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American Morning

Furniture Store Fire: Nine People Killed; Deadly Floods: Hundreds Homeless in North Texas; President Bush Meets With Ehud Olmert

Aired June 19, 2007 - 06:59   ET

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

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: An update on our top story today.
Sarah DeMarco of our affiliate WCIV is live at the scene of the destructive and deadly fire at a furniture shop in Charleston, South Carolina.

Sarah, what's the update?

SARAH DEMARCO, REPORTER, WCIV: Kiran, actually we're about to begin a press conference any minute now. The mayor and the chief of police have just lined up. So we need to head over there. But at this point, we believe all nine bodies that were unaccounted for have been removed.

A bulldozer has just been brought in. The cleanup is about to begin.

We'll have much more later in the day, but at this point we do believe those nine bodies have been removed. The fire broke out about 7:00 last night. A much different situation now 12 hours later.

We'll go back to you.

CHETRY: Sarah, thank you.

The next hour of AMERICAN MORNING starts right now.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY (voice over): Breaking news. Reports just in. At least nine dead. Most of them firefighters, killed in a roaring fire at a furniture store.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It burned very hot, very fast. There could be others inside the firefighters just haven't found yet.

CHETRY: The somber salute to fallen heroes and a live report on the investigation on this AMERICAN MORNING.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: And thanks so much for joining us on this Tuesday, June 19th.

I'm Kiran Chetry. ROBERTS: Good morning to you. I'm John Roberts.

That terrible news out of Charleston this morning.

Also "On Our Radar," breaking news from Iraq.

The U.S. involved in a major assault against al Qaeda right now. Thousands of troops on the move. And take a look at this -- the military releasing dramatic images of a helicopter gun ship targeting insurgents in Iraq.

We'll have more on that coming up as well.

CHETRY: We also have some new pictures coming in on the devastation in Texas. People forced from their homes after deadly floodwaters. The rain, at some points, coming down one inch every 15 minutes.

Still a major mess there this morning. And we're going to get a live report, plus a look at any threat of extreme weather today.

And we begin the hour with breaking news. We want to let you know that we are awaiting a press conference now from the mayor of Charleston, South Carolina, and also possibly some fire officials there.

A fire at a furniture warehouse that started a little more than 12 hours ago killed nine people, most of them firefighters. There you see some of the pictures. And all of the rescue workers and rescue personnel involved, 12 different agencies, standing in salute as the bodies are brought out of that burnt and charred building.

We are getting word that this news conference is under way. Here is the mayor of Charleston.

Let's listen.

(JOINED IN PROGRESS)

MAYOR JOE RILEY, CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA: ... fighting a raging fire in the building behind us last night and early this morning. It is a tragic reminder of the profession of firefighting.

People who put on the badge prepare to go into a raging fire to risk their lives any day and any moment. Yesterday, they went into this building to extinguish a fire and to make sure that an employee who was in there got out.

The employee got out. Our firefighters went in, they broke a hole through the back and got him out safely.

They were in the building to make sure that no one else was in there and to put it out, to protect the neighborhood. They fight fire. They extinguish fire. And they lost their lives fighting for the safety of our citizens. Nine bodies have been recovered. They have all been transported to the Medical University of South Carolina. The identifications are being made by the coroner, and when those have been confirmed -- we obviously know the names of the brave missing firefighters, and when the identification of these brave people are confirmed, then the coroner will provide this information.

We have met with the families last night, as soon as we understood the firefighters who were missing. That's how it was determined. They were all in the building fighting. And then, who do we not have with us? We immediately began the process of notifying them.

Chief Mullen (ph), our police chief who is with me, had his officers go to the residents of the family members, advise them that their firefighting family member was missing. And we had them brought down to a nearby fire station, where earlier this morning, they met with Chief Rusty Thomas (ph), chief of the fire department.

The cause of the fire, of course, is under thorough investigation. ATF and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division will handle that investigation, as is the normal course of events. And we will, in time, have more information about the exact cause of the fire.

We have a basic understanding. The chief and the firefighters who made the first call understood the beginnings of the fire, but fire and how it happens and the activity of combustion are not simple, but complicated matters. And that will all be thoroughly analyzed, and we will have that information in time.

But what we do know is that -- that nine brave, heroic, courageous firefighters of the city of Charleston have perished fighting fire, and in the most courageous and fearless manner, carrying out their duties. This is a tragic event for our community, the magnitude of which is difficult to fathom or quantify.

And to all of their loved ones, our heart goes out to them, our efforts of consolation and assistance will not stop. And to all members of our fire department family, our remarkable Chief Thomas (ph) and all of the men and women under his command, who, they are family, they work with each other, they support each other, they care for each other, and they fight fires with each other. And I know I speak for all of our citizens in reaching out to all of them.

The grief that they feel is -- just cannot be explained or fully understood. And we will be with them. And they have our support.

And as I said at the beginning, I know I speak for every citizen in our city and every citizen in our community, and I believe in our country. Every community has brave firefighters, and this is the most tragic reminder of their profession and what they are willing to do. Every time they put on the badge, they go in -- and they go in to fight a fire, they know they're risking their lives.

And I might just conclude that any who have been near a fire, the heat and the smoke are both terrifying and the reminder that these brave people put on their equipment and go in there, as they did last night to extinguish a fire and to make sure that anybody who was in that building got out safely.

I'd be glad to try to answer your questions.

Chief Mullen (ph), who has been here all night and all morning also is available to answer questions.

QUESTION: Mayor, if I may, you said that you have a basic understanding of what happened or what may have started the fire. Can you elaborate on that point?

RILEY: Well, it's -- I would rather the full investigation -- there is no arson expected or nothing unusual, but I don't want to lay out a factual series of things until the experts can -- and they will talk to every firefighter and go through the building. And we will, in time, have a correct explanation of how it started and how it spread. And I think it's obviously better to wait until we know that, certainly, rather than guessing.

QUESTION: How many employees were in the building when the fire broke out?

RILEY: Well, the -- I believe there were two. That was the understanding last night.

And the first calls were there were two employees, and one -- there were two employees in the building. I think one got out quickly, and then the other, the firefighters actually broke a hole in the back so they could get out.

And, you know, the -- it's a -- it's a one-story building, but it's a tall one-story building. And buildings like that really have two floors. It's just one floor, but you've got the space you occupy, and then you've got a big space above the hung ceiling, where -- where there is a lot of space and a lot of oxygen and a lot of material and equipment, combustible. And so, you know, it's a very complicated -- much more complicated building from a firefighting event than one might imagine.

QUESTION: Were the firefighters who saw the roof collapse, is there any indication they were crushed or that that's -- that they died when that happened?

RILEY: Well, I don't -- I think it's just better to have that exact information, rather than speculate now. I think that that is less likely and more likely the consequences of the fire and the fact that it is -- gets above the hung ceiling space with the intensity and the level that is -- you know, you can't observe. And clearly, parts of the building, as you will see, fell. But I think we just need to have that information exactly.

QUESTION: It was a very intense fire heat-wise, that it essentially melted the structure that supported the roof?

RILEY: It appears that. Again, I think we just need to let the experts figure that out.

QUESTION: Mayor, if I may, you said earlier today that this was the worst thing that has happened to the city of Charleston in modern times.

RILEY: Well, in my understanding, it is. Certainly in my time as mayor, we've never had a fire like this. We haven't lost a firefighter. And to lose nine is -- you know, is just a tragedy of immense proportion. And I'm unaware of an event like this.

You know, we...

QUESTION: Hurricane Hugo, though. You were mayor during that hurricane.

RILEY: Yes. In Hurricane Hugo, we lost one life in our city. We -- you know, a very different kind of tragedy.

And there, you have -- it's coming, and you evacuate, which we did safely. So, you know, the enormity of the loss. And to lose public safety officers in this instance, courageous firefighters, is a tragedy to lose anyone. To lose nine is just unbelievable.

QUESTION: Mayor, do you have any indication that some of these firefighters in this situation (INAUDIBLE)? I've heard stories or rumors that possibly some of them may have said, you know, "Say good- bye to my wife for me."

Do you know anything about that?

RILEY: Well, I -- all of that will be investigated, and I just don't want to speculate right now.

QUESTION: Do you know how many firefighters...

CHETRY: All right. You're watching the press conference that was taking place in Charleston, South Carolina. The mayor is speaking in the wake of that devastating and tragic fire at a furniture store that ended up costing the lives of nine firefighters who were at that scene working.

The mayor calls it one of the most devastating things, a tragic event for the community. He says the magnitude of this difficult to fathom.

Meanwhile, the reporters were trying to get some answers about exactly what caused this fire, and no one is giving any definitive word right now. The mayor saying he does not want to speculate, but he did say no arson. He does not believe this was intentionally set.

He also said, which was interesting, that the fire chief and the firefighters who were the first ones on the scene "understood the beginnings of the fire," and then what happened after that is still up in the air. And many who were there, witnesses, said it appeared to be just a blaze that they were trying to put out, and quickly it got out of control, and then we saw the roof collapse. But again, also confirmation that of those killed, all nine of them were firefighters, were believed to be firefighters within the city of Charleston Fire Department. When we hear a little bit more, we might hear from one of the fire officials as well to provide more detail about exactly what happened.

We'll take you back to that.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: And also, Joe Riley, the mayor of Charleston, will be joining us live here on AMERICAN MORNING just as soon as he gets through with this press conference.

Fourteen minutes now after the hour.

From fire to water, people in north Texas are waking up to a mess and mourning lives lost. Hundreds are out of their homes right now after devastating storms.

The National Weather Service says rain fell at a rate of an inch every 15 minutes in some places, leaving whole neighborhoods under water. There was as much as 10 inches of rain that fell during the course of the night.

There are reports that at least five people were killed when rivers overflowed, sweeping mobile homes, cars and lives away.

Meteorologist Rob Marciano is right in the heart of the flood zone. He touched down a little while ago, live in Gainesville, Texas, joins us now.

What's it looking like this morning, Rob, and how are people coping?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, it looks much better this morning. And is usually the case the day after a disaster, people, as the sun comes up, will begin the cleanup process.

It was this time yesterday where people were scrambling, even swimming for their lives. Three very small creeks meandered through this town. They turned into raging rivers, engulfing this city of Gainesville for several hours yesterday afternoon. Scenes similar to Katrina and New Orleans, people scrambling to their rooftops, hundreds having to be rescued by boats and water rescue crews.

The good news with flash floods is that the water does recede nearly as quickly as it rises. But the damage done.

We're standing on top of a bridge that yesterday was totally over-washed with water. Scenes like this, debris, steel doors completely wrapped around almost like a hurricane -- a tornado or hurricane storm surge.

And then the second camera shows you just how far this river has dropped so quickly. But the debris strewn like you would see in a storm surge before a tornado, going all in one direction. Water tanks, refrigerators, you name it -- this town is absolutely littered with this stuff.

I have with me now the mayor, Mayor Glenn Loch of Gainesville.

You've lived here a long time, Mr. Mayor.

MAYOR GLENN LOCH, GAINESVILLE, TEXAS: Yes.

MARCIANO: And have you ever seen the water rise this quickly?

LOCH: We've seen it before in the past, but this was a devastating thing that happened here yesterday. In the past, we've had this -- about three times I guess in the past 30, 40 years. But this time was just devastation because of the life that was lost here.

MARCIANO: How is your town coping today?

LOCH: Our town is going to cope well. We've always been able to come back from these type of things, and we'll do it again.

MARCIANO: What is the plan of attack today?

LOCH: We've got so many helpers out there now. We've gotten assets from about 69 different communities throughout the north Texas area and southern Oklahoma. They're all here again this morning, and we're still on a search -- not so much as a search and rescue this morning, but a search this morning, because we still have some missing people who we have not yet recovered.

MARCIANO: We wish you the best of luck. We're sorry for your lost, Mr. Mayor.

LOCH: Thank you very much.

MARCIANO: As the sun comes up here in Gainesville, Texas, they are going to go on that search. They're also going to bring in some heavy equipment to begin the cleanup process as the waters have receded. But this town, for the most part, left in shambles.

John and Kiran, back to you.

ROBERTS: Rob, just wondering, is that the bridge, the one that you're standing on now, that the mobile home that was swept into the Pecan Creek hit?

MARCIANO: No. That -- that part of town has been blocked off from the media. From everybody, as a matter of fact.

But you're right, there was a mobile home where lives were lost, and one of the missing people is a 2-year-old girl that is related to the family that was lost in that trailer. That is up the road. One of three creeks is what we're standing on, and the force of the water evident in the damage and debris left behind this morning, for sure.

ROBERTS: All right. Rob Marciano for us this morning in Gainesville.

Thanks, Rob. We'll check back in with you a little bit later on.

MARCIANO: You bet.

CHETRY: And there is breaking news out of Iraq this morning. U.S. troops launching a massive operation against al Qaeda dubbed Operation Arrowhead Ripper.

The Pentagon just released the first pictures from the battlefield. Twenty-two insurgents killed so far. Troops are hitting multiple targets simultaneously, trying to clear militants from Baghdad and Diyala province, which is north of the city.

The Pentagon also releasing some video from a gun ship battle on Friday. The gun ship firing on men believed to be carrying weapons, then firing on the building they were hiding in. Four suspected insurgents were killed and four wounded.

To the White House now, where President Bush will be meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in just a few hours. Israel is caught in the middle now more than ever between the Palestinian territories. Hamas in charge in Gaza, while the emergency Palestinian government of Mahmoud Abbas hangs on to the West Bank.

CNN White House Correspondent Elaine Quijano is at the White House with more on what we can expect from that meeting today.

Hi, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Kiran.

That's right, yesterday in a phone call, President Bush offered his support to Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas. Mr. Bush told Abbas that he was "open to the idea" of restarting Middle East peace talks in order to help stabilize the situation there.

Now, President Bush did not actually commit to restarting those talks. He said that he wanted to first speak with Israeli's prime minister, Ehud Olmert. So that will be at the top of the agenda when the two leaders sit down later this morning.

This meeting coming at a critical time. The leaders will discuss the strategy, how to move forward and what steps to take next, in order to bolster the emergency government of President Abbas, while also looking to isolate Hamas.

Now, as part of that effort, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday announced the United States was lifting financial restrictions on aid to the Palestinians. That means moving ahead on an $86 million commitment to bolster President Abbas' government.

At the same time, Kiran, the U.S. also looking to send the message that it is not abandoning the 1.5 million people in the Gaza Strip. Secretary Rice saying yesterday that the U.S. also plans to give some $40 million to U.N. relief agencies on the ground -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Elaine Quijano at the White House for us.

Thank you.

ROBERTS: News overnight about the search for a missing pregnant woman tops your "Quick Hits".

Police and FBI agents searching the home of a Canton, Ohio, officer. He is the father of the missing young woman's son and possibly of her unborn child. He is not being called a suspect. Jessie Davis is due to give birth any day. She vanished from her home sometime last week.

Police officers in New York City who are involved in shootings will face mandatory breathalyzer tests beginning in September. The NYPD announcing the new policy after a shooting of a groom on his wedding day last year by undercover police officers.

It's called Alli. But some say the new over-the-counter obesity pill is not much of a friend when it comes to the side-effects. We're taking a closer look at the warning labels ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Continuing with our breaking story this morning, and that is this tragic fire we've been covering that took the lives of nine firefighters in Charleston, South Carolina. Apparently, when this blaze happened last night at 6:30, it seemed like something they could easily control. Then within an hour, we're talking roof collapse and multiple fatalities.

And there you see a man running with a hose. These were volunteers that just were called into action at the last minute because of the ferocity of these flames.

And we want to hear from an eyewitness to this tragedy.

Daniel Shahid works at a car dealership that's right near the furniture store, and he actually helped the firefighters last night. He knows four of them personally. He joins me on the phone now.

Daniel, thanks for being with us.

DANIEL SHAHID, EYEWITNESS: Yes, ma'am. Thank you for having me.

CHETRY: It goes without saying that all of us feel and share in that tragedy the news that nine firefighters with the Charleston Fire Department killed. You knew four of them.

Tell us this morning what the mood is like and what's going on there.

SHAHID: It's real somber. It's just really tragic what took place.

And you were right when you said that it all happened so fast. We were the first ones out there. Morris Nissan is right down the street from where it took place.

We ran out. It was just -- I've never seen a fire, anything quite like it. And it happened so fast.

It was in a blaze in five to 10 minutes, and it was on the ground in probably less than 30. It was -- it's just tragic.

CHETRY: And you guys -- there we are seeing video of some of the bodies being brought out and the salute. You see police officers, rescue workers from, I believe, 12 different agencies trying to take part in that.

When did you guys realize that this had turned tragic and that it looked like there were going to be some fatalities?

SHAHID: Well, I was actually 30 to 45 yards away when the building collapsed itself. We were in the process of bringing out wet towels, and we were helping move some hoses down the road just because there was not enough people quite yet there.

I guess I kind of realized that I was actually with a firefighter when it came over the radio that there was people inside when it collapsed. So I knew as soon as it dropped that something bad had just happened.

CHETRY: So the only people that made it out alive were those that were able to run out before that collapse?

SHAHID: Exactly. It collapsed so fast that there was -- there was no opportunity for anybody that was in there to even think about getting out. I mean, it was -- it was -- it came from nowhere. It was a standing structure, and five seconds later it was on the ground.

CHETRY: Now, there is word this morning, at least from the mayor, they don't believe it was arson. There is also world apparently that we heard from the fire and rescue department in Charleston that there were no sprinklers in this building.

SHAHID: That's unbelievable. I have -- you're the first one to tell me that report. I have not heard that there weren't any sprinklers in the building. It's pretty unbelievable that there weren't. I'm just very, very glad that it didn't spread to the gas station right next door.

CHETRY: Oh, that would have -- that would have been even more tragic. But it's hard to fathom how it could be right now with nine firefighters who...

SHAHID: It's really tragic. And you can just -- you can only pray and have those families in your hearts and minds, and just basically give any support that you possibly can.

CHETRY: That's right. And the mayor also echoing that sentiment, saying, "Our assistance to those families will not stop."

Daniel Shahid, eyewitness -- not only eyewitness, but actually somebody that was there trying to help as well with this fire in Charleston.

Thank you.

SHAHID: Yes, ma'am. Thank you.

ROBERTS: Twenty-seven minutes now after the hour. Ali Velshi here "Minding Your Business".

You might have noticed the price of gas has been going down in the last couple of weeks, and could do a U-turn and head right back up again.

ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is one of the things that you want to look at if you're an investor. It would be a good time to pay attention to the markets today.

Oil, which hit a nine-month high yesterday on news of a possible oil workers strike in Nigeria. Now, gasoline prices -- look at the chart. Gasoline prices have been down almost 20 cents in the last month, but that could turn around.

Also, we have a report yesterday that America's homebuilders are not all that optimistic about the next few months, and that is followed this morning by two key reports on housing. In about one hour we will find out how many homebuilding projects got under way last month and how many building permits were issued for upcoming projects.

In other news, Apple's stock was up yesterday, but isn't it always? Apple says the battery in the iPhone, which is due out in less than two weeks, will actually be good.

And expect Yahoo! stock to go higher today after embattled CEO Terry Semel left the company -- or was forced out, depending on how you want to look at it.

Yahoo! has been stuck in the mud without any new ideas or acquisitions. Semel's salary last year, by the way, was only $1. But he got $70 million in total compensation.

And one more conviction case in Enron. The former CEO of Enron broadband who pleaded guilty back in 2004 and helped the government make its case against Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling was sentenced to 27 months in jail. He was also ordered to forfeit $50 million in ill- gotten gains, and that money will go toward victims who suffered losses.

ROBERTS: So, in terms of the markets, the future is looking up today, flat? Where are they?

VELSHI: They are mixed. There's all sorts of news right now coming in.

Yesterday was an entirely flat day. A little lower at the end. This could go either way. In an hour we'll have a better indication.

ROBERTS: Ali, thanks. See you again soon.

Your "Quick Hits" now. One of the top stories on CNN.com, a new report says fewer male babies are being circumcised in the U.S.

Experts say that immigration patterns play the biggest role in the decline. Still, the U.S. remains one of the few developed countries where most baby boys are circumcised.

And one of the most popular stories on CNN.com, we can all rest easy, for a few decades, at least. The world is not going to end until at least the year 2060. That's what Isaac Newton calculated by reading the bible. Rarely seen Newton papers are now on display in Jerusalem.

What you don't know can cost you. The Democrats in Congress promised a new era of open government, but you need to see what we found when we went looking for the details on those pet projects that lawmakers just love to slip into bills. Just remember -- you pay for them.

That's coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: And welcome back. It's Tuesday, June 19th. I'm Kiran Chetry.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR, AMERICAN MORNING: And good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. Stories on our radar this morning, this massive fire in the furniture store in South Carolina, in Charleston. Nine firefighters killed. Witnesses described it as just a tornado of flames. Mayor Joe Riley ruled out arson. We're going to be speaking with him in a moment. Investigators say no sprinklers inside that building.

CHETRY: Another story that we're following for you today. Earmarks - these are the pet projects that lawmakers slip into huge spending bills. 36,000 of them are in next year's budget, 36,000. So CNN's intrepid interns called the offices of every single member of Congress asking, hey, what are the earmarks for? Did they get answers? Your tax money. Did they get answers? We're going to find out coming up.

ROBERTS: A lot of these lawmakers like to keep these things secret.

We've been following breaking news out of Charleston, South Carolina this morning. About a half hour ago, Mayor Joe Riley held a press conference confirming that all nine people killed in the furniture store fire were firefighters. Mayor Riley joins us on the telephone. Joe, first of all to you, our condolences, just a terrible, terrible day down there in Charleston this morning.

VOICE OF MAYOR JOE RILEY, CHARLESTON, SC: It is. Our heart breaks for the families of these brave nine firefighters and, John, you know, they were in the building looking for employees who might still be in the building. I mean, so they were -- they were in there seeking to save lives and that is what firefighters do and the men that we lost last night forever will be heroes in our community.

ROBERTS: Joe, what is your understanding of what happened when those firefighters were inside to take their lives?

RILEY: Well, they were in different parts of the building. You know, it was a huge fire. It was a one story building, but there is a hung ceiling so you've got a huge amount of space above the hung ceiling and there was, obviously, fire raging above there that just almost instantaneously took over the building and that was filled with the most combustible kind of materials, sofas, that's what it was, a sofa store.

They were in there trying to put the fire out. That's what they're trained to do. It's adjacent to a residential neighborhood, next to a gas station. And they were wanting to make sure that employees who had been in the building got out safely. They were heroically in the midst of fire, surrounded by smoke and doing what they're trained to do and the fire just -- just basically engulfed them.

ROBERTS: Mayor, do you know if they had any kind of warning that it looked like the building was going to collapse or did it just happen so fast they didn't even know what hit them?

RILEY: There was no warning. And I think, you know, parts of the building collapsed but I think eventually the thorough investigation will, I don't think, show that the deaths were all caused by the building being collapsed. I was here. The fire was intense.

The smoke was, you know, was intense. It was a huge fire and our firefighters gave their lives to protect our citizens. That's what they do when they put on the badge and we have nine heroic fallen brothers here to mourn in our community and we will never forget them.

ROBERTS: Any idea yet, Joe, on how this fire started?

RILEY: No. We don't think there is any foul play and it's being thoroughly investigated by ATF and all of our investigators. It doesn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary in terms of how it started and whether it was, you know, just how it started burning in the back, we don't know. We'll find that out.

ROBERTS: We're hearing, mayor, there were no sprinklers inside the building. What is the explanation for that?

RILEY: You know, I don't have that information yet, John. One of the problems with something like this is you don't want to guess and you don't want to state something that might not be correct. So we'll have all of that and I don't know and whether, you know, what level a sprinkler system could have stopped something like this, you know, I mean, you know, a fire that gets going quickly enough is beyond any sprinkler system's capacity to put it out in a building like this, but we'll find that out. ROBERTS: Again, Mayor Riley, our condolences to you this morning. I'm sure that people there in Charleston are just shocked by that massive amount of loss. We thank you for taking time out of your busy day to speak with us. Mayor Joe Riley, the mayor of Charleston, South Carolina, been mayor of that town forever.

CHETRY: Turning to our quick hits now. No passports and a lot of anger. People with ruined travel plans now complaining to their senators. More people need passports now that the homeland security rules have changed and requires passports to get into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico and the Caribbean. 56 senators are now up in arms about the backlog. In a committee hearing today the State Department will be asked why they weren't prepared for the summer vacation rush.

Will it soon be two for TomKat? This was taken over the weekend in Spain. Some are saying it shows or maybe shows that Katie Holmes has a hint of a baby belly. Newspapers in London speculating about that this morning. No confirmation from Tom Cruise or Katie Holmes.

We were promised a new era of transparent government. How come when we ask for a list of lawmakers expensive pet projects that all of us pay for we got -- you'll have to find out what we got in a investigation coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: The most news in the morning is on CNN. Your quick hits now.

Police in Georgetown, Indiana are looking for a 15-year-old boy they say shot two sheriff deputies. One of them died. The other is in critical condition. The officers were responding to reports of a confrontation at home between the suspect and his mother.

A ground and air search resumes this morning for a hiker missing on Mt. Rainier in Washington state. Forty-seven-year old Jeff Graves of Minneapolis was last seen in a trail near the summit. Graves had been hiking alone.

The University of Notre Dame is changing its security policies in response to the shootings at Virginia Tech. The school is installing an emergency communication system that would let school officials quickly contact large numbers of students in case of an emergency.

CHETRY: They're called earmarks. They're pet projects that lawmakers slip into huge spending bills and next year's budget includes 36,000 of them, but what are they for? Well, we put our intrepid CNN interns on the case and they actually called every single member of Congress, at least their offices, asking just one question. Here is CNN's Drew Griffin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm calling for CNN. I'm trying to see if I can get a copy of the congressman's earmark request for this year.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was calling because we're trying to obtain a list of the congressman's earmark requests for 2007.

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): What they found wasn't exactly a show a complete transparency. Here are the results. After three days of actually calling each and every House office, 31 members of Congress, just 31 sent us their earmark requests. Sixty seven flat out refused. Seven told us they did not request any earmarks but the majority, 330 never responded. Some we called were down right hostile.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was really mean about it, though.

GRIFFIN: Not even letting us finish the question like an aide to New York Democrat Charles Rangel.

TODD SCHWARZCHILD, CNN ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: I called Congressman Rangel's office, I got one of his press aides who before I could even answer the question, said no. I know what you're going to ask me. No and he said good day and then hung up on me.

GRIFFIN: Word of our request apparently traveled fast in the halls of Congress.

CHAMISE JONES, CNN INTERN: When I called and asked for the request, he was like no and he was just like no one else is going to give it to you. I know about you. I heard you were calling. I was waiting for you to call me.

GRIFFIN: As long as we are not required to release that, we're not going to said an aide to Louisiana Republican Jim McCreary. But some didn't need our prompting. Maverick freshman Democrat Nancy Boyda, New York Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand, Republican John Campbell of California, all had already posted their earmark requests on their web pages.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm calling from CNN.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was trying to see if we can get a copy of the congressman's earmark request.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: All right, well two of those interns join us now. Chamise Jones and Rachel Reynolds. Welcome to both of you.

CHAMISE JONES, CNN INTERN: Thank you.

RACHEL REYNOLDS, CNN INTERN: Thank you.

CHETRY: Your fingers a little tired after all of those calls?

REYNOLDS: A little. Doing exercises.

JONES: We recovered I think a little bit.

CHETRY: Chamise, you were the one who said at times they were a little hostile to you. What was your experience when you were calling requesting the earmarks?

JONES: It differed. First it started off they were really pleasant. They were more like well, we'll see. This is a weird question but we'll see. Then it got to I couldn't reach anyone. It was as if everyone was busy and no one got back to me and then they started getting a little more I guess mean towards me.

CHETRY: I guess they got word of it among e-mail. That went out pretty fast among the staffers. But Rachel, isn't that interesting that she said that they told her it was a weird question. These are our tax dollars and you guys were simply asking for a list of where and what they wanted to spend it on.

REYNOLDS: Exactly. We were asking what I think most taxpayers would want to know. I don't think it's that weird of a question.

JONES: I don't either but apparently it was secretive.

CHETRY: The Democrat-controlled Congress, one of the things they ran on was saying that they wanted a much more open government. Did you find that was the case, Rachel?

REYNOLDS: As far as my experiences, no. I mean, at first, I got a few as Chamise had (INAUDIBLE) a few yeses, and then we'll see how it goes and then it was just voice mail, voice mail, voice mail and that is not open in my book at all.

CHETRY: There was some bright spots though Chamise. Seven of them actually had them -- wait. Seven said they had no earmarks at all which is quite refreshing and then 31 of them, offices did give you the information.

JONES: Yes. Some were, they were very open about it. They were just like sure. They may have asked what we're going to use it for and I may have told them we're working on a story. A lot, some of them, not a lot of them.

CHETRY: A lot of I'll get back to you's but they never got back to you. 303 of those. You're to be commended for making all of those calls. Hope you get extra credit in your classes. Chamise Jones and Rachel Reynolds, interns here at CNN. Thanks you joining us.

What is being done to get information on these kinds of projects and to prevent all of that spending of our tax dollars? Joining us from Washington now Ryan Alexander, the president of Taxpayers for Common Sense. You just heard what the interns faced. Are you surprised?

RYAN ALEXANDER, PRES., TAXPAYERS FOR COMMON SENSE: No., I'm not at all surprised. Actually, I was thinking your interns should talk to mine interns. We've done a lot of the same kind of phone calls and we're getting about the same kind of answers.

CHETRY: Isn't it outrageous that we can't even find out where our money is going? ALEXANDER: Absolutely it's outrageous. The rule change that the House passed at the beginning of the year required that they disclose all successful earmarks not even disclose all requests for earmarks and we really think it's important that they disclose all of the requests successful or not so we know not only what we're spending our money on and what we're not spending our money on.

CHETRY: What can people do about it?

ALEXANDER: What people can do is make sure that they tell their member of Congress that they would like to see their earmark request. Contact your member of Congress and ask them to disclose the earmarks. At Taxpayers for Common Sense, we database every earmark request that is disclosed. We're hounding congressional offices and making sure that we get the bills as soon as they become available to anyone. Going through them, literally putting every single earmark in an Excel database and we'll be posting those on our website www.taxpayer.net.

CHETRY: All right, so at least (INAUDIBLE) some information is the first start. Ryan Alexander, thank you so much.

ALEXANDER: Thank you.

ROBERTS: Our investigation is already generating some strong reaction, a lot of it coming into our website at cnn.com. Veronica de la Cruz has been monitoring all that. What are you picking up?

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN.COM: Like you're saying, a lot of people writing and a lot of people very very unhappy. We posted the story last night around midnight. We've received hundreds of e-mails. I'm going to read some of those in a second John, but, first, I want to show you how you can find out how your congressman responded by logging on to cnn.com. Right now that is the top story on the home page.

Go and click on the link that reads what your representative said and then you want to pick your state and then your district. You can also read a little bit about the article online as well. John, let's use New York as an example. Out of New York's 29 districts, only one representative in the state disclosed information on earmarks.

ROBERTS: Who was that?

DE LA CRUZ: ... in Drew Griffin's report Kristin Gillibrand, district 20. She provided CNN with a 26-page document, also listed on the website. Also at cnn.com, you can find the full report on how every member of the Congress responded to this survey. And John like I mentioned before, there are plenty of people not happy about this lack of transparency.

I also wanted to read some of the e-mails that we've been receiving. They're pouring in as we speak. This one from Karen Sage in Iowa. She says it's time for us to be citizens that pay attention to what the government is doing. Handing large amounts of our hard- earned money to men that have no accountability for it is not only dangerous, but stupid. And this from Don Cook in Ohio who says no earmark disclosure equals absolutely no vote for me in 2008, no questions asked. So there you go.

ROBERTS: We should point out to those two e-mailers though that it's women who do it as well and if you're not going to vote for people who don't disclose earmarks, it doesn't leave many people to vote for.

DE LA CRUZ: Right. Right. You out there, you can weigh in with your thoughts at cnn.com and see how your Congress person responded in the survey.

ROBERTS: If you want to know more about this go to cnn.com/ticker. It's all the political news that you need to know and it's all there on cnn.com. Veronica, thanks very much. Kiran.

CHETRY: There's a new diet pill that's available without a prescription so is it your best ally in the fight against those extra pounds? We have that story coming up next. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING, the most news in the morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Following breaking news all morning, your quick hits now, nine firefighters killed fighting a fire in a furniture warehouse in Charleston, South Carolina. Two employees were able to get out, but the firefighters who died in the building were not able to get out as the roof collapsed. Mayor Joe Riley told us a short time ago that he did not want to comment on the cause of the fire yet. They did feel that they could safely say it was not arson.

We also have breaking news in Iraq as well. The toll from a truck bomb now at more than 60 people killed and nearly 140 others injured. It went off near a Shiite mosque in central Baghdad.

In Hawaii hundreds of small earthquakes around Kilauea volcano since Sunday raising the possibility of lava eruptions. The quakes have since died down in part of Hawaii's volcanoes national park will be able to reopen today.

ROBERTS: Coming up to 54 minutes after the hour. Alli, the first-ever nonprescription diet pill is now available and it's selling like crazy. Glaxosmithkline is banking on its success but does Alli it live up to its promise? Medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins us now. This is like some of those cold medications or allergy pills that are now over the counter. This is a low dose version a of a very popular prescription diet pill called Xenical. How much weight do you lose on it?

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A lot of people think they're going to lose a ton of weight John. I have the starter pack. This is what's been selling. This is 60 bucks for a month so it's not cheap and a lot of people think, wow, I'm just going to lose weight like that, this is going to be easy. This is going to be a magic bullet. We have some news for you. I'm going to give you the cold, hard facts. They put people on these pills who weighed 220 pounds on the pills for a year. Guess how much weight they lost in the course of a year? Seven pounds.

ROBERTS: That's it?

COHEN: Because of the pill, seven pounds. That's right. They started out at 220. So if you're starting out at less than that, which most people are, you're going to lose even less weight. The pill got them an extra seven pounds.

ROBERTS: What is the mechanism through which it helps people or doesn't help them lose weight?

COHEN: It bonds with the fat and it takes the fat through you.

ROBERTS: It's like --

COHEN: I mean through you.

ROBERTS: Through a goose?

COHEN: There you go!

ROBERTS: To the point where -- there is some interesting literature written about this. If you take it with a meal that is high in fat, you could, quote, have stools that may be hard to control.

COHEN: That's right.

ROBERTS: What about these side effects here?

COHEN: Yes. These side effects, they're right on here so we're not making this up. These are right on the packaging. The side effects are legendary. They are gas with oily spotting, loose stools, more frequent stools that may be hard to control. Yes. That's right. As a matter of fact, on their website, they say when you're starting to take this medicine, a smart idea might be to wear dark pants and bring a change of clothes with you to work. That says at all.

ROBERTS: Elizabeth, thanks for that this morning.

COHEN: You're so welcome.

ROBERTS: Buyer beware. Kiran?

CHETRY: One of the Ft. Dix six may be plotting revenge. That tops our quick hits now. Prosecutors say (INAUDIBLE) Abdullah needs to stay in jail. They claim that drawings were found in his cell suggesting he may want to try to launch an attack on the FBI agents who arrested him. Abdullah and five others were arrested back in May for allegedly plotting to kill U.S. soldiers.

A moth invasion is closing Rocky Arbor State Park in Wisconsin. Hundreds of thousands of caterpillars and moths have infested the parks thanks mostly to the warm, dry weather. Park officials say they don't want the pesky creatures to go mobile by hitching rides on cars and campers.

Nine firefighters killed in a massive fire at a furniture warehouse. Investigators say there were no sprinklers in the building. We're going to take you back to South Carolina for an update on our top story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Breaking news. A tragic morning in Charleston, South Carolina. Fire roars through a furniture factory trapping and killing the firefighters inside.

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