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CNN Sunday Morning
One, Possibly Two Tornadoes Hit Dumas, Arkansas; At Least 22 Killed in Attack at a Baghdad University; Florida Manhunt; Real ID Mess; Washington & Hollywood; 'Faces of Faith'
Aired February 25, 2007 - 07:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(NEWSBREAK)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center, good morning, everybody. This is CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
We're going to get to that video and just give you details on that destruction, but first we want to let you know that it is February 25th on the calendar today.
Want to say good morning. I'm Betty Nguyen.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm T.J. Holmes.
It is 7:00 a.m. here in the East.
Thank you so much for starting your day right here with us.
NGUYEN: All right. Let's get right to it.
We do start with a developing story, and that is severe weather. You can see it right there.
Dumas, Arkansas, this hour looks like it went through a giant blender. This time yesterday we were warning you about the threat of violent weather moving across the Great Plains. Well, hours later, it did.
CNN's Sean Callebs is live this morning in the middle of that devastation.
Any idea how strong of a storm, possibly tornado, this was?
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we don't know exactly, was it an F-2, was it an F-3, but we do know the state police say they believe two funnel clouds tore through this area, starting the southwest area of Dumas and just carving their way right through. We're in basically the remnants of a shopping center. Behind me, you can see a store that has simply been shredded.
Here are the latest numbers that we're getting from the taskforce that's been assembled trying to being looking for people who could still be in the flattened homes and businesses in this area. They know 28 people have been injured, at least three critically. But they also tell us there are a number of people unaccounted for. And since there's no electricity in this area, there is no cell phone service, they are concerned that people could still be back in that area, a more rural area of this county. There are homes that they really have not had a chance to check through.
Before it got dark last night, authorities were going door to door, basically remnants to remnants, doing what they could. They were using thermal imaging and also using helicopters.
Now, once it begins to get daylight, they're going to get back out again. And here is how the Arkansas state police captain told me the search is going to resume this morning.
NGUYEN: All right, Sean. I know you were waiting for some sound there. Apparently we don't have that. But here's what I want to ask you -- just looking at the destruction behind you, and the fact there were no fatalities, what are people attributing that to? The fact that they were given warnings?
CALLEBS: Well, they did receive some warning, but I think that people in this area also know what to do in the event of a tornado. There were people inside shopping, there was some discussion about going to a stockroom. Instead, people laid down on the floor. And you can just imagine what it must have sounded like. You can see just twisted tin and metal all along the remnants of structures out here.
Also, there are two large factories. One produces cat and dog food and employees more than a hundred people. Another one makes furniture. Those stores weren't working because it was Saturday.
If that had been any other time, the state police tell us there could have been a number of more injuries, perhaps some fatalities. But they still don't know, because there are people unaccounted for.
What they are trying to do is, as people come to where the law enforcement officers are set up, they're saying, we're looking for so and so, and so and so. They get out and do what they can and try to reconnect those families.
They had some success yesterday. They don't know how many people are still unaccounted for, but there are some.
And, you know, another problem that cropped up with all of this -- with the homes and businesses devastated, looting. It was very bad right after the storm. But the troopers tell us they were able to get National Guard and other law enforcement people in that area and they cut that off very quickly.
The mayor instituted a curfew last night, a dusk-till-dawn curfew. So authorities were patrolling the back roads here. And if they saw anybody out who wasn't law enforcement, they simply stopped them and brought them out of this area.
NGUYEN: Oh, that's just awful to hear, especially when people have been through so much and then they find those taking advantage of the situation. Sean Callebs, thanks for that report. We'll be checking in with you a little bit later.
HOLMES: And we see the nasty weather there in Arkansas, but it certainly spread far beyond that state. These pictures are here now from Des Moines, Iowa.
A storm there came in the form of freezing rain which brought down tree limbs and power lines all across the state. Utility companies say it could be days before power is restored more than to 130,000 customers.
Meanwhile, in Texas, amateur video here to show you that shows the storm as it raced across the panhandle. You can see the high winds kicked up a major dust storm there.
They also fanned brush fires in central Texas. Authorities had to shut down several highways as they battled the flames from the ground and from the air. One large wildfire is burning on the Ft. Hood Army base between Waco and Austin.
And as part of CNN's I-Report, many of you sending us video and images of the winter storm where you live, we've got some to show you here.
Andrew Nostvick taped the ice storm as it looked in Waverly, Iowa.
Also -- we don't have that for you.
NGUYEN: There we go.
HOLMES: There we go. We' got the video for you. And we've got some more here we're going to show you as well from -- from our Denver affiliate, KUSA.
This is still the amateur video here I believe we're looking at of the ice storm in Iowa. But our affiliate video we have to show you is of a 35-car smash-up, if you will, that closed down Interstate 70 near the city of Aurora.
NGUYEN: Oh, look at that.
HOLMES: You can't even see the road there the conditions are so bad. A sheet of ice on the highway caused the chain reaction accident. And even though many of the drivers say they were creeping along just at 15 miles an hour, still that wasn't slow enough to prevent this. Three minor injuries reported there.
And also, got a little insult to injury to tell you about. This is from Chicago, where a snowplow cleared the street and threw heavy snow and ice over a line of parked cars.
And you can see it knocked out a lot of the windshields. So they were trying to plow, trying to do the right thing and trying to help folks out, but it ended up hurting some folks who were just parked there on the street. So that's unfortunate.
NGUYEN: What a mess.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: And, you know, and the thing about it is, it's not just one area. It is a large swath where we're seeing this severe weather.
Let's get to Reynolds Wolf now for the latest on what is happening out there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: Baghdad rocked this morning by a single suicide bomber. The deadly attack targeting students at a business college in the Iraq capital.
CNN's Arwa Damon is live there in Baghdad for us right now.
Hello to you, Arwa.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, T.J.
And at least 23 students and employees were killed in that attack, at least 33 wounded. And this is, in fact, the second time this year that this university has been hit by a devastating attack.
The other incident happening on a different campus. Today's attack taking place on the business and management campus. But earlier this year, in mid-January, this university was also the target of twin suicide bombings. Those attacks killing at least 70 students and employees. And this violence coming just a day after Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki announced to the nation that he believed that the Baghdad security plan was showing initial signs of success.
Now, U.S. military commanders here are cautioning against any premature statements about this security plan. But this is the second time that the Iraqi government has come out and made a statement of success, only to have that be followed by these devastating and deadly attacks. The insurgency here clearly trying to point out to the Iraqi people and to the Iraqi government that it is still highly active and highly capable of carrying out its attacks when, where and how it wants -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Arwa Damon for us, live in Baghdad.
Arwa, thank you so much.
NGUYEN: Authorities in Manatee County, Florida, are still hunting for a man in a red pickup truck who allegedly kidnapped a teenage boy Friday from a school bus stop. That boy got away and he's OK, but it now appears the suspect may have tried this before.
CNN's Rick Sanchez has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Rabah Jaffal is lucky. He says just weeks ago his sister and her friend were playing in the front yard when a man in a red pickup truck started chasing them.
RABAH JAFFAL, WITNESSED KIDNAPPING: They were all outside playing Manhunt, and the truck just started chasing them. And they started running in the house saying, "A truck's chasing us."
So me and my cousins started chasing the truck. And the truck started speeding away.
SANCHEZ: He thinks it was the same man he saw snatch 13-year-old Clay Moore from a school bus stop Friday.
JAFFAL: All of a sudden, this red truck just pulls up and tells Clay to get in the car. And Clay says, "What did I do, sir? What did I do?"
And the guy says, "Get in the truck." And then his chair starts going backwards, which makes him even more mad than he already is.
So then Clay said, "What did I do, sir? I don't know you. Can I help you?" And the guy pulls out a gun, and Clay jumped in the truck, and that's when everybody started running.
SANCHEZ: Moore is now back at home with just a couple of scratches, but the suspect is still on the loose.
Police took Moore back to the crime scene Saturday looking for clues. And this is where police say the suspect, described as tan, pulled out a gun and forced Moore into the truck.
The man then brought Moore here, where police say Duct tape was used to bind his arms and feet to a tree. Left alone, Moore cut himself free with a safety pin he had in his pocket.
DAVE BRISTOW, MANATEE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPT.: We need to get this guy. I mean, he did something that is one of the most horrific crimes you can do, to abduct a child at gunpoint from a bus stop. He needs to be captured before he does this again.
SANCHEZ: This normally quiet rural town is in shock. In a community where people sometimes leave their doors open, residents tell CNN that trust is gone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And you can be sure to catch Rick Sanchez as he anchors "CNN NEWSROOM" tonight at 10:00 Eastern.
NGUYEN: Well, in a post-9/11 America, you may think that you can fool the guys down at the DMV. Well, maybe not so much anymore.
Take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I definitely don't think this is going to work.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But it does. The prankster goes into the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and comes out with a valid driver's license. Silly picture and all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Can you believe it?
HOLMES: Yes. Is this an argument for the so-called Real ID the government is pushing? That report coming your way in about four minutes.
NGUYEN: Plus, it is the night for Oscars, so we're asking, do presidential candidates like John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani have a favorite movie? And what do their answers say about them? We'll take a look at that in 10 minutes.
HOLMES: And then a little later, we need to try this. Betty and I have been working on our technique all morning. And you have about 45 minutes to perfect your technique in this latest craze among school kids. The time to beat is 10 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: News "Across America" now.
(NEWSBREAK)
NGUYEN: In other news, the federal government is ready to roll out the Real ID system this week, but the plan that would effect every single American driver is already under attack from several states.
CNN Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I definitely don't think this is going to work.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT (voice over): But it does. The prankster goes into the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles and comes out with a valid driver's license, silly picture and all.
From a security perspective, it is not a laughing matter. After 9/11, Congress mandated tough new federal standards for driver's licenses called Real ID. States are supposed to implement them in little more than a year.
Every one of the 245 million license holders in the United States will have to reapply in person with documents that prove they are citizens or legal residents. The states predict it will swamp motor vehicle offices, creating long waits. Currently, each state issues licenses following their own security standards and with their own features.
KAREN JOHNSON, ARIZONA STATE SENATE: They have no business in our state's business. And that's what they're doing.
MESERVE: Arizona state senator Karen Johnson is sponsoring legislation saying her state will not comply. She says Real ID would invade privacy by creating a large national database of driver information.
JOHNSON: I mean, Homeland Security is the one that's going to be running this database? Give me a break.
MESERVE: Arizona is one of 24 states that has passed or proposed legislation opposing Real ID. The big complaint, the cost -- an estimated $11 billion over five years. The biggest expense is likely to be a requirement that states verify the authenticity of identity documents used to get a license.
DAVID QUAM, NATIONAL GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION: It's verification that not even the federal government can complete for its own employees.
MESERVE: Rody Marshall just got his license renewed in Phoenix in 20 minutes. If Real ID lengthens his wait, it's fine with him.
RODY MARSHALL, PHOENIX RESIDENT: I don't think everybody should just automatically get a driver's license. If it takes -- if it takes a day of your time, that's what it takes.
MESERVE: Homeland Security is taking an even harder line.
MICHAEL CHERTOFF, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: If we don't get it done now, someone is going to be sitting around in three or four years explaining to the next 9/11 Commission why we didn't do it.
MESERVE: Because the next person who tries to get a driver's license may want to do harm to the country, not just get a laugh.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Phoenix.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Presidential candidates have their favorite movies. Their picks may reveal more about his or her character than you think.
HOLMES: Yes. And since it is Oscar time, our political analyst, our senior political analyst, Bill Schneider, has done some politician movie-matching. His analysis coming your way in about four minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We want to talk more now about that case in Florida. An alleged abductor is now -- a warrant has been issued for his arrest in the abduction of a 13-year-old. We do have on the phone with us Dave Bristow. A story we've been following for the past several days. Dave Bristow of the Manatee County Sheriff's Department.
Sir, thank you for giving us your time again. And tell us what you know about this suspect now. An arrest warrant has been issued.
BRISTOW: Well, we're going to be releasing the details at a 9:00 news conference down here, but we did get a judge to sign an arrest warrant not long ago for an individual, and we're going to have all the information available at the news conference. We worked long and hard on this investigation, and we were able to gather enough information to get probable cause to get the warrant early this morning.
HOLMES: And want to be clear here. You do not have the suspect in custody yet, is that right?
BRISTOW: Yes, that's clear. He's not in custody. We don't know if he's still in this area, but we're going to be able to give everyone all the details here shortly.
HOLMES: You say you don't know if he's still in the area. But is he certainly a resident of that area?
BRISTOW: Yes. Yes, he is.
HOLMES: All right. Is this someone who has a background, a criminal past that you know of?
BRISTOW: It appears that that's the case. There's been, you know, some problems as far as aliases and such. And we are working on all that right now.
HOLMES: Are you -- are you treading lightly here? I know you're waiting for an hour and a half here before your press conference to release all that information, but how will that, I guess, help or hurt holding on to the information her for just a little longer? Are you trying to make sure you identify and know where he is before you release all the information? Are you sure you...
(CROSSTALK)
BRISTOW: Well, we're double-checking names and such. We're dealing with so many aliases here, it's a little difficult. So we just want to make sure we have got everything right when we go and we put it out worldwide.
HOLMES: And sir, if you can, give us a little into how you came about narrowing it down and finding out that this was -- was the guy you think you're looking for.
BRISTOW: Well, you know, it was just good investigative police work. We went and re-interviewed witnesses, found some new people that, you know, shed some light on the case yesterday. And everything started to fall together yesterday into the very early morning hours. I mean, we have some detectives that haven't been to bed since this incident occurred Friday.
HOLMES: And sir, I know there was a vehicle that you were looking out for, and also this sketch was out there. How helpful was the suspect description, the suspect sketch that you do have, and also the vehicle description in getting to this person?
BRISTOW: The composite drawing was extremely helpful.
HOLMES: Now -- pretty close?
BRISTOW: Yes. Yes. Yes. I think it's going to turn into, yes, a darn good sketch.
HOLMES: So I take it the young victim himself was the one who was helpful in putting this sketch together, is that right?
BRISTOW: Yes, that's correct. You know, this victim just -- I can't say enough about Clay. He obviously did a great job in escaping in the first place after being bound to a tree. And then, you know, coming up with, you know, enough physical characteristics of the suspect to get it into a composite drawing was just -- just excellent.
HOLMES: All right, sir.
Again, Dave Bristow from Manatee County Sheriff's Department.
Congratulations, I guess. You all feel confident you got your guy, you got the right person. We'll be monitoring that press conference you're going to be having at 9:00.
We thank you for your time. I'm sure we'll be talking to you again.
Thank you, sir.
BRISTOW: Thank you.
NGUYEN: In other news, a tornado just rips through Dumas, Arkansas, and its residents, they are reeling from that this morning. We're going to take you there live in about five minutes. But just look at some of the disaster that's been left behind.
Also this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was scared. I was -- I was beyond upset. I have never experienced such anger and hatred.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: A family is being forced out, afraid for their safety, and they are not alone. Our faith and values correspondent, Delia Gallagher, has their story coming up in the next half hour.
NGUYEN: And later on in "The WaterCooler," you are looking at what some call the next big thing in intramural sports. Believe it or not, these kids have their eyes on the world championship.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
HOLMES: And welcome back to you all. Thanks so much for being here.
I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes. Happy Sunday. I'm Betty Nguyen.
Thanks for being with us.
HOLMES: We want to head back to Dumas, Arkansas, the town devastated yesterday by at least one tornado. CNN's Sean Callebs is there live this morning in the middle of what is no doubt a mess.
Hello to you again, Sean.
CALLEBS: Hi, T.J.
Behind me, you can see a store that has simply been shredded. The aluminum just thrown everywhere. Up in the rafters, the steel beams twisted.
What we're hearing from authorities, two tornadoes -- they believe two tornadoes carved through this area of Dumas coming through the southwest area of the city. The authorities tell us as they were doing their initial check on damage and possibly any injuries, the second funnel cloud touched down in this area.
Right now the numbers that they are giving us, they say 28 people have been injured. At least three of those critically. But what they are concerned about, the number of people that are still unaccounted for.
There's no electricity here, there's no cell phone service at the hour because of the widespread devastation. Now, in about an hour or so, authorities are going to go out and resume the search.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAPTAIN D. STATON, ARKANSAS STATE POLICE: There's no power in the town. No cell phone service. No telephone service.
So what we had to do at that point, because of some looting that was occurring, we had to take on a more security-minded posture. We will commence again about 8:00 this morning, going back through the areas that have been searched to make sure that there's no one left behind.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLEBS: That is Captain Darrell Staton (ph) with the Arkansas State Police, one of the people heading up the taskforce here. He talked a bit about the looting, and that really, really angered a lot of people in this area. It's not just the stores. There are scores of homes.
T.J., we know we had the violent tornadoes down in the Florida recently. That was in one small area, even though it had all those people who were killed in that storm. This, much, much more widespread devastation. And simply the randomness, or for the way this played out.
If you look up at those steel girders at the top of what is Fred's Pharmacy, they are just twisted. There's aluminum wrapped all along light poles out here. But look at this.
This is -- we found this right by our live shot location. This is a very delicate little Christmas decoration. How it survived and wasn't smashed, simply beyond me.
It came through this area. There are also a couple of large industrial plants back in that area. One that makes dog and cat food, another makes furniture.
Now, this storm hit mid-afternoon yesterday. And authorities say that was perhaps the silver lining in all this, because both of those industrial sites devastated. They said if they would have been up and working -- one employs more than 100 -- there certainly would have been more injuries in this area -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Certainly reason for blessings here and there in all that devastation.
Sean, thank you so much.
NGUYEN: Well, nature's wrath is being felt far beyond Arkansas. These pictures from Des Moines, Iowa.
The storm there came in the form of freezing rain, which brought down tree limbs and power lines all across the state. Utility companies say it could be days before power is restored to more than 130,000 customers.
Check this out. In Texas, amateur video shows the storm as it raced across the panhandle. As you can see, the high winds picked up a major dust storm.
Well, they also fanned brush fires in central Texas. Authorities had to shut down several highways as they battled the flames from the ground and from the air. One large wildfire is burning on the Ft. Hood Army base between Waco and Austin.
And as part of CNN's I-Report, many of you are sending us video and images of the winter storm where you live. Check this out.
Andrew Nostvick taped the ice storm as it looked in Waverly, Iowa.
Now from our Denver affiliate, KUSA, a 35-car smash-up that closed down Interstate 70 near the city of Aurora. A sheet of ice on the highway caused a chain reaction even though many drivers say they were creeping along at only 15 miles an hour. Three minor injuries were reported
And adding insult to injury, check this out from Chicago. A snowplow clearing the street threw heavy snow and ice over a line of parked cars, caving in several windshields. Not what they had planned to do, but unfortunately they've got a mess on their hands after that.
HOLMES: If it ain't one thing, it's another with the weather.
NGUYEN: That's true.
HOLMES: If it doesn't get you one way, it will get you another.
Reynolds Wolf standing by in the weather center for us.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Well, from Ronald Reagan to Arnold Schwarzenegger, from "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." to "All the President's Men," the world of politics has long held a fascination for Hollywood. With final preparations under way for tonight's Oscar ceremony, we decided to find out whether the feeling is mutual.
Here's CNN senior political analyst, Bill Schneider.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): It's Oscar time. So we asked the presidential candidates the question of the moment. What are you wearing? No. What is your favorite movie?
John McCain, the champion of campaign finance reform? His favorite movie is "Viva Zapata."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "VIVA ZAPATA": Elections are a farce. The people have no voice in the government.
SCHNEIDER: Hillary Clinton said one of her favorites is "Casablanca" where in the end public commitments trump private concerns.
HUMPHREY BOGART, ACTOR, "CASABLANCA": It doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world.
SCHNEIDER: Rudy Giuliani's pick "The Godfather," a lesson in leadership.
MARLON BRANDO, ACTOR, "THE GODFATHER": I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse.
SCHNEIDER: "Dr. Strangelove," John Edwards' favorite movie, reveals the candidate's interest in civil-military relations.
GEORGE C. SCOTT, ACTOR, "DR. STRANGELOVE": Now it appears that the order called for the planes to attack the targets inside Russia.
SCHNEIDER: Bill Richardson likes "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." It is about getting the job done.
PAUL NEWMAN, ACTOR, "BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID": Well, that ought to do it.
SCHNEIDER: What does "Raiders of the Lost Ark," Mitt Romney's favorite movie, say about his campaign?
HARRISON FORD, ACTOR, "RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK": I'm going after that truck.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How?
FORD: I don't know. I'm making this up as I go.
SCHNEIDER (on camera): What would be the favorite movie of political reporters covering the 2008 campaign? That would have to be "From Here to Eternity."
Bill Schneider, CNN, Hollywood
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And CNN is live from the red carpet at the Academy Awards all day. Don't miss our live special, "Hollywood's Gold Rush." That's at 7:00 Eastern right here on CNN.
And after you've seen the big show and all the winners, CNN is your all-access pass to the big parties, the winners and all the Oscar action. CNN today at midnight Eastern.
HOLMES: Of course the Oscars honor the best of Hollywood, but we still -- we want to talk about the worst. We don't want to leave them out.
NGUYEN: Why not?
HOLMES: Yes.
What's the worst movie you have ever seen? It's our e-mail question this morning. Let us know the absolute worst movie you have ever seen. E-mail us at weekends@cnn.com. We'll read some of your responses in this newscast.
NGUYEN: Oh, these are going to be good. I'm looking forward to that.
HOLMES: And of course you have got some bad performances out there, but the worst performance of the year goes to...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, "BASIC INSTINCT 2": Did you kill him?
SHARON STONE, ACTRESS, "BASIC INSTINCT 2": If I said I didn't, would you believe me?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That's some fine acting, I think, at least.
NGUYEN: In your eyes, apparently. In your eyes only.
HOLMES: That's actress Sharon Stone. She gets the worst performance in the year for "Basic Instinct 2." This is from the Razzies. It's the annual pre-Oscar event that mocks the worst of Hollywood. Sharon Stone took worst actress honors -- or dishonors -- for the film, and the film got worst movie.
The tongue-in-cheek Razzies have been mocking Hollywood since 1980.
Well, of course you see a lot of great stories here on CNN, but have you ever wondered, "How can I see that again?"
Nicole Lapin has that answer for us this morning. She is standing by at the .com/DESK.
Good morning to you, ma'am.
NICOLE LAPIN, CNN PIPELINE ANCHOR: Good morning, sir.
Car chases, high-speed car chases grab your attention, T.J., I'm sure all the time. And folks all around are fascinated by them. But, car chases can be deadly and sometimes dangerous, so the question is, are there any rules for them?
CNN's Gary Nurenberg shows us a story of a man who was actually handicapped after police tried to stop his car during a high-speed chase and now he's suing. It's one of the most popular videos right now at CNN.com.
And then there's this, a story about Faith. OK. That's the name of this little guy.
The two-legged dog recently reunited with her owner after being lost on an airline flight. It's a real kind of "aw" story.
But then we go to this story, a gross story. How gross is this? A Taco Bell-KFC in New York City was closed after rats were seen rolling around the restaurant. It kinds of makes you want to lose your appetite for a run for the border, huh?
And also this. Tornadoes -- we have been talking about this all morning -- touched down in parts of Arkansas. Houses, other buildings leveled.
Now, we have some of the first images captured from that devastation.
And if you wonder, "Hey, how can I see that again?" Just go to cnn.com/pipeline. HOLMES: All right, Nicole. Thank you so much this morning.
LAPIN: Sure.
NGUYEN: You know, speaking of some car chases, we're going to show some video a little bit later of -- Gary Nurenberg is doing a great story. You'll want to stay tuned for that, don't want to miss it.
It has lots of people -- I mean, it's just a train wreck. You are just ready to see what's going to happen, you know?
HOLMES: Oh. Is that me? We're going to...
NGUYEN: That's you.
HOLMES: We're going to talk about the cups that runneth over with youthful enthusiasm. We're not talking about speeding up the video. We'll stack it up for you in "The WaterCooler" segment.
That's coming your way in about 10 minutes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People would drive by the house, park in front of our House, and stare like we were in a zoo.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Our faith and values correspondent, Delia Gallagher, sat down with a family who says they are being terrorized by their god- fearing neighbors.
A very unique "Faces of Faith," that's coming up in three minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, usually in our "Faces of Faith" segment we focus on people who believe in god and in one way or another use their religion to uplift others. This morning, our focus is on people who don't believe -- atheists, who say society has no tolerance for nonbelievers.
Our faith and values correspondent Delia Gallagher reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was scared. I was -- I was beyond upset. I have never experienced such -- such anger and hatred.
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH AND VALUES CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This couple -- we're calling them John and Jane Smith -- are so afraid they asked us not to identify them. Two years ago, they say the small Mississippi town where they lived turned against them after they complained to the principal of their son's public elementary school about class time devoted to bible study and prayer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were like pariahs. Nobody would speak to us. It was -- nobody would let their children play with my son.
GALLAGHER: The Smiths' story made local headlines when it was revealed that they were atheists. And soon after, tensions at the school escalated.
John says members of the community even called his boss at work.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think they called him to complain about the fact that he had brought an atheist to town.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were absolutely isolated. People would drive by the house, park in front of our house and stare like we were in a zoo.
GALLAGHER: Eventually, they left town altogether.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It seems like a nice place to live.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, we've got a. nice place to raise them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
GALLAGHER: While some atheists try to hide their secular views, Jean and Mike Rice are atheists who have spoken out.
MIKE RICE, ATHEIST: As an atheist, I'm the last minority that it's OK to really bash or put down.
GALLAGHER: The Rices say they frequently encounter intolerance.
JEAN RICE, ATHEIST: We're regularly told that we're going to hell, that we're sending our children to hell.
GALLAGHER: In the last town they lived, Jean Rice says soon after confiding her atheism to a friend, her landlord told the Rices they would have to move.
J. RICE: Within a few days of my telling her that we are atheists, she -- I started hearing from other people, "Oh, are you atheists?" And it was quite shocking. And within a few weeks, my landlord -- our landlord gave us notice.
GALLAGHER: The Rices say they can't prove that religious discrimination was the reason they were asked to leave, but they found the timing suspicious.
M. RICE: It's hard on the kids, because our daughter had no one to play with for a long time.
GALLAGHER: In the U.S., the number of atheists is estimated between 1 and 3 percent of the overall population. That's at least three million people. A recent study by the University of Minnesota found that atheists are the least trusted minority group in the United States and are less accepted than other marginalized groups, including Muslims and homosexuals.
LORI LIPMAN BROWN, SECULAR COALITION FOR AMERICA: I get calls from all over the United States from people who have been harassed, ostracized, sometimes lost their job because of discrimination against non-theistic Americans.
RYAN ANDERSON, JUNIOR FELLOW, FIRST THINGS: We feel, to a certain extent, that atheists are very much on the attack.
GALLAGHER: Ryan Anderson with the religious journal "First Things" says atheists themselves contribute to the mistrust.
ANDERSON: Part of the public persona and the public image of atheism is what's presented by people suing to remove "In God We Trust" from the coins or God phrase in the pledge of allegiance. And when that militant atheism becomes kind of like the public image of atheism, I think that gives rise to a lot of discontent with atheism.
JEAN RICE: When they can talk about religion and preach on the street corner but if we try to do the equal time, if we try to go out there and say as much about there is no God.
MIKE RICE: I'm the one being oppressed at that point.
GALLAGHER: Delia Gallagher, CNN, Colorado.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: All right. We want you to watch this very carefully. Bet you can't do it as fast as these kids.
HOLMES: Yes, the amazing stacking competition. Look at them go. Oh wow.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: We were trying that this morning.
NGUYEN: Those are some pros right there.
HOLMES: It didn't quite go like that for us this morning, Betty. But we're going to show you this coming up...
NGUYEN: Speak for yourself.
HOLMES: That's coming up in "The WaterCooler".
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well tornado sweeps through a small Arkansas town leaving a path of devastation behind. We have seen these pictures really amazing, amazing that more people really aren't injured. Several are but still a lot of folks are lucky to make it through that all right.
NGUYEN: No one killed, although there are people still missing. We are going to have a lot more on that today.
Good morning though everybody, welcome to CNN SUNDAY MORNING, it is February 25, 8:00 a.m. here in CNN Headquarters in Atlanta, 7:00 a.m. in Arkansas where a lot of that destruction is. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: I'm T.J. Holmes; we have a live report straight ahead. But first we do have a check of the mornings other top stories.
Police in Manatee County, Florida are going after a suspect in Fridays kidnapping of a 13-year-old boy. The suspect not in custody but authorities say they do have a name we expect to learn that name during a 9:00 a.m. Eastern news conference we will bring that news conference to you live.
NGUYEN: A deadly suicide bombing outside a college campus in Baghdad this morning, killed dozens of people many of them were students at a business college in the Iraqi capital. More than 30 other people were injured in that blast.
Back in the air and heading home, Vice President Dick Cheney's plane left Singapore a few hours ago, on his way home from Australia Air Force 2 stopped in Singapore for a scheduled refueling but U.S. officials also say a minor electrical glitch was fixed.
Denver Bronco running back Damien Nash collapsed and actually died after a charity basketball game in suburban St. Louis. No determination yet on what caused the 24-year-old's death. Nash's death comes less than two months after a teammate was killed in a drive by shooting.
HOLMES: The countdown to Hollywood gold is on, the 79th annual Academy Award now just hours away. We'll have live reports from Los Angeles throughout the day.
Coming up tonight at 7:00 Eastern CNN is live on the red carpet tonight. So stay tuned.
Developing news out of Florida. An arrest warrant has been issue in the suspect of a kidnapping of a teenage boy last Friday. The suspect has not been publicly named by police, but here's what the Manatee County Sheriff Department told CNN last hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVE BRISTOW, MANATEE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE (via telephone): We did get a judge to sign an arrest warrant not long ago for an individual, and we're going to have all the information available at the news conference. We worked long and hard on this investigation, and we were able to gather enough information to get probable cause to get the warrant early this morning.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: Details are expected in about an hour when the Manatee County Sheriff's Office holds a news briefing. Thirteen-year-old Clay Moore was taken at gunpoint from a school bus stop and driven to a remote location where he was bound with duct tape, the boy managed to free himself and get help. It appears the suspect may have tried this before. Another child in the neighborhood describes what happened last Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RABAH JAFFAL, WITNESSED KIDNAPPING: All of a sudden this red truck just pulls up and tells Clay to get in the car. And Clay said, what did I do? And the guy says, get in the truck. Then the truck starts going backwards which makes him even more mad than he already is. Then Clay said, what did I do, sir? I don't know you, can I help you? The guy pulls out a gun and Clay jumped in the truck. That's what everybody started running.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: As we said, a police briefing is at expected at 9:00 Eastern. We will bring that to you live.
NGUYEN: Well, this time yesterday we were warning you about the threat of violent weather moving across the Great Plains. Hours later, it did just that. CNN's Sean Callebs is live this morning in the middle of that devastation. Just looking at behind you Sean, it is amazing that we haven't heard of any deaths so far.
CALLEBS: Exactly. That was my thought exactly. As the sun begins to peek up here in Dumas, Arkansas, you can look over to my right and just see a number of cars simply the windows blown out, debris all around here. This is in front of Fred's Pharmacy, a building that has simply been shredded. Back this way, more debris packed up in the front of the store. Look at the structured steel up in the top, just twisted, bent all around. Can you imagine being in that store at the time the tornadoes came through this area yesterday? Well, there were people inside, and they just describe horrific conditions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They closed the door, but when the door closed, the wind opened it back up. Then we began to go away from the front, and one of the employees said, let's hit the stock room. I said, no. We are not going to the stock room. We're going to hit the floor right here. So we all got on the floor. When we got on the floor, one -- Irene hit the floor. I hit the floor. Darin, a lot of us hit the floor. Then I said, and then all of the debris was falling on us, the iron, the tin, the racks, and the clothes racks. I said, lord, all I want you to do is save us today because it's in your hands!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLEBS: Indeed, debris flying all around here yesterday. The authorities are telling us at least 28 people were injured in this, three of those critically. They're going to resume the search for possible victims out there. In just about an hour, I want to give you more of a look. If you look over this way, another building that has simply been shredded. This was a butcher shop, we're told. Simply nothing left of that. The storm actually came right through this area, came through the southwest, it blew right through here. Back in that area, it's more of a rural area and they didn't get a chance to thoroughly check that region yesterday. They're going to go back in there today. They used some thermal imaging yesterday to look to see if they could see anybody in the remains of these homes and businesses. They found nothing yesterday. But they didn't get started on it until late.
Another problem Betty they ran into was looting. It wasn't just stores that were hit, a lot of homes in this area. They said the authorities tell us that lasted a short while because the National Guard is here, state police, the local sheriff's office. They are keeping us in this area. There is a curfew that is basically dusk until dawn. We expect that to be lifted sometime soon. Hopefully we'll get in more areas and give you more images from this area.
There's a semi-truck here, I want to point that out too, that got blown right off the state road. There was a driver in there obviously at the time. That thing is still running, the lights still on from yesterday afternoon. Simply all kinds of amazing debris, amazing stories coming out of this.
NGUYEN: No doubt. And the devastation is just so evident in so many parts of the area. Sean we will be talking to you shortly. Thank you for that report.
HOLMES: That storm that took Arkansas blanketed much of the upper Midwest with snow and ice. These pictures coming from CNN i- report it is coming from viewer Andrew Nostvick, of Waverly, Iowa. Also, damage in another video from Chicago. A snowplow clearing the street threw chunks of ice over a line of parked cars and it caved in several of those windshields.
NGUYEN: The weather does continue to back things up at Chicago O'Hare Airport, this hour, hundreds of flights they were cancelled yesterday, stranding people all over the airport, finding a place to sleep wherever they could, some on the floor, some on cots, those were the lucky ones. This morning is not shaping up too well. Dozens of flights scheduled to take off over the next couple of hours have already been cancelled.
HOLMES: And also look at what the winter storm did in Colorado, a 35-car won't call this a pile up, we will call it a smash-up. It closed down Interstate 70 near the city of Aurora. A sheet of ice on the highway caused a chain reaction. Even though many of the drivers say they were just going 15 miles an hour. Three people were reported to have minor injuries.
NGUYEN: In Texas, winds gusting up to 60 miles per hour fuelled dozens of grass fires all across the state. Wildfires destroyed three homes near Midland. At one point, threatened dozens of homes and shut down several highways. This morning, the fires have been contained, and people forced to evacuate yesterday well they are being told they can return to their homes.
HOLMES: Here's a look now at some of the current conditions for those of you waking up in the Midwest and mid-Atlantic. A look there at Milwaukee, some snows happening there, a little rain mixed in, kind of a pretty sight. In the nation's capital kind of the same story, snow and rain, pretty dreary as we take live look at the White House.
NGUYEN: This weather is really all over the map, different kinds, too. You've got wildfires, you've got snow, I'm sure we have flooding out there. I'm sure Reynolds can find just about everything on the map today. Let's join him now and see what's the latest is with this weather and if it's going to improve.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well it is going to improve in certain parts of the country. For example in Arkansas they can expect better conditions today, mostly sunny skies, a little bit breezy there. But still some scattered showers popping up across the southeast. Troy State University seeing some rain showers there, also out by Stone Mountain some scattered showers just east of Atlanta moving north into the Carolinas as well as the nation's capital, some of these changing over from raindrops over to snowflakes as we make our way back to the Great Lakes. We are going to have that winter storm warning in effect for Chicago until noontime today but northward into Milwaukee, we have the winter storm warning that will remain in effect until 6:00 today for Milwaukee as well as the Twin City.
One thing that we have that is going well for us is despite the enormity of this huge system; travel is actually not bad around the nation. In fact, we have two big delays to speak of. Those delays would be in Atlanta, just a ground stoppage and Pittsburgh only a 30- minute wait. By the way, out at O'Hare as well as Midway, despite the problems they had yesterday and the number of cancellations, there's a delay of only 15 minutes or less. So, again, all things considered, it's going pretty well. Could be a lot worse.
Back to you.
NGUYEN: At least something's going right.
WOLF: I know. You've got to find the good news where you can find it.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. That's where we rely on you Reynolds. Thank you.
WOLF: Good times.
HOLMES: Thanks Reynolds.
We're going to talk about high-speed chases now. A lot of folks you just can't take your eyes off of. How far is too far when police are trying to do their job? We'll get into that.
Also this --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are suffering, people are dying, and people need help. I believe that's Jesus Christ would respond to that need.
NGUYEN: Taking the fight against AIDS to the pulpit. Can black churches help lead the way? That's on CNN SUNDAY MORNING and it is coming up in just a few minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: High-speed car chases, well a lot of folks just can't help but like watching them. Well, the dangerous driving and the police in hot pursue suit, but the fall out from one such chase has now landed in the lap of a Supreme Court justices. CNN's Gary Nurenberg takes a look at this case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): In 2001, 19- year-old Victor Harris didn't stop when Georgia police tried to pull him over for speeding, the police shown to judges shows him accelerating, leading police on a chase at times more than 100 miles per hour.
PHILIP SAVRIN, ATTORNEY FOR DEPUTY SCOTT: It wasn't just a question of the speed. He was also crossing the double line, actua0lly driving in the wrong direction of travel, in order to pass cars that were in his path. He was also going through red lights.
NURENBERG: Harris pulls into a shopping center parking lot and Sheriff's Deputy Timothy Scott tries to block him. Harris hits Deputy Scott's car. This is what it looks like from another angle, and then it's back to high speed on a two-lane road. Scott radios his supervisor, Scott bumps Harris from behind. The crash leaves Harris a quadriplegic. He sues, arguing police used unreasonable force.
CRAIG JONES, HARRIS' LAWYER: All Mr. Harris had done was commit traffic violations, he wasn't a felon, and he wasn't a violent criminal.
SAVRIN: If Deputy Scott had not used the force that he had and a minute or so later someone had been injured or killed, the question would be, why didn't Deputy Scott take some action?
NURENBERG: Lower courts ruled the police did use unreasonable force and the Supreme Court, which has shown deference to police in a number of cases since 9/11, decided it wants to review this case.
ED LAZARUS, CONSTITUTIONAL SCHOLAR: Nobody is going to suddenly say it's OK to use deadly force against a fleeing felon who poses no threat to society. They're just going to say, I think, that a speeding car going down a two-lane road at 100 miles an hour is in and of itself necessarily a danger.
AL LIEBNO, POLICE DRIVING INSTRUCTOR: Just because a violator does something in front of it doesn't mean we have to pursue.
NURENBERG: As police departments across the country try to teach their officers whether to chase and how, the Supreme Court may be about to decide how much force is allowed.
Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, we are following a developing story out of Florida this morning where police have issued an arrest warrant for a man in the Friday abduction of a 13-year-old boy from a bus stop. This is a police sketch of that suspect. We're going to hear more about him at a news conference coming up in 45 minutes.
HOLMES: But first, a history lesson from beyond the grave.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They think it's a white-only cemetery so they're often surprised there's so much African-American history here.
HOLMES: Up next I'll take you to Atlanta's famous Oakland Cemetery.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Keep that chest up, head up. Make sure you're breathing.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): John says it feels like having a personal trainer and workout partner motivating him any time he wants. All he does is log on to his computer, into his virtual gym.
JOHN: It's a Website where you can stream just about any kind of workout or yoga or stretching or aerobics video you'd want to download and run it through your computer.
COSTELLO: At home, he runs his PC through his TV and runs a Website called Demand Fitness, which is one of several companies streaming online fitness. Plus, it includes pilates; upper and lower body sculpting and cardio kickboxing. John travels for business and he enjoys the convenience of it.
JOHN: The portability, I could show you my laptop, and my gym is a little box about this big around.
COSTELLO: Some fitness professionals caution this form exercise is too detached, it could be a recipe for injury.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People logging on, and maybe they are a beginner and they are logging on to an advanced exercise. They may think they're advanced. Again, they could get injured and it may not surface.
COSTELLO: Robert adds, you should check to see if the instructors are certified before you begin. Demand Fitness costs about the same as other online fitness programs, it cost a $1 for single days or about $15 a month. Some cable companies also offer video on- demand fitness.
Carol Costello, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: We're going to tell you about an apology for slavery from Virginia lawmakers. That apology comes in the form of a resolution expressing profound regret for the state's role in slavery. Sponsors say Virginia may be the first state to apologize for its slavery past. Supporters of the resolution say it carries no legal weight but does send an important symbolic message.
HOLMES: Well, what could a cemetery that a lot of people think is a white-only cemetery, could there be black history buried there? Yes. This week I visited Atlanta's historic Oakland Cemetery, a place where so much of the south's rich history lays rest. Here now is what I discovered.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
D. L. HENDERSON: If you want to talk about Atlanta history this is where you start. Because there is nothing old (INAUDIBLE)
HOLMES (voice over): D.L. Henderson would know because she often walks among the dead here. She's a tour guide at the Historic Oakland Cemetery.
HENDERSON: A lot of folks come to us and say, OK, they don't realize that there are any African-Americans are buried here. They think it's white only cemetery so they are often surprised that there's so much African American history here.
HOLMES: Nineteenth century slaves were only remembered today as Negro man or Negro woman lying nearby better-known whites. But a reflection of how they lived their lives, they are buried apart from each other in separate sections.
HENDERSON: Something that folks tend to forget about the period is that African-Americans and whites, though socially unequal, actually lived very closely together.
HOLMES: There are white and black sections, a Jewish section and ironically a section for those who fought a war to keep blacks enslaved.
How often do you see things like this prop up, a Confederate flag?
HENDERSON: On Confederate Memorial Day there's a still a celebration here at the cemetery for Confederate Memorial Day. At that point, flags are on all the monuments, you will see little Confederate flags.
HOLMES: Now do you ever have issues because some people see that flag and it still brings up tough thoughts and tough emotions? HENDERSON: Well, as far as issues as long as it is a celebration of the history, I think people are OK with that. Occasionally folks do feel sensitive if that history and the celebration of that history seems to be glorifying a past perhaps people wish had not gone away.
HOLMES: Of the nearly 20,000 African-Americans buried here, one prominent African-American lies in an all-white section, former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson.
HENDERSON: This is a significant portion of Atlanta history to have our first African-American mayor here and also the fact that this was a segregated cemetery. The African-American section is in the back of the cemetery and yet Maynard Jackson is in a prominent place here in the original six acres.
HOLMES: How does the cemetery sum up and wrap up everything that the south was and became and is today even?
HENDERSON: Well, you just said it; this cemetery I think represents all of the people of Atlanta. It's who we were, it is who we are. And a lot of folks, we like to say it's a microcosm of Atlanta in that you can come here and every aspect of the city, all of our history, can be relayed from this spot.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Great history.
HOLMES: It is a good spot a lot of people don't think of when they think of Atlanta's black history. You think of MLK, which you should. But Oakland Cemetery is a must for anybody who will take a walk down memory lane here in Atlanta.
NGUYEN: So if you are in town stop by, put it on the list. Well, we are expecting a news conference at the top of the hour from Florida because an arrest warrant has been issued for this man. We're going to put up his sketch. He was involved in that alleged abduction on Friday. Do we have that sketch? Working on it. A 13-year-old boy was taken from a bus stop. We'll bring that news conference to you live when it happens. There it is.
HOLMES: Police say the person they found does absolutely resemble that sketch. That sketch was very helpful. We're expecting a lot more details at the top of the hour.
Also coming up, how does your race impact your health care and what is the African-American community doing to address the challenges? Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports on a special weekend "House Call." That is straight ahead.
NGUYEN: And little miss sunshine, will it become the little movie that could? We are going to learn tonight at Oscar's and we'll talk to the husband and wife team directing that movie.
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