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American Morning
Florida Tornadoes; Welcome On Campus?; Jena Protest
Aired September 21, 2007 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news. A tornado touches down in Florida. Brewing in the Gulf, could this become Tropical Storm Jerry? The latest forecast and live reports.
Coming to America.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Whether you agree with his politics or not, I think he still should be given the right to speak.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: A university under fire. Rolling out the red carpet for the president of Iran. We're live on campus.
Plus, what's in your wallet? The falling dollar and a new look for the $5. Honest Abe in living color, on this AMERICAN MORNING.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, our money's turning purple.
ROBERTS: Can you believe it? Considering a lot of things turned red and turning (ph) to other currencies as well.
Welcome to the show. Thanks very much for joining us. It's Friday, September 21st on this AMERICAN MORNING. I'm john Roberts.
CHETRY: And I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us.
We have a lot of breaking news today. And we start with extreme weather. At least one tornado touching down overnight in Lake County, Florida. Dozens of homes damaged in the town of Eustis. That's north of Orlando. Witnesses this morning are saying as many as 20 homes are destroyed. There are no reports so far of any serious injuries or deaths, but there have been reports of minor injuries. In fact, one person even trapped in his home had to be rescued. Jessica D'Onofrio, with our affiliate WKMG, is live on the scene in Eustis to let us know how it looks this morning.
Hi, Jessica.
JESSICA D'ONOFRIO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kiran.
Well, we're in one of the most hardest hit parts of Eustis right now. And you can see, some of the images from here are just breathtaking. Take a look. This is an RV that was tossed around by the tornado and thrown on top of this little Honda Accord, which was crushed. And just beyond this scene is a house. That house is two stories and the roof was ripped right off.
Now we are joined live right now by the folks who live in that second floor apartment. This is Marie Wright and this is Michael Wright.
You folks were inside when that roof was ripped right off. Describe what that was like. Michael, you were in the living room.
MICHAEL WRIGHT: It was crazy. It was -- I really can't put it into words how devastating it was.
D'ONOFRIO: Describe to me what you saw.
M. WRIGHT: It was kind of dark, so I really -- I seen the roof come off the house. That was really about all -- after the roof come off, then I seen the debris flying through the living room. And by that time, I already had my wife drug through the hallway going to the bedroom to get into a closet.
D'ONOFRIO: What were you thinking while this was going on?
MARIE WRIGHT: Got to get to my husband. I was scared. I didn't really know what was going on. I just heard the wind really pick up and it woke me up out of a dead sleep.
D'ONOFRIO: So you folks are pretty much homeless tonight.
M. WRIGHT: Yes, you could say that. But we got good friends and good network. We'll find somewhere to go.
D'ONOFRIO: Just devastating out here in Eustis.
Thank you for joining us.
Again, you can see the imagine that was caused by this tornado that just spun right through a residential neighborhood. Several homes are damaged. There's lots of debris out here right now and really the story is, it's neighbor helping neighbor. A lot of people are out here checking on their neighbors to make sure they're OK.
Kiran, back to you.
CHETRY: Jessica D'Onofrio reporting for us from Eustis this morning. Thank you.
ROBERTS: Our Rob Marciano is here with us in New York, tracking the extreme weather in Florida. Not just this tornado, but something offshore that may become a tropical storm.
Good morning, Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, John.
Well, that's what spun this tornado up. This is deja vu all over again for this county. Not this town, but this county. Back in February it was hit by two killer tornadoes. So this is not the news that these folks needed.
Here's what happened last night. We were looking at a bunch of, well, big storms that were rolling in off the Gulf of Mexico. A little bit of spin. Typical with these systems at this time of year can actually do this sort of thing. Reports between 9:30 and 11:00 last night is when this tornado hit.
We still have a tornado watch in effect right now. Here's the current radar. You see that spin John's talking about in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. But that red watch box is a tornado watch in effect for the next hour for parts of Florida. So the danger not quite over for those folks. Also a tornado watch in for Minnesota. We've had some extreme weather roll in from there overnight as well. And a couple of tornado warnings across parts of southeast Georgia.
We'll talk more about Minnesota and more about that storm, John, that spinning in the Gulf of Mexico. It is not officially a tropical storm as of yet. The National Hurricane Center is sending another aircraft in there in the next couple of hours and we'll get more data from that as it comes into us.
Back to you.
ROBERTS: Well, as we saw with Humberto, one day just a collection of thunderstorms, the next day a hurricane. So you'll keep a close eye on that.
Thanks, Rob.
We're hearing some incredible stories from people in the disaster zone. As you saw from listening to the Wrights just a minute ago, they're waking up to see the destruction in Florida. We also want you to share your pictures and video from the scene. Send them to ireport@cnn.com and we will show them on the air. We'll also post them on the web. So it's very easy to do. If you've got some video that's taken on your cell phone or even on your video camera, just go on the web, follow the links. We'll describe how to get it up there. We get thousands of these things in any time disaster strikes, so we'd like to see your pictures is morning.
Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Thanks a lot, John.
And also into CNN right now, Delaware State University on lockdown after a shooting involving two people there. We're going to have a little bit more about this in a second.
What we're looking at or what we were looking at was actually a really bad storm in Minneapolis. What happened there was they believe the possibility that a tornado touched down. That was a deadly storm. A 13-year-old boy was killed. Police say that he was killed because he was playing in a swollen creek with some friends and got swept away. They're also reporting large hail that practically shut down the Minneapolis entire town for some time. So we'll continue to follow that, bring you the latest on those storms as well.
Meanwhile, this is a follow-up to a story we brought you yesterday. The hearing in Jena, Louisiana. Well, it's happening today. A day after those huge rallies. One of the six black teens, pictured here, accused of attacking a white classmate, Mychal Bell. Well, he could be released today. An appeals court overturned his conviction last week. Bell, though, has not been released.
Also new this morning, there are some pictures from Afghanistan. A NATO convoy carrying French troops was hit by a suicide bomber. Police say one soldier was killed, several Afghan civilians hurt. That attack happened in western Kabul. Blew the windows out of a civilian bus and set at least one vehicle on fire.
John.
ROBERTS: OK. Back now to that other story. This just in to the CNN NEWSROOM. Delaware State University is on lockdown right now after a shooting involving two people there. Campus security say a male and a female were shot ever midnight. It happened on the school's main quad in an area that appears to be under renovation. A spokesperson for the university says they are still looking for the shooter and no decision has been made yet if the school will be closed today.
Saving Social Security, cheaper prescription drugs and re- inventing health care. The Democrats running for president debated all of it at a forum for the AARP last night in Iowa.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOE BIDEN, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's not the plan, it's the man or the woman pushing the plan. It really is going to take someone who's going to be able to take on the insurance industry.
JOHN EDWARDS, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think America doesn't have universal health care because of drug companies, insurance companies and their lobbies in Washington D.C. They stand between America and the universal health care that we need.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's time that Americans had access to the same healthcare choices that members of Congress and federal employees do. And it will also be based on shared responsibility. That everybody's going to have to do something, individuals, businesses, our health care providers, and, of course, the drug and insurance companies are going to have to dramatically change the way they do business as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Opponents have attacked Senator Clinton for taking money from those industries.
The FBI says it secretly taped phone calls between Alaska Senator Ted Stevens and oil contractor Bill Allen as part of a corruption sting. Allen pleaded guilty to bribing lawmakers and is cooperating with the FBI. Agents raided Stevens home back in July. They're investigating whether he received illegal gifts in the form of renovations on his house. The senator has denied any wrongdoing and said he paid every bill he received for the work. Several Alaska legislators are under suspicion for corruption.
Kiran.
CHETRY: Former CBS evening news anchor Dan Rather standing by the story that led to his downfall at the network. He had his first TV interview about this since filing that $70 million breach of contract suit this week against CBS and parent company Viacom. Well Rather told Larry King that his 2004 "60 Minute 2" piece that challenged the president's service in the Texas Air National Guard was accurate. He claims that the network made him a scapegoat to pacify the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LARRY KING, CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE": In essence, you are saying that that network, that really you copped out on the report (INAUDIBLE) because of appealing to the Bush White House? Is that what you're saying, they were trying to appeal to the Bush White House?
DAN RATHER, FORMER CBS NEWS ANCHOR: Yes is the short answer to that. They had a contract with me. They had obligations under the contract. And they didn't fulfill the obligations of that contract.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHETRY: Well, of course, some of the documents at the heart of that case were deemed fraudulent. Rather says that his lawsuit is an effort to strike a blow against corporate and political influence that threatens independent journalism.
A dramatic development for injured Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett. Doctors say they expect that Everett will be walking again within weeks, possibly sooner. What makes this so unbelievable is that when he was first injured, doctors feared he may never be able to walk again. That he was paralyzed for life possibility. Well, he's now been transported to a hospital in Houston. That's going to be happening actually today. And that's where he starts the next phase of his rehabilitation. Everett suffered a life-threatening spinal cord injury on the Bills' season opening game, less than two weeks ago. He started regaining use of his legs and arms shortly after having emergency surgery.
John.
ROBERTS: Time to check in now with our AMERICAN MORNING team of correspondents for other stories new this morning.
The welcome mat has been rolled up at Ground Zero for Iran's president, but it's being rolled out for him at Columbia University. That's where AMERICAN MORNING's Alina Cho is with more.
What's the reaction been like on campus there to the news that Ahmadinejad is going to come and speak there at Columbia, Alina?
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, as you might expect, reaction has been mixed. Some students say he should be given a platform, citing freedom of speech. Others say Iran is part of a so- called axis of evil and he should not be allowed on campus. But Ahmadinejad will be coming here on Monday to give a speech and answer some tough questions.
The event is closed to the public. Only students, faculty and staff will be allowed. The media will be here as well. There were 600 tickets in all and those tickets were snapped up in an hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, regardless of what you think about his policies, he's one of the most important people in the world right now and, you know, I would love the opportunity to hear him speak.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fact that he hates like a third of our campus, all the Jews, is pretty disgusting. So I don't think we should give him this power (ph) at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Now Columbia's president, Lee Bollinger, plans to personally challenge Ahmadinejad on a number of issues. You'll recall that the Iranian leader has called for the destruction of Israel and says the Holocaust never happened. So, John, you can expect a lively discussion to be sure. And many students tell us, expect protests on Monday.
ROBERTS: All right. Well, we look forward to more from you this morning. Alina Cho for us this morning up at Columbia University. Monday, by the way, the day of Ahmadinejad's speech, we will speak with Dean John Coatsworth of Columbia. He set up the Iranian leader's visit.
Meantime, oil prices jump over $1 in volatile trading, settles past the $83 mark. A new record high. Ali Velshi here with more on that.
Could this be the little cloud in your silver lining of good news for the markets, Ali, or will this actually . . .
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You've been looking for one.
ROBERTS: Or could this actually push the markets up because the oil company is going to be making so much money?
VELSHI: Yes. And you make a good point, John. That's always something to remember as oil prices go up, so do the stocks, generally, of oil companies. And many Americans, even those of you who don't like oil companies, are probably invested in them through your mutual funds. If you own anything that resembles the Dow or the S&P 500, that will help. $83.32. That is a big gain. $1.39. There are a few reasons for this. Some of them are technical. Some of them are storms in the Gulf of Mexico. Look at that, up $22.27 a barrel for the year.
Oil has quadrupled over the last five years. Back in 2002, it was $20 a barrel. We're looking at a number of reasons. Like I said, few of them technical. Some of them are the storms and some of them are the reports in from the United States from the government yesterday that crude oil inventories in the U.S. are much lower than expected.
There's also another story here, and that is the low U.S. dollar. I'll be coming to tell you about that a little later on. They are connected. But for now, you can expect gas prices to follow. I've seen all of these reports about how gas and oil are moving in different directions and all the reasons for that. Guess what, John, it's not going to last.
ROBERTS: Now the U.S. and Canadian dollars on par now. That hasn't happened for 30 years.
VELSHI: I'm going to be bring that story to you a little later on. And somewhere I'll have to dig for it. Oh, yes, here it is in my pocket. I brought my looney. It's a good thing I save these things to get carts at the airport in Toronto, but now they're worth a little more.
ROBERTS: And that new American $5 bill looking a little more like Canadian money as well, as you mentioned.
VELSHI: Yes, all those colors.
ROBERTS: All right. Ali, thanks very much.
VELSHI: All right.
ROBERTS: Kiran.
CHETRY: That's right, your old $5 bill is going to look pretty bland and green in comparison to the new one. Check it out. This is going to be the new face of the $5 bill. And if you can see, the five on the back, one of them at least, bright purple. The government showed it off in an Internet news conference. Still has honest Abe on the front, along with splashes of gray. And then that big purple 5. All of this is to stay ahead of counterfeiters. It's not going to say "specimen" all over it either when it's finally rolled out next spring.
Blaming Blackwater. Your "Quick Hits" now. Iraq says that the private security firm fired an "unprovoked borage of bullets" on Iraqi citizens, killing at least eight people. Iraq kicked Blackwater out of the country but it has not left yet. Blackwater is insisting that its contractors were ambushed.
New York Congressman Peter King is under fire for some comments he made about there being too many mosques in the U.S. King says his remarks during an interview with politico.com were taken out of context. He says his point was that too many U.S. mosques don't cooperate with law enforcement. King is serving as homeland security adviser to Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani.
Well, who needs an allowance when you're already the CEO of a $1 million Internet company? We're going to meet the teenager who made a fortune without ever having to leave her bedroom.
And this is some shocking video. A woman getting hit with 50,000 volts over and over again. Did she deserve it? All of it was caught on tape. We're going to show it to you, tell you the story behind these disturbing pictures, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Coming up to 17 minutes after the hour. Breaking news just in to the CNN NEWSROOM.
Delaware State University on lockdown right now after a shooting involving two people there. Campus security says a male and a female student were shot overnight. It happened on the school's main quad in an area that appears to be under renovation. A spokesperson for the university says they are still looking for the shooter. The shooter apparently escaped.
Classes are canceled for the day there. The word went out immediately. The male student, we understand, is in stable condition in the hospital. The female student, though, hospitalized with injuries that are considered serious. All of this information went out very quickly on the campus's website. So they're doing everything they can to keep students informed.
Again, classes canceled for the day. The university in lockdown right now while they're still searching for the shooter who is at large after that shooting there at Delaware State University this morning.
Kiran.
CHETRY: Well, there is a hearing that's scheduled this morning that's going to determine whether Mychal Bell, one of the so-called Jena 6, should be freed. Yesterday, here's a look at the scene in Jena, Louisiana, 15,000 to 20,000 people, many of them coming in on buses from around the country, converged on this community. They were rallying in support of Bell and his co-defendants in the case. The six are accused of beating up a white classmate and many feel that they were treated unfairly because of their race. That the harsh charges against them would not have applied if they were not black.
Well, the crowds may have left, but the spotlight is still on Jena today. And joining us now from Chicago, CNN contributor Roland Martin.
Thanks for being with us, Roland.
ROLAND MARTIN, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Glad to be here. CHETRY: And from Jena this morning, digital journalist Amani Channel, who was also at yesterday's rally.
Amani, thanks for being with us as well.
AMANI CHANNEL, DIGITAL JOURNALIST: No problem. Glad to be here.
CHETRY: Let me start with you, Amani, because you were there yesterday. Did that rally and did the turnout do everything that it was expected to do?
CHANNEL: I think it did. The folks who came out here sent out a message that they want the charges to be dropped, first of all, for all of the students. That a school fight shouldn't be the grounds to charge any youth, any teens for attempted murder, as was in the case in this fight. And, you know, the folks, that came out here, really came out for unity. It was a peaceful event. So I definitely think they sent a message out to this community here in Jena.
CHETRY: And, Roland, what about that situation? What did it look like to you? There were comparisons made by Jesse Jackson and others that this was like Selma, Alabama, back in 1965.
MARTIN: Well, I think we could understand that this generation, in terms of folks my age and others, we don't have any personal relationship with the civil rights movement. And so when you think about the Million Man March in 1995, you think about this march, the ability to be able to coalesce and rally around this particular issue, I understand that comparison. I think they're a little bit different.
But again, the reason Selma gets the level of attention it does now, because of what took place after Selma, the laws enacted. And so the next step is really what the greater issue is, how do you take that gathering, how do you take that level of energy and power and then create a movement to fight for equal justice nationally as opposed to just this case. That is really going to be the $64,000 question.
CHETRY: Amani, if Mychal Bell is denied bail later today, and he could be -- as we said, there's a hearing coming up a little bit later -- what kind of response can we expect from the community?
CHANNEL: I think the community will be elated if he's released today. He's been in jail ever since he was arrested and charged. It's been several months, you know, going back to December. And, you know, for his family, they're really eager to see him out and wait -- especially, you know, when you look at the fact that the court has now thrown out the conviction. You know, so the idea is that, you know, he should be out free and be able to do the things that a teenager should do. And also, you know, the thought is that Mychal Bell -- you know, the thought is that Mychal Bell, he's just -- the community really just wants to see justice and they want to see him be tried as a juvenile. That's the whole point in this.
CHETRY: I got you. And, Roland, you know, another interesting branch that sprung up from this tree was the fact that some of the political candidates, especially Barack Obama, took some heat for this entire situation and the response to it. It's interesting because we talked to Jesse Jackson yesterday, where he said that Obama was acting white about this situation. There was an interesting editorial today or an op-ed in "The New York Post" saying that "Obama is probably the first person in modern history to come along who could finally put Jackson in his place without suffering the vicious and unfair wounds inflicted on so many who have tangled with him." Did Obama miss an opportunity to sort of strike back at hurtful comments, like the one that Jackson was heard making?
MARTIN: No. This is not about putting somebody in place. What this boils down to is leadership. Obama has made several statements as it relates to Jena 6 and, frankly, the comments and reverend talked about taking out of context, things along those lines.
Frankly, I thought he danced around the question. The comments were ridiculous. And so I think it's a problem when African-Americans say that.
But again, Obama has made the comments. What's interesting, his statements on Jena have been done in consultation with Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.
Look, this is not an issue of, well, who is the top Negro? That's what this boils down to. Is it going to be Obama? Is it going to be Reverend Jackson? That's what a lot of people really get caught up in.
The bottom line is, Reverend Jackson has a role to play. Senator Obama has his role to play. There are multiple people. We no longer live in an age where one person is somehow the kingpin of black America. That does not happen anymore. So that day is gone. Just like that rally yesterday.
The rally yesterday was not a Reverend Sharpton rally and a Reverend Jackson rally. It was a black radio talk show host, Michael Base (ph) and Ricky Smiley (ph), Tom Joyner (ph), Steve Harvey (ph), people on a local level, Joe Madison (ph), who were driving this issue, just like with the immigration rally marches. And so we shouldn't get caught up in this whole notion of ego. The agenda matters.
CHETRY: But Jackson's the one that said it. But Jackson -- according to the state newspaper . . .
MARTIN: Of course.
CHETRY: He's the one that said it. So he gets a pass from Obama about making that comment?
MARTIN: No, no. No, no, no. No, absolutely not. But if you're Obama, do you want to sit there and spend your time going back and forth when somebody makes a comment saying he's acting white? He's been dealing with this whole question of, is he black enough? It's a ridiculous issue anyway.
CHETRY: But he's half white. He is half white. I mean, no one would say . . .
MARTIN: Right. He's half white, but he identifies himself as an African-American. And the comment was a ridiculous comment. But again, should Obama, from his vantage point, waste time getting into it when he says, wait a minute, I got bigger fish to fry than some ridiculous comment talking about he's acting white. I mean, he knows it's nonsense. And people who support him know it's nonsense.
CHETRY: But he didn't say it. So that -- but he didn't say it.
MARTIN: Trust me, Reverend Jackson got criticized -- but he got criticized even on my radio show in his home city and people said it was a ridiculous comment.
CHETRY: All right. Well, I want to thank both of you, Amani Channel from myurbanreport.com, Roland Martin. We're going to be looking ahead, of course, to see whether or not Mychal Bell does indeed get bail later today.
Thanks for discussing the issue, both of you.
MARTIN: Thanks a lot.
CHANNEL: Thanks you.
ROBERTS: Disorder in the court. An uncle seeks vengeance on the man who murdered his niece. See what happens when emotion takes over.
Trigger happy with a taser. A woman is pulled over and shot several times. She said, stop! What's happened to her and the officer now. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
A story coming up that you can't miss, at least if you're a lady. You probably could miss it. But Brad Pitt making news again. Of course, our Lola Ogunnaike gets some good assignments, doesn't she?
ROBERTS: No, I think he's a guy that even guys like. Yes.
Lola caught up with Brad Pitt on the red carpet. Hear what he told her about his family plans. Are they thinking of adding another one to the brood. They also talk about his new movie, "The Assassination of Jesse James."
Those stories when AMERICAN MORNING returns.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Welcome back to "American Morning." It's Friday the 21st of September. I'm John Roberts. We have breaking news for you this morning.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: That's right. I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us.
This just in to CNN right now, a shooting at the Delaware State University campus. It's on lockdown after a shooting involving two people there, according to campus police. They are saying it's a male and female shot overnight. It happened near the school's main quad in an area that appears to be under renovation.
Right now they are releasing some details. They're saying it's a single male suspect being sought this morning that has not yet been apprehended. They're also telling all nonessential personnel to not show up to the university. They say that classes are canceled for the day.
According to the campus website, the male student is doing OK, has been stabilized at least according to the website, but the female student is still considered in serious condition. Again this suspect is still being sought by police this morning. We'll hear from one of our affiliates in the area quite soon so we'll bring that to you as soon as we get more details on the shooting at Delaware State University.
ROBERTS: And more breaking news this morning. Extreme weather doing some serious damage in central Florida. At least one tornado touching down overnight in Lake County.
Look at the damage in the town of Eustis, Florida. It's about 20 miles northwest of Orlando. The twister tossed an RV on top of a car. Witnesses say as many as 20 homes were destroyed. Many more of them damaged.
One couple told us about seeing their roof ripped off as they were inside.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I seen the roof come off the house. That was really about all, after the roof come off, I seen the debris flying through the living room and by that time, I already had my wife drug through the hallway going to the bedroom to get into a closet.
CORRESPONDENT: What were you thinking while this was going on?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Got to get to my husband. I was scared. I didn't really know what was going on. I just heard the wind really pick up and woke me up out of a dead sleep, so.
CORRESPONDENT: You folks are pretty much homeless tonight.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yeah, you could say that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: There are no reports of serious injuries or deaths. Tornado watches are still effect for the area.
Roger Seidule rode out the storm and has a lot of property damage to his home right now. Roger joins us on the telephone.
What did you hear last night? Where were you first of all?
ROGER SEIDULE, STORM SURVIVOR: My wife had just gotten home from work and my stepson and her and I were on the back porch watching the storm go by. We had a lot of lightning and exciting at the time.
And then we heard the proverbial freight train, that sound everyone talks about. Once you hear it, there's no mistaking it. It gave me goose bumps. And my wife said we're out of here. Got off the back porch, went into the bathroom. Closed the door. As soon as we closed the door we heard the glass windows shattering in the house and the blinds coming off the walls and the commode flushed itself.
The three of us were there in the dark with the dogs. You could feel the wind coming in underneath the door.
ROBERTS: Was there any warning Roger? Did you hear any tornado sirens?
SEIDULE: There are no sirens that I'm aware of. We were staying tuned to the news and they said they had spotted one and it was headed -- well, it was near here. But no sirens per se.
ROBERTS: Back in February, 21 people were killed about 15 miles away from you in Lake City in the villages area that, retirement community. And you say even after that, there is still no kind of warning system there?
SEIDULE: Well, just the news warning. No, there's no sirens or anything of that nature.
ROBERTS: So you knew or at least your wife knew to get inside the bathroom, which is probably one of the more stable places in a home. That's where the NOAA people, emergency services tell to you go. How much rocking and rolling was there inside the house for the bathroom?
SEIDULE: While we were inside the bathroom, we kept the door closed and all we could hear or feel is the wind blasting underneath the door. All of the sound is outside and we're pretty much in the dark. The house itself -- this house is probably the third oldest house in Eustis, built in 1888. And it's been through a lot of things, whole lot of hurricanes.
ROBERTS: Other than the windows, much structural damage to the house?
SEIDULE: Top of the roof is tore off. We have a fireplace, a chimney goes up above the top of the roof and about a third of that came crashing down on the front porch. Quite a bit of damage.
ROBERTS: All right. Well, Roger, I'm sure you'll be getting out to survey it as the sun comes up this morning. We hope that the damage you suffered there is minimal.
Roger Seidule joining us this morning from Eustis. Rog, thanks very much.
Kiran?
CHETRY: There's a hearing in Jena, Louisiana, today, the day after the huge rallies in support of six black teenagers. One of those teens accused of attacking a white classmate, Mychael Bell, could be released from jail today.
Sean Callebs is live in Jena with the latest.
Hi, Sean.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Indeed a massive demonstration here in the town of Jena yesterday. Thousands of people descending on this community, making their feelings known. Once again the attention is going to be on Mychael Bell. In about five hours, he is due in LaSalle Parish district court once again, as his defense attorneys renew their efforts to have Bell freed from jail, where he has been since past December.
What happened last week, when the appeals court overturned a conviction on Bell, as an adult, his attorneys filed a motion once again to have him freed on bail. Well, a three-panel judge ruled yesterday that the district court had to hear the bail hearing within 72 hours. It has been scheduled for today.
Bell's defense attorneys say they are optimistic. They say this is good news for them. They are very bolstered by this.
However, they are going to square off against D.A. Reed Walters. Walters is the person who puts Bell at the crux, the center of an ugly beating at Jena High School, saying Bell was the instigator, where he and five other African-American teenagers beat Justin Barker so severely, Barker had to be hospitalized.
But we should know in a matter of hours what the chances of Bell being released from jail are. Very significant of the development we'll be following here today. Kiran, back to you.
CHETRY: Sean Callebs, thank you.
ROBERTS: An extremely emotional outburst at court when the uncle tried to get at the man who murdered his niece. That man was her husband.
Take a look at what happened.
He may know better than anyone the damage that anyone inflicted. The uncle is the mortician who testified it took him 13 hours to prepare Sarah's body for the funeral after she was brutally attacked while sleeping and stabbed more than 30 times. The judge sentenced the killer to the maximum sentence of 28 years in prison and ordered Sarah's uncle out of the courtroom. Tasered and kicked around by a cop during a traffic stop in Ohio, the screaming woman -- take a look at this -- falls, tries to get back up again. She's sort of staggering around, slams her head against the car before she's thrown into the back of the police car. She then tried to kick out the cruiser's windows. That's when the officer tasered her again in the back seat while she's in handcuffs. He then later took her out of the car and, according to witnesses, tasered her yet again right in front of them. The whole thing is under investigation.
The officer -- watch you can see the reaction of the crowd. Oh, we're back at the beginning. The suspect pleaded not guilty to several charges including assault and resisting arrest. The officer on suspension on paid leave, according to their contracts.
Kiran?
CHETRY: Well, he has been a staunch advocate of gun control. All eyes will be on presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani as he addresses the National Rifle Association later this morning. NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre will be telling us what he's expecting today.
Also, some deadly storms overnight, torrential rains, damaging winds and large hail. It all slammed the Minnesota area. We're tracking extreme weather and we have the latest on the Lake County, Florida, situation. A tornado plowing through there as well. All of that ahead. Rob Marciano is keeping track of your extreme weather on "American Morning."
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ROBERTS: Idaho Senator Larry Craig is trying to get his guilty plea reversed in an airport bathroom sex sting. Meantime, he's being inducted to the Idaho Hall of Fame, which recognized those who have devoted time and resources to making the state better -- odd coincidence.
Kiran?
CHETRY: It is 42 minutes past the hour now. Rob Marciano busy this morning.
You're tracking the situation that left quite a mess for some residents in Lake County, Florida.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Remember, we've been tracking this storm going into the Gulf of Mexico but often when -- this isn't tropical yet, but this time of year we get tornadoes in Florida. That's exactly what we saw over night last night and unfortunately in the same area last night that saw deadly tornadoes back in February, different cause, but similar results, although not as many fatalities.
Here is where the center of circulation is with the storm that is off of the Gulf of Mexico. It continues to spiral in moisture into northwestern parts of Florida. The radar shows you the current action which has taken most of the extreme weather out of central Florida and moved it into parts of northwest Florida. You see Apalachicola. We have a tornado warning in effect for Franklin County for the next few minutes as that storm rolls in off the Gulf of Mexico.
Also Minnesota, we've seen some rough weather overnight. That tornado watch box -- you see the shrinking red box. That is beginning to expire in time here. Over the next hour and a half it will go away as will the severe thunderstorm watch box there.
Some video out of Minnesota last night, we had gusty winds doing some damage with trees down, a couple of mailboxes as well, and heavy rain and some hail that, at times was one, two inches in diameter.
We run the gamut from Minnesota down to Florida. And it looks like most of these severe weather to Minnesota is beginning to dissipate and you'll be out of it here in the next hour or two.
We're watching this area, Kiran, in the Gulf of Mexico, as you know. Are they going to send another aircraft to check it out, see if it will turn into something tropical? The water is warm there. As we learned from Humberto, these things can flare up quite rapidly. Watch that guy as it heads toward the northwest corner of Florida.
CHETRY: We will. All right, Rob Marciano, thank you.
MARCIANO: OK.
CHETRY: John?
ROBERTS: Rudy Giuliani once called members of the National Rifle Association extremists and he once sued major gun manufacturers and distributors. Today he speaks before the NRA's rank and file. Will his presidential ambitions alter his positions on gun control?
Wayne LaPierre is the executive vice president, CEO of the NRA. He joins us now from Washington.
Wayne, good to see you. What kind of reception do you think candidate Rudy Giuliani will get today at your convention?
WAYNE LAPIERRE, CEO & VICE PRESIDENT, NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION: It will be interesting, John. You know, our job at the NRA is to open a dialogue, to open a process of involvement with all these candidates running for president. We'll be talking to our members and sending out a video about this hundreds to hundreds of thousands of people that will culminate in NRA's involvement in defense of the Second Amendment. This will be an open forum. We're going to listen and that's our job.
ROBERTS: In a strange coincidence, at the same time that he'll be speaking to you, his 2000 lawsuit against two dozen gun manufacturers and distributors goes before the federal appeals court. How do you think that will sit with delegates at the conference?
LAPIERRE: I don't know. We'll have to see what he says. I'm not talking about anyone in particular here but legions of politicians in this country, people in political life, have attempted and squared themselves with the Second Amendment, after encountering the overwhelming support of the American public for this American freedom. And they want it defended.
ROBERTS: So he's really had a conversion on the issue of gun laws. He was for a one size fits all national gun law. Now he's saying that things are different. Here's how he put it yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RUDY GIULIANI, (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think right now the best approach is to focus on what can be done at the state and local level to deal with criminals who use guns.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Mr. LaPierre, do you believe in that conversion?
LAPIERRE: Well, what he just said is certainly in sync with the American public. By overwhelming majority, the American public believes we don't need more gun laws. We ought to be taking the violent criminals that touch guns off the streets.
ROBERTS: I guess the question is do you think he really believes that or is it just politically expedient to say?
LAPIERRE: We're not at that point yet. This is an open process, beginning process of involvement and we'll listen to everyone and consult our members. And there will probably be more of these and that will culminate in our involvement in defense of the Second Amendment.
ROBERTS: He's looking for your endorsement. Here's what he said about that too, yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIULIANI: They're going to have to decide ultimately on who they support either as a group or individually. So I'm going to emphasize the areas in which we have agreement of which that's probably eight or nine out of ten areas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Is that true? Do you agree on eight or nine out of ten areas? And could you endorse him?
LAPIERRE: We're going to be listening today. I do know this. Zell Miller took a survey of the people of Georgia and said, when you hear a politician talk about banning your guns and restricting your right to own firearms, do you think they just don't understand your values and your way of life? Eighty percent of the people in Georgia answered yes to that. We took that survey nationally and ended up in the mid to upper 60s. So this is a big issue and we're going to be out there defending the freedom.
ROBERTS: We'll be watching it. Wayne LaPierre from the NRA, thanks for being with us. Good to see you.
LAPIERRE: Thank you, John.
ROBERTS: Kiran?
CHETRY: Some other news now. American cyclist Floyd Landis could become the first man to be stripped of his Tour de France crown after an arbitration panel ruled that he cheated. It upheld the results of a test that showed the 2006 champion used synthetic testosterone to fuel his comeback victory. Landis, who claimed the tests were not accurate or reliable, called the ruling, quote, "completely absurd," and calling the system corrupt. He has one more chance to keep his title if he appeals.
And you are never to speak of spygate again. The NFL says it has destroyed all evidence handed over by the New England Patriots in a sideline taping investigation. The league said the Patriots fully cooperated after being caught recording signals on kickoff weekend when the team beat the New York Jets. That cost head coach Bill Belichick $500,000, another $250,000 in fines as well as a draft pick.
Still ahead he's an actor, a dad and a heartthrob. Lola Ogunnaike gets personal with Brad Pitt. His movie hits theaters and she got a chance to talk to him on the red carpet. She's going to come in and tell us how it went. Is he really that cute in person? She'll tell us, ahead on "American Morning."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Coming up to eight minutes at the top the hour. Breaking news at Delaware State University. The campus is on lockdown. Two students shot earlier this morning, a male and female student. The police still looking for a suspect at large.
Jill Horner, with our affiliate CN8, is live near the Delaware State campus in Dover.
And, Jill, the campus authorities there wasted no time in getting the word out here, unlike what happened at Virginia Tech. They locked down the campus. They are not letting anybody on or off. All of the classes are canceled and they're putting up a lot of information on their website.
JILL HORNER, REPORTER, CN8: That's exactly right, John. Good morning. Delaware State University is in lockdown. School officials saying classes are canceled. All nonessential personnel should not report. And anyone who is on campus should stay put, because of the lockdown.
This school sits on about 400 acres in Dover, Delaware. 3,600 students attend Delaware State University. About 1,700 of them live on campus so there are a significant number of people sitting on campus, waiting to find out more information.
The shooting took place at about 1:00 a.m. on campus outside of Memorial Hall. Two students were shot. A male and female student were shot.
And earlier we had the chance to talk to a school official about the condition of those students.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OK, well, that official, Carlos Holmes, who is a spokesperson for Delaware State University, did say that the male student is in stable condition. They were taken to Bay Health Medical Center, which isn't too far from the university here in Dover, Delaware. The female student, her condition has not been released at this point. However, school officials are saying that she is in worse shape than the male student.
Now, there is still a suspect at large. No description has been released, other than that it is a single male shooter that was probably known to one or possibly both of the victims. He is still at large. That's the reason for the lockdown and the reason that we are not allowed physically onto the campus for our own safety at this point.
Now this school is no stranger to tragedy. You'll remember just a few months ago, three students who attended Delaware State University were shot and killed in Newark, New Jersey. So the school is having counselors ready for students who may need some assistance. And they really have gotten the word out to let students know to stay put for their own protection. John, back to you.
ROBERTS: Jill Horner for us from CN8 with an update. Jill, thanks very much. We hope to get back to you as you get more information on the situation at Delaware State University.
We're also following breaking weather news today, at least one tornado touching down overnight in Lake County, Florida. That's north of Orlando. As many as 20 homes apparently have been destroyed. Tornado watches are still in effect right now.
Kiran?
CHETRY: Switching things up a little bit, Brad Pitt has a new movie out. It's "The Assassination of Jessie James," a western that opens today. "American Morning's" Lola Ogunnaike caught up with Brad in the New York film premiere. And she joins to us now talk about it.
Hello, Lola. Nice to see you.
LOLA OGUNNAIKE, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: Hello. How are you?
CHETRY: All the ladies want to know is he as cute in person?
OGUNNAIKE: He's gorgeous, actually. This assignment was pretty easy. I was happy to be there. And he's really kind, very gracious. And I think he recognizes that he's an attractive man but he's not someone who cares about it so much.
CHETRY: Let's hear from him. Let's hear what he said to you.
OGUNNAIKE: OK.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OGUNNAIKE: So just like Jessie James, you're hunted by the paparazzi. People after you. Can you relate...
BRAD PITT, ACTOR: A little bit. No one's pointing guns at me that I can see so I feel all right.
OGUNNAIKE: That's not going to happen. So they're cameras. How do you feel about that?
PITT: I mean, it's nothing I signed up for, but it's part of -- it comes with the territory. And if you want to make films you've got to participate.
OGUNNAIKE: Talk of babies, we hear that there may be another on the way?
PITT: Yeah, I mean nothing specific. I think people are jumping the gun a bit, but we're certainly not finished.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHETRY: He also walked the red carpet with his better half, some would say, Angelina Jolie. Of course, the big power couple with their four children. Where was she?
OGUNNAIKE: She was there. She was gorgeous but she let it be his night. She sprinted on by, which made the paparazzi angry. They were like Brad solo, Brad solo, come on, Angelina, come on, Angelina. It was his night and he seemed to be having a good time.
CHETRY: He actually won, right, a best actor award at the Venice Film Festival.
OGUNNAIKE: Yeah, he won best actor at the Venice Film Festival, as you said. But reviews of this film have been mixed, Kiran. I mean, one and a half to four stars. Some reviewers say it's long, dull, pretentious.
CHETRY: Three hours.
OGUNNAIKE: Almost three hours, nearly as long as the title. And you have other people who think it's a beautiful poetic saga, one of the most authentic westerns since Robert Altman's "McCabe and Mrs. Miller."
CHETRY: Very interesting.
OGUNNAIKE: It is very interesting. Casey Affleck is very good in this. It's a breakout role for him. So, yeah, "Return to Yuma" did very well this summer.
CHETRY: It may be the comeback of the western.
OGUNNAIKE: So it may be the comeback of the western, who knows.
CHETRY: All right, Lola Ogunnaike, thank you.
OGUNNAIKE: Thank you.
CHETRY: John?
ROBERTS: Lots of breaking news to tell you about this morning. Two students shot on the campus of Delaware State University. The university is under lockdown right now. Nobody allowed on or off campus. Students urged to stay in their dorms as class is canceled there.
And a tornado overnight in Eustis, Florida, not far away from the point where seven months ago 21 people died in another tornado. We're watching all that. We'll have the very latest for you coming up on "American Morning."
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