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CNN Live Today
Tropical Depression Ernesto, Hurricane John; Making the Top Ten
Aired September 01, 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: Good morning, and welcome to the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY.
I'm Daryn Kagan.
We are looking at the East and West coasts.
Facing the floods. Ernesto's soggy stampede north, we are tracking that storm this hour.
Deadly crash landing. An Iranian flight comes to a fiery end.
And is it a cancer breakthrough? Using the powers of the human body to fight the deadly disease.
All of that and more in this hour of CNN LIVE TODAY.
The busiest guy in the building today is our Chad Myers. We're going to start with him and Ernesto -- actually, we'll get to Chad in a moment. Let's tell you what we know about Ernesto right now at this hour.
The storm has been downgraded to a tropical depression. That just happened a few minutes ago. But it remains a threat as a massive rainmaker.
It's now slogging toward Virginia, where the governor has already declared a state of emergency. The state is bracing for as much as 12 inches of rain, and flooding is likely to be a major problem.
Ernesto came ashore last night just shy of hurricane strength. Rains will continue into the night for the eastern part of the state.
And now to the busiest guy in the building today.
Not one, but two, having to bat left and right-handed today.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And I never could throw with my left hand. I just -- yes, it just looks silly. I won't even try.
KAGAN: All right. What you got? Ernesto and John.
MYERS: Exactly.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: All right. Chad, thank you.
MYERS: You're welcome.
KAGAN: South of Raleigh, as we head back east now, Ernesto taking a path through Goldsboro, North Carolina.
Our affiliate, WTDV, takes a look at the damage there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, REPORTER, WTDV: I'm Kate Boulder, reporting from Goldsboro, North Carolina.
Ernesto overnight and through this morning has brought very strong winds and heavy rains. Behind me is just one example.
This is a creek that eventual flows into the Neuse River, and you can see it has reached all the way up to the bridge. It has also flooded its banks and flowed all the way over into this backyard property of a neighboring house. Fortunately, the house is on much higher ground, but this has been some extensive flooding of this property. Just one example of how much rain we have been getting just overnight.
We've also been getting some very heavy, very strong winds, and in one case, the strong winds actually uprooted an oak and crashed it into a mobile home. There was no injuries reported, which is very lucky for the residents there, but it is just another example of how strong the winds are that we have been getting here in North Carolina.
There have been reports of high water on the roadways. Several road closures in the area, which has made it a very tough commute for many here in North Carolina. But now it seems the rain is letting up and the winds have subsided a bit. So we may have escaped any major damage from Ernesto.
Reporting from Goldsboro, North Carolina, I'm Kate Bolduan.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And then there's the Pacific hurricane. John is getting stronger and taking aim at Mexico's Baja Peninsula. We'll talk to a couple honeymooning in Cabo San Lucas. Some trip there.
But first, CNN's Harris Whitbeck gives us a look at the situation there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hurricane John appears to be intensifying as it approaches the Baja, California, peninsula. Measures being taken to prevent any loss of life.
The local protection authorities have asked 15,000 people who live in low-lying areas to move to shelters located in public schools. The Mexican army is in charge of running those shelters. And there are also some 7,000 tourists who were stranded here after flights to the U.S. were oversold and the airport in Baja, California, was closed.
Those tourists are in their hotels, they have evacuated their rooms and are taking shelter in hotel ballrooms. Hotel management at different resorts in the Los Cabos area says it has experienced in running this type of contingency and says it has everything under control.
Harris Whitbeck, CNN, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: More storm coverage ahead.
Now to Maryland, though, where 10 middle school children were taken to the hospital this morning. Police say a van went out of control and hit the students who were waiting at their bus stop. Six of the kids were being treated for serious injuries, but none of the injuries is believed to be life-threatening.
An apparent ambush in western New York. Two officers down. An escaped convict is the prime suspect.
The two New York State troopers are in critical condition. They were shot while doing surveillance work in the hometown of the former girlfriend of escapee Ralph Buckey Phillips (ph). Police say a high- powered rifle may have been used.
A bullet pierced the protective vest of one patrolman. An intense manhunt is now under way for Phillips (ph).
The capture of accused polygamist Warren Jeffs leaves an opening on the FBI's most wanted list, but not everyone can make it into this exclusive club.
Our Kelli Arena explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There are hundreds of them, fugitives considered armed and extremely dangerous, like Justin Solondz, an alleged eco terrorist and arsonist, or Michael Johnson, wanted for his alleged role in three execution-style murders in New Mexico.
They are among the possible candidates for Warren Jeffs' spot on the FBI's 10 most wanted fugitives list.
MICHAEL MASON, FBI EXEC. ASSIST. DIRECTOR: The field offices all know the value of the top 10 list, and they all would like to get their most dangerous person or the criminal that they want the most on the top 10 list.
ARENA: Mike Mason oversees the FBI's criminal division. He says each of the bureau's 56 field offices can submit candidates for the list. A committee at headquarters goes over the choices, and the deputy FBI director gets the final say.
MASON: It has to do with dangerousness, number one, and number two, the likelihood that the publicity is going to increase the probability of their apprehension.
ARENA: True enough, of the 482 fugitives who have made the list since it began in 1950, 453 have been caught, a 94 percent success rate. On average, it takes about 121 days.
But then there's Donald Webb, who allegedly murdered a police chief in Pennsylvania. The FBI's been hunting him for 25 years.
The types of criminals on the list have changed over the years from bank robbers to drug kingpins to terrorists.
MASON: It's a reflection of what society deems is important as well, I mean, because again, there are more bad guys than -- it would take a hundred top 10 lists to put them all on it.
ARENA: Veteran FBI agent Brad Garrett explains the advantages when you're chasing down someone on the top 10.
BRAD GARRETT, FBI AGENT: Particularly when you get a lead of a potential that the person might be in your territory, it's very easy so get help, both from other law enforcement agencies, but there's a certain energy I guess about my, we might find somebody or catch somebody on the top 10 today.
ARENA: Garrett nabbed Mir Amil Kasi in Pakistan in 1997. He was on the top 10 for the politically motivated shooting spree outside CIA headquarters in Virginia.
GARRETT: The reward was substantial, and I think that was the driving force for the sources to give us the correct information.
ARENA (on camera): FBI officials insist that politics has nothing to do with who makes the top 10, and that factors such as race are not involved.
(voice-over): They expect to name the newest addition in the next few weeks, but so far there's no obvious frontrunner.
Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: And you can see more of Kelli's reports on "PAULA ZAHN NOW," weeknights at 8:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
Want to check on what's happening in North Carolina, which is being affected by what is now Tropical Depression Ernesto.
On the phone with me right now is Christy Saunders with the emergency management division there in North Carolina.
Christy, a wet and soggy morning for you, I would imagine, in Elizabeth City?
CHRISTY SAUNDERS, ELIZABETH CITY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Definitely.
KAGAN: And what's the biggest challenge this morning?
SAUNDERS: Flooding on our roads and even into some of our homes.
KAGAN: And any injuries or other problems you can tell us about?
SAUNDERS: We haven't had any reports of any injuries. Just -- just the roads that are flooded and people that are requesting assistance to get out of their homes. And we've kept our National Guard that we have here are very busy.
KAGAN: And I guess the biggest help that the people can do is stay in their homes if they can?
SAUNDERS: That's correct. That's exactly what we're asking them to do.
KAGAN: And so you're getting support from the state and everything you need? Exception cooperation from Mother Nature, I would imagine.
SAUNDERS: That's correct.
KAGAN: All right. Well, we wish you well.
Thank you.
Christy Saunders with emergency management in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
Thank you.
International headlines are ahead. A deadly plane crash in Iran. We'll bring you the latest details on that.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: That is New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin. He is in New Cork City today trying to get some business investments back home for New Orleans. It might be a little difficult after his comments that were on CBS earlier this week where he was critical of the lack of progress in redeveloping the World Trade Center site.
We're going to listen to his comments and bring you the highlights a little bit later.
Also in New York City, the markets, they're picking up a little bit from the last time we checked. They've been open about an hour and 45 minutes. The Dow is up 46 points and the Nasdaq also moving in that same direction. It is up just over six points. On to our stormy weather, both Ernesto for the East Coast and John.
See, Chad...
MYERS: Yes?
KAGAN: The good news is, as you run back and forth, you don't need to go jogging later today. You go to the computer, then you go back to the board.
MYERS: You know, I wear the rubber bottom shoes so that I can walk in the rain, but I didn't realize I was going to need the traction.
KAGAN: Smart man. Smart man.
MYERS: Good morning, Daryn.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: Chad, I've got a great story for you.
MYERS: OK.
KAGAN: OK. A couple from Washington State, Eric and Colleen Von Forrester, they waited five years to take their honeymoon.
MYERS: Right.
KAGAN: Guess where they're honeymooning right now?
MYERS: Oh, they're -- they're not in Cancun, are they?
KAGAN: They're in Cabo San Lucas.
MYERS: Yes, right.
KAGAN: And they're on the phone with us right now.
Eric and Colleen Von Forrester, hello.
COLLEEN VON FORRESTER, HONEYMOONING IN CABO SAN LUCAS: Hi.
KAGAN: How is the honeymoon going?
VON FORRESTER: Well, the first two days were beautiful.
KAGAN: Yes?
VON FORRESTER: Yes. Yesterday we started hearing reports about a hurricane. And today's pretty disastrous.
KAGAN: So I guess you're not out by the pool today.
VON FORRESTER: No. No, not at all. In fact, we're not allowed by the pool.
KAGAN: Yes. Where are you and what have they done with you?
VON FORRESTER: We've been confined to our room. They served breakfast very early this morning with very little warning, and then sent us with our lunches up to our rooms. And we're not supposed to leave until somebody comes for us.
KAGAN: And with no idea how long you'll be stuck there?
VON FORRESTER: No idea.
MYERS: What hotel are you in?
VON FORRESTER: We're in the Riu Palace.
MYERS: You're in the Riu. Yes, it's a brand-new place, very strong, really well built.
But the problem is, Daryn, that is right in the teeth of the eye wall. That is just -- that might get 135-mile-per-hour winds later on today.
KAGAN: OK. That's not what Colleen wanted to hear.
MYERS: I understand. And you stay away from windows. Make sure your room is on the opposite side of the ocean, because that's the way the wind is going to be coming from. And if your room is ocean view, go make friends with the people across the hall.
KAGAN: Are you on the ocean side, Colleen?
VON FORRESTER: Well, unfortunately, every room in this hotel is ocean-facing.
KAGAN: Oh.
MYERS: Oh, wow.
KAGAN: Which sounded great when you were booking the reservation.
VON FORRESTER: Of course. Exactly. That meant that we were guaranteed to get an ocean view.
We've -- what we've done is we've closed the curtains and braced the sofa against the sliding glass door.
KAGAN: What do you think, Chad?
MYERS: I think maybe the hotel needs to find a stronger place, because those -- you know, that -- that big pane of glass -- it's a big -- like an 8-foot sliding glass window, right?
VON FORRESTER: Right.
MYERS: Yes. I mean, that's going to take a beating. I don't know what you could do with that.
VON FORRESTER: Yes, I mean...
MYERS: But the curtain is a great idea, because if the glass does shatter, then obviously the curtain will catch a lot of the glass, but then you've got 130-mile-an-hour winds in your room.
VON FORRESTER: Right. We're, at this point, just hoping to keep, you know, from -- from having glass fly into the room. We fully realize, though, it's very possible the windows are going to go at any time and then the curtains are going to go down.
MYERS: Well, you know what? When we -- when we do chase hurricanes, we always look. And literally, our crews will get to a hotel, condos, wherever we stay, 48 hours in advance searching for the strongest place. And many times the only strong place you have is a stairwell, because there really shouldn't be any glass around the stairwell.
So kind of look around, if you can, or ask the management to find the strongest place in the building.
KAGAN: So, when they get off the phone with us, you would suggest they suggest that to the management, Chad?
MYERS: Well, yes. I mean -- or, you know, the management might even be able to find them a different location, maybe even a storm shelter, because maybe they just need to be in a shelter. But 130- mile-an-hour winds are nothing to play with, and nowhere near a pane of window of glass that big.
KAGAN: Right.
Now, Colleen, did you think about getting out of there, or did the warning come too soon?
VON FORRESTER: Well, we -- we got the warning realistically at about, what, 3:00 in the morning yesterday?
KAGAN: And there was no way to get home?
VON FORRESTER: And it actually came from the Canadian tour groups had come in, in the middle of the night, and pulled their groups out on the last plane flying out. And they had grabbed all of -- everybody from every hotel through the Canadian tourists and pulled them out. And by the time we found out the next morning, everything was gone.
KAGAN: It was too late. OK. Well, I'm going to let you go. And perhaps pick up on some of the tips that Chad gave you about maybe getting in even a safer place. And we wish you well to you and your husband.
VON FORRESTER: Thank you very much.
KAGAN: Thank you. Eric and Colleen Von Forrester, from Washington State, they are honeymooning -- five years they waited to take their honeymoon, and they're in Cabo San Lucas.
Chad, good tips.
MYERS: I love Cabo San Lucas, too.
KAGAN: Yes.
MYERS: It is such a shame.
KAGAN: Yes, beautiful.
MYERS: I'm trying to get some Web cams out of there right now. We can do that on our Google Earth and I'll get back to you if I find something that's live.
KAGAN: All right. Thank you. I know you will.
We are tapping the powers of the human body in the fight against cancer. A new study offers new hope to some patients.
Details just ahead.
Stay with CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: The skies over Big Timber, Montana, blackened by thick smoke from a massive wildfire -- 156,000 acres have been scorched so far, 20 homes have burned down. Cooler temperatures have helped slow the flames, but hundreds of evacuees and evacuated residents are being kept way. Officials say there are just too many risks, including downed power lines and burned trees, that could fall at any time.
The family of at least one of the Comair Flight 5191 victims plans to file a lawsuit. That word this morning from officials at the Lexington, Kentucky, airport.
Meanwhile, doctors say that the crash's sole survivor is improving. James Polehinke has gone through three surgeries. His condition has been upgraded from critical to serious.
He was the flight's first officer and was at the controls of the time of the crash. Forty-nine people on board died.
An Iranian passenger plane in pieces. Iranian television says the plane blew a tire and caught on fire while trying to land in northeastern Iran.
There are conflicting reports on the death toll. Iranian television says as many as 80 people are dead, but the plane operator says 30 people were killed. There were 147 people on board. The plane was flying from southern Iran.
We'll have more details on this developing story as they come in to us here at CNN.
In other world news, seeking support from Syria, U.N. Secretary- General Kofi Annan says Syria's president promises to enforce an arms embargo against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. Annan made the remarks after a meeting today with President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus. He says Mr. Assad also pledged to use his influence with the guerrilla group to try to win the release of two kidnapped Israeli soldiers. Their abduction in July sparked more than a month of fighting.
Some 1,100 Lebanese and more than 150 Israelis were killed.
Italian troops are preparing to deploy in Lebanon. The first contingent of 880 officers and soldiers is anchored off the coast of Tyre. They're scheduled to be on land tomorrow. They'll join 2,300 U.N. peacekeepers already policing the fragile truce between Israel and Hezbollah.
We are watching what's happening along the North Carolina coast, also going into Virginia. Ernesto now a tropical depression, but a lot of rain coming from the storm and a lot of flooding problems for both North Carolina and Virginia.
We'll check in on that just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: We are eyeing not one, but two major storms. And here is what we know at the half-hour.
Ernesto has been downgraded to a tropical depression, but Virginia remains under a state of emergency. In Ernesto's wake, flooding, damaging winds and power outages.
In the Pacific, Category 3 Hurricane John menaces the southern tip of Mexico's Baja peninsula. Tourists and locals huddle in shelters.
CNN's Harris Whitbeck is in Cabo San Lucas, and it looks like he's already getting quite a bit of rain.
Harris, hello.
WHITBECK: Hi, Daryn.
It has started. We've been having rain showers for a couple of hours now, and the wind is picking up a bit.
As you know, Hurricane John has increased in intensity, and we understand it is getting closer, suspected to make landfall on the peninsula, on the tip of the Baja, California, peninsula within at least three or four hours. Thousands of residents and tourists alike are in shelters. Local authorities asked 15,000 local residents who live in low-lying areas to move into several public schools that have been set up as public shelters. Those shelters are under the control of the Mexican army. Meanwhile, about 7,000 tourists are also taking shelter in their hotels. They have been asked by the hotel management at the different resorts to leave their rooms and to go into temporary shelters set up in ballrooms and so on. So at this point, everything is relatively calm, everybody seems to be as prepared as they can be, and we're just waiting for the storm to get as -- you know, to get close to shore or even at the tip of the peninsula, which is what the projections seem to indicate -- Daryn.
KAGAN: Harris, let me go ahead and bring in Chad, meteorologist Chad Myers, who's been tracking the storms as well. He might want to get some information from you about what it's like there on the ground.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGISt: Well, I'm a little bit concerned about your location, Harris. I want everybody so be safe, and I know what it's like to be in a big hurricane, but you're kind of in a location where you're out, all the way out in the ocean, and you have this little piece of land. Cabo San Lucas is on the tip of that piece of land. Do you have a place where you can be safe? Are you seeing other people get directed to where they're being safe?
WHITBECK: Well, we're being told we're in a relatively safe location. I understand, if I recall from our converations yesterday, Chad, you were in this area just a few weeks ago. The hotel where we're locaed is acutlly on a rise overlooking the ocea, so there's not a problem with storm surge here, which is a problem that many of the local residents might face, which is why the authorities have asked them to move into some public schools that are located on higher ground.
So the main concern, according to people on the ground here, is what might happen with storm surge, with flash flooding and with the possibility of mudslides.
(WEATHER REPORT)
KAGAN: It is being called a major development in cancer treatment, using gene therapy to fight the disease.
Our senior medical corresponent Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GUPTA (voice-over): Mark Origer shared the dreams of many fathers I had met, to walk his daughter down the aisle on her wedding day. But Melanoma almost took that away from him. He was diagnosed with the deadly skin cancer in 1999. After an operation, it went away. But it came back three years later. And by 2004, his doctors in Wisconsin could find nothing that would slow its spread. It moved into his liver.
MARK ORIGER, CANCER SURVIVOR: I was just pretty much devastated when I found out that I did not respond. Right around that time my daughter got engaged and I knew there was going to be a wedding coming up and there was concern. I wanted to be there. GUPTA: The chance of that happening wasn't very good. But then Mark's dreams intersected with the dreams of a doctor halfway across the country. Dr. Steven Rosenberg is a cancer fighting pioneer at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. When he was a young doctor in Boston, he saw a patient fight off cancer without any treatment.
DR. STEVEN ROSENBERG, CANCER RESEARCHER: It got me to think about the fact that here, this patient's body had learned how to destroy its own cancer and I've spent the last 25 years trying to figure out how to make that happen again.
GUPTA: Not with a knife, or chemotherapy or even radiation, but by reaching deep inside the body and teaching the human immune system to kill cancer all on its own. A remarkable idea and one that doctors put to the test in clinical trials with Mark and other 16 patients diagnosed with Melanoma.
Doctors took some of their immune cells, called lymphosites, the warriors of the immune system and added the genes of a virus that would seek out tumors, attach to them and destroy them. In 15 patients the treatment didn't work, but in two so far the cancer appears to have completely disappeared. Mark was the first. And this week when we met him, more than a year and a half after the treatment, he found out he's still cancer free.
ROSENBERG: Mark, as you know, is one of the first patients to respond to this new treatment. So we're thrilled. I know he is.
ORIGER: Yes. Absolutely.
GUPTA (on camera): How does it feel to be the first?
ORIGER: It feels unique; it does. It feels like quite an honor.
GUPTA (voice-over): Although the approach is still in clinical trials, the results are published in the journal "Science".
ROSENBERG: This is a highly experimental treatment that we've used in only a few patients. But it represents a proof of the principle for the first time, to my knowledge, that you can actually genetically manipulate the human body and cause disease regression.
GUPTA: And yes, Mark's other dream also came true, as well. On September 17, 2005, he walked his daughter Katie down the aisle, virtually cancer-free.
ORIGER: It's a celebration, a celebration of life. It's the beginning of my daughter's life, new life, beginning of my new life. I think I shed more tears than anybody.
GUPTA: Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Washington
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: The doctor who headed that study should know by September 15th if the FDA has approved another clinical trial with an even more popular therapy. He's also looking to expand his treatmetn to lung cacner, ovarian cancer and prostate cancer.
For more information on clinical trials and how to qualify for them, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov. And you can see more of Sanjay's reporting on "THE SITUATION ROOM." Join Wolf Blitzer weekdays at 4:00 Eastern, and again in primetime at 7:00.
To get your daily dose of health news on line, log on to our Web site. You'll find the latest medical news, a health library and information on diet and fitness. The address is CNN.com/health.
Believers say the cloth was used to wipe Jesus' brow and came away with his image. Visiting the Veil of Veronica, that's ahead on CNN, the most trused name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Serious school bus accident to tell you about. Ten Maryland middle schoolers taken to the hospital this morning. Police say a van went out of control and hit the students at their bus stop.
Matt Brock our affiliate WJLA is at the scene.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT BROCK, WJLA REPORTER (on camera): Well, as Ernesto bears down on the Washington region, a terrible accident in the Maryland suburbs. Let's show you. This van, just after 7:00 this morning, spun out of control. It hit a fire hydrant, then it hit ten children. They range in age from 10 to 14, and they range in injuries. Several had to be medevaced of here, several carried by ambulance to local hospitals.
We're told some of the injuries are very serious, but none of them, we're told, are life-threatening. Certainly the rain played a part in this accident. The driver being interviewed by police at this hour to find out exactly what happened.. The children all went to a local middle school. Counselors have been sent to that school and sent to the hospital as parents are notified.
Reporting for CNN, Matt Brock.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BUSINESS HEADLINES)
KAGAN: All right, we're going to keep the tears away for a few minutes, because we have more news to get to.
Also in New York City today is New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. And he is there to raise money for some business investment back in New Orleans, but the problem is, he made these comments last week where he was critical of the rebuilding at Ground Zero.
Here is what Mayor Nagin had to say today. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR RAY NAGIN (D), NEW ORLEANS: It is a hole in the ground five years later, so what's so wrong with calling it what it is?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He said it, he didn't. He said it!
NAGIN: Well, you know, I don't want to rehash that too much, but I think the point is that it's very difficult to deal with an emotional tragedy, a natural disaster and a manmade disaster of what New Orleans and New York went through. And it just takes time for you to get to the point where you actually move quickly. There's no quick fix to those type of issues.
Kobe, Japan, for example, took a tremendous amount of time to plan before they actually started implementing after their tremendous earthquake. So it just takes time. And unfortunately, we in America, we like the fast food mentality, and it's very difficult to find quick fixes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAGAN: And that's Mayor Ray Nagin in New York City today.
We're going to go south of there in a just a bit, give you the latest on Ernesto, the tropical depression that is now drenching North Carolina and Virginia. We'll get to that in just a moment.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KAGAN: Some pictures just into here at CNN. This is southern California, Rancho Cucamonga. An accident involving a school bus and an SUV. It looks like it was a big one, too, like a Suburban. We're not sure on any injuries to the driver, the SUV or the children on the school bus.
We'll get you more information as it becomes available. There's the school bus. Now we're back to live pictures. When we saw the SUV, it looks like it got the worst part of it. But still checking on that in terms of injuries, and we will bring you the latest.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MYERS: But I have some piece of good news for the new Web site, darynkagan.com. Hey, Dr. Gray (ph) and Dr. Klausbeck (ph), Colorado State, not going to be as many hurricanes this year, maybe only two intense hurricanes -- Daryn.
KAGAN: There you go. But the kind of stories we'll have at darynkagan.com. I know that bad things do happen, but I believe out of even bad situations, heroes arise, and people do amazing things, and those are the kind of stories I'll be featuring.
MYERS: Daryn? KAGAN: Yes?
MYERS: You know what, you have been featured on CNN, and we have loved you so long here on CNN, nine years in the news business, 3 1/2 years before that and a lot of hair styles in between.
KAGAN: Oh, no.
Yes, we have some of those for you. Here's the piece.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL HEMMER: Happy Monday, I'm Bill Hemmer, along with Daryn Kagan here. I'd like to welcome our newest member of our CNN morning news team here.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Goodbye to Daryn. Daryn, it's been great working with you all of these years.
LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, I can't believe it's been 12 years, former sports team on the old "Sports Tonight." Best of luck to you.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: I know I'm going to miss you when I come to work every day and not see your smiling face.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm going to really miss working with you, all those Ed Henry questions, those segments that you created. We had a lot of fun. I'll miss it.
BLITZER: A delight to work with, serious, strong, and also lots of fun.
KAGAN: Well, they're telling us to go somewhere that we don't know where we're supposed to go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nice talking to you, pretty lady.
KAGAN: Back to you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning, Marines.
KAGAN: It's actually, Daryn.
Talking fashion when I come back.
TED TURNER: Yes.
KAGAN: What you are wearing?
TURNER: I'm just wearing a tux, my old tux. I've only got one.
KAGAN: We're going to have a TV movement here. Stand up.
TURNER: OK.
KAGAN: Here we go.
You know what? People out there are going to think that I was like 6'6".
That is it. You know what, it came to me.
She's as mysterious as the Eastern Bunny.
Whoa! Hold on. In case you're feeling sorry for me that I'm cold out here, take a look at these statues in Central Park -- they're naked.
Why do you do this?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Literally, for my own spirit.
KAGAN: They think you're crazy.
Bush on Bush.
Good luck with the movie, "Final Touch."
ROBIN WILLIAMS, ACTOR: Thanks. Good luck with CNN. Keep broadcasting and keep the call.
KAGAN: Really, only three letters you need to remember -- C-N-N.
SUSAN LISOVICZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, I still can't give you any hot tips, but I can say this -- I'm placing my stock in Daryn Kagan.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: What famous actors would be cast in CNN: the movie? I'd have to say I think Sandra Bullock would play you. Good luck. It's been fun.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: We've got to let our viewers in on a little secret. I've been helping Daryn keep her BlackBerries and her Palm devices going for years now. I want to know the phone is always there for you. Call me anytime. I'll help you sync up.
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Daryn, a fond farewell from Tehran. We're the only American crew in here. So if you're looking for somewhere 20 head next, there's plenty of room.
RUSS LEATHERMAN, "MR. MOVIEFONE": Daryn, I want to say to you, I love you. I'm going to miss you. I've enjoyed working together, although I did question your taste in movies a little bit, that's water under the bridge.
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you so much for being an inspiration to me, and good luck in everything you do.
O'BRIEN: Best to you. We'll miss you. You're a class act and a total pro.
BLITZER: We appreciate all the work you did for CNN, lots of good work.
KAGAN: Here at CNN...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Monday morning news team.
KAGAN: I'm Daryn Kagan.
Elian...
NASA...
Is Hollywood...
History...
Snipers...
John F. Kennedy...
Paula Jones...
Crazy...
Rock star...
For watching...
Election...
From the...
After women...
Father's Day...
President...
Terrorists...
For the children...
Thanks for joining me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KAGAN: Wow. OK, a little surreal.
(APPLAUSE)
Hold on. I still have one more thing to get through here. Thank you, guys.
All rights, so I counted up 12 years and 21 days, and now it's time for us to say farewell, and there really are no words to say thank you to this incredible place. Whether it was 3 1/2 years of doing sports or almost nine years of doing news, the experiences have gone away beyond my wildest dreams. I've had the best TV husbands with my co-anchors Bill Hemmer and Leon Harris, and the short time that Rick Sanchez stopped by, well, that was a gas, too.
But what I really wish is that you at home could all meet these incredible people who work behind the scenes here. They are truly what makes it such a kick each morning, to come to work, even though that means getting to work before the sun does.
And then there are you, the viewers. I have been so overwhelmed by the amazing e-mail and notes that I've received from you in recent weeks. And yes, we really did have some amazing mornings here together, didn't we?
And I, too, will miss the breakfast and coffee and watching the world unfold before our eyes, and not doing that with you, as well. I tell people that this time slot on CNN is kind of like being an emergency room doctor -- you show up with a set of skills, and you have no idea what will roll through the door each day.
So now it's time for my, what is next. My people who know me well know that I love not just watches what happens, but looking for life's lessons, as well. And I've learned that if you keep your eyes and heart open, that life will deliver the most wonderful gifts and some pretty surprising packages. This year's gift was a nudge and an opportunity, an opportunity to ask myself, that if I could do anything that I really wanted to do, what would it be? So from that came an idea born of my heart. I'm creating my own online inspirational community. It is based on the radical idea that the world really is a good place. Beginning November 13th, I hope that you'll visit my daily Web cast, featuring stories that fit that theme and inspire by showing what is possible.
I'm calling it darynkagan.com so that it will be easy for you to remember, and I just want to share I man that I worked with back in Phoenix at KTVK, Jack Penlin (ph), he used to say that beginnings represent hope for all that is possible. So here is what I hope -- I hope that with this new beginning, you'll stick with CNN, because it is so important to be informed. I hope that you'll stop by and see me at darynkagan.com and contribute your own stories as well.
And finally, I hope it has been such an honor to represent the most trusted name in news and to spend more than 12 years there with you at home. Thank you so much.
"YOUR WORLD TODAY" is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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