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The Situation Room
Season's First Hurricane Warning; Last Moments of Abu Musab al- Zarqawi; Bush Meets With Top Aides on Iraq Strategy
Aired June 12, 2006 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: To our viewers, you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where new pictures and information are arriving all the time.
Standing by, CNN reporters across the United States and around the world to bring you today's top stories.
Happening now, it's 5:00 p.m. in Florida, where the season's first hurricane warning has been posted from Tampa Bay to Tallahassee. Mandatory evacuation orders have already been issued. We'll get the latest update from Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Center. He's standing by live.
In Iraq, where it's 1:00 a.m., the U.S. Military recounts the last moments of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, while President Bush huddles with top advisers to discuss where the war goes from here.
And turned off by what they view as indecency on TV, evangelicals say cable subscribers should be able to order a la carte. But religious broadcasters are on the opposite side of this debate. We're going to tell you why.
I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
It's on the verge of becoming the first Atlantic hurricane of the season, and right now Alberto is advancing on Florida's west coast, where hurricane warnings are up, mandatory evacuation orders are out, and memories of last year's deadly hurricane season are churning along with the storm.
We're standing by for a live news conference by the Florida governor, Jeb Bush. We'll go there when he starts talking.
And our reporters are covering all angles of this story. Several of them are already preparing.
Our meteorologist, Rob Marciano, is standing by in Florida, Cedar Key. CNN National Correspondent Susan Candiotti is in Clearwater Beach.
But let's go to our meteorologist, Jacqui Jeras. She's at the CNN hurricane headquarters with the latest forecast -- Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Wolf, this could become a hurricane at any time, and will likely do so by midnight tonight.
(WEATHER REPORT)
BLITZER: Jacqui, thanks very much. We're going to check back with you.
Your colleague, Rob Marciano, is in Cedar Key in Florida.
Rob, what's it like where you are?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, it feels like a tropical storm, Wolf, that's for sure. Even though we're on the outer fringes of this thing, as soon as we got here the winds have been sustained and the rain has been nonstop. So, you know, estimated winds right now probably sustained at 20, 25 miles an hour, with higher guests as you can kind of see the rain gong sideways.
Cedar Key pretty much juts right out into the Gulf on Mexico on the western side of the Florida peninsula, and it is obviously vulnerable to hurricanes. Behind me you see the Gulf of Mexico. The winds are coming behind me this way at my back, and that means if we point out our left arm that the center of circulation, somewhere back over there, and it continues to head in this general direction.
High tide was just a couple of hours ago. You can see the seaweed and sea grasses that have been pushed up on to the beach.
Now the tide is receding and we're pretty close to a full moon, if not there. So tide's a little bit higher than normal.
They are right about three to four feet on either side of high and low tide, and, of course, that is exaggerated when you start to talk about storm surge. Anywhere from six to 10 feet is possible in places like here.
But really, Wolf, we'll talk more so up the road a piece, toward Apalachee Bay, St. Marks, where they had a tremendous amount lot of storm surge flooding from Hurricane Dennis, where the center of the circulation was nowhere near that place. So with the bathymetry of the bottom of the ocean, or the Gulf of Mexico, and the way the lay of the land is set up here, this is the area of the U.S. that is really susceptible and vulnerable to storm surge, as we saw not only in Hurricane Dennis last year, Wolf, but also in Hurricane Katrina when it hit just to the east of New Orleans.
But right now there are no evacuations for Cedar Key proper. I've heard some of the locals talk about some evacuations in other spots. But right now people are being allowed to stay here, as we expect this thing to pass just to our west later on tonight and tomorrow morning -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Very briefly, where is Cedar Key near, what major city?
MARCIANO: Well, we're about three hours to the north-northwest of Tampa, west -- west of Ocala and Gainesville. And probably as the crow flies, maybe two hours south of Tallahassee.
It's a pretty remote area, not easy to get to. The locals, Floridians know about that Cedar Key is really a great place to come to and just take a long weekend, because the water typically not this rough, typically not this gray, and the wind and rain typically not this strong. So, it's a tough place to get to, but beautiful when it's not blowing like today.
BLITZER: All right, Rob. We'll come back to you shortly. Thanks very much.
For more on Alberto, we're joined now by one of the country's top experts, if not the top expert. Max Mayfield is the director of the National Hurricane Center. He's joining us from Miami.
What's the latest, Mr. Mayfield, as far as this tropical storm is concerned? When potentially could it become a Category 1 hurricane?
MAX MAYFIELD, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: Well, Wolf, it's 70 miles per hour right now, which is at the high end of a tropical storm. Just a little increase here, five miles an hour, would put it over the age and make it a Category 1 hurricane. But the main point I would like to make is that nothing magical happens between that 70 and 75.
This is already a strong enough system. And I don't want to -- you know, I'm really careful. I don't want to overdo this. It's not a major hurricane. In fact, it's not even a hurricane yet, but it's strong enough to do some damage with the winds and the storm surge and the rainfall and the tornadoes.
Now, that Cedar Key area is right here, and it indeed is very, very vulnerable to storm surge. And at least the information we have from the emergency management folks, there are some mandatory evacuations in Levy County, which is that area. In fact, really from around Crystal River, up around towards Apalachicola there, there's some -- some mandatory evacuations for some people there, also some voluntary evacuations south of there, even down through the Tampa area.
BLITZER: If you could show us the track, where you think this tropical storm, potentially a hurricane, where it's moving.
MAYFIELD: OK. It might be a little easier here. I hope you can see the outline.
The center is over here, and it's headed up into this area like that. So that water is going to piled up into that northeastern Gulf of Mexico. And they can't tell you exactly where the highest storm surge will be, if it's -- it's going to depend on the track and the wind field itself. But where the strongest winds are, that's where the highest storm surge will be piled up on to the coast.
BLITZER: We know that the warm waters accelerate these storms. Are the waters in the Gulf right now unusually warm that it would make this storm more dangerous?
MAYFIELD: Well, last night and early this morning it moved over a very warm and deep pool of water. It's not quite as bad as it was, say, 12 hours ago. So we think we can see a little bit of additional strengthening, but I would not expect any significant strengthening.
BLITZER: And briefly, what does it mean that there's a -- if this becomes a hurricane, which it probably will -- I assume it will, it's so close to being a hurricane right now -- what does it mean that it's happened this early in the hurricane season, if anything?
MAYFIELD: Well, this is one of the earliest ones on record. You have to go back to probably 1966, Hurricane Alma, to get one this early. But we looked at that, and there's really no good correlation between when you get the first storm, that first named storm, and the activity for the year. But having said that, we need to remember that we're still forecasting a very active season.
MYERS: Max Mayfield, we'll be checking back with you often. Thanks again. Thanks for your good work, as always.
Let's get some more now. Our Internet reporter, Abbi Tatton, is joining us with some online resources that could help you monitor conditions closer to where you are and where you might be interested in seeing what's going on -- Abbi.
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, these are actually the sea surface temperatures which have contributed here to this storm. From the Coastal Ocean Observation Lab of Rutgers University, it monitors those sea surface temperatures around the Gulf and in the Atlantic, as well.
You can click on the different regions. Here, this is the Gulf. And to orient you, here is Florida.
The yellow, the orange, the red areas of the sea surface, those are all above 80 degrees. The National Weather Service says hurricanes don't form unless the water temperature is above 80 degrees.
This part here is called the loop current. When a storm passes over this area, it gains an intensity, it gets more energy.
Look at the picture from today. That one was from a few days ago. This, today, this huge white area here, this now is Alberto. This is where it's traveling over.
All these resources available online at TheCoolRoom.org -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Thank you, Abbi, for that.
And we're going to have much more on Tropical Storm Alberto, this year's hurricane season. That's coming up this hour. We'll go live back to Florida, check on the conditions as they're unfolding right now, look ahead over the next several hours, as well.
And I'll also speak live with the commander and chief engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to determine what's going on with levees and other projects in Florida, as well as all along the Gulf Coast, as we're now into this new hurricane season.
Jack Cafferty is off this week, he'll be back next week.
Up ahead, deadly in-fighting among Palestinians. Security forces on alert as a government building is torched. Palestinian versus Palestinian. We're going to get a live update from Jerusalem.
Also, the death of a terrorist. We're going to show you autopsy results detailing exactly how Abu Musab al-Zarqawi died.
Plus, President Bush convenes his war council for an Iraq strategy session at Camp David in Maryland. He spoke out in the past hour. We're going to have late details.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back.
Less than a week after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was killed in a U.S. airstrike, Al Qaeda in Iraq may have a new leader. Islamist Web sites today named the apparent successor as Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Muhajer. The name or pseudonym means "the immigrant," implying that the new leader is not necessarily an Iraqi. Al-Zarqawi was also a foreigner from Jordan.
CNN has not been able to authenticate the Web site claim.
The U.S. military has been putting together a picture of the final moments of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's life. He was killed Wednesday in a U.S. airstrike at his hideout north of Baghdad.
Let's go to CNN's Zain Verjee. She's joining us from the CNN Center with more on this story -- Zain.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: Wolf, as you say, the military has put together a rather precise accounting of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's last moments, in part to dispel any rumors about his death. One commander says the terror leader was treated better in death than he treated others in life.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE (voice over): Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was the target when an F-16 dropped a pair of 500-pound bombs.
MAJ. GEN. BILL CALDWELL, U.S. ARMY: At 6:12 p.m. local time, a coalition aircraft launched a kinetic strike on an isolated safe house.
VERJEE: His safe house was obliterated by the blast, but death did not come instantaneously for the terrorist leader. Another 28 minutes went by at the site before the U.S. military says it had boots on the ground.
CALDWELL: At approximately 6:40 p.m., coalition forces were on the scene and took possession of Zarqawi in order to positively identify him both visually and by searching for known scars.
VERJEE: General Caldwell says a coalition medic found al-Zarqawi lapsing in and out of consciousness. The wounded man was bleeding and his breathing was labored. His condition quickly deteriorating.
CALDWELL: The medic registered no pulse or respiration. And at 7:04 p.m. on 7, June, realized that Zarqawi was dead.
VERJEE: After his death, military medical examiners were flown in to Iraq to conduct an autopsy.
COL. STEVE JONES, U.S. ARMY: There was extensive blast injury to the lungs, with bruising and disruption of the lung tissue. There was bleeding in the middle ear on both sides. There was no evidence of firearm injuries.
VERJEE: The military doctors say lung injury caused al-Zarqawi's death.
JONES: He must have been in an enclosed space where the peak pressure of the blast was magnified. That is how we know he was inside the house when he was hit.
VERJEE: The military says the autopsy results are clear, there is no evidence to suggest al-Zarqawi was either beaten or shot. The FBI positively identified the remains through DNA testing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: The military also performed an autopsy on al-Zarqawi's spiritual adviser, Sheikh Abdul Rahman. Discussions are under way with the Iraqi government as to what will be done with their remains. Four other people were killed in the blast, including a child -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Zain, thanks for that.
Zain Verjee reporting.
Our latest CNN poll shows the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi naturally have boosted Americans' optimism about the war, at least modestly in this new CNN poll taken after the terror leader was killed. Forty-three percent now say things are going well for the United States. That's up five percentage points from March. But 54 percent still say things are going badly.
President Bush is closeted up at Camp David, Maryland, with his top security team for a two-day strategy session.
Let's go live to our White House correspondent, Suzanne Malveaux -- Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, this is really much more than a war council that was going on at Camp David today. President Bush holding a series of secure video teleconference meetings not only with his top advisers, but also cabinet members, those who are on the ground, top U.S. commanders on the ground in Iraq. Also, a luncheon with experts on counterinsurgency, and then later in the afternoon talking about economic policy and development in Iraq.
All of this making it very, very clear after these meetings, the president saying that the burden now is on the Iraqi government to provide for its people, to make sure that they get it right this time, specifically talking about the situation of security on the ground.
Now, President Bush, in one of those video teleconference calls, congratulated U.S. troops and forces for capturing al-Zarqawi. At the same time, he also issued a very stern warning to the man who will replace him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I think the successor to Zarqawi is going to be on our list to bring to justice. No question the fighting is tough, no question the enemy is violent and mean. But the enemy doesn't stand for anything.
They have no message of hope. They have no positive philosophy. All they can do is kill and hope that the government splits up, or that the American -- American people lose -- lose our will. And we're not (INAUDIBLE) American people that the stakes are worth it.
It is worth it to help Iraq succeed. It is worth it to have a democracy in the Middle East. It is worth it to show other reformers and people who want to live in a free society what is possible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And, Wolf, that certainly is the message to the American people. Tomorrow, President Bush is going to get back on that teleconference, and they are going to be talking directly with the Iraqi government, the new prime minister, al-Maliki, and his cabinet members, talking with counterparts here at Camp David, of course. The two coming together to try to prioritize, to strategize not only about security, but economics as well -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Suzanne. Thanks very much.
Suzanne Malveaux, our White House correspondent.
Coming up, we're monitoring Tropical Storm Alberto right now. It's expected to become the first hurricane of the Atlantic season. We're going to take you back to Florida live. The governor of that state, Jeb Bush, has already declared a state of emergency. We're standing by for a news conference with Jeb Bush.
Also, a live report coming out of Jerusalem. We'll have the latest on some deadly clashes between rival Palestinian factions. Are the Palestinians on the brink of a civil war in the West Bank in Gaza?
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Are Palestinians headed toward civil war? They may have moved closer to the brink today when forces loyal to the president, Mahmoud Abbas, went on a rampage against the Hamas-led government in the West Bank city of Ramallah. They shot up government buildings, set them ablaze to protest a Hamas attack on comrades in Gaza.
CNN's Fionnuala Sweeney is all over this story. She's joining us live from Jerusalem.
Very dramatic stuff -- Fionnuala.
FIONNUALA SWEENEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Indeed, Wolf.
As you know, there have been tensions between Fatah and Hamas since Hamas won the elections in January. Fatah, the old governing party, never happy to give up the reins of power. And that was never more manifest than in the thousands of men they had in their security forces in the Palestinian Authority.
However, as you know, after the Hamas victory the international community decided to withhold funds from Hamas until they implicitly recognized Israel. And until then, the funds have not been there, and so checks have not been paid to the thousands of people who work for the Palestinian Authority.
So these Fatah government are on the streets with not a lot else to do, not a lot of money, but certainly the place is awash with guns. And they're also confronted by a Hamas militia. They have their own people out on the streets.
Now, the tension escalated on Saturday when Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, announced he was going to hold a referendum. And that referendum would be on a national consensus, a way in which he hopes to move the Palestinian national cause forward.
This is something with which Hamas vehemently disagrees, and there have been increasing tensions following Hamas' calling off of its unofficial truce with Israel last Friday, following, of course, a number of incidents in Gaza on Friday, including the killing of seven members of one family by an artillery shell.
Now, Israel says it's investigating the cause of that explosion, but what it has done is raised tensions to quite a level. And we saw now tonight in Gaza and Ramallah unprecedented violence. The question is whether Mahmoud Abbas can hold it together and keep control not just of the government, but also of the streets -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Lots at stake here for the Palestinians.
Fionnuala, thanks very much. We'll check back with you.
Coming up, we'll go back live to Florida, under the gun from Tropical Storm Alberto. We're standing by for a live news conference. The Florida governor, Jeb Bush, about to speak out. And what would happen if you could just buy the cable channels you want and not the ones you don't want? That plan could soon come. We're going to tell you why some Christian groups are fighting for and against a new law.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Welcome back. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington.
Let's get more now on our top story, Tropical Storm Alberto's advance. Right now it's threatening Florida's Gulf Coast with top winds around 70 miles an hour. And as CNN meteorologist Jacqui Jeras just told us at the top of the hour, Alberto could become a hurricane late tonight.
The Florida governor, Jeb Bush, has issued mandatory evacuation orders for low-lying Florida counties. We're standing by for a news conference from the governor of Florida. We'll go there live once he starts to speak.
Meanwhile, let's get a sense of how hurricane preparations are going in New Orleans and elsewhere along the Gulf Coast. Joining us now is Lieutenant General Carl Strock. He's the commander and chief engineer of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
General, thanks very much for coming in.
Before we get to New Orleans and levees, how ready you are, maybe you are, maybe you're not, what about Florida and this first topical storm -- named storm, Alberto, which could become a hurricane? Are you worried about any Corps of Engineer projects right now in Florida?
LT. GEN. CARL STROCK, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: No, I wouldn't say any of our projects. There are really not up in the area where we expect to have landfall. There is some concern about Lake Okeechobee on the part of the some of the locals down there because it's an older dike that was built in the '30s. But we're very confident that Okeechobee can handle any rainfall that might arise from this storm.
BLITZER: This is the Herbert Hoover dike, and there's been a lot of fear that it, what, could break?
STROCK: Well, there's concern that it could, but we're confident that it will be able to hold whatever water comes. The water level in Okeechobee right now is about 12.5 feet, and we can easily handle up to 17 feet of water. So there's really no danger in Okeechobee right now as a result of this storm.
BLITZER: What about the levees in New Orleans? This is -- the new hurricane season started -- a year ago, you said -- and let me read to you what you said -- "We have a plan right now that we think we can get back to Category 3 protection -- pre-Katrina protection -- before next hurricane season. It's a very long-term and difficult thing, so that's certainly our objective, that by June of next year we would have the system restored to its pre-Katrina conditions." You said that on September 19, 2005.
Are the levees right now at pre-Katrina conditions?
STROCK: They are equal to or better than they were pre-Katrina. Absolutely.
BLITZER: So what does that mean in case there's a hurricane in New Orleans right now, that people of New Orleans would not have to worry about the levees breaking?
STROCK: A risk still remains. About 30 percent of the flooding in the city was caused by overtopping and rainfall. So there would still be flooding in the city of New Orleans.
And I think that the local authorities down there have really improved their evacuation plans, and that's really the key. If you've got another Katrina-like storm, I think clearly evacuation is the first step, but I do not anticipate any of the catastrophic failures of the projects that we saw last year.
BLITZER: And that would be for Category 3. There would be over- topping. What about Category 1 or Category 2?
STROCK: Well, in fact, Katrina was a Category 2 in the immediate area of New Orleans, and what you had is the surge associated with a Category 4 or 5 storm. So if the path of the storm as it runs up through the gulf is what really determines how much water you'll get in the city. So that's what we really have to watch out for.
BLITZER: We're watching these -- the pictures of Alberto right now. I just look at those pictures, and I know a lot of our viewers look at them. And I'm sure you look at them. You begin to get nervous, knowing potentially what could happen over the next several weeks or months.
How is the level of cooperation, in the aftermath of Katrina, in this new hurricane season, that you see now with state, federal, local authorities, the U.S. military, the Corps of Engineers? How are you doing?
STROCK: It's excellent. I think we're well poised. We talked about the readiness of our works, but we're also ready in terms of our response and recovery mechanisms.
In fact, with Alberto, the FEMA Region 4 down in Atlanta has already stood set up a 24/7 emergency operations center. We are in there with them. We have liaisons with the state. We have prepositioned commodities, and we have response teams on call to go in. So I think we're leaning forward much more than we did last year.
BLITZER: Because a lot of our viewers might not know what the Army Corps of Engineers really does as far as hurricane preparedness, hurricane reaction, the whole work they do. Explain briefly what you do. STROCK: Well, we're part of the national response plan. There are 15 support functions. We are ESF3, which has to do with public works. Our role is to provide bulk ice and water for those who need it right after the storm. We do debris removal. We do temporary housing. We do temporary roofing to allow people to reoccupy their homes. We do temporary electrical power, and we provide just general technical assistance on public works.
BLITZER: So if this Alberto becomes a hurricane and causes damage to the coast -- west coast of Florida, the Army Corps of Engineers, you get involved?
STROCK: We get involved if the state authorities ask us to be involved. Florida has a very sophisticated response process, and so we don't anticipate, for example, getting involved in debris in Florida like we might in another state, which isn't used to handling this on a routine basis.
But yes, we would certainly have some role. In addition to our role with FEMA, we have a responsibility for navigable waterways, the gulf intracoastal waterway runs down in that area. The Atlantic and the coastal waterway runs up the coast. So as soon as the storm passes, we will be out there with survey boats to ensure that the channels are open and that navigators are not in any kind of danger.
BLITZER: So right now, I assume your men and women under your command are at a higher state of alert, given the fact that the first tropical storm has developed, and this could be, unfortunately, a very busy season.
STROCK: Absolutely. You know, we don't anticipate Alberto is going to be a huge, significant storm, but it does give us an opportunity to shake out our readiness procedures and make sure our people are good to go.
BLITZER: We're almost out of time. This report, that Berkeley report, the independent levee investigation team that came out May 22, you probably saw it. One of the quotes that said, "There were extensive and persistent failures to demonstrate initiative, imagination, leadership, cooperation, and management," not just the Army Corps of Engineers but across the board.
What's the major lesson that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has learned since last hurricane season that you're applying right now?
STROCK: I think probably the principal one is that we need to look at these systems as systems and not a series of discrete projects. And that was really one of the issues down in New Orleans, with a lot of overlapping jurisdictional boundaries, a lot of projects that came together in different ways, designed for different purposes. So it's really taking more of a systems approach to the work we do.
BLITZER: That's a big lesson. Good luck, General. We hope everything goes smoothly. Thanks for your important work.
STROCK: Thank you very much, Wolf. Appreciate it. BLITZER: We're going to go check in with Rob Marciano, our meteorologist. He's on Florida's Cedar Key right now.
Is it getting better, Rob, or getting worse?
MARCIANO: You know, maybe wrapped up just a little bit, Wolf, but all in all still sustained winds. I'd say 25, you know, at times 30 miles an hour. But the rain is steady. And that's been really the call all day long.
But it wasn't until we got to Cedar Key, which kind of juts out into the Gulf of Mexico on the western side, northwestern side of Florida, did we really feel like we were in the middle of a tropical storm.
Earlier day we were we were talking about, you know, it's kind of a weak storm. It's going to be more of a rain maker, which aside from some spotty flooding, is going to generally be a good news story, because Florida, many spots, has been 40 to 50 percent below what they should have for rainfall for the year of 2006. You know about the wildfires out in the central and eastern parts. So this has generally been a good news story.
But once we got here and we knew that the storm had increased in intensity, now to 70 miles an hour, not only the media but the locals here beginning to sit up, beginning to take the storm more seriously.
And as it gets closer to the coastline, we're going to have to deal with a more substantial storm surge. And also, once you gets winds over 50 miles an hour, that's when tree lines start to come down, power lines start to come down and then people realize it is certainly hurricane season once again.
So that's the latest from here. Yes, Wolf, go ahead.
BLITZER: Rob, I was going to say, we're going to come back to you, the governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, is now speaking to reporters. Let's listen in.
GOV. JEB BUSH (R), FLORIDA: It's very important you do so tonight and do so rather quickly before -- before night falls.
Shelters are now -- the shelters are accelerating their opening. There are 16 counties with 26 shelters already open, 10 counties with 12 special needs shelters that are open. All of this has been in response to the fact the storm has accelerated its pace, and it will arrive on our shores much quicker than what was anticipated several hours ago.
So for the folks that are in the Nature Coast and the Big Bend area, we urge them to evacuate if they are in one of the evacuation zones. And there are places to go. Not everybody needs to go to a shelter. They can go stay with their friends, but they need to get to high ground and they need to be safe. We urge people to follow the advice of the local officials that are making this -- pleading with them. With that, we'd be happy to answer any questions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you speak directly to what kind of acceleration we've seen in the direction (ph)?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right now officially the storm is still only 10 miles an hour, but it does appear that it's been caught by the steering current that was forecast to develop. So that will accelerate the storm probably to 12, 13 miles an hour overnight. That's, yes, the forward speed.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Any concerns from those counties about the fact that you have just a few hours here, or it will be dark soon?
BUSH: That's the concern, is that if the evacuation orders have gone out, gone out -- they went out in the afternoon in some cases, and mid-afternoon in others, there's been ample time for people to evacuate.
Many of the counties do not have large populations along the coastline thankfully, so we're not dealing with large numbers of people. But given the storm surge that we anticipate, and given the -- the velocity of these winds, I hope people aren't being defiant. They recognize that this is a dangerous time, and they should get to high ground and get with friends or go to one of the shelters that have been opened up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Can you just speak a little bit again about how (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
BUSH: The same as...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're at the same.
BUSH: Nothing has changed on that.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How about that Eagle Beach (ph), Horseshoe Beach area?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm Craig Tihey (ph), director of state emergency management. Those are very specifically the areas we're concerned about.
BLITZER: All right. We're going to break away from this news conference, continue to monitor it for our viewers. The governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, warning residents along Florida's coast there and inland, be careful, make sure you take all the preparations you need, this could potential become a Category 1 hurricane, and it could become a Category 1 hurricane in the next few hours. We'll watch the story, go back there a we get more information.
Still to come here in THE SITUATION ROOM, an historic moment in the U.S. Congress. Robert Byrd does what no other senator has done before. We'll go do Dana Bash on Capitol Hill. She had a rare interview with the senator. And we recently told you about a well-known restaurant that wants customers to order in English only. You remember Mary Snow's piece from last Friday night. Now, there's a new development that may force the restaurant to reconsider its rule. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: West Virginia Democrat Robert Byrd often launches into weighty monologues on the U.S. Senate floor. Today he simply listened to praise from his colleagues. That's because Byrd now holds the distinction of being the longest-serving U.S. senator in history. He served for almost 48 years. Our congressional correspondent, Dana Bash, spent some time with him in recent days. She's joining us now live -- Dana.
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Wolf.
Well, today marks the 17,327th day, in fact, that Senator Byrd is here as a United States senator. He said senators are like baseball fans. They love statistics, especially, he said, senatorial Ty Cobbs and Babe Ruth, who set standards for longevity and accomplishment.
Well, today, he is breaking Republican Senator Strom Thurmond's record for longest-serving senator.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BASH (voice-over): How does the longest-serving senator in U.S. history celebrate his milestone?
SEN. ROBERT BYRD (D), WEST VIRGINIA: I'm going to run again.
BASH: How else? After nearly a half century in the Senate, plotting to win reelection in November.
BYRD: I may be an old man, in years. That's all right. So was Moses, quite an old man, I suppose.
BASH: Robert C. Byrd is 88, to be exact. The son of a coal miner, he served six years in the House and then moved to the Senate in 1959 and became a master of its arcane rules. His longest filibuster, 1964, 14 hours and 13 minutes, against the Civil Rights Act.
(on camera) Is that something you regret?
BYRD: I do regret my vote against the 1964 Civil Rights Act. And it was that southern atmosphere in which I grew up, and with all of its prejudices and its feelings.
BASH (voice-over): Those prejudices led to what he calls his albatross, briefly joining the Ku Klux Klan.
BYRD: And I've never hesitated to say that was the greatest mistake of my life. It will always be there. And it will be in my obituary. BASH: He spent more than 50 years steering project after project to his impoverished state. His nickname, king of pork.
(on camera) You wear that as a badge of honor, don't you?
BYRD: I do. My memory is as good as it ever was, and it's stocked full of recollections about the poor people of West Virginia, how they were laughed after. They were a laughingstock. Yes, I'm a hillbilly, proud of it.
BASH (voice-over): A hillbilly turned passionate orator.
BYRD: Freedom's flag would bear no stain.
BASH: A self-educated man who peppers his speeches with poetry and the classics. Known to wave the Constitution he keeps in his breast pocket. Eleven presidents have heard his reminder that legislative branch is mentioned first.
BYRD: I am a champion of the Constitution.
BASH: His Capitol office is a museum. He points to this 2002 tally sheet, recording his vote against the Iraq war.
(on camera) Of all the 17,000-plus votes that you cast?
BYRD: It is the greatest vote I ever cast. I'm ashamed that the Senate on that occasion shifted its power to declare war to one man.
BASH (voice-over): He's not just a senator, but the embodiment and enforcer of its storied traditions, even wrote four books on its history. So what will history say about Robert C. Byrd?
BYRD: The chapter isn't written yet, the last chapter, and maybe several chapters are ahead.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BASH: Senator Byrd has never lost an election in West Virginia. He's won 14 in all. But Republicans really have their sights on him this election season, not because of his age, because he would be 95 at the end of an unprecedented ninth term, but because they say he is simply too liberal now for West Virginia, Wolf, on issues like Iraq, on tax cuts, on social issues. They say West Virginia has moved to the right, more conservative, voting more Republican, while he is simply still -- they say, and they will paint him more and more as a liberal Democrat -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Dana Bash. Thanks very much. And congratulations to Senator Byrd.
Dana Bash is part of the best political team on television, CNN, America's campaign headquarters.
Lou Dobbs is getting ready for his program, that begins right at the top of the hour. Standing by to tell us what he's working on -- Lou.
LOU DOBBS, HOST, "LOU DOBBS TONIGHT": Wolf, thank you. Coming up at 6 p.m. Eastern, the results of this broadcast's exclusive, comprehensive national poll on illegal immigration, border security and immigration legislation that's now under debate in Washington. Tonight we'll have for you the surprising, definitive results about what Americans are really saying about this worsening crisis.
Also tonight we continue our exclusive series of reports on our democracy at risk, and the massive potential electronic voting fraud that could be facing us in the upcoming midterm elections.
Also tonight, our exclusive look inside this nation's largest multimillion dollar document fraud operation, how one family has dominated the entire U.S. document fraud market, helping countless illegal aliens commit felonies and remain in this country illegally.
And three of the country's leading experts on the impact of illegal immigration on our border crisis, will be here to tell you authoritatively about the economic and social costs of this crisis and -- and pending legislation to this nation.
We hope you'll join us for all of that and a great deal more at the top of the hour. Wolf, back to you.
BLITZER: Lou, thanks very much. Sounds good.
Up ahead, new developments in an immigration controversy. We're going to show you why the owner of a Philadelphia landmark could be facing legal problems for his insisting that his customers order only in English.
And coming up at our 7 p.m. Eastern hour, he's the Democrat's not so secret weapon for fund-raising, the former President Bill Clinton in high demand but not necessarily everywhere. We'll tell you what's going on with Bill Clinton.
Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We're watching Tropical Storm Alberto. It now has sustained winds of 70 miles an hour. If it goes up three or four miles per hour, it's going to become a hurricane.
And if it hits land at hurricane strength, this will be the first time in 40 years that a hurricane has hit this early. It's been since 1966 when Hurricane Alma hit on June 9. Today is June 12. If it hits this early, it's been almost 40 years since this occurred at all.
We're going to watch this for you very closely. Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Center will be my guest. That's coming up, 7 p.m. Eastern right here in THE SITUATION ROOM.
In the meantime, let's check back with Zain for a closer look at some other stories making news -- Zain. VERJEE: Wolf, who shot the judge? That's what police in Reno, Nevada, are investigating right now after a family court judge was shot inside a courthouse. Fifty-three-year-old judge Chuck Weller is said to be conscious and talking with his family. Police don't know if the shot came from inside or outside the building.
In the CNN "Security Watch," New York City Police Chief Ray Kelly says plans for a security camera or surveillance system in the city's financial district are on hold. He told the city committee cuts in federal anti-terror funds are to blame. The Homeland Security Department recently refigured how it allocated grants, and New York City's was cut by 40 percent.
Stay tuned to CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
There are new developments in the story that we reported to you last week, a controversy swirling around the landmark Philadelphia cheesesteak restaurant Geno's. The owner has posted a sign saying customers must order in English. Now the city's human relations commissioner has filed a complaint, saying the policy discourages some people from eating there. But the owner, Joseph Vento, says that he's not going to back down.
And Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is in serious condition after a motorbike accident in which witnesses say he wasn't wearing a helmet. He broke his nose and his jaw and underwent surgery. He's now said to be in stable condition. The 24-year-old helped the Steelers win this year's Super Bowl, and he was the 2005 rookie of the year -- Wolf.
BLITZER: And he's a really, really nice guy, Zain.
VERJEE: Yes.
BLITZER: We wish him a speedy recovery.
The murder rate here in the United States increased by almost five percent last year. That's according to the preliminary data released today by the FBI. Our Internet reporter, Abbi Tatton, is standing by with more -- Abbi.
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, and not just the murder rate. Violent crime in general up. That's by 2.5 percent, according to this new data released online by the FBI. They collected these results from law enforcement around the country from over 12,000 local police forces.
It breaks it down online by region and by each individual city, so you can go online and see how your area fared. By region, it was the Midwest that saw the sharpest increase in both violent crime and murder rate, up by almost six percent in both.
You can check by city and just see what -- how steep that leap was. Look at Kansas City, Missouri, from 89 to 126 murders over the two years. Birmingham, Alabama that went up 76 percent. Now these results are preliminary. They're not accompanied by statistical data. The fuller, final results are going to be released online later on this year -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Abbi, thank you for that. Efforts under way right now in Congress to change the way we all use cable television. We'll show you why it's dividing some conservative Christians. Stay with us. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Here's a look at some of the "Hot Shots" coming in from our friends at the Associated Press, pictures likely to be in your hometown newspapers tomorrow.
Tehran, Iran. Female police officers beat women at an equal rights protest. They're demanding the repeal of a polygamy law that allows men to have four wives.
In China, a girl stands amid the rebel of her flood-ravaged city. Heavy rains have caused the deaths of at least 25 people.
In Indonesia, villagers clean their farm, covered with volcanic ash from Mount Merapi. The volcano remains on high alert for eruption.
And in Times Square, the Running of the Brides, the group race for a $25,000 dream wedding.
Today's "Hot Shots", pictures are often worth 1,000 words.
Efforts in Congress to change the way we all use cable TV are dividing some Christian conservatives. CNN's Chris Lawrence is joining us live from Los Angeles with the story -- Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, most of the viewers watching our show right now are watching CNN as part of a package. It's included with Comedy Channel, FX, the Hallmark Channel.
Well, some parents are fed up with paying for stations that they find offensive. Some family and religious groups support them.
Now, Christian broadcasters find some of those very same programs offensive, but they want to stay in that bundled package, because they don't want to lose all those eyes that are catching them as they channel surf. It's made some natural allies into very unlikely opponents.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLBY MAY, FAITH & FAMILY BROADCASTERS COALITION: We certainly want to be in the environment where people don't automatically, necessarily, associate religious service with being. Because it helps the people who, frankly, if they were asked to pre-select religious programming, wouldn't necessarily do so. And if they had not pre- selected it, then in fact, it wouldn't be available for them at that moment of crisis or that moment of need.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Basic cable should be something that is like a magazine newsstand. When I go to the newsstand, I can buy "Ranger Rick" for my daughter. I'm not also forced to buy "Hustler."
(END VIDEO CIP)
LAWRENCE: Yes, family groups like that one are proposing a pick and choose plan. Religious broadcasters are opposing that plan. We will get more in depth and take a longer look at this coming up in the next hour of THE SITUATION ROOM -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right, Chris, thanks very much. Chris Lawrence in L.A.
Remember, we're here in THE SITUATION ROOM weekday afternoons from 5 to 6 p.m. Eastern, back in one hour, 7 p.m. Eastern. Among other things, much more on this tropical storm. Max Mayfield will be joining us live right at 7 p.m.
Let's go to Lou. He's standing by in New York -- Lou.
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