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CNN Sunday Morning

Madrid Bombing Suspects Blow Themselves Up; Protesters Killed in Violent Clash in Iraq; 30th Anniversary of Devastating Super Twisters

Aired April 04, 2004 - 09:00   ET

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

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


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
Did you remember to spring forward last night? It's 9 a.m. on the East Coast, 6 a.m. out west.

Here's what we've got coming up for you.

Demonstrators in Iraq are crossing the line. That's the word from the top U.S. civilian administrator there. Paul Bremer announced the creation of three new security institutions as of today. We'll head live to Iraq for the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are two dates in my life I'll never forget, and that is when President Kennedy was assassinated and of course, April 3 tornado.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Remembering one of America's deadliest days at the hands of Mother Nature, 30 years after the super outbreak.

Plus, he's become a star in the world of reality TV, but it hasn't always been rosy in Donald Trump's business world. We'll explore and explain a bit later in the show.

But first, here's what's happening at this hour.

Nineteen people are reported killed in gun battles today in the Iraqi city of Najaf. That death toll is reported by CNN correspondent Jim Clancy in Baghdad. Followers of a firebrand Shiite cleric tangled in Najaf with Spanish troops of the international coalition.

Explosive drama in Spain. Police surround a building where train bombing suspects are cornered. Here's what happened next.

The suspect blew themselves up, killing a police officer, as well, and two other people in the process. One of those killed was a Tunisian man suspected of being a ringleader in the deadly commuter train bombings in Madrid.

Police officers under siege in Karachi, Pakistan. Gunmen storm a makeshift police station, killing five officers and wounding the chief constable. One of the attackers was wounded. Motives and affiliations of the gunmen are unknown at this time.

Tens of thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican as Pope John Paul II opened hold week with a Palm Sunday service. The crowd waved palm fronds, a Christian symbol of peace. The pope has a full schedule of services and public appearances in the next week.

Our top story this morning, the death toll reached five at the explosion at the building in suburban Madrid. Spanish police surrounded the building, looking for suspects in the devastating commuter train bombings last month.

The explosion killed one police officer and at least two suspects, including a Tunisian believed to be a ringleader in the train bombings last month. Out Madrid bureau chief Al Goodman will be joining us in a moment for the latest details on that.

Those suspects were cornered in that building late yesterday, Spain time, by police were who were lured to this area in Leganes in Spain, 10 miles south of Madrid. When they got there, apparently the suspects had threatened to blow up the building. And then, apparently, witnesses did hear and see the explosions.

In the end, it's believed that at least three suspects were killed. Now we know today the interior minister is reporting that one of those suspects may have been a ringleader in that March 11 train explosion that killed 190 people.

Al Goodman now is joining us via videophone, I believe, from Leganes, Spain -- Al.

AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, I'm actually on the telephone, and we just had problems with that, but we have now established connection again. So I wasn't able to hear when what you said. But let me bring you up to date.

The -- there are five people are dead in that explosion which you just showed on air. There was some home video made of that. We talked to one security guard who, from a balcony across the way right where I am at this point, across from the building that took the blast, made his own tape of that, as well.

Four suspected terrorists died in that blast, including, as you said, a Tunisian man, considered by authorities to be a coordinator or ring leader of the March 11 commuter train bombings in Madrid that killed 190 people and wounded 1,800 more.

Also a police officer who was storming the flat where the suspected terrorists were, died, and there are eight other police officers in the hospital.

The interior minister, talking Sunday at a news conference, gave other chilling details. He said, in this flat that was stormed after the explosion, investigators found more explosives ready to be used as a bomb. And those explosives are the same type, the interior minister said, as the commuter train bombings three weeks ago and as the failed attack on the bullet train last Friday, just two days ago. So clearly, between this apartment and those two attacks. Also, police found 200 detonators, some of them the kind used in the commuter train bombings, others the kind used in the failed attack on the bullet train. The bullet train bomb did not explode. No one was injured in that case on Friday. So clearly links.

He also was saying that two other suspected terrorists may have escaped before police sealed off this area in this southern Madrid suburb of Leganes -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And obviously, Alan, then police are now trying to question an awful lot of the residents, given that this is a residential, a very dense residential community, trying to find out a little bit more about these suspects and possibly the other two that may have gotten away, as you reported.

GOODMAN: Indeed. The interior minister said that the suspects had been in this apartment a very short time. It is -- unlike, or instances, the American suburbs, where there're mainly single family homes, here in Madrid in the suburbs, they are mainly apartment complexes or what we might call condominiums.

And here, there is a series of buildings, of four story buildings. The one where the explosion occurred had had about 40 apartments in it. And we're told that these suspected terrorists moved in just recently. Some people in the neighborhood are saying they moved in, actually, after the March 11 train bombings three weeks ago.

So pictures of the suspects, once the arrest warrants were issued just a few days ago in Madrid, were six of the people, of whom two were suspected to have died in this explosion last night.

Those were shown around the neighborhood, people have said, and in addition, people are being asked just how long these people were in the apartment. And they were being told it's a very short time. So that indicates that they moved around quite a bit, trying to escape this huge dragnet that's going on in Spain and actually in other countries, as well, for the perpetrators of the Madrid commuter train bombings -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Al Goodman, thanks very much for that update on the phone now. Now the new numbers, at least four suspected terrorists were killed in that explosion yesterday, including possibly the ring leader of the March 11 train attacks in Madrid that killed 190 people.

In Iraq, it's been a day of volatile protests and deadly clashes. The emerging picture is of an angry Shiite population, facing off against the coalition authority.

CNN's Jim Clancy is monitoring events from Baghdad, where administrator Paul Bremer, just moments ago, announced new security measures, as well -- Jim.

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he was announcing a defense ministry that would be in charge of the Iraqi military, as well as the national intelligence agency. Very important facets of the overall picture in Iraq and ones that would be under civilian control.

But you've got to admit that this was all overshadowed by events in Najaf today, where videotapes captured pictures of Moqtada Sadr, a firebrand Shiah Muslim cleric, a young man whose father was almost legendary in this country, who has been very anti-American, very anti- occupation, anti-coalition in many of his fiery sermons.

His supporters firing then on Spanish troops they believed held an aide to Moqtada Sadr. The Spanish firing back, as we understand right now.

Four Spanish coalition soldiers have been killed. Two Iraqi soldiers, who were inside their compound, have been killed, this when they came under attack by Moqtada al-Sadr's forces. Local hospitals telling news agencies anywhere from 14 to 19 or more of Moqtada al- Sadr's supporters were killed. In return gunfire, as many as 100 others wounded.

This is a serious escalation. Paul Bremer talked about it in his brief comments, as he was introducing new members of the defense ministry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL BREMER, U.S. ADMINISTRATOR IN IRAQ: This morning, a group of people in Najaf have crossed the line, and they have moved to violence. This will not be tolerated. This will not be tolerated by the coalition; this will be not tolerated by the Iraqi people; and this will not be tolerated by the Iraqi security forces.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: Well, as we survey the situation, it must be said there were peaceful protest by the same supporters held in Baghdad again this day. So the problem now for the coalition will be to try to calm things down.

What will be the level of compromise and conversation, perhaps, between Moqtada al-Sadr's supporters and the coalition in the coming hours, that could be critical.

Back to you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Jim Clancy in Baghdad, thank you for that update.

On to nature's fury. Thirty years ago, Mother Nature unleashed a barrage of tornadoes that ripped across 13 states. When the dust settled, hundreds were dead, entire towns gone. Coming up, we take a look back at one of the worst tornado outbreaks this country has ever seen.

And it seems like there's no end in sight to the rising gas prices, so how will the jump at the pump affect the spring break travel season and maybe even into the summer? We'll take a close look. JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And it's not feeling like spring across much of the southwest. Wet, windy and cool weather. Albuquerque had more than two inches of rain yesterday, more wet weather on the way for today. We'll have your forecast, along with the nation's travel weather, coming up on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Reality TV has been a smashing success for Donald Trump, so why not try comedy?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, REAL ESTATE MOGUL: Darryl, I love what you do; it's great. Do that thing; go ahead.

DARRYL HAMMOND, COMEDIAN: You're fired!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: More on Mr. Trump, on and off the set, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The devastation was colossal. A swarm of tornadoes ripped through 13 states in a 24 hour period; 330 deaths, another 5,000 injured. It remains the largest swarm of twisters ever recorded, an historic case study for meteorologists worldwide.

And here's a chilling thought. Experts say the question now is not if, but when it will happen again.

April 3, 1974, that was the date the series of connected tornadoes became known as the super tornado outbreak, the worst ever on records. The incredible images from that day serve as a powerful reminder of Mother Nature's brute force.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (voice-over): What you're looking at here is the radar screen with what's called a tornado signature.

On this day, April 3, 1974, a super twister hovered over Xenia, Ohio. However, the signature was not detected in time to warn of the wrath that would follow.

The super twister was a string of tornadoes that hit 13 states in 24 hours. More than 300 people would die from the horrific swarm.

Among the hardest hit, Alabama, where 86 people died. Seventy- seven in Kentucky. In Tennessee, 50 would die. Forty-nine in Indiana. In Ohio, 41 killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The situation is cleared up. There's a lot of vehicles all over the city.

WHITFIELD: Dick Tongue was a radio helicopter pilot for station WAZE in Mead County, Kentucky.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You could see it picked up automobiles. You could see it picked up -- in the tail of it, you could see boards flying around. You could see parts of roof flying around it was awful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two dates in my life I'll never forget, and that was when President Kennedy was assassinated, and of course, the April 3 tornado.

WHITFIELD: Teacher Harry Craycroft (ph) was at a meeting inside a Brandenburg, Kentucky, school that day. He survived. His mother, a few miles away at a beauty salon, did not.

The city lost 31 people that day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was no funnel to it; it was just a wall of dark cloud. And you could see all kinds of debris flying in the air.

WHITFIELD: It would take a years to rebuild the cities hit by the super twister. It would take awhile longer for the memories to fade.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you could look down and see the citizens of this town working together, helping one another. I've never seen people come together like that before in my life. Strangers, helping out, looking through houses for people injured. It was just like everybody forgot their differences and came together.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: You're about to meet a man whose life was forever changed by one of those tornadoes.

Take a look at this picture of then nine year-old Daniel Wilson. Well, he spent the night in the basement with his family that day, back in 1974. Wilson went on to become none other than a meteorologist and has made charting the weather his life's calling.

He joins us live from Lexington, Kentucky.

Good to see you, Daniel.

DANIEL WILSON, METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, many would go through something like that, remember it and try to forget it. Instead, you almost relive it all the time, given that now your occupation is a meteorologist. You have forever been fascinated about tornadoes.

WILSON: That is correct, Fredricka. It seems like the severe weather and tornadoes and thunderstorms have been a very strong interest of mine ever since the '74 outbreak.

And I still remember April the 3rd, every time it comes up. It's always an anniversary to me.

WHITFIELD: What do you remember about it? You were nine years old. How do you remember getting the notice that a tornado was on the way? What did you and your family do?

WILSON: Well, basically, whenever we -- we first realized something was going to happen, the elements seemed to be just a greenish, yellowish cast. And once we received the warnings, as they were issued from a local radio station, we went to the basement, and remained there throughout the late evening and up until the early morning hours.

WHITFIELD: So, the radio really was your lifeline, so to speak. Back then, there certainly wasn't the kind of technology now, the loud speakers bullhorns that go off in communities like we're seeing now today. Explain to me how the radio is able to kind of keep you all in touch and kind of keep you calm.

WILSON: The radio played a big part in protecting lives and property. We in our area had just received a tornado that came through less than a mile from our home in '71, and this tornado came through the Alpine or piney woods area of Pulaski County also brought back memories of that day.

And the radio provided information about warnings, as the twisters touched down throughout the area where I live and where I'm from.

WHITFIELD: OK. And instead of being forever afraid of tornadoes, instead you are kind of forever fascinated by them by now. How much have you learned over the years about how are you able to help people, you know, take protection or know about the early warning signs and the value of that?

WILSON: Well, Fredricka, the value of being able to notifying people is front and foremost in a lot of media in providing information.

We have seen technology change to the point where, with all respect for technology then, a warning would be issued in those days. It seemed like basically we were reading a news story, because sometimes the storm had already passed by the time the pertinent information was relayed.

WHITFIELD: All right. Daniel Wilson, thanks so much for joining us and helping us know what you went through back in 1974, when a string of twisters went through 13 states.

WILSON: Thank you very much. It's been a pleasure this morning.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Well, we'll take a look at what we might expect for this year's tornado season. Is there a way of doing that?

JERAS: Well, not exactly. But we're going to tell you a little bit about some of the factors. And we're also going to talk about technology a little bit when we come up, because radar back in 1974 is a lot different than it is now. So we'll tell you all about that, with the nation's forecast, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This isn't just any tornado. It's one of the most violent and destructive forces of nature: a super twister.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And those are some incredible images of the super twister. And it aired recently on a PBS special.

But make no mistake, this is the best way to see a tornado, on television. You don't want to live it live and in person. But unfortunately, a lot of people do. And we're getting into the season of seeing a lot more tornadoes, aren't we, Jacqui?

JERAS: Absolutely, yes. In fact, the month where we have the most incidents of tornadoes across the United States is the month of May. We still have a month to go, but April, May and June, we see more of them than any other time of the year.

But in the United States, you can get a tornado any given day. Any month of the year.

WHITFIELD: That is true.

JERAS: It has happened.

WHITFIELD: We did see some unusual twisters happening in the fall, as well.

JERAS: Right. But the best thing I can tell: there's such a difference in technology today, compared to what we had in 1974. And it really is helping save lives. And that is Doppler radar. It came out in 1988. And we can see storms so much better.

This image that you're looking at right here, this is a Vizinia (ph) tornado in Ohio. And that one happened in 1974. Take a look at that radar image.

And now we want to put up next to it...

WHITFIELD: My gosh.

JERAS: ... obviously different storm system, but just to give you an idea of how different radar looks today.

You can see the individual cells, instead of one big blob. And if you take a look, a couple of those, like at the very bottom, red, red area. You see right there. It seems that there's a little bit of a tail on the very bottom of that echo? WHITFIELD:: Yes.

JERAS: That's a hook. And when you see a signature like that, when we see a hook, we know that there's trouble brewing.

And the other nice thing about Doppler radar is that you can also detect the wind speed and the wind direction. So we can see a tornado developing before it ever reaches the ground.

In '74 we weren't able to do that, so when the National Weather Service would issue a tornado warning, that would happen only when you saw the tornado on the ground. And today, we can issue warnings before it ever touches the ground, and you get advanced notice about 11 minutes.

WHITFIELD: That's remarkable.

JERAS: It's a very significant difference, absolutely.

Now, what can we expect this severe weather season? Well, so far it's been a bit on the slow side, believe it or not. We're about half of where we should be for the number of tornadoes. Between January and March, we had 61 tornadoes.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

JERAS: And we usually see -- yes, that's the average. We've had about 35.

And in the last two days, we've had two tornadoes each day. All those happened in Texas with no damage.

Now what do we need to get this season going? Well, we need stronger storm systems. We need ample Gulf moisture and more favorable Jet winds. We just haven't had a lot of that. And right now, the next two weeks are looking unfavorable for severe conditions, at least widespread. However, one part of the country we're going to be keeping our eye on now, and that western Texas right into the Del Rio (ph) Valley. We have a slight risk of severe thunderstorms there this afternoon.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Thanks a lot, Jacqui.

JERAS: You bet.

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories now.

Spanish police are investigating a vehicle they may be packed with explosives in the apartment complex where several suspects blew themselves up inside the building on Saturday.

Spanish authorities believe they got their man. As police began to raid the building on the outskirts of Madrid, they were closing in on at least four suspected terrorists. They say the man they believe was the mastermind behind the March 11 attacks was among those four suspected terrorists that were killed.

Also killed, a Spanish police officer.

At least 19 Iraqis killed with a gun battle between Shiite demonstrators and Spanish soldiers in Najaf. The chief U.S. civilian administrator says violent protesters have quote, "crossed the line" and will not be tolerated.

The rising gas prices may mean a reduction in travel.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the price at the pump is taking a big bite out of Americans' wallets. I'll be back with more on that in a minute.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired April 4, 2004 - 09:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
Did you remember to spring forward last night? It's 9 a.m. on the East Coast, 6 a.m. out west.

Here's what we've got coming up for you.

Demonstrators in Iraq are crossing the line. That's the word from the top U.S. civilian administrator there. Paul Bremer announced the creation of three new security institutions as of today. We'll head live to Iraq for the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are two dates in my life I'll never forget, and that is when President Kennedy was assassinated and of course, April 3 tornado.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Remembering one of America's deadliest days at the hands of Mother Nature, 30 years after the super outbreak.

Plus, he's become a star in the world of reality TV, but it hasn't always been rosy in Donald Trump's business world. We'll explore and explain a bit later in the show.

But first, here's what's happening at this hour.

Nineteen people are reported killed in gun battles today in the Iraqi city of Najaf. That death toll is reported by CNN correspondent Jim Clancy in Baghdad. Followers of a firebrand Shiite cleric tangled in Najaf with Spanish troops of the international coalition.

Explosive drama in Spain. Police surround a building where train bombing suspects are cornered. Here's what happened next.

The suspect blew themselves up, killing a police officer, as well, and two other people in the process. One of those killed was a Tunisian man suspected of being a ringleader in the deadly commuter train bombings in Madrid.

Police officers under siege in Karachi, Pakistan. Gunmen storm a makeshift police station, killing five officers and wounding the chief constable. One of the attackers was wounded. Motives and affiliations of the gunmen are unknown at this time.

Tens of thousands gathered in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican as Pope John Paul II opened hold week with a Palm Sunday service. The crowd waved palm fronds, a Christian symbol of peace. The pope has a full schedule of services and public appearances in the next week.

Our top story this morning, the death toll reached five at the explosion at the building in suburban Madrid. Spanish police surrounded the building, looking for suspects in the devastating commuter train bombings last month.

The explosion killed one police officer and at least two suspects, including a Tunisian believed to be a ringleader in the train bombings last month. Out Madrid bureau chief Al Goodman will be joining us in a moment for the latest details on that.

Those suspects were cornered in that building late yesterday, Spain time, by police were who were lured to this area in Leganes in Spain, 10 miles south of Madrid. When they got there, apparently the suspects had threatened to blow up the building. And then, apparently, witnesses did hear and see the explosions.

In the end, it's believed that at least three suspects were killed. Now we know today the interior minister is reporting that one of those suspects may have been a ringleader in that March 11 train explosion that killed 190 people.

Al Goodman now is joining us via videophone, I believe, from Leganes, Spain -- Al.

AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, I'm actually on the telephone, and we just had problems with that, but we have now established connection again. So I wasn't able to hear when what you said. But let me bring you up to date.

The -- there are five people are dead in that explosion which you just showed on air. There was some home video made of that. We talked to one security guard who, from a balcony across the way right where I am at this point, across from the building that took the blast, made his own tape of that, as well.

Four suspected terrorists died in that blast, including, as you said, a Tunisian man, considered by authorities to be a coordinator or ring leader of the March 11 commuter train bombings in Madrid that killed 190 people and wounded 1,800 more.

Also a police officer who was storming the flat where the suspected terrorists were, died, and there are eight other police officers in the hospital.

The interior minister, talking Sunday at a news conference, gave other chilling details. He said, in this flat that was stormed after the explosion, investigators found more explosives ready to be used as a bomb. And those explosives are the same type, the interior minister said, as the commuter train bombings three weeks ago and as the failed attack on the bullet train last Friday, just two days ago. So clearly, between this apartment and those two attacks. Also, police found 200 detonators, some of them the kind used in the commuter train bombings, others the kind used in the failed attack on the bullet train. The bullet train bomb did not explode. No one was injured in that case on Friday. So clearly links.

He also was saying that two other suspected terrorists may have escaped before police sealed off this area in this southern Madrid suburb of Leganes -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And obviously, Alan, then police are now trying to question an awful lot of the residents, given that this is a residential, a very dense residential community, trying to find out a little bit more about these suspects and possibly the other two that may have gotten away, as you reported.

GOODMAN: Indeed. The interior minister said that the suspects had been in this apartment a very short time. It is -- unlike, or instances, the American suburbs, where there're mainly single family homes, here in Madrid in the suburbs, they are mainly apartment complexes or what we might call condominiums.

And here, there is a series of buildings, of four story buildings. The one where the explosion occurred had had about 40 apartments in it. And we're told that these suspected terrorists moved in just recently. Some people in the neighborhood are saying they moved in, actually, after the March 11 train bombings three weeks ago.

So pictures of the suspects, once the arrest warrants were issued just a few days ago in Madrid, were six of the people, of whom two were suspected to have died in this explosion last night.

Those were shown around the neighborhood, people have said, and in addition, people are being asked just how long these people were in the apartment. And they were being told it's a very short time. So that indicates that they moved around quite a bit, trying to escape this huge dragnet that's going on in Spain and actually in other countries, as well, for the perpetrators of the Madrid commuter train bombings -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Al Goodman, thanks very much for that update on the phone now. Now the new numbers, at least four suspected terrorists were killed in that explosion yesterday, including possibly the ring leader of the March 11 train attacks in Madrid that killed 190 people.

In Iraq, it's been a day of volatile protests and deadly clashes. The emerging picture is of an angry Shiite population, facing off against the coalition authority.

CNN's Jim Clancy is monitoring events from Baghdad, where administrator Paul Bremer, just moments ago, announced new security measures, as well -- Jim.

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he was announcing a defense ministry that would be in charge of the Iraqi military, as well as the national intelligence agency. Very important facets of the overall picture in Iraq and ones that would be under civilian control.

But you've got to admit that this was all overshadowed by events in Najaf today, where videotapes captured pictures of Moqtada Sadr, a firebrand Shiah Muslim cleric, a young man whose father was almost legendary in this country, who has been very anti-American, very anti- occupation, anti-coalition in many of his fiery sermons.

His supporters firing then on Spanish troops they believed held an aide to Moqtada Sadr. The Spanish firing back, as we understand right now.

Four Spanish coalition soldiers have been killed. Two Iraqi soldiers, who were inside their compound, have been killed, this when they came under attack by Moqtada al-Sadr's forces. Local hospitals telling news agencies anywhere from 14 to 19 or more of Moqtada al- Sadr's supporters were killed. In return gunfire, as many as 100 others wounded.

This is a serious escalation. Paul Bremer talked about it in his brief comments, as he was introducing new members of the defense ministry.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL BREMER, U.S. ADMINISTRATOR IN IRAQ: This morning, a group of people in Najaf have crossed the line, and they have moved to violence. This will not be tolerated. This will not be tolerated by the coalition; this will be not tolerated by the Iraqi people; and this will not be tolerated by the Iraqi security forces.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CLANCY: Well, as we survey the situation, it must be said there were peaceful protest by the same supporters held in Baghdad again this day. So the problem now for the coalition will be to try to calm things down.

What will be the level of compromise and conversation, perhaps, between Moqtada al-Sadr's supporters and the coalition in the coming hours, that could be critical.

Back to you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Jim Clancy in Baghdad, thank you for that update.

On to nature's fury. Thirty years ago, Mother Nature unleashed a barrage of tornadoes that ripped across 13 states. When the dust settled, hundreds were dead, entire towns gone. Coming up, we take a look back at one of the worst tornado outbreaks this country has ever seen.

And it seems like there's no end in sight to the rising gas prices, so how will the jump at the pump affect the spring break travel season and maybe even into the summer? We'll take a close look. JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And it's not feeling like spring across much of the southwest. Wet, windy and cool weather. Albuquerque had more than two inches of rain yesterday, more wet weather on the way for today. We'll have your forecast, along with the nation's travel weather, coming up on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Reality TV has been a smashing success for Donald Trump, so why not try comedy?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, REAL ESTATE MOGUL: Darryl, I love what you do; it's great. Do that thing; go ahead.

DARRYL HAMMOND, COMEDIAN: You're fired!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: More on Mr. Trump, on and off the set, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: The devastation was colossal. A swarm of tornadoes ripped through 13 states in a 24 hour period; 330 deaths, another 5,000 injured. It remains the largest swarm of twisters ever recorded, an historic case study for meteorologists worldwide.

And here's a chilling thought. Experts say the question now is not if, but when it will happen again.

April 3, 1974, that was the date the series of connected tornadoes became known as the super tornado outbreak, the worst ever on records. The incredible images from that day serve as a powerful reminder of Mother Nature's brute force.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (voice-over): What you're looking at here is the radar screen with what's called a tornado signature.

On this day, April 3, 1974, a super twister hovered over Xenia, Ohio. However, the signature was not detected in time to warn of the wrath that would follow.

The super twister was a string of tornadoes that hit 13 states in 24 hours. More than 300 people would die from the horrific swarm.

Among the hardest hit, Alabama, where 86 people died. Seventy- seven in Kentucky. In Tennessee, 50 would die. Forty-nine in Indiana. In Ohio, 41 killed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The situation is cleared up. There's a lot of vehicles all over the city.

WHITFIELD: Dick Tongue was a radio helicopter pilot for station WAZE in Mead County, Kentucky.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You could see it picked up automobiles. You could see it picked up -- in the tail of it, you could see boards flying around. You could see parts of roof flying around it was awful.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two dates in my life I'll never forget, and that was when President Kennedy was assassinated, and of course, the April 3 tornado.

WHITFIELD: Teacher Harry Craycroft (ph) was at a meeting inside a Brandenburg, Kentucky, school that day. He survived. His mother, a few miles away at a beauty salon, did not.

The city lost 31 people that day.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There was no funnel to it; it was just a wall of dark cloud. And you could see all kinds of debris flying in the air.

WHITFIELD: It would take a years to rebuild the cities hit by the super twister. It would take awhile longer for the memories to fade.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you could look down and see the citizens of this town working together, helping one another. I've never seen people come together like that before in my life. Strangers, helping out, looking through houses for people injured. It was just like everybody forgot their differences and came together.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: You're about to meet a man whose life was forever changed by one of those tornadoes.

Take a look at this picture of then nine year-old Daniel Wilson. Well, he spent the night in the basement with his family that day, back in 1974. Wilson went on to become none other than a meteorologist and has made charting the weather his life's calling.

He joins us live from Lexington, Kentucky.

Good to see you, Daniel.

DANIEL WILSON, METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Well, many would go through something like that, remember it and try to forget it. Instead, you almost relive it all the time, given that now your occupation is a meteorologist. You have forever been fascinated about tornadoes.

WILSON: That is correct, Fredricka. It seems like the severe weather and tornadoes and thunderstorms have been a very strong interest of mine ever since the '74 outbreak.

And I still remember April the 3rd, every time it comes up. It's always an anniversary to me.

WHITFIELD: What do you remember about it? You were nine years old. How do you remember getting the notice that a tornado was on the way? What did you and your family do?

WILSON: Well, basically, whenever we -- we first realized something was going to happen, the elements seemed to be just a greenish, yellowish cast. And once we received the warnings, as they were issued from a local radio station, we went to the basement, and remained there throughout the late evening and up until the early morning hours.

WHITFIELD: So, the radio really was your lifeline, so to speak. Back then, there certainly wasn't the kind of technology now, the loud speakers bullhorns that go off in communities like we're seeing now today. Explain to me how the radio is able to kind of keep you all in touch and kind of keep you calm.

WILSON: The radio played a big part in protecting lives and property. We in our area had just received a tornado that came through less than a mile from our home in '71, and this tornado came through the Alpine or piney woods area of Pulaski County also brought back memories of that day.

And the radio provided information about warnings, as the twisters touched down throughout the area where I live and where I'm from.

WHITFIELD: OK. And instead of being forever afraid of tornadoes, instead you are kind of forever fascinated by them by now. How much have you learned over the years about how are you able to help people, you know, take protection or know about the early warning signs and the value of that?

WILSON: Well, Fredricka, the value of being able to notifying people is front and foremost in a lot of media in providing information.

We have seen technology change to the point where, with all respect for technology then, a warning would be issued in those days. It seemed like basically we were reading a news story, because sometimes the storm had already passed by the time the pertinent information was relayed.

WHITFIELD: All right. Daniel Wilson, thanks so much for joining us and helping us know what you went through back in 1974, when a string of twisters went through 13 states.

WILSON: Thank you very much. It's been a pleasure this morning.

WHITFIELD: All right.

Well, we'll take a look at what we might expect for this year's tornado season. Is there a way of doing that?

JERAS: Well, not exactly. But we're going to tell you a little bit about some of the factors. And we're also going to talk about technology a little bit when we come up, because radar back in 1974 is a lot different than it is now. So we'll tell you all about that, with the nation's forecast, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This isn't just any tornado. It's one of the most violent and destructive forces of nature: a super twister.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And those are some incredible images of the super twister. And it aired recently on a PBS special.

But make no mistake, this is the best way to see a tornado, on television. You don't want to live it live and in person. But unfortunately, a lot of people do. And we're getting into the season of seeing a lot more tornadoes, aren't we, Jacqui?

JERAS: Absolutely, yes. In fact, the month where we have the most incidents of tornadoes across the United States is the month of May. We still have a month to go, but April, May and June, we see more of them than any other time of the year.

But in the United States, you can get a tornado any given day. Any month of the year.

WHITFIELD: That is true.

JERAS: It has happened.

WHITFIELD: We did see some unusual twisters happening in the fall, as well.

JERAS: Right. But the best thing I can tell: there's such a difference in technology today, compared to what we had in 1974. And it really is helping save lives. And that is Doppler radar. It came out in 1988. And we can see storms so much better.

This image that you're looking at right here, this is a Vizinia (ph) tornado in Ohio. And that one happened in 1974. Take a look at that radar image.

And now we want to put up next to it...

WHITFIELD: My gosh.

JERAS: ... obviously different storm system, but just to give you an idea of how different radar looks today.

You can see the individual cells, instead of one big blob. And if you take a look, a couple of those, like at the very bottom, red, red area. You see right there. It seems that there's a little bit of a tail on the very bottom of that echo? WHITFIELD:: Yes.

JERAS: That's a hook. And when you see a signature like that, when we see a hook, we know that there's trouble brewing.

And the other nice thing about Doppler radar is that you can also detect the wind speed and the wind direction. So we can see a tornado developing before it ever reaches the ground.

In '74 we weren't able to do that, so when the National Weather Service would issue a tornado warning, that would happen only when you saw the tornado on the ground. And today, we can issue warnings before it ever touches the ground, and you get advanced notice about 11 minutes.

WHITFIELD: That's remarkable.

JERAS: It's a very significant difference, absolutely.

Now, what can we expect this severe weather season? Well, so far it's been a bit on the slow side, believe it or not. We're about half of where we should be for the number of tornadoes. Between January and March, we had 61 tornadoes.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

JERAS: And we usually see -- yes, that's the average. We've had about 35.

And in the last two days, we've had two tornadoes each day. All those happened in Texas with no damage.

Now what do we need to get this season going? Well, we need stronger storm systems. We need ample Gulf moisture and more favorable Jet winds. We just haven't had a lot of that. And right now, the next two weeks are looking unfavorable for severe conditions, at least widespread. However, one part of the country we're going to be keeping our eye on now, and that western Texas right into the Del Rio (ph) Valley. We have a slight risk of severe thunderstorms there this afternoon.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Thanks a lot, Jacqui.

JERAS: You bet.

WHITFIELD: A look at our top stories now.

Spanish police are investigating a vehicle they may be packed with explosives in the apartment complex where several suspects blew themselves up inside the building on Saturday.

Spanish authorities believe they got their man. As police began to raid the building on the outskirts of Madrid, they were closing in on at least four suspected terrorists. They say the man they believe was the mastermind behind the March 11 attacks was among those four suspected terrorists that were killed.

Also killed, a Spanish police officer.

At least 19 Iraqis killed with a gun battle between Shiite demonstrators and Spanish soldiers in Najaf. The chief U.S. civilian administrator says violent protesters have quote, "crossed the line" and will not be tolerated.

The rising gas prices may mean a reduction in travel.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the price at the pump is taking a big bite out of Americans' wallets. I'll be back with more on that in a minute.

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