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American Morning
Indonesia Quake; Military Pen Pals
Aired May 29, 2006 - 06:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: This morning's top stories are straight ahead, including in Afghanistan. One of the most violent days since the Taliban was overthrown. Gunfire in the streets, rioting after a convoy plows into rush hour traffic.
and the death toll is still climbing following that earthquake in Indonesia. We're live in one of the hard-hit areas.
Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Happening this morning, a massive riot in Kabul, Afghanistan, forces a U.S. military base to go into lockdown. The riot began after a U.S. military truck lost its brakes, crashed into pedestrians. One person was killed.
The actor maybe best known as Principal Vernon from "The Breakfast Club" has died. Mr. Gleason died on Saturday from a rare form of lung cancer linked to asbestos. He was 67 years owed. Paul Gleason was his name.
The Arizona minutemen border patrol building a security fence on the border with Mexico. The fence is going up along a 10-mile stretch of private land.
Good morning, everybody. Welcome. I'm Soledad O'Brien.
M. O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. We're glad you're with us on this Memorial Day morning.
A mission of mercy on its way to the earthquake zone in Indonesia. U.S. military doctors among the relief workers and supplies currently streaming onto the island of Java. The death toll now stands at 5,136 -- 8,585 injured, more than two-thirds of them seriously. About 100,000 are homeless.
The quake centered in the southern part of the island of Java, not far from Mt. Merapi, the rumbling volcano that we've been watching. And that's where we find CNN's Dan Rivers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The death toll in this earthquake is climbing ever higher, passing the 5,000 figure now. I've been up to the hospital, the main hospital here in Yogyakarta, and have seen some truly awful scenes. There are literally hundreds of people lining every single inch of space in the hospital. There is a makeshift ward that's been erected out in the parking lot. We were told that there are 500 people awaiting urgent operations, that there are 1,700 people there for treatment in a hospital that only has a capacity for 750 patients.
They have critical shortages of basic medical supplies. They haven't got any painkillers there from what we saw. They say they haven't got enough bandages, that they haven't got any antibiotics.
We spoke to one young man who had a really nasty leg fracture and he had been waiting out in the parking lot for two days to be seen by a doctor. And he still hadn't received any painkillers for the pain of his broken leg.
We saw another woman having a minor operation outside. We saw people who had broken pelvises, head injuries.
So a really grizzly scene up at the local hospital. And this is just one of four hospitals in Yogyakarta. All of them utterly overwhelmed as the thousands of survivors who have been injured in this earthquake flood in.
Dan Rivers, CNN, Yogyakarta, Indonesia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: You can help the relief effort. Donations can be made to the Red Cross, 800-RED-CROSS, or at redcross.org. Also, a good charity, UNICEF -- 800-4-UNICEF the number for that one, or on the Web at unicefusa.org.
Coming up later on AMERICAN MORNING, we'll talk to one U.N. relief worker who is helping lead efforts on the ground in Indonesia -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Back in Washington now, a break in the ranks over that FBI raid of a congressman's office. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist changing his tune a bit, now siding with the FBI and the attorney general over that raid on William Jefferson's office.
Jefferson, of course, a Democrat from Louisiana under investigation for bribery. The AG and the FBI director threatened to resign if the president returned the seized documents. House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi are among those critical of the raid -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Let's check the forecast now. Chad Myers off on this holiday morning. Rob Marciano is in.
Hello, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Miles.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: Back to you guys in New York.
S. O'BRIEN: All right, Rob. Thank you.
MARCIANO: You bet.
Still to come this morning, new defense witnesses testify in the Saddam Hussein trial. We're going to bring you a report from Baghdad this morning.
M. O'BRIEN: Then for U.S. soldiers in Iraq, a letter could mean the world. So when one soldier got an entire class of pen pals, he wanted to thank them personally. It's a real heart-warmer, and it has nothing to do with those pictures that you see on your tape there.
S. O'BRIEN: But these pictures show the happy couple, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Brangelina is what they have been calling the baby in anticipation. Well, the baby's here. They've named the baby Shiloh.
We're going to tell you that story just ahead. First, though, a look at some of the other stories that are making news on this Memorial Day.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Welcome back, everybody. Let's take a quick look at some of the stories that CNN's international correspondents around the world are working on this morning, starting with the trial of Saddam Hussein in Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ryan Chilcote in Baghdad.
Saddam's trial has resumed this morning. Witnesses called by the defense are testifying that the 140-plus Shiites killed from the village of Dujail back in the early '80s were executed lawfully after they were tried by a revolutionary court for their roles in a plot to assassinate then president Saddam Hussein.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I'm Barbara Starr at coalition military headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Even as the troops were remembering their fallen comrades on this Memorial Day, gunfire broke out across the city after rioters took to the streets following a car accident involving a U.S. military convoy in which an Afghan civilian was killed. Several others were wounded. And there are reports unconfirmed at this hour that U.S. military personnel fired shots in the air.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Karl Penhaul in Bogota.
Little surprise here at the outcome of Sunday's presidential race. Opinion polls have been predicting that current President Alvaro Uribe would win this election by a landslide. What was not entirely expected though was that the day passed off peacefully. Authorities reported no significant sabotage attempts by the country's powerful communist rebels.
Alvaro Uribe is a leading U.S. ally in this region, and Washington has indicated that it will continue to fund this fight against the guerrillas and the drug war. And those two issues are perhaps the main challenges lying ahead.
The biggest rebel faction, the FARC, still has an estimated 20,000 fighters and bankrolls its operations with millions of dollars in drug money. And last year, U.S. authorities detected an increase in Colombia's illegal drug plantations. After $4 billion of aid, U.S. authorities say that Colombia still produces around 550 tons of cocaine a year, and most of that ends up on U.S. streets.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
S. O'BRIEN: For more on these stories or any of our top stories, you can go right to our Web site CNN.com -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: Still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, what do motorcycles have to do with a day to honor U.S. troops who have fallen in battle? We'll show you Rolling Thunder.
And the fleet is in, in New York. We'll tell you about that, as well.
But first, the soldier and the third-graders and the surprise visit you're not going to want to miss.
Stay with us for more AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd like to say hello to my wife Mandy (ph) and my two kids Harley (ph) and Hunter (ph) and tell all my family in Oklahoma hi.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
S. O'BRIEN: On this Memorial Day, we remember not only the fallen, but also those who are still serving and in harm's way. Some schoolchildren here in New York are doing just that by becoming pen pals with a soldier in Iraq. Their new pen pal had something special for them, as well.
AMERICAN MORNING Alina Cho has our story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): These third graders from Saint Patrick's school in Smithtown, New York, are about to get the surprise of their lives. But for now, they think we're here to talk to them their about their soldier pen pal. We asked them to read the letters they received from Sergeant Travis Collier.
ERIN MCCORMICK, STUDENT: And I love to go to the beach. And I love to go to the beach, too, so we have something in common.
CHO: Collier has written to each of the 26 students individually, and we quickly learned he's told all of them about his dog.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is the name of the dog everybody?
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: Rufus!
CHO: None of them have any idea what's about to happen.
(on camera): What is the best part of being a pen pal with somebody like that?
MATT ROXBURGH, STUDENT: That you know that you're in contact with them at all times and you can always talk to them if you want. But it would take some time because Iraq is not really close to New York.
CHO (voice over): In Iraq, Sergeant Collier is an engineer, building bridges in Balad. The 22-year-old has been there since December. He is now on two-week leave, enough time to travel to New York to surprise the kids behind all of the letters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh my gosh.
SGT. TRAVIS COLLIER, U.S. ARMY: Everybody remember me?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He came all the way from Iraq.
CHO: The children can't believe their eyes.
KATIE CURRY, STUDENT: I was about to cry. I was just freaked out. He actually came all the way from Iraq just to see us.
CHO: Justin Thomas likes Collier's uniform.
JUSTIN THOMAS, STUDENT: It says that he is a kind man, he is generous. And he's fighting for his country, and it's very nice.
CHO: Holly Habian (ph) has a special connection. She was the first student to send Collier a letter. She cried when she saw him.
(on camera): Why? Why does it make you feel that way?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because I was so happy.
COLLIER: Yes. CHO: Sergeant Collier says it's his way of giving back.
COLLIER: Everybody has a pen pal at one time. And you never really get to meet that pen pal. So I thought it would be a special moment for them to write a soldier and know that, hey, I'm a real person.
CHO: There's a pep rally for Collier, some gifts, even a special cheer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Travis! Travis!
COLLIER: Kids have no political views. Kids have no views on why you should be there and why are you there.
CHO: These kids have other questions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to know what your favorite color is.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just want to know, like, what's your favorite color.
CHO: Sergeant Collier calls the letters a stress reliever.
COLLIER: This is my name, this is my favorite colors, this is what I like to do, these are my pets. What are your favorite pets, what are your hobbies? And that's simple to talk about. That's easy to talk about.
CHO (on camera): Does it help the time pass?
COLLIER: It does.
CHO (voice over): He'll rely on the letters again when he returns to duty.
COLLIER: OK. Here's Iraq right here.
CHO: Alina Cho, CNN, Smithtown, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
M. O'BRIEN: That's the sweetest piece. I've been watching it a million times over and over, that little girl.
S. O'BRIEN: "He came all the way from Iraq just to see us."
M. O'BRIEN: "Just to see us."
Up next on the program, it is grilling time. Up next, we're going to rake Andy over the coals, in a manner of speaking. He'll tell you why barbecuing is suddenly hotter than ever.
Stay with us for AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) M. O'BRIEN: Andy is "Minding Your Business." And what do I smell? Ah, it's the barbecue, yes.
ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": I thought you were going to say something else. I'm glad.
M. O'BRIEN: Back in the control I think they're firing up the barbie. This is, of course, a weekend we associate with grilling out.
SERWER: That's right. Memorial Day Weekend, and, of course, it's the start of barbecuing season. And barbecuing is more popular than ever. This -- look -- that looks tasty.
M. O'BRIEN: That makes me so hungry right there.
SERWER: Thirty-five percent of American families will barbecue once every two weeks over the summer, according to the surveys.
M. O'BRIEN: That's it? I would think a bigger number.
SERWER: Well, there are people who don't do it at all.
M. O'BRIEN: Oh.
SERWER: Urban dwellers and that sort of thing. Hamburger, steak, chicken, hotdogs. And, of course, it makes a lot of sense, because it's inexpensive.
Restaurant traffic is actually down since 2000. Less people eating out. And mostly they're taking out, not eating in restaurants.
Of course low cleanup. And barbecuing and grilling is becoming very faddish, popular. There's all sorts of high-end barbecue books and dressings and things.
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, and the grills. You can -- you can have to get a mortgage to buy a grill.
SERWER: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: I mean, it's...
SERWER: You go down to Lowe's or Home Depot, you can drop a pretty penny down there, can't you.
M. O'BRIEN: Some serious grilling. Absolutely. Absolutely.
SERWER: Yes. And meat prices, by the way, in case you haven't noticed, the lowest in three years. Chicken the lowest in four years.
And, you know, meat was a booming business for the purveyors of this product over the past several years. Previously because of the high protein diet fads. But now that those have fallen out of favor, there's an oversupply.
Plus, bird flu fears have curbed the consumption of chicken overseas. And there's still some bans on U.S. beef overseas, as well. So that means that there's a big supply of beef and chicken, which drove prices down here in the U.S., which is good news for people who want to cook out.
M. O'BRIEN: It's kind of a fragile market, because you hear one little story about mad cow and people, you know, they say, oh, maybe I'll just have something else tonight.
SERWER: Yes, but tofu just doesn't work on the grill, right.
M. O'BRIEN: Tofu on the grill will never work.
SERWER: No.
M. O'BRIEN: Although a portobello mushroom done right, delicious.
SERWER: I've never tried that.
M. O'BRIEN: Ooh, it's so good, as Mr. Food might say.
SERWER: We'll give it a check.
M. O'BRIEN: Andy Serwer, Mr. Business, always a pleasure to have you drop by.
SERWER: Thank you. All right.
S. O'BRIEN: Time for the forecast. Chad Myers is off today, but Rob Marciano is at the CNN Center.
Hey, Rob. Good morning.
MARCIANO: Hi, Soledad.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: We'll talk more about your Memorial Day forecast throughout the morning.
The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING begins right now.
S. O'BRIEN: Thanks, Rob.
U.S. military headquarters under a lockdown right now in Kabul, Afghanistan. Riots are raging after a military convoy was involved in a fatal traffic accident.
M. O'BRIEN: Relief workers and supplies streaming into Indonesia now. The death toll rises, the survivors scared to sleep inside, and all eyes on a rumbling volcano.
ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ed Henry at the White House. Senator Frist has had a change of heart about that controversial raid of a congressman's office. Some Republicans charge it's because Frist wants to live right here at the White House after 2008.
That story coming up.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Bob Franken in Washington.
While the Iraq war continues to be fought with all its controversy, many here at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial are still fighting the wounds of that war. That's coming up.
M. O'BRIEN: Good morning to you. I'm Miles O'Brien.
S. O'BRIEN: And I'm Soledad O'Brien.
We start this morning with that major earthquake in Indonesia. The American military sending a contingent of doctors and nurses to help the thousands of people who are injured. Relief workers and supplies from all over the world are now streaming to the area.
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