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American Morning

Latest on Fires Ravaging Southern California; 'New York Times' Reporter Judith Miller Will be Released From Jail Today

Aired September 30, 2005 - 08:00   ET

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

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A massive fire burning along the northern suburbs of Los Angeles. More than 1,000 people chased from their homes. They're counting on a shift in the wind to help save everything they own today.
Health risks looming in New Orleans as thousands of people come home. Mold, tainted water and the potential for injury, really, at every turn. Is the city really equipped to deal with medical emergencies?

And after nearly three months in jail, "New York Times" reporter Judith Miller is free this morning and apparently ready to name some names on this AMERICAN MORNING.

ANNOUNCER: From the CNN broadcast center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Miles O'Brien.

O'BRIEN: Good morning to you.

Soledad if off this morning.

Lots to cover from southern California, where those fires are still burning as we speak.

But before we get started, let's say hello to Elizabeth Cohen in New Orleans, who is there for Soledad today, who's still a bit under the weather -- Elizabeth, good morning.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

I'm on board the USNS Comfort. We're here on the flight deck. There are only two ships like this in the entire world. It was sent here to help take care of the citizens of New Orleans -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: All right, Elizabeth.

We'll be back with you in just a few moments.

That's now really the only trauma center in the City of New Orleans, or the primary trauma center.

Now, that developing story in southern California to tell you about.

A raging wildfire continues to race across the hills and through the canyons along the northwestern edge of L.A. County. Some 3,000 firefighters are on the screen right now. The fire is located near the town of Chatsworth. It has burned right now about 17,000 acres.

Dan Simon is near the fire. He is in the town of West Hills -- and, Dan, we just talked to one of the captains. They're fairly optimistic the weather is taking a good turn this morning.

I assume there's some optimism today.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There definitely is, Miles.

Twelve percent of this fire is now said to be contained. That's up 7 percent from yesterday. And as you made reference to the weather, the temperatures are definitely cooler than they were yesterday and the winds are calm.

We spoke to Captain Carlos Carillo a few minutes ago; actually, you did, on this broadcast. And he sounded optimistic.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. CARLOS CARILLO: The air is literally heavier -- I can feel it right now -- than it has been the last two days. So this is all going to be in our favor. Hopefully the winds will stay down today and we'll be able to get a good handle on this thing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: Well, that said, firefighters are still concerned about a couple of areas -- Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Chatsworth. And that's why the evacuations remain in place.

And, Miles, if it isn't the flames, it's the smoke. I've got to tell you, there is so much smoke out here, we're having to use our masks. And authorities have put out a smoke advisory warning. They're concerned that people who live in this area may experience some health problems. So we're having to use these masks.

And Governor Schwarzenegger is expected to take an aerial tour of this region later this afternoon. He's going to have a press conference, so look for that later in the day -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Dan, tell us a little bit about these homes in this area. What I saw yesterday, just looking at the pictures as they came in, were some pretty pricey homes, million dollar plus homes. But what I also noticed -- just look at that one right there, the terra cotta tiles on the roof. It seems like they've been built with wildfires in mind.

SIMON: Yes, they have. But you've got to remember, there is so much brush around these fires and last winter you had so much rain. And so that really created an environment where there's a lot of brush.

So, you know, and these fires clear away that brush. You know, it's kind of a natural phenomenon. So hopefully in the future, you know, it will protect the homes even more. O'BRIEN: Yes. I guess you've got to really be very, very careful about your gardening there and make sure you get the brush cleared away from your house. That's an important thing to do.

Dan Simon, who is on the fire line there in northwestern -- northwest of Los Angeles.

Thank you very much.

"New York Times" reporter Judith Miller free this morning after 85 days in jail. She is expected to testify today before a federal grand jury in Washington.

National correspondent Bob Franken is outside the U.S. District Courthouse in Washington, where that will occur -- and, Bob, would we expect to hear from Judith Miller today?

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, first, the last time she was here, Miles, was on July 6th, when she came and didn't let anybody hear anything about her sources. There is an investigation going into the divulging of the name of Valerie Plame, a CIA operative. There's an investigation into the possible illegalities there. And she was one of the reporters who had been subpoenaed and refused to testify, as you pointed out, spent 85 days in jail.

She is coming back after deciding that she will testify. She put out a statement as she left yesterday, left jail in Alexandria, Virginia: "I am leaving jail today because my source has now voluntarily and personally released me from my promise of confidentiality regarding our conversations relating to the Wilson- Plame matter."

Joe Wilson being the person who was involved in a controversy with the administration. Valerie Plame is his wife.

Now, the source, according to one source who has spoken to CNN who was directly involved in these negotiations, and others, say that that person, whose name she will divulge and discuss today, is "Scooter" Libby, who is the chief of staff of Vice President Cheney. That has been a constant source of speculation.

The other person who has been implicated in the administration is Karl Rove, who is now the president's chief of staff.

According to many people, this investigation is finally nearing its end with the testimony of Judy Miller. And there is an expectation, a hope that the prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, will soon release his findings into whether there was illegality in the disclosure of Valerie Plame's name -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: So, Bob Franken, give us a sense of the timing. This is the last piece in his investigation, as far as we know, for the grand jury.

Do we have a sense, one way or another, as to when we'll know whether there'll be charges at all?

FRANKEN: We, of course, have not been told when he's going to complete his investigation, whether there will be charges, against whom there would be charges. It's a complicated matter. The law doesn't necessarily mean that somebody who disclosed Valerie Plame as an undercover CIA agent has broken the law. He would have had to have done so and done so with the knowledge that she was undercover and with the knowledge that he was breaking the law.

So there's a long way between this testimony and the conclusion of the investigation.

O'BRIEN: It sounds like a pretty high burden of proof.

FRANKEN: It is a very high burden of proof, but now he is going to cross his T or dot his I or whatever Judith Miller is.

O'BRIEN: All right, thank you very much.

We'll find out whether she's the I or T later.

Bob Franken, appreciate that.

About a third of New Orleans' half million residents can begin moving back into parts of the city that were flooded today. People who live in the eight zip codes on your screen there will be allowed to return to their homes beginning this morning.

Dan Lothian is live in Uptown, in one of those zip codes, where area -- people are returning to the area today -- and, Dan, just looking behind you, it looks like they're going to find some things fairly intact.

Or is that a little bit deceiving?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, in this -- on this street right here, they will, from what we can see, find everything intact, for the most part. Driving in what they will see are things like this car here. A lot of cars are still strewn about on the streets, in the median, along the side of the street. You'll see debris, branches down. They have been moved off the street and put into the median. On this side, you'll see, as well, you have mattresses and other garbage.

So the area has been cleaned up quite a bit. Some lanes are stacked with a lot of garbage and a lot of debris. But you can still drive through.

These homes, as you can see, and I was saying just a few minutes ago, a few seconds ago, was that these homes do appear to be intact. But just around the corner, there is one home, in between two homes, which is quite jammed in there, and that home pancaked.

So as residents return -- and the mayor warned, come back at your own risk, but also realize that you may be shocked at what you find. In this, on this street here you may not be shocked. You may just have to clean out what's inside your home. Around the corner, that resident will, no doubt, have to rebuild.

Now, this comes a day after business owners were allowed into these same zip codes to go through their businesses, clean up, get ready to reopen again. Some of them have been coming back for the last few days or so.

But one of the things that they're finding in these businesses, and certainly homeowners will find, even if they didn't have extensive damage, water damage, is mold, just from all the moisture that was in the area and their homes being locked up. There could be a lot of mold damage.

So there's concern, health concerns about mold. And also health concerns about water and other issues in the environment. The water is OK, at least according to officials, to take a shower in, but still not yet ready for you to drink. So that is a concern.

Also, the issue of power. Even coming here this morning, there are some neighborhoods within these zip codes that do have power. There are others that are still in the dark.

So the mayor warning folks that, you know, bring in your own food, bring in your own water, because while you can return, there may not be ideal conditions -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: You know, given all you say there, Dan, I wonder how many people are going to stay. There's no schools. Most people don't have an office to go to right now. No power. The water is an issue. I mean how much of this is a return to home and how much of this is just an assessment?

LOTHIAN: Well, you bring up a very good point, because, for the most part, it may be that many of these folks are just returning to see what condition their home is in but they really can't stay because there is so much clean up that has to be done, because there is not much of an infrastructure here to support a lifestyle. So they still have to go somewhere else and return when conditions are much better.

But, yes, I mean that -- we have no way of knowing. But certainly some people will be coming just to check things out and then will be leaving.

O'BRIEN: All right, Dan Lothian, keep us posted on that and we'll see you in just a little bit.

Let's check some other headlines now.

Kelly Wallace is here with that -- good morning, Kelly.

KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.

And hello, everybody.

Here are some of the other stories now in the news.

President Bush could soon announce his pick to replace retiring justice, Sandra Day O'Connor. That could come today, perhaps on Monday. Meantime, John Roberts has been sworn in as the new chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The president yesterday calling Roberts a man with an astute mind and a kind heart. The new Supreme Court term begins on Monday.

Overseas now in Iraq, women and children coming under fire after a car bomb at a crowded vegetable market. At least seven people were killed. More than 40 others are wounded. The bombing comes at the beginning of the weekend in Iraq, when many families in the city were shopping before heading to services at nearby mosques.

A court date has been set for Texas Congressman Tom DeLay. The house majority leader temporarily gave up his post amid charges he conspired to break campaign finance laws in Texas. A judge ordered him to appear in an Austin courtroom on October 21st. Congressman DeLay denies any wrongdoing.

And production back up and running at Boeing's commercial airplane plants. Machinists approved a new contract Thursday, ending a month long strike. More than 18,000 workers had walked out. All employees are required to return to work by mid-October.

We want to check back on the weather.

Bonnie Schneider in today for Chad Myers -- and, Bonnie, we've been talking all morning. It is a very fall like day here in New York City.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, ATS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely.

You know, waking up, your reminded, the last day of September, tomorrow October. It sure does feel that way.

(WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, the buildings are damaged, the students are gone. We'll look at what it will take to rebuild New Orleans' colleges and universities.

And besides mold, what are the health risks facing the residents as they return to New Orleans? We'll talk to Louisiana's top health official.

That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: Following up now on a story we brought you after hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, Hardy Jackson, a Biloxi, Mississippi man who became a face of tragedy in the storm's wake. His wife, lost in the hurricane, literally torn from his arms as raging floodwaters ripped their house to shreds.

Fredricka Whitfield reports on how Hardy and surviving family members are coping with their grief.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

HARDY JACKSON, KATRINA VICTIM: Throw me the ball, please.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The smile for his granddaughter masks deep pain.

JACKSON: Pain, pain. I fairly be strong for them kids.

WHITFIELD: One month ago, Hardy Jackson made a heartbreaking promise to his wife Tonette.

JACKSON: She said, "Take care of them kids and take care of them grandkids."

WHITFIELD: It was moments before floodwaters from hurricane Katrina swept her away from his grip.

JACKSON: I hold her hand as tightly as I could and she told me, you can't hold me.

WHITFIELD: Her last words still haunting. It's been an awful month.

JACKSON: Man, it's more pain, man, than I've ever been through in my whole life.

WHITFIELD: Not just for Jackson...

DEION WALTMAN, KATRINA VICTIM: I feel sad.

WHITFIELD: ... but for their three children and three grandchildren, all uprooted from Biloxi and now together, staying at Jackson's sister's home outside Atlanta, about to begin school next week.

JACKSON: Everybody has been very, very nice. I thank everybody. I appreciate it.

WHITFIELD: Now, in a safe place, but that hasn't stopped recurring nightmares.

WALTMAN: You would know my grandma and grandpa, they had -- they was walking outside in the wave kind of, in the wind over there.

HARDY JACKSON, JR. KATRINA VICTIM: It makes me stay sad sometimes. And sometimes when I want to cry, I try to keep it in, but it comes. I just let it out. And when my friends ask me what happened, I just tell them I can't tell you right now because it's too hard for me to tell you.

WHITFIELD: And further compounding their hardships...

JACKSON: They do not have her body. You know, I don't understand that.

WHITFIELD: Jackson says he's getting conflicting stories about where the body of his wife may be and whether he'll ever be able to bury her.

JACKSON: It ain't going to ease my pain until I get my wife. Well, I ain't going to give up, because the reason I'm not going to give up is because she was too good of a person.

WHITFIELD: The woman he shared a life with over 28 years, raising children and with whom Hardy Jackson made a promise to take care of the kids and grandkids, vowing forever to keep his word, no matter what else may come their way.

Fredricka Whitfield, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

O'BRIEN: Now, amid all that grief, a bit of good news for Hardy and his remaining family.

Our affiliate, WKRG, is reporting that R&B star Frankie Beverly has purchased a home for the Jacksons near Hardy's sister's house in Palmetto, Georgia. We saw him there. They're expecting to move in in about two weeks. We wish them well.

Still to come, an update on the health risks facing people returning to New Orleans. We'll talk to Louisiana's secretary of health.

Plus, the latest on that huge wildfire in southern California. Live pictures there from our affiliate KABC. Firefighters racing to get it under control this morning.

Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COHEN: Residents in eight more New Orleans zip codes are allowed to return home today, but what health risks will they be facing when they go back to their homes?

Joining us today to answer that question, from Baton Rouge, Dr. Frederick Cerise.

He's the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.

Good morning, Dr. Cerise.

DR. FREDERICK CERISE, SECRETARY, LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: Good morning.

COHEN: Tell us, as people come back into the city, what kinds of health risks are facing them?

CERISE: Well, the main issues that we're concerned about from a public health standpoint are the fact that in much of the city there is -- the sewage system is still not up adequately and the water is not cleared from contamination. And so as people come back in, they need to be aware of these things, particularly with the water. And they need to be using bottled water for drinking, for brushing teeth and things like that, and not relying on the tap water.

COHEN: Doctor, I know myself, just from having been here for several weeks, that it's just a natural tendency. You turn on the water, you start brushing your teeth. You turn on the water, you start washing your hands.

How are people going to fight that instinct?

CERISE: Well, what we're hoping is that, you know, I know it's important for essential workers to be in the city and trying to bring up the infrastructure, working on things like getting the sewage and getting the water back online. And so those people, these are adults who are living there and should be very aware of the limitations.

For families coming back in, we're hoping that, you know, we know people are going to come back in and do assessments. They need to take care of some essential business. But without adequate sewage and water, we certainly don't think it's a good idea for entire families to settle back in yet.

The city is making great progress in terms of getting those essential components up. And so, like you said, I think people will fall into those habits. That's why we think it's best for people to come in, do their business, but particularly families, people with elderly folks or young children, it's more -- it would be more problematic.

COHEN: So in those eight zip codes, is the water safe? And are the toilets working?

CERISE: Well, the water is -- we've been testing around the city and it's not consistently clean. And that's because there are still leaks in the system. And so as the water comes out of the pumping stations, it's clean. But as it goes through the pipes, because of the leaks there, there's still seepage in. So it's unpredictable at this point in time.

That's why we're not recommending people rely on it, certainly for drinking, brushing teeth, bathing and those types of things.

COHEN: Now, what about the mold? We've all seen these pictures of mold in people's houses. Sometimes it just creeps up the wall. It is awful looking stuff.

What kind of a health risk does it pose to be in a house with that mold?

CERISE: Well, it's going to be variable. Some people will be more sensitive to that than others. And so it's another one of those situations where we certainly are recommending people that have respiratory conditions like asthma, allergies or people that have immunocompromised conditions, cancers, those types of things, should be avoiding that. For others, it'll be variable. But some can get allergic type reactions, watery eyes, runny nose, that sort of thing, all the way to more serious problems like pneumonia.

COHEN: Now, when the water came in and flooded and then when it left, it left this sediment. It left some solid matter, some dust, all over.

Is that a problem? Will people be breathing in contaminants now?

CERISE: Well, the air is variable, as well. And in some areas, there's been higher particulate matter and we're asking people, again, to use precautions. In those areas where there is more dust, they should be using a communication respiratory mask, this N95 mask that you can pick up from any home improvement store, to avoid a lot of dust inhalation.

On the other hand, we're just asking people to use common sense. We don't expect people to be playing around in the dirt and the sediment. And so people ought to just be using common sense in that regard.

COHEN: So when residents come back in the city, they ought to be wearing masks at all times?

CERISE: No. I didn't say that and I don't think that that's true. As, I think as people go into close spaces, particularly where there's a lot of mold, that that mask can help in those situations. If they're doing work and they're raising a lot of dust, those types of situations.

COHEN: Dr. Frederick Cerise, the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, thank you so much for joining us this morning.

Back to you -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: I've got to tell you, Elizabeth, I wish I had worn a mask more. Maybe I wouldn't be hacking like I am now still.

COHEN: You have that CNN Gulf bureau hack, right?

O'BRIEN: Yes.

COHEN: Yes.

O'BRIEN: Everybody's got it.

All right, thank you, Elizabeth.

Still to come on the program, soggy sheepskins -- Katrina shut down universities in New Orleans, as well. And there's really no textbook on what to do next. What happens if the students don't return? A closer look at that coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) O'BRIEN: Get the latest news every morning in your e-mail. Sign up for AMERICAN MORNING "Quick News" at cnn.com/am.

Still to come, a developing story in southern California. Firefighters are racing to get that huge wildfire under control this morning. Live pictures there. KT-TV, thanks for that. Thousands of buildings are threatened. We'll have the latest next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: It's about half past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Coming up in the program, we'll go back to New Orleans and we'll get an up close look at the U.S. Naval ship Comfort. It's a floating hospital with a big job ahead of it. There you see it. It's providing medical care to the citizens of a contaminated and dangerous city, and, of course, without its major hospitals, as we've all recalled from what happened after Katrina.

Elizabeth Cohen will take us on a tour.

But first, let's check some other headlines right now.

Kelly Wallace in with that -- good morning, Kelly.

WALLACE: And Happy Friday, Miles.

O'BRIEN: It is good to be Friday.

WALLACE: It is good to be Friday.

O'BRIEN: Yes.

WALLACE: And hello, everyone.

These are some of those other stories now in the news.

After spending 12 weeks in jail, "New York Times" reporter Judith Miller is set to name her source before a federal grand jury today. Miller says she has received permission from a confidential source to testify before a panel investigating the leak out in force a CIA operative's name. That source is apparently Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

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