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The Situation Room
Israeli's Move into Gaza Heating Up; Israel Takes on Syria; Flooding from Virginia to New York City Forcing Hundreds of Thousands of People to Evacuate Their Homes; Ed Rendell Interview; New York City Lays Out Worst Case Hurricane Scenario Plan; Insurgent Groups in Iraq Offer Government Deal to End Violence; Marine Featured in "Fahrenheit 9/11 Dies in Iraq; Laptop Explodes in Japan
Aired June 28, 2006 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Thanks, Lou, 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 tonight's top stories. Happening now, it's 7:00 p.m. in Pennsylvania where as many as 200,000 people are ordered to flee from a rapidly rising river. Throughout the northeast a desperate race to save lives amid some of the worst flooding in decades.
It's 2:00 a.m. in Gaza where thousands of Israeli troops are on the ground hunting for a kidnapped soldier. As militants upped the ante claiming more kidnappings, Israel raises the stakes as well in the West Bank and in the skies over Syria. And it's 7:00 p.m. here in Washington. Are democrats getting religion? Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama say a show of faith can put their party on the path to redemption. I'm Wolf Blitzer you're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
Happening now, floods and evacuations in the northeast, as many as 215,000 people are being forced to flee rising rivers and streams. At least nine people have been killed. Searches continue for the missing and all of this could get even worse as waterways crest in the coming days. CNN's Jason Carroll will be joining us momentarily in Pennsylvania. From a very hard hit area, let's begin our coverage with CNN's Tom Foreman. Tom?
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, a lot of this really came sneaking up on people out here. It started off as few days of rain and just kept going and going. Some of the people who have been lost in these floods were in fact trying to escape them at the time. The water just rose so rapidly and it's doing it all along the eastern seaboard. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: From Virginia to New York, water is rising, people are fleeing and the death toll from some of the worst flooding to hit the region in years is climbing. Days of rain are pushing rivers and streams over their banks and many of them have still not peaked. In Wilkes-Barre all eyes are on the Susquehanna River, as many as 200,000 people in the area under a mandatory evacuation order after more than a foot of rain fell in just 24 hours. High water is believed to have trapped hundreds of people in their homes. Emergency officials say they are doing their best to reach them. It's a similar scene upstream in Binghamton, New York, 15,000 people there have been ordered to flee. The governor has declared a state of emergency and called up the National Guard.
GOV. GEORGE PATAKI, NEW YORK: We have horrible flooding in a large part of upstate New York and I have declared an emergency in 10 counties. We just urge everybody to avoid travel if they can and look out for their neighbors.
FOREMAN: In New Jersey, the Delaware River is also over its banks. Evacuations are underway there as well ahead of an expected crest tomorrow eight feet above flood stage. Evacuations too in Montgomery County, Maryland, where an earthen dam is leaking and threatening to inundate the surrounding area with 20 feet of water. Maryland's governor is warning people not to ignore orders to get out.
MARYLAND'S GOVERNOR: Not only do you put yourself at risk, you put the people who come ultimately to save you again at risk as well.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
FOREMAN: It is very, very broad-based Wolf. It's going through many states, many counties, many towns and cities. That's why the destruction is so vast at this point because so many places built along waterways are being affected and the situation is changing quickly. Even as the rain stops, the water is still congregating on mountain sides and valleys and rushing down and that's continuing the problem.
BLITZER: Well few people really anticipated how bad that was going to get. Tom thanks very much. Tom Foreman reporting.
And take a look at this. This is video we're just getting in. Look at this video from New York State. This is Utica, New York. That building simply goes into that river as the water's crest and go up and up and up. This building simply destroyed. Utica, New York and upstate New York, not far from Syracuse and Rochester, what destruction going on in New York. Meanwhile, they're especially worried in Pennsylvania where as many as 200,000 people right now under a mandatory evacuation order. CNN's Jason Carroll is joining us now live from Plains, Pennsylvania. Where exactly is Plains Jason?
JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf it's just about a few miles outside of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, just a little north of that area. I want to give you a reason why many people in this area are being evacuated. Take a look behind me you can see how the water has continued to rise. This is the water from the swollen Susquehanna River. In some parts out there the water is as much as six feet deep we are told. The water continues to rise. The Susquehanna River expected to crest at about 37 feet. That's just about 15 feet above flood stage. That's above flood stage. And the river hasn't crested yet. So we're expecting the waters to rise even more.
I heard you say 200,000 people have been evacuated, that is true, although we've seen a number of people, you can see them, some of them in a row boat right out there or a power boat. Those folks haven't evacuated, at least not yet. The National Guard in Pennsylvania had to rescue people from rooftops who are flooded out in sections of eastern Pennsylvania. 500 people and counting are in shelters. At this point we have been told of three people who have died in the flood so far. And even at one point we were out just a few moments ago on a rescue mission where two boys got too close to the water, they were swept away. We'll still waiting to hear what happened with them.
Right now very quickly, I want to bring in one of the folks who we have been dealing with all day today. This is Officer Ron Dombroski with the Plains Township Police. Tell us what you have been dealing with out here so far all day?
OFFICER RON DOMBROSKI, PLAINS TOWNSHIP POLICE: Well mostly our main roadway, which is River Street as you can see right here, is flooded. It's a main thoroughfare between Pittston, Plains and Wilkes-Barre. Right now it's flooded as you could see. We have a lot of areas you can't get through and right now just about five minutes ago I requested help from the PA National Guard to be out.
CARROLL: Also we have noticed a lot of people -- a number of people who have not taken evacuation orders seriously and are staying put.
DOMBROSKI: As of that point right now that's at their own risk. They were advised to leave, it was mandatory they were advised and they're taking it at their own risk.
CARROLL: Now also and I think Wolf knows this too, folks in these parts are used to major storms, they've dealt with major storms in 2004, back in the 70's. Some are saying that this one doesn't appear to be so bad. Do you think that might be one reason why some of them have chosen to stay put?
DOMBROSKI: I think it rivals the Ivan 2004, I think it's about the same. So some of them are used to it, they've been used to it through the years so that could be it too.
CARROLL: Alright Officer Dombroski thank you so very, very much. Wolf we're going to turn it back over to you. A number of people out here just watching the waters to see how much more they'll rise.
BLITZER: Jason thanks very much. Jason Carroll on the scene for us. The areas Jason just pointed out around Wilkes-Barre has been devastated before. It has seen many, many horrible floods. Now as many as 200,000 people have been ordered to flee. Joining us on the phone is the mayor of Wilkes-Barre Thomas Leighton. Mr. Mayor thanks very much. When do you expect the worst to come?
MAYOR THOMAS LEIGHTON, WILKES-BARRE: The worst should come late this evening, early tomorrow morning. We're hoping that we do receive a crest early so we could advise the people as to what they can do on Thursday morning.
BLITZER: You ordered the residents of Wilkes-Barre I take it to evacuate. Tell our viewers why?
LEIGHTON: Well we want to take a proactive approach and err on the side of caution. We had a lot of confidence in the design of the dike, the new levee system which was completed approximately five years ago by the Army Corps of Engineers and our local county engineering office. We wanted to make sure that we guarantee the safety of all of our residents and visitors and give them enough team that they could move their personal property out of their homes or up on the second floor and get out in a safe manner during the daylight hours. The last thing we want to do is issue a mandatory evacuation during the night time hours when it was dark and people may need some further assistance. So we wanted to get them out during the daylight hours.
BLITZER: Mr. Mayor correct me if I'm wrong but I'm old enough to remember those floods in the 70's and all the work that the Army Corps of Engineers and others have done in the years since to make sure these kinds of floods would never endanger large populated areas again. Are you suggesting that the work that was done was not adequate?
LEIGHTON: No, no. The work was very adequate, it was efficient and it shows today, as of today, right now, it was very effective. Again, the Army Corps of Engineers did a fabulous job. The dike is holding up. But again, when we're dealing with 200,000 people we had to make a decision -- we made the decision. We did not want to have happen here in Greater Wyoming Valley what happened with Katrina down south. We erred on the side of caution, we're confident we made the right decision and I would do it again.
BLITZER: What about the National Guard, the Pennsylvania National Guard, what have you requested as far as their assistance?
LEIGHTON: Well we needed assistance. We knew we were going to have some serious issues yesterday morning when we saw the weather forecasts and the amount of rain that we've had since late last week. We knew that we -- we ordered all of our police officers and firefighters out on duty and we knew that we were going to need assistance because of the timetable that we were dealing with. So the National Guard will be in the city patrolling the streets along with our police officers.
BLITZER: The mayor of Wilkes-Barre, Thomas Leighton good luck, mayor. Thanks for joining us.
LEIGHTON: Thank you very much. You're welcome.
BLITZER: The biggest threat right now, guess what, actually more, more rain. Our meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is standing by in the CNN Weather Center with the forecast. What is the latest forecast Reynolds?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's not looking really good Wolf. You know what you want after an episode of what we've had over the last four days is really dry weather. And that's not going to be the situation for us. Take a quick look at this. From the Empire State of New York southward to Virginia, we have a dash of these flood warnings. And then you're seeing in parts over the same area, some showers and storms that are forming all the way from Virginia northward into Pennsylvania, even up into New York, scattered showers and storms.
And Wolf what's even worse, you go farther back into the Ohio valley, you see a strong line of some intense storms, not severe but possible of producing any where from one to two inches of additional rainfall on the same flood prone area. We can expect scattered showers in this same area I'd say through the rest of the evening. For tomorrow possibly leading up to late Friday before we get a little bit of a dry spell into the weekend. But as it stands right now, it is not the forecast we were really hoping for.
BLITZER: Reynolds thanks very much. And we're going to have much more on this weather situation in the northeast. I will be speaking with the governor of Pennsylvania, Ed Rendell. That's coming up here in THE SITUATION ROOM. In the meantime, Jack Cafferty is in New York with The Cafferty File. Jack?
JACK CAFFERTY: It is terrible. But there is a bit of a silver lining, is the Internal Revenue Service building in Washington still flooded?
BLITZER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: Good. Four months to go before the midterm elections and the Supreme Court ruled today on the controversial topic of redistricting. The justices found the overall redistricting plan in Texas engineered by the republicans there is okay. But they did decide that a part of the Texas congressional map is invalid. A split decision, if you will, offering partial victories to both sides. State republicans on one side and civil rights and minority voter groups on the other side who are opposed to the way the map was drawn.
The redrawing of the district boundaries in Texas led to the ouster of four Texas democratic incumbents in the 2004 election. The plan was championed by oh what's his name, the former house majority leader Tom DeLay who is currently under criminal indictment in another matter. Democrats say it amounts to gerrymandering which they see as an illegal manipulation of voting districts designed to give republicans an advantage. So here's the question, how much of a threat is redistricting to America's election process? E-mail us your thoughts, caffertyfile@cnn.com or go to cnn.com/caffertyfile.
BLITZER: Jack, thanks very much. Coming up, we are going to have much more on the flooding, the mandatory evacuations in the northeast. Some 215,000 people have been told to leave their homes. Much more on this story coming up.
Also another dramatic and important story we're following. In the Middle East Israeli jets buzz the home of Syria's president while on the offensive in Gaza and they're threatening more to come. Is the Middle East reaching a breaking point? We're covering all sides of this story.
And democrats turning to faith. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton reaching out to evangelicals.
And goodbye fatigue. From Charlie Gibson to Katie Couric to Star Jones and Dan Rather. The bittersweet and the just plain bitter. Our Jeanne Moos on the never ending good-byes. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Ominous new developments tonight in the Middle East where the Israeli move into Gaza is escalating into a showdown on three fronts. Troops and tanks are on the ground in Gaza hunting for a kidnapped Israeli soldier. But air strikes have already crippled the Palestinian infrastructure. Palestinian militants are threatening in their words to butcher another kidnapped Israeli while on the West Bank Israeli troops reportedly have arrested a member of the Hamas led Palestinian government. And get this, in the skies over Syria, Israelis accusing Syria of harboring masterminds. Israeli war planes flying over the home of that country's president Bashar al-Assad. Is an all-out conflict looming? Let's go live to CNN's Paula Hancocks she's monitoring all of these developments in Jerusalem. Paula?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello Wolf well these Israeli air strikes in Gaza to start off with are increasing. We know that there have been Israeli missiles launched at many roads in southern and northern Gaza. What the Israeli defense forces say they're trying to do is to cut off the roads, cut off any chance of Palestinian militants being able to move with this Israeli soldier that they kidnapped on Sunday. Now this is the reason that the Israeli defense forces and the government say they are in Gaza in the first place, to free that soldier.
Now we also know that there have been leaflets in the past half- hour or so being released from Israeli aircraft in Gaza saying to residents, be careful, stay away from fire because there are going to be troops and tanks in the area. So that is an indication that this operation is certainly going to be ratcheted up in the coming hours. It's 2 o'clock in the morning at the moment here. And also, we understand that there have been some more arrests of top Hamas leaders. We know that the labor minister was in Ramala and he was arrested on his way home, also a minister for Jerusalem affairs and two Hamas legislators. Now the Israeli government's not commenting on this at the moment saying an operation is still ongoing.
Now Ehud Olmert the Israeli Prime Minister has said that he will not hesitate to take harsh action if necessary. He's already rejected the idea from Hamas government and the Palestinian authority that they should give back this Israeli soldier if all Palestinian women and children were released from Israeli jails. He has said there will be no negotiations. And as you said Wolf, there is also the complicated matter of a possible two more hostages. We know that the PRC has one 18-year-old settler that they are threatening to kill if Israel doesn't pull out of Gaza. Wolf?
BLITZER: Paula thanks very much. Paula Hancocks in Jerusalem. Today Israel also matched aggressive acts with aggressive tactics, making it clear what it will not stand for. Israeli warplanes delivered a no tolerance message as they're calling it to Syria. Zain Verjee is joining us with the details on that. Zain?
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, Israel appears to be putting pressure on the Syrian government to end the crisis in Gaza. It sent a strong signal to the Syrians today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: Force and fire power to free a kidnapped soldier. Israel attacks Hamas targets in Gaza. Hours later, fast and low, Israeli warplanes buzz over the home of Syria's president Bashar al- Assad. According to Israeli officials, Assad was probably there at the time. Syrian television reports that antiaircraft guns fired at Israel's jets. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says Hamas' leaders in Syria are directly responsible for this crisis. Israel says Hamas' command structure is headquartered in Damascus, and protected by the Syrian government.
Israel believes Syria also funds and arms Hamas. It accuses Hamas leaders in exile of ordering the kidnapping of the soldier. Hamas Chief Khaled Mashaal lives in Syria, he's viewed by Israel as the ring master of terror attacks. And the Israeli justice minister says Mashaal is not immune from reprisals. He's been the target of a previous assassination attempt by Israel. The Israeli ambassador to the U.S. says Israel is sending a clear message to Assad that he is responsible for the crisis in Gaza and that he needs to lean on Mashaal and get the hostage released to end this crisis.
(END OF VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: And on the Gaza operation Wolf, the U.S. State Department says that Israel has a right to defend itself, but it's also urging Israel to be restrained and to be really careful about innocent civilians. Wolf?
BLITZER: Zain thanks for that. So how might Syria respond right now to these latest Israeli moves? Just a little while ago I asked the Syrian ambassador to the United States Imad Moustapha.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IMAD MOUSTAPHA, SYRIAN AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: Israel is trying to provoke Syria. It's trying to escalate the situation and drives the level of tension in the Middle East. Syria is not involved whatsoever in what's happening there. The only reason that the violence is taking place there is the continuous occupation by the Israelis and the daily killing of Palestinians.
BLITZER: Do you know if Syrian antiaircraft fired -- tried to shoot down those Israeli planes?
MOUSTAPHA: A number of Israeli planes did fly over the Syrian coast and Syrian antiaircraft guns did fire against these plans.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: Imad Moustapha speaking with me earlier right here in THE SITUATION ROOM. And we're going to be watching this story all night here on CNN. We're going to bring you all of the breaking news as it happens. Important, critical developments unfolding in the Middle East right now with huge ramifications for the rest of the world as well, potentially at least.
Still to come, tonight in THE SITUATION ROOM, Osama bin Laden, reports of a new message to come from the world's most wanted terrorist. We'll update you on what's going on. Plus, Fahrenheit 9/11, a marine featured in that film loses his life in Iraq. This is a powerful story we're going to share it with you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Zain Verjee is here in Washington, D.C., she's going to give us a quick check of some other important stories making news. Zain?
VERJEE: Wolf late today a notice appeared on an Islamic website saying a message from Osama bin Laden was quote, "Coming soon." The Al Qaeda leader will reportedly offer condolences over the death of Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, the former leader of the organization in Iraq. A similar notice preceded the release a video from Bin Laden's deputy Amman Al Zawahiri last week.
Within the last few hours, federal regulators filed suit against energy giant BP for allegedly manipulating the price of propane and driving up home heating costs. The lawsuit alleges that BP traders bought up huge quantities of propane in 2004, thereby cornering the market. Senior management allegedly consented to the strategy. A BP spokesman denied any market manipulation happened and says several employees who violated company trading policies have been dismissed.
The pentagon says it no longer considers homosexuality a mental disorder, though openly gay people are still barred from the military. A 10 year old pentagon document calling homosexuality a mental disorder came to light earlier this month. The agency now says that characterization was a mistake but had no impact on policy toward gays in the military.
And Wolf here's a new twist on the political ritual of kissing a baby. Just take a look at this picture. Earlier today the Russian president Vladimir Putin stopped while he was walking through a courtyard in the Kremlin to chat with this young boy who says his name was Nikita and then all of a sudden as you see there, Vladimir Putin lifts up the boy's shirt and gives him a kiss on his bare stomach. Now that's something Wolf you don't see every day, don't think you'd see it around town here though.
BLITZER: Maybe in Russia, you certainly don't see that here. Alright Zain thanks very much for that. Just ahead, first came the rains now some terrible flooding throughout the northeast. As rivers rise, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes. And the democrats' rising stars say their party may find redemption if it makes room for evangelical voters. Stay with us. You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We're back in THE SITUATION ROOM. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Check this out. This is new video that has come into CNN of a flooded hospital in Binghamton, New York, look at this. Pretty awful, this is in Binghamton, New York, upstate New York, maybe 100 miles or so north of New York City. Flooding from the Virginia area to New York City is forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate their homes right now. Let's bring in CNN's Tom Foreman. He's joining us with a little bit more.
This is awful, Tom.
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is awful and it's incredibly broad based. It's covering the entire eastern seaboard, not so much down south, but everywhere else up in here.
Let's move in and take a look at some of the areas we were just talking about right then. This is generally where the Susquehanna River is, which is what we've been talking about a lot in all of this, that general area. This is Binghamton, which is right up here. You see the state line there.
If you come into Binghamton, right in this area, you can see the water running down through here. It's a very nice little down. Interstate 88 runs right along it in this area. A little further south, one of the landmarks of the area I mentioned earlier today sort of my accident was Bingham's Restaurant, a place right along there. People all know it, the creek down there.
This whole area is being watched very closely right now, and nowhere more down here than in Wilkes-Barre. Look at this. The river runs right through the middle of town. Back in the 1970s, they had a tremendous problem with flooding and the remnants of Hurricane Agnes, and so they build these levees up along the river here, and those are quite high. These are the main bridges that cut through the town right there, one going by beautiful Church Down in this area.
But people gather on these rivers and they're watching the water rise because the crest of the river is not going to be much below the tops of these levees which were built to protect them after about 20,000 families lost their homes.
Why does it matter so much? Look at the low areas that are at issue here. Everything that is red are the low areas we're talking about, and this is where the river cuts right through there. So they have got to watch all of this, because you're talking about a number of people, not only here, but all along the river and in many of these valleys who are potentially at risk.
And as I said, one of problems with this flooding is it is incredibly broad based. We're seeing damage along the way down through many states, many counties, many towns.
BLITZER: We really haven't seen rain like this in a long, long time in the Northeast.
FOREMAN: Keep thinking it's going to stop and then it just goes on and on and on.
BLITZER: Yes, all right. Thanks Todd.
We spoke with some of the officials in some of the most threatened areas just a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BLITZER: The governor of Pennsylvania, Ed Rendell, is joining us on the phone.
Governor, thanks very much. How bad is the situation? What's the latest information you're getting?
GOV. ED RENDELL (D), PENNSYLVANIA: Well, we have actually two phases of this flood, Wolf. Right now, there are 13 counties, including Lackawanna and Luzerne. But as you go even a little bit more north where people are literally still on rooftops -- and we've got 14 helicopters doing search and rescue pulling people off of rooftops. We even pulled a few people off of rooftops on a border town in New York State with the New York people's approval.
So it's an ongoing battle in a number of those counties. And then the second wave, when the floodwaters come down the Susquehanna and the Delaware from New York, we're expecting to get hit maybe late this evening and early morning tomorrow. And that's what Wilkes- Barre's facing.
Right now, Wilkes-Barre, which is diked -- which was diked after the famous flood and it has 39-feet-high dikes -- Wilkes-Barre is evacuating as a precaution. It was the mayor's call, but one that we strongly support. Because at that point, there were reports that the flood was going to crest at 38 feet, left very little margin for error.
And a lot of the secondary roads around the Wilkes-Barre area are closed, so we were afraid of a New Orleans-type situation where we just couldn't get people out if the dike broke or if the dike was...
BLITZER: So Governor, what's your worst case fear right now? When do you see the potentially -- the worst unfolding? Are we just hours away from that?
RENDELL: Well, I think the next 12 hours will be pretty crucial for Pennsylvania. Again, we're fighting in 15 counties, Wolf. We're fighting serious problems now. But the next 12 to 14 hours will tell whether this is a full-scale disaster in Pennsylvania.
BLITZER: Governor, we'll check back with you. We wish everyone in Pennsylvania and New York and New Jersey and Delaware, Maryland the best. This is an awful situation. Good luck.
RENDELL: Thanks.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER: While thousands of people are scrambling for safety in the Northeast, New York is considering this nightmare hurricane scenario. Look at this -- 31 foot tides, 100 mile an hour winds, and parts of the city flooded. Mary Snow is joining us from New York. She has more -- Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, city officials here say that these floods and evacuations in the Northeast serves as a reminder of the job they fear lies ahead here in New York. They say they've learned lessons from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, and they came out today with a revamped hurricane evacuation plan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW (voice-over): When Hurricane Katrina brought the unimaginable to New Orleans, New York officials started imagining the worst. What if a major hurricane like the 1938 Long Island Express that packed 120-mile-per-hour winds struck again now in a city along the coast housing eight million people?
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (R), NEW YORK: If you read the stories about Katrina, what apparently happened, in many cases people didn't know -- didn't have a ways to get out. We're not going to make that mistake.
SNOW: Low-lying areas like lower Manhattan, home to Wall Street, could flood, even in a Category 1 storm, say officials, because of the surges created by the bend in the coastline where New York and New Jersey meet. A Category 2 storm, shown in this simulation, could put this tunnel connecting Brooklyn to the island of Manhattan underwater.
It's not just water, but winds of more than 100 miles an hour could be a big problem. In a Category 4 storm, the worst case scenario, with a storm surge of up to 31 feet, up to three million people would need to be evacuated with the city using schools as shelters, city buses as a way out.
JOSEPH BRUNO, N.Y. CITY OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: We would start evacuation, movement -- if we saw something major coming -- at least three days out.
SNOW: A state assemblyman who's been a vocal critic of the city's preparedness says too many people would be left at risk.
RICHARD BRODSKY (D), NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY: The vulnerabilities are terrifying. If it hits New York, New Orleans will look like a walk in the park.
SNOW: City officials outlined a plan for hospitals and nursing homes, and officials have been reaching out to residents like Russian immigrants in Brighton Beach, who don't speak English, by getting out the message on ethnic radio stations. Some city officials applaud the effort but have concerns.
PETER VALLONE, JR. (D), NEW YORK CITY COUNCILMAN: This looks good on paper, but this is eight million people. And, you know, when a storm's approaching, is it going to work?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SNOW: And the mayor of New York says another lesson learned from Hurricane Katrina is the fact that the city needs to be self- sufficient -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Mary Snow in New York, thank you very, very much. Let's hope this never, ever happens.
Other news we're following, NASA has just initiated its official countdown to Saturday's launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery. You can track the mission every step of the way by going online. Our Internet reporter Jacki Schechner is standing by to tell us how to do that -- Jacki.
JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, here's the official countdown clock. We're at T minus 40 hours, 23 minutes and seven seconds. Also online, you can get video of the arrival of the flight crew at Cape Canaveral yesterday.
And there's some discussion about the safety of this mission. NASA itself published the statistic that there is a one in 100 chance that there could be catastrophic damage. That sounds bad, but they also point out that this is the first time they have ever done a calculation that sophisticated, and this mission is actually much safer than many previous missions.
You can go online to their interact display and get all of the information about the mission and the system. For example, you can see what's change with the Discovery Shuttle. You can hone in on certain aspects of that shuttle, also a mission overview, the 12-day mission. It part, it's going to test out some new safety features and do some repairs and drop off supplies at the International Space Station.
We're going to have all the coverage here on CNN starting at 3:00 on Saturday, weather permitting. Hopefully the launch will get off as scheduled -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Miles O'Brien will be here for that. Thanks, Jacki, very much.
Up ahead tonight in THE SITUATION ROOM, he was the United States Marine who became a bit of a movie star in Michael Moore's film "Fahrenheit 9/11." Now, this Marine has met a tragic, tragic fate. We're going to tell you what happened.
And from the pulpit to the polls? Should politicians entice evangelical Christian to vote by appealing to their faith? At least two politicians want you to know that Democrats believe in God, too. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: There are reports tonight that 11 Iraqi insurgents are offering a deal to the United States, an end to all attacks, including those on American troops, if the Washington agrees to pull coalition troops out of Iraq within two years. Meanwhile, Iraqi officials say they've arrested a Tunisian man, who what they say, played a key role in the February bombing of a Shiite shine, an attack that resulted in a sharp increase in sectarian violence in Iraq. A U.S. marine featured in Michael Moore's controversial film "Fahrenheit 9/11" has now been killed in Iraq.
CNN's Chris Lawrence is joining us from Los Angeles with more on this story, Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well Wolf, this was a decorated marine who served two tours in Iraq, one as a sniper. His dad said that he never agreed with Michael Moore's film.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): The family of Staff Sergeant Raymond Plouhar is grieving. He was killed in Iraq on Monday by an IED.
RAYMOND PLOUHAR SR., FATHER: He did his job. What more can a father ask?
LAWRENCE: Raymond Plouhar Sr. says there is one thing, that his son be remembered for more than his part in Michael Moore's documentary about the war in Iraq, "Fahrenheit 9/11."
When this was filmed, Plouhar was recovering from donating a kidney and temporarily assigned as a recruiter.
PLOUHAR: What are you doing at 10:00 Monday morning.
LAWRENCE: On the phone, Plouhar's father told us that his son believed in what he was doing in Iraq and didn't like being associated with a film seen as critical of war.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Had your son seen the film? What did he think about how he was portrayed in the film?
PLOUHAR SR.: Wrongly.
LAWRENCE: Plouhar told us his son was proud of being a marine recruiter. He says Michael Moore added audio commentary that made it somewhat critical of the marines recruiting tactics.
PLOUHAR SR.: No, he hated it. He hated the thought of it. He hated the way that it was presented to him.
LAWRENCE: Plouhar says his son thought he was participating in a documentary about the Marine Corps, not "Fahrenheit 9/11."
PLOUHAR SR.: He called me and said dad I'm going to be on "The Discovery Channel."
LAWRENCE: The father did not agree with the premise of "Fahrenheit 9/11." But the film is now one of lasting memories he has of his son.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: Now we've been trying to give Michael Moore a chance to respond. We couldn't reach him through his production company, so we wrote a letter to his agent, who has been trying to track him down. I can tell you that in the past Moore has publicly defended his film against his critics, Wolf.
BLITZER: What a sad story. Our deepest condolences to the family. Chris, thank you for that.
Are the Democrats starting to get religion? Two of the party's rising stars say that reaching out to evangelicals may put the party on the path to redemption in time for the presidential election. Joining us now in our "Culture Wars" segment, our senior national correspondent John Roberts, John
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good evening to you Wolf. For years Democrats unlike Republicans have been afraid to wear religion on their sleeve. It's to the point that they are perceived as being so secular that they have turned off a whole slice of America, but now they want to win that slice back.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS (voice-over): Inside this Washington, D.C. church a revival of sorts is under way. A rebirth of religion in the Democratic party.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), ILLINOIS: I think we make a mistake when we fail to acknowledge the power of faith in people's lives..
ROBERTS: Leading the reawakening is Barack Obama, the superstar senator from Illinois. He's urging fellow Democrats to lose their fear of talking about faith.
OBAMA: If we're not talking about how our values inform our public policy, then we will be vulnerable to the accusation that we are secular and can't speak to the things that are important to people.
ROBERTS: At stake is a huge swathe of voters across the Midwest and through the south, white evangelicals, they count for nearly one in four people who voted in 2004 and they went overwhelmingly for President Bush.
REV. JIM WALLIS, EVANGELICAL ACTIVIST: It's the biggest mistake the Democrats have made, to cede the entire territory of religion and values to a religious and political right, who then narrow the issues to only two, abortion, gay marriage, then manipulate them politically.
ROBERTS: Certainly a large chunk of those Christian voters would never go Democrat, but enough could to make the difference, particularly in a presidential election. So, it's not surprising to see some prominent players to try to build trust with moderate evangelicals.
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: It is really important that we as people of faith enlarge the debate in this country. It's been too narrow for too long now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTS: Enlarge the debates. So, what does that mean? It means expanding the pot of so-called moral and values issues beyond abortion and same-sex marriage, to include things like poverty, hunger, human rights, and creation care, which is a new name for environmentalism. It's a way, Democrats hope, to connect with religious voters and entice them to listen to them on the issues.
BLITZER: John you're going to have more coming up on this story on "ANDERSON COOPER 360" later tonight?
ROBERTS: An expanded version of this story, including an interesting admonition from Barack Obama, who says that if the Democratic Party is going to get religions, it's got to be authentic. He says, the worst thing you could possibly have is some politician sitting in the front row of a black church clapping out of time to the choir.
BLITZER: He's authentic, Barack Obama. He knows what he's doing.
ROBERTS: He knows what he's talking about.
BLITZER: We will be watching "ANDERSON COOPER 360" later tonight, 10:00 p.m. Eastern. Thanks John, very much.
Up ahead, an exploding laptop. The investigation in to what happened. Could your computer catch fire? The situation online. Also, bye-bye anchors, Charlie, Star, Katie, Dan, Meredith. Jeanne Moos looks at the bittersweet and the bitter. You'll want to see this. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: We're back in THE SITUATION ROOM. Jack Cafferty is standing by in New York with "The Cafferty File," Jack.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Supreme Court ruled today that the overall redistricting plan engineered by Republicans down there in Texas is OK, but they decided that one portion of that Texas congressional map is invalid. The question is, how much of a threat is districting to America's election process? Here's some of what you wrote us.
Stephen in Santa Cruz, California: "Redistricting is the No. 1 electoral issue, far ahead of elimination of the electoral college or electronic voting. The supremes are wrong. Gerrymadering exists and is being used to make the elections predictable and controllable."
Mary in Norco, California: "Jack, they did the redistricting here in California a few years ago. The result? We can't vote these yahoos out of office. They're dug in like Alabama ticks."
Ruth in Sanibel, Florida: "Districts that resemble spiders, crabs, octopi and snakes, a la Tom DeLay, keep elections as controlled and unfair as humanly possible. Is this really what our forefathers intended?"
Dee in Bandera, Texas: "Redistricting does not pose anywhere near the threat that unending terms in Congress pose. Forget redistricting. Concentrate on term limits."
And Kory in District 22 in Houston, which is Tom DeLay's old district: "What I find most interesting about redistricting is I always thought that citizens were supposed to choose their elected officials, not the other way around."
If you didn't see your e-mail here tonight, you can go to CNN.com/CaffertyFile and read more of them online. If you don't see it there, it means we chose to ignore it because it probably wasn't very good -- Wolf?
BLITZER: And there's a nice piece about you, Jack, that the "Associated Press" is just moving on the wires, a piece by Lynn Elber. You say some guess what, some Jack Cafferty kinds of things.
CAFFERTY: I had to pay a lot of money to Ms. Elber for that press coverage, Wolf. It cost me half of next week's pay.
BLITZER: It's a good strong piece about Jack Cafferty. You know our viewers love you, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Well, I hope they do. We tried. And Ms. Elber wrote a very flattering piece and I appreciate it.
BLITZER: I suspect it's going to be popping up in a lot of newspapers all over the country tomorrow.
CAFFERTY: Well, I hope so.
BLITZER: All right, good. Jack Cafferty is a good man and does an excellent job for us here in THE SITUATION ROOM. For all of us at CNN, thanks Jack.
And picture this: you're at a meeting, you're typing away when your computer suddenly explodes. Think it couldn't happen, you may want to think twice. Abbi Tatton has got more on the exploding laptop. What is going on, Abbi?
ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET REPORTER: Wolf, the pictures are quite startling that have shown up online. A laptop computer exploding into flames in a conference room. Bystanders moving back as it burns. These are from the Inquirer Web site. This is a news and technology Web site from the U.K.
They report that these photos were sent to them by a conference attendee in Japan. Dell confirms to CNN that the computer was one of theirs. Dell spokesman Bob Pearson saying it was an M17 notebook. He also says that that computer was quickly taken into possession by Dell. They then conducted an investigation.
That showed that the computer's battery had a thermal incident, as it was described to me. That means it overheated. Dell did last year conduct a recall of batteries. Bob Pearson says to me these two incidents were not related. He says that this was a rare and isolated incident and not part of a trend -- Wolf?
BLITZER: Thermal incident? That sounds like a wardrobe malfunction, except for a computer. Thanks very much for that, Abbi. Let's find out what's coming up right at the top of the hour. That means Paula is standing by. Paula?
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm hoping there are no wardrobe malfunctions here tonight. Thanks, Wolf. We continue to cover the fallout of the "New York Times" publishing that story last week of the government's monitoring and bank records. We'll also take a look at a community that has been torn apart by a businessman's offer to give $1 million each to a pair of schools. So why are some people insisting that the school shouldn't take the money? Plus, what happens when a drivers have a too-close encounter with more than a half ton of wild animal? Well, you can see the damage right there. And we aren't talking about deer on the highway. Something bigger may be wandering your way. You're going to have to stay tuned, Wolf, to see what we're talking about at the top of the hour.
BLITZER: We certainly will, Paula. You got me. Thanks, Paula. Still ahead, anchors away. The long good-byes on all the networks, some of them nicer than others. Only Jeanne Moos, only Jeanne Moos has this story. You're going to want to stick around and see it. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BLITZER: Lots of well-known television personalities have been saying good-bye lately and it's all giving CNN's Jeanne Moos a case of good-bye fatigue.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Toast after toast after toast. We've had one too many farewell broadcasts. Good-bye Meredith.
(SINGING)
MOOS: Just leave already. Kiss after kiss. Tear after tear.
CHARLES GIBSON, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: You got me.
MOOS: We're suffering from good-bye fatigue, exhausted from trying to catch the departing host with a catch in his voice.
GIBSON: Good Morning America. For 19 years, my mornings have -- almost made it.
MOOS: And please, no more dancing hosts and hostesses. (SINGING)
MOOS: And no more singing.
(SINGING)
MOOS: Connie's good-bye was campy, Katie's was syrupy sweet and Meredith's was a risky roast.
JOY BEHAR, CO-HOST, THE VIEW: What would Rosie O'Donnell do?
MOOS: And please, no more montages.
(on camera): I have an announcement of my own to make. I am not leaving CNN. I am not saying good-bye. You are going to have to suffer through a lot more of these pieces.
(voice-over): Our favorite good-bye turned into a cat fight. What was supposed to be a segment of "The View" on air conditioning was interrupted by Star Jones.
STAR JONES, FORMER CO-HOST, THE VIEW: I've got to apologize for interrupting you. Something's been on my heart for a little bit. The show is moving in another direction for its tenth season and I will not be returning as co-host next season.
MOOS: The four co-hosts held hands, they sang each other's praises. But over night, the graphics department changed this to this.
BARBARA WALTERS, CO-HOST: And then there were three. But the truth is that Star has known for months that ABC did not want to renew her contract.
MOOS: Star told "People" magazine she felt like she had been fired and Barbara said she felt she had been betrayed.
WALTERS: So it is becoming uncomfortable for us to pretend that everything is the same at this table. And therefore regrettably, Star will no longer be on this program.
MOOS: Sort of makes Dan Rather's cold departure from CBS seem cheery. Watching all of these good-byes takes...
DAN RATHER, FORMER CBS ANCHOR: ... Courage.
MOOS: And a good-bye gesture can backfire in hindsight. Make that behind sight.
MEREDITH VIEIRA, FORMER CO-HOST, THE VIEW: I will always keep you near and dear to me, always.
MOOS: Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE) BLITZER: Good luck to everyone. Thanks very much for joining us. I'm Wolf Blitzer in Washington. Let's go to Paula, she's standing by in New York. Paula?
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