you look at the cone of uncertainty, though, we cannot be sure whether or not the center is actually going to impact Florida peninsula, the Florida Keys, or go to the east more and impact the Bahamas.

MYERS: And the North Carolina, South Carolina, even Georgia coast needs to prepare for a secondary landfall if the center of that cone comes true, right?

KNABB: That's right. You know, the hurricane watches right now have been extended northward along the east coast of Florida. So there's a large part of Florida under hurricane watch. We might have to consider putting up hurricane warnings for a portion of those areas later today, but certainly as you go beyond Wednesday and into Thursday, Friday, farther up the East Coast, people need to be paying attention to this system.

MYERS: Daryn.

KAGAN: All right. We'll be doing that.

Richard Knabb, thank you.

KNABB: You're welcome.

KAGAN: Chad, thank you as well.

Planning for the future with lessons learned from the past. Leaders in Louisiana are talking about recovery and rebuilding.

Details in a live report on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We are marking the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. President Bush is talking about rebuilding and recovery today.

The president just left for a two-day tour of the region. The first stop will be Mississippi. He'll have lunch with community leaders and walk through a damaged neighborhood. Then it is on to New Orleans for dinner with state and local leaders.

Also heading to the Gulf region, some Democrats. They want to point out what they say is the administration's ongoing failure to get enough help to the region.

This time of year ago the Gulf Coast was on high alert. And those who could get out of town ahead of Hurricane Katrina did.

Our Dan Lothian has the story of one family's escape.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LOTHIAN (voice over): As the Gulf Coast braced for Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans native Lorrie Metzler prepared for get out of town with her 9-year-old son Michael.

DR. LORRIE METZLER, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: The writing was on the wall. You had an enormous Category 5 hurricane headed straight for the mouth of the river. Hello? I mean, it was like, get out.

LOTHIAN: A year ago today Metzler was arriving in Pensacola, Florida. 7:00 a.m. Central Time, Katrina was upgraded to a Category 5 storm. Forecasters were making dire predictions about the city Metzler had left behind.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Certainly New Orleans is going to be getting a very strong, intense blow from this storm.

MAX MAYFIELD, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: If the really strong winds clip Lake Pontchartrain, that's going to pile some of that water to Lake Pontchartrain, over on the south side of the lake.

LOTHIAN: 11:00 a.m., the city issues its first ever mandatory evacuation order.

MAYOR RAY NAGIN (D), NEW ORLEANS: We are facing a storm that most of us have feared.

LOTHIAN: But long before that, thousands of people had already started evacuating. Governor Kathleen Blanco, just off a call with the White House, added to the urgency.

BLANCO: This is a very dangerous time.

LOTHIAN: Those without transportation began lining up at the Superdome, the shelter of last resort. Michael Brown, FEMA's director at the time, insisted the government was ready.

MICHAEL BROWN, FEMA DIRECTOR: FEMA is not going to hesitate at all in this storm. We're going to move fast, we're going to move quick.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're going to use the service elevators.

LOTHIAN: Some doctors and nurses at area hospitals started moving medicines and other supplies to hire ground. Metzler, a physician, was concerned as she followed the news from hundreds of miles away.

METZLER: I was very worried about the medical facilitis. I was very worried about how we were going to get the sick people out.

LOTHIAN: By now, the military had a small presence in New Orleans. But would their numbers be enough?

And there were growing concerns about the levees. Would they hold?

Katrina was still hours away. It was getting harder to leave the city. President Bush urged everyone to evacuate and offered reassurances.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will do everything in our power to help the people and the communities affected by this storm.

LOTHIAN: Katrina wrote the rest of the story with a catastrophic ending.

METZLER: I think most of us live with a lot of anger about what should have been and what should have happened and the way it should have gone down and how we really should not have had the problems that we had.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And it's all about getting back on track and getting ready for the next storm. Louisiana leaders are meeting this hour for a reconstruction and hurricane preparedness summit.

WWL Radio news director Dave Cohen is at the summit, joining me on the phone.

Dave, good morning.

DAVE COHEN, WWL RADIO NEWS DIRECTOR: Good morning.

KAGAN: How is the summit different than other summits we have seen in the last year?

COHEN: Well, I think it's different only in that it's coming one year after Katrina. And we are looking forward to shortly getting analysis from Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, really where are we one year later and where do we have to go from here?

KAGAN: People making a big deal out of President Bush coming to town again?

COHEN: It's the 13th visit. It's almost become old hat.

Folks are used to the president coming to town. More fearful of the traffic problems that it's going to cause and security issues, I think, than they are worried about the president actually coming for a visit. They like it when he comes. And they know that means that we're still on the radar screen. And they also like it because it's an opportunity to again send the message we know it's a long way to go and we need the help to continue.

KAGAN: And speaking of help, are people realizing they have to rebuild themselves? There's been a lot in the national media of the federal money that's been dolled out, but the lack of money that has made it to local residents to start rebuilding their homes?

COHEN: There's a mix of hope and anger right now. The program that the state is calling The Road Home Program has just opened 10 offices across the state. And within six weeks they say we'll start handing out $150,000 allotments to people who had severe damage or completely destroyed homes.

It's part of a $10 billion housing program of community development block grants. And that has a lot of those people who lost their homes actually hopeful for the first time in a long time that pretty soon they will have enough money to demolish their destroyed home, relocate, or rebuild a new home. We've talked to many people now who finally believe they are actually going to get to rebuild their homes with this money that will make up for any shortfall they had from insurance and other sources.

KAGAN: And what does the one-year anniversary mean for most folks there?

COHEN: You know, the sentiment that we're finding more than any other is we kind of wish the one-year anniversary could come and go quickly. Because at a time when people are trying to look to the future, trying to look toward rebuilding, trying to be as positive as possible, it really is bringing up a lot of very difficult memories and a lot of the anger that was associated with the immediate aftermath of the storm.

Folks see it as an opportunity to pay tribute to the lives lost. They see it as an opportunity to highlight the needs that continue here and the efforts that will have to go on, but also see it as a problem, as an aggravating factor in a process that they want to keep moving forward.

KAGAN: What about being ready for another storm? We're watching Ernesto, which right now looks like it has its sights set more on Florida. But ironic that it comes exactly on the one-year anniversary of Katrina.

COHEN: On Friday, New Orleans' homeland security director, Colonel Terry Ebbert, was telling us that if the track held up that the hurricane center had issued on Friday, we would be evacuating on Tuesday on the one-year anniversary. That was not a pleasant thought for folks here. It was the "Oh, no, not again."

When the hurricane center Sunday morning, yesterday morning, issued that report that shifted the path dramatically to the east, there was a huge sigh of relief amongst the officials and the residents here in New Orleans. Not happy someone else is going to have to deal with this, but knowing that they could not handle another major storm now -- and it wasn't helped by the fact the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in town over the weekend, told us he doesn't know if the levee system -- he was frank, he said he said he just can't tell us. He doesn't know if the levee system here can hold up to a Category 3 hit right now.

KAGAN: Dave Cohen, thank you so much.

COHEN: Thank you.

KAGAN: On the phone with us from New Orleans, from WWL Radio.

We are coming up on the half-hour. Let's tell you what we know about Tropical Storm Ernesto.

The storm rolling ashore in eastern Cuba at this hour. Just hours ago it battered Haiti. At least one death reported there.

The latest storm update released a short while ago shows Ernesto shifting a bit toward Miami. Hurricane watches are posted in Florida.

NASA is taking no chances. Ahead of the approaching storm it has scrubbed tomorrow's launch of the space shuttle Atlantis.

This all leads to our Chad Myers and our CNN weather center and a very busy day -- Chad.

(WEATHER REPORT)

KAGAN: Let's go to Tony. Breaking news out of Minnesota -- Tony.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, Daryn, we're still trying to come to terms and get as much information we can about the crash in Lexington, Kentucky yesterday, and it's weird how these things work.

Pictures just into CNN now after small plane crash in Indianapolis. And let's see if I can make that out there. OK, there's the pond behind some homes. A small plane crash into a pond in Indianapolis.

Local reports are indicating that -- here's the good news -- that all five people on board the plane were able to escape. We don't know the extent of the injuries at this time. And this is near, if you're familiar with the area, Eagle Creek Airport, and this is west of the west side of Indianapolis. Again, this small plane crashing into a pond, but the good news is that all five people on board the plane were able to escape. We don't know the extent of the injuries. We'll continue to follow that for you.

KAGAN: Everyone on board the plane got out safely.

HARRIS: Yes, yes. The reporting in so far to us is that everyone was able to get out of the plane safely.

KAGAN: That is incredible. HARRIS: Yes, it is.

KAGAN: All right, thank you, Tony.

HARRIS: OK, Daryn.

KAGAN: We're watching Ernesto getting closer and closer to Florida. We'll have the latest. Also we're looking for clues in a different plane crash. The latest on the crash of the Comair jet in Kentucky. The wrong runway appears to have been the problem.

And in court and under scrutiny, a first appearance for Karr in Colorado today. Also a new twist in the case. That's ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: The world's top diplomat is in Lebanon today, and he says U.N. peacekeepers will be on duty within a week. U.N. Secretary- General Kofi Annan is in Beirut to fortify the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah. He met with Lebanese leaders today, and is due to travel to Israel tomorrow. As many as 13,000 troops will join the 2,000 U.N. forces already in Lebanon.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KOFI ANNA, U.N. SECY.-GEN.: It is time now to look to the future. Let us look at this postwar period as an opportunity for peace, prosperity and stability in Lebanon. We must all work together to rebuild Lebanon, to cite a safe and secure environment, including the removal of land mines and unexploded ordnances. The United Nations has made every effort within its limited resources to help the people of Lebanon, and will continue to do so with our international partners.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: And now for the latest on those two freed journalists. They are calling two weeks captivity in Gaza torment. Fox news reporter Steve Centanni and his photographer Olaf Wiig say their videotaped conversion to Islam was carried out at gunpoint. Just hours after the tape's release, Centanni phoned his family in California to say he had been released.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GINA CENTANNI, STEVE CENTANNI'S SISTER: I had an emotional breakdown. I think I'd been holding it back for a long time, sort of not really allowing myself to feel the full extent of the fear. And when I realized he was safe and that the story had a happy ending, then I sort of gave myself permission to express all the feelings to myself that I'd been holding back, and I just broke down crying, and cried and cried and cried, and, you know, happy tears, but still quite emotional.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KAGAN: Palestinian officials work behind the scenes for the men's release. They haven't said what led to that breakthrough.

Gun battles, suicide bombings, Iraqis count more than 50 bodies in the carnage today. In Baghdad this morning a suicide car bomber detonated at a police checkpoint outside the interior ministry. At least 11 people were killed, dozens wounded, and some 40 people were killed in the gunfight.

Shiite militiamen clashed with Iraqi soldiers today south of Baghdad. Twenty-three of the dead are Iraqi soldiers.

It was a deadly weekend for American troops in Iraq, as well. The military says eight U.S. soldiers were killed in violence all around Baghdad, seven in roadside bomb attack, one by gunfire. The killings bring the U.S. death toll in Iraq to 2,629.

A spike in attacks in Iraq over the weekend, but overall the military says violence actually has plummeted since last month. That's when U.S.-led forces launched a security crackdown in Baghdad.

Live now to CNN senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre.

Jamie, good morning.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning.

You know, it's hard to make the case that things are getting better in Iraq when you've had the kind of deaths that you've seen over the last day or so. As you outlined there, fighting between the Iraqi army and a militia loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr in the south. Those suicide bombings from car attacks, and as you said, American soldiers dying, one of the deadliest couple of days in recent memory.

Nevertheless, the U.S. military is insisting that things are getting better with the increased security operation in Baghdad. They say, for instance, that the number of daily attacks, averaging about 23, is down significantly from last month. The murder rate been cut almost in half. The number of car bombs, in fact, has gone down by 50 percent. And Major General Bill Caldwell, the chief spokesman in Iraq, insists that the trend shows that the U.S. and Iraqi forces are making progress in trying to reclaim the city.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAJOR GEN. WILLIAM CALDWELL, MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE IRAQ: As we know, the insurgents and terrorists are punching back. It's an attempt on their part to offset the successes the Iraqi government and its security forces have made here, and divert media attention from the accomplishments of the Baghdad security plan, especially as it's being told by the Iraqi citizen on the street.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCINTYRE: Now, we also got a briefing just a short time ago here at the Pentagon, also live by telecast from Iraq, from one of the general's responsible for advising the Iraqi security forces after they are trained and equipped. He insists that the difference between a year ago and today, in terms of the Iraqi security capabilities; in his words, "day and night."

But when asked by reporters whether some of the recent statements from Iraqi government leaders that perhaps Iraqi forces could take over on their own in the coming months, he said, if the question is could the U.S. military leave in the next couple of months, he said that would be premature. So the fight goes on.

And again, the argument from U.S. commanders is that there is progress and that the increase in violence is sometimes aimed at the fact that the insurgents are getting frustrated by some of the successes that they're having.

KAGAN: Jamie, a couple of missile angles in the news today, coming out of the Pentagon. One, Iran running a test.

MCINTYRE: Yes, a test of a new anti-ship missile that Iran says represents its increased military capability. In terms of military ability, this isn't a big step forward for Iran, but it does underscore one of the whole cards that Iran has in its dealings with the West, and that is, like Iraq, Iran has the ability to disrupt shipping in the Persian Gulf, where two-fifths of the world's oil moves through.

And if there were increasing tensions or a military confrontation with Iran, you would likely see an immediate impact on the world's oil supply and the world economy. So this test firing of an anti-ship missile, which from a submarine -- while it indicates, perhaps, another weapon in Iran's arsenal, it doesn't represent a huge increase in their military capability.

KAGAN: And finally, Donald Rumsfeld looking at missile defense.

MCINTYRE: Yes, and, of course the Missile Defense Agency is going to have another test of the national missile defense system later this week. This is not an intercept test. And Defense Secretary Rumsfeld, touring the facility in Fort Greely, Alaska, this weekend, said he is not convinced at this point that the National Missile Defense system can shoot down, for instance, a North Korean missile.

He'd like to see a realistic, successful test before he's willing to make that statement. This test this week is to test the acquisition of a warhead. There may be an interception in space, but that's not necessarily the object. That will come later this year, when they try to conduct the most realistic test to date to see if this National Missile Defense system really can shoot down the missile with a missile.

KAGAN: And then the military question I wondered about today, with Ernesto coming onshore to Cuba. What happens to Guantanamo Bay?

MCINTYRE: Well, you know, we've been checking with them. They tell us that, at this point, the storm is basically passing them by with about 40-mile-per-hour winds. You know, that they constructed a new facility down in Guantanamo that's pretty secure. It's also fairly hurricane-proof, although they do have evacuation plans if they are really hit with really high, high winds or flooding. But at this point, they say it looks like the storm has basically passed them by. They haven't evacuated any of the personnel or any of the prisoners down there, and it looks like they'll be OK.

KAGAN: Jamie McIntyre at the Pentagon. Jamie, thank you for all of those updates.

Now let's go over to Tony Harris. He's following a couple of developing stories. Tony, first out of turkey.

HARRIS: Yes, let's start in Turkey, Daryn. We're still assessing the toll of the dead and injured in a series of bomb attacks there in Turkey, along the Mediterranean coast of the country. Three people now confirmed dead, 18 injured, in this attack that you're watching video of on the resort town of Antalya. This is a popular resort city.

And we're told that this city attracts millions of Russians and German tourists each year. Now, firefighters were fast to the scene of this, and put out the fire that was associated with the explosion. But that's when they found the bodies of the first two victims in the street. The third person to die later died of injuries at a local hospital. A lot of chaos, as you can see here, at the scene as people were trying to help the injured onto stretchers and into ambulances.

And yesterday, four bombs went off in another coastal town and also in Istanbul, which is the commercial center of the country. Twenty-seven people were injured in those blasts, including ten British tourists. And one of those bombs went off on a mini-bus. And a dramatic scene unfolding this afternoon in Turkey. No one -- no organization or group has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far.

Let's take you to Indianapolis now and give you an update on the breaking news there. A small plane crashing into a pond. A moment ago, we told you that were four people on board the plane. That number has changed. Actually, four people were on board, the pilot and three passengers. But local media telling us that the people actually escaped this, and we can tell you how.

Apparently, when this plane went down, it was leaving the Eagle Creek airport. Went down in this pond, very near a subdivision there. It was headed to Hilton Head, South Carolina. There was a bystander who actually jumped into the pond and actually pulled the people to safety. One person on that plane is seriously injured. Don't know the extent of the other injuries. But good news coming out of this scene in Indianapolis. The people all rescued, in a hospital now being cared for -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, thank you, Tony.

HARRIS: Sure thing. KAGAN: We're going to continue our coverage of what is now Tropical Storm Ernesto, but what is expected to hit hurricane strength, possibly by the time it hits Florida. That's coming up.

Also, we're going to have a news conference. We're watching a news conference to begin at the top of the hour. NTSB holding a news conference about that plane crash out of Lexington, Kentucky. The latest. You'll see it live here on CNN at the top of the hour.

And in court and under scrutiny, a first appearance for John Karr in Colorado today. What you can expect. There's a new twist in the case. That's just ahead on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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KAGAN: We are watching Tropical Storm Ernesto. This is what we know at 10 minutes to the top of the hour. It's turning its way toward Florida. Ernesto's 45-mile-per-hour winds made landfall on Cuba's southeast coast this morning, just west of the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay. The storm killed at least one person in Haiti. Forecasters believe that Ernesto will strengthen into a hurricane as it heads toward Florida. Jittery resident there are getting ready. A hurricane watch is in effect for South Florida, stretching from New Smyrna Beach on the east coast to just north of the Everglades on Florida's west coast.

Officials ordered tour is to evacuate the Florida Keys. However, the latest advisory shows a slight shift toward Miami.

This afternoon, John Mark Karr will be in a Colorado courtroom. The suspect in the death of 6-year-old JonBenet makes his first court appearance in Boulder.

Our Susan Candiotti is there in Colorado to tell us what this first court appearance entails.

Susan, hello.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Daryn.

It's not expected to take very long. What's going to happen is that John Karr will be advised of his rights. And It's also possible, even though he hasn't been formally charged yet, that they could read into the record why he's being held, on murder, kidnapping and sexual assault of a child, those allegations.

But his defense attorneys could also waive reading those charges in court, and he could also ask for a bond hearing, but all of this should take just a few minutes.

Now, who's going to be running the show? In fact it is the chief justice of this judicial district. Her name is Roxanne Bailin, and she is known for running a very tight ship. In fact, she is not allowing any cameras in the courtroom, even for this very brief court appearance. And she also imposed a gag order on Friday, which means that virtually all the parties in this case cannot say anything about what's going on, except to address procedural matters.

KAGAN: Any new twists in this case you uncover there had since you're in Boulder?

CANDIOTTI: Well, "The Rocky Mountain News" is reporting this day that there is a man out in California who knows John Karr, a friend of his, went to church with him, who might be able to put John Karr in Boulder in the year 2000, not in 1996, when JonBenet Ramsey Was murdered, but in 2000, he said, that Karr passed through Boulder with his family, parked them in a motel, and then so that he could do research about a book about JonBenet Ramsey. As it's been widely reported, Karr was obsessed with her murder.

KAGAN: And the defense has been interesting here to watch what's taking place, kind of a scramble to get to defend John Mark Karr.

CANDIOTTI: Indeed. Well, right now he is being defended by the public defender, and someone new who has come on board, someone who used to work for the public defenders office here. His name is Steve Jacobson, and he is considered to be an expert in DNA, which we all know is going to be very important in this case.

Over the weekend, one of the two female attorneys who had represented Karr in a previous matter in California came out here and was refused entry. Again, they cited the court order by the chief judge who said that the only one whose can represent him at the present time would be the public defender's office, and so the California attorneys have backed down for now.

KAGAN: OK, Susan Candiotti, live in Boulder, thank you.

CANDIOTTI: A single turn leads to tragedy. Updating the Comair plane crash probe. A news conference from the NTSB is just minutes away. You'll see it live here on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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KAGAN: Looking at pictures we just took a few minutes ago. This is Lexington, Kentucky. The NTSB will be holding a news conference any minute there, in fact, at the top of the hour, the latest on the Comair crash. We will see and show that to you live here on CNN.

While we wait for that to begin, let's talk about how they are searching for clues in the crash of the flight 5191. Here is what we know close to the top of the hour and that news conference. Investigators today are studying the flight's -- the plane's flight recorders. They want to know why the pilot took off from the shorter runway in Lexington, Kentucky. It's not long enough for commercial jets. All but one of the 50 people onboard died. The copilot remains in critical condition this morning.

I'm Daryn Kagan. Keep watching CNN. "YOUR WORLD TODAY" is up next. But also you'll see that news conference live here on CNN. We'll be back in just a moment.

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