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CNN Sunday Morning
Explosion in Washington State; Attack on Convoy Caught on Tape
Aired October 07, 2007 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Well, it is Sunday, the 7th of October. Good morning to you all from CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Yes, good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my god!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Do not miss that. An explosion in Washington State. We'll bring you the latest on the situation.
HOLMES: We're hearing the sounds of war here. An attack on a convoy caught on tape in Baghdad.
NGUYEN: And this is not your ordinary police chase. A school bus taken for a joyride, guess what police found when they stopped the bus? We have the answer coming up.
But, we start with the latest on the series of explosions in Tacoma, Washington. You have to see this incredible video of that blast that just took off there. The foundry explosions and fires caused the evacuation of nearby businesses, and the closure of roads in the area. Four people were injured in the blast. One of them is in critical condition this morning.
We're going to get an update on the situation, this morning. And joining us on the phone is Kelly Stowe, with the Washington Department of Transportation.
We appreciate your time. I know it's very early, but if you could please tell us, any idea what started this?
KELLY STOWE, WASHINGTON STATE DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION: Actually, the Tacoma fire department is still investigating what actually caused the fire and explosions.
NGUYEN: Yeah, we understand that it may have something to do with some hydraulics -- or, I'm sorry, some propane in that area. Of course, we're waiting to hear much more on that. But, four people were injured. Do you know the extent of those injuries?
STOWE: I do not.
NGUYEN: All right. What about damage to nearby buildings and structures?
STOWE: I can speak to our state roadway, which is State Route 16, and our engineers were -- after fire officials gave them the A-OK to do so, were able to do so, to go and checked the structure, and it was -- our engineers determined it was sound.
NGUYEN: Are you talking about the highway overpass?
STOWE: Um-hum. It's actually the Nalley Valley Viaduct.
NGUYEN: OK, and everything is OK with that, so we're not going to see any traffic backups come Monday morning?
STOWE: No. We actually opened the roadway this morning about 2:15 a.m., our time.
NGUYEN: OK, that's very good news. All right, Kelly Stowe with the Washington Department of Transportation. We appreciate the information you were able to provide. Thank you.
HOLMES: Well, if you thought things weren't bad enough in La Jolla, California, is something worse to come? Show you the aftermath of Wednesday's massive landslide, here. But, not just this, Saturday a concerned residents stumbled onto more potential trouble -- A new three foot by four foot sinkhole about a mile west of this mess. So, folks keeping an eye on that. Pretty concerned, no major damage there, yet, but police keeping people clear of that new dip.
NGUYEN: Well, bombs went off in three locations in Baghdad, today. Iraqi officials say at least nine civilians were killed. Baghdad's governor's convoy came under fire yesterday. I want you to listen to what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(GUNFIRE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The governor's guards exchanged fire with attackers for several minutes and we're told the governor escaped unharmed, and no one in the convoy was killed.
HOLMES: America's top general in Iraq wants to make it clear. A lot of the trouble he sees in Iraq is coming across from the border from Iran.
In an interview with CNN's Jim Clancy, General David Petraeus says there's no question that members of Iran's Quds Force are training and arming Iraq's insurgents, and that six Iranians detained by the U.S. are part of that Iranian unit. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
There's no debate the individuals we have detained are Quds Force members. And the individual detained in northern Iraq, let's be very clear about this. We have absolute assurance of who he is, what he has done in the past, what he has provided in terms of accelerants, what his position is in the Quds Force. Again, these are not in question.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And be sure to stay with CNN for a look inside Iraq Navy. CNN international correspondent, Nic Robertson will have that for us. His report coming up in about 20 minutes.
NGUYEN: Well, convicted bank robber, Mustafa Ali, faces a preliminary hearing in Philadelphia on Wednesday. He's charged with two counts of murder. Thirty-year-old Ali was arraigned last night and is being held without bail. Police say he is the man seen in this surveillance shooting and killing two armored car guards during an ATM robbery on Thursday. The FBI agent in charge of the Philadelphia office thanked the public for tips that led to Ali's arrest.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JODY WEIS, FBI: It's a great day for law enforcement. A cold- blooded killer is in jail and it was through a lot of hard work. But, I would like to highlight the cooperation from the many, many witnesses that came forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, new today, police in south Florida say they have cracked a crime ring responsible for robbing as many as 50 check cashing stores. The Palm Beach County sheriff says five men have been jailed in the case. The suspects are believed to be gang members from the Miami area. Officials say one of the suspects confessed to robbing a payday advance store last month.
HOLMES: A fugitive sex offender is in jail this morning. Police caught William Joe Mitchell at a truck stop in Virginia. He's wanted for allegedly kidnapping a 15-year-old Florida girl he met on the Internet. She was abandoned at a Wal-Mart store in Florida two days later. Her family definitely got their wish.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RODGER FRANK, FATHER OF VICTIM: No, I won't say these words on television.
HOLMES (voice-over): A teenage girl's father, four days ago, anguished.
FRANK: You're going to get what's coming to you, boy. Let me tell you, you're going to get what's coming to you.
HOLMES: That was Wednesday. Now the father sings a different, happier tune.
FRANK: It's so hard to explain the feeling. I screamed at the top of my lungs, and my neighbors came out. That's how excited I was. My wife's crying, I'm still shaking. It's an amazing feeling.
HOLMES: This is what's making him feel that way. William Joe Mitchell is in jail. He was the only person sought in the online seduction and kidnapping of a 15-year-old Florida girl. The girl told friends she was in love with her Internet beau she thought was in his mid-20s. William Joe Mitchell is 46. Police tracked him down four states away on Saturday.
SHERIFF GRADY JUDD, POLK COUNTY, FL: Virginia state police took him down at gunpoint. He did not resist. And once he did that and we were able to get to his car, he was still in his original car, we determined he had no money on him, but what he did have was our victim's personal effects visible in the car.
HOLMES: The girl's father doesn't blame the Internet, but he's about to become an online expert.
FRANK: We're going to get back on the Internet. We're going to install software that checks this for me. I'm going to go learn how to do this. I don't -- it's not my forte, but it's going to become that. We've had serious talks about no age, no information of your own out there to the people.
You can be who you want to be on the Internet. That's our problem. And people do give out their information. We don't do this. The Internet is for information. It's not a playground. Seriously, it's not a playground.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: We don't know just yet when Mitchell might be returned to Florida to face charges. There are also federal and Alabama State charges to consider in this case.
NGUYEN: A surprise plea agreement for the man accused of kidnapping and abusing two boys in Minnesota. Michael Devlin is due in court tomorrow for the first of several hearings. He's expected to plead guilty to kidnapping and sexual abuse charges. Devlin was arrested in January, if you recall, after police found two missing boys in his apartment. One had disappeared just the day before. Now, the other had been missing since 2002.
HOLMES: So new questions this morning about that dramatic dash cam video of a policeman arresting a 15-year-old Florida girl. We showed you this video first yesterday morning, here. The girl's aunt says the tape shows excessive force by the police officer. That arresting officer in Fort Pierce recorded this encounter there on the dash cam. And police say the girl was violating curfew and bit the officer when he tried to arrest her. He pepper sprayed her during the struggle. The police chief says his officer acted appropriately. The girl's aunt says he went too far even if her niece did bite him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GLORIA SMITH, ARRESTED GIRL'S AUNT: Well, she proceed to, after the aggressiveness of his behavior, after his actions, and never stated why he was actually apprehending her, why was he not -- why was he doing the things he was doing. Her rights were never read to her. I mean, she was violated all the way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The teenager is now facing charges of battery and resisting an officer. Her case scheduled to go to court next month.
NGUYEN: Well, news this morning of a deadly collision between a bus and a train in Cuba. It happened in the small town of Yara, which is about 500 miles east of Havana. At least 28 people were killed and more than 70 injured. A report says the train slammed into the bus at a railroad crossing. That bus then plunged off a bridge. Fifteen of the injured are said to be in critical condition.
HOLMES: Well, can you imagine trying to evacuate more than a million people? That's the plan from China's government. They put that plan into action ahead of a dangerous storm making landfall today. Tropical Storm Krosa has been downgraded from a typhoon, but still has the potential to cause extensive damage.
Here now is a look at the storm's damage in Taiwan. An i-Report here shot by Chieh-Yuan Shih of Taipei, he said he thought it would never stop raining. The death toll there now stands at five.
NGUYEN: Powerful storms there, Reynolds. And actually we're seeing some flooding here in some areas.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Year, there's going to be that potential later on today. You know, with the tropical systems, the No. 1 threat really isn't the wind, but rather it is the heavy rainfall, the flooding and that is what we may see today in parts of the Central Plains.
(NEWSBREAK)
NGUYEN: All right Reynolds, we thank you.
HOLMES: All right, gas prices, you tired of them yet? What do they do? They go up, they come back down, give you a glimmer of hope, and then they go right back up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A successful attack here could send oil prices rocketing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yeah, well, our Nic Robertson goes inside one of the world's largest oil terminals and shows you how it's protected against terrorists. NGUYEN: And this. Find out who's behind the wheel of that wild ride.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's far beyond a lot of people's expectation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yeah, do you even know that guy? And do you know that he's running for president? That's Republican Ron Paul. He is bringing in some pretty hefty campaign cash, to the surprise of everybody, including himself, probably. We're going to sort it all out next, here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN SUNDAY MORNING on CNN, the news channel trusted by more Americans.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, let's get to some political hot topics this morning. Another Republican senator says he won't run for re- election. Health matters forcing Senator Pete Domenici to retire. So, what did that mean for Republicans? Let's bring in political editor himself, Mark Preston to talk about that and a whole lot more.
Good morning, sir, always good to see you. Pete Domenici, I think that means four, maybe five Republican senators who saying they're not going to seek re-election. Are Democrats salivating over this?
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Oh, they absolutely are. You know, not a big surprise that Pete Domenici, T.J. decided to step out and retire gracefully. He had some issues, some serious health issues. And he came out and said, look, it's time for me to go, and he won't run for re-election.
What's really bad for Republicans right now is that they've lost -- they're going to lose John Warner from Virginia. Democrats could pick that one up, perhaps. They're going to lose Chuck Hagel from Nebraska, another seat Democrats might be able to pick up. They might be able to pick up this New Mexico seat. And there's a seat in Colorado, as well, they might be able to pick up. So, they're in trouble.
HOLMES: All right, let's move on now and talk about the campaign, the presidential race. We're going to talk about campaign cash. And I have not seen a single story, I think through this whole thing, that started talking about campaign cash, and the first name mentioned was Representative Ron Paul.
Explain to people what just happened. He picked up five million, not a big number for the third quarter, compared to the top tier candidates, but for him this is a big deal. PRESTON: A huge number, a huge number -- $5 million. Ron Paul is this Texas Republican. He's very -- he's very set in his ways, T.J. Interestingly enough, he actually -- his own party gets mad at him very often because he doesn't -- he's not lockstep. He's against the Iraq war, he's very anti-tax, he's limited government. He's got this eclectic group of supporters who have really coalesced behind his campaign, and really the common thread for them is the Internet. He comes out and announces he needs $5 million, I'll tell you, he really is a long, long, long shot to win the nomination, but he really can help influence the debate, I believe.
HOLMES: Now he has the clout and the cash to change the debate a little bit, make people pay attention to him and get his name and his voice out there.
PRESTON: He's definitely got the cash. I mean, the clout, we'll see if that comes along with it. But he's got the cash to at least start running commercials, and he really against the war. So, you know, that could be uneasy for the Republican frontrunner.
HOLMES: Don't want to giving him the clout just yet. All right, let's quickly talk about Fred Thompson. You know, he raised a decent amount of money, but this guy's not exciting anybody just yet, is he?
PRESTON: Well, I mean, that's what we're hearing on the campaign trail, anyway. I think a lot of people expected a lot from him. They really think that he would be the next Ronald Reagan. He's an actor, he's a former senator, like he really seems to be somebody conservatives can latch on to.
Right now, big test this week. He's going to appear in his first debate. And if he can really go toe-to-toe with his colleagues, then he'll be able to take off. If not, then his stock will start to drop.
HOLMES: Let's hit the last couple of things here, first of all, Barack Obama and Senator Hillary Clinton. Clinton, long been the frontrunner. Well, the only thing Obama, he could point to, beside those polls, which he wasn't ahead in, is he's been raising more cash. At least that's been a victory for him. Let's put up the numbers in the latest polls. He is dropping in the polls from July, as we're seeing this right here, he's dropping in support. But also, Senator Clinton actually raised more money than he did in the last quarter, as well. So, she's winning on all fronts now. What does he have to do to kind of get his campaign and kick start it a little bit?
PRESTON: What he has to do as well as what John Edwards has to do, is that they really have to try to distinguish themselves from Clinton. They're also looking for her to stumble in the next three months. Three months is a long way to go, T.J., until we get to the Iowa caucuses. But, they're looking for her to stumble. They really want to distinguish themselves from her and they really want to try to paint her and portray her as a Washington insider and that they're the ones that can come in and bring change.
HOLMES: All right, last thing here, and real quickly. Senators Larry Craig out of Idaho, how bad do Republicans want this guy to go away? He's come out now and says, no, I'm not going to leave the Senate. I'm going to stay in office. How desperate are they for him to go away, and how much pressure are they putting on him behind the scenes?
PRESTON: Absolutely. Very desperate. They want him to leave. They see this as a black eye. You know, I equate it to this: Larry Craig is much like the kid in high school who was in the popular clique, and all of a sudden they don't want him anymore. You know, they're not paying any attention to him. But they want him out. It's embarrassing. It hurts their Republican base. But really, I mean, they can't get him out. There's nothing they can do other than try to pressure him out.
HOLMES: And he keeps showing up to the party with the cool kids, I guess.
PRESTON: He sure does.
HOLMES: All right, Mark Preston, always good to see you, sir. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
PRESTON: Thanks, T.J. take care.
HOLMES: All right, and the Congressional Black Caucus will hold a final presidential debate before the South Carolina primary, it'll be held on January 17 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. You can see it live only right here on CNN.
NGUYEN: Well today, Congress is mourning the death of Virginia Representative Jo Ann Davis. Davis died yesterday after a two-year battle with breast cancer. And in 2000, Davis became the state's first Republican woman ever elected to the House of Representatives. President Bush calls her an inspiration to us all. Jo Ann Davis was 57 years old.
Coming up, what you pay at the gas pump may depend on what happens in the Persian Gulf. And next, we're going to give you an inside look at who's protecting some of the world's biggest oil reserves. You might be surprised.
And were you watching the game last night? Now you see it, and now you don't, had a blackout at the game. We'll tell you what caused this, about a 15-minute time-out. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: The Iraqi navy on point getting ready to take over the sole responsibility of guarding the country's most precious resource.
NGUYEN: And their success or failure could have global implications. Want to get more now from CNN's senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, who is off the coast of Basra in the Persian Gulf.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ROBERTSON (voice-over): A million barrels of Iraqi oil flow through this terminal every day. More than 90 percent of Iraq's gross domestic product protected by its tiny navy.
(on camera): The security of this al Basra oil terminal and a nearby smaller facility, underpin not only the economy of Iraq and the ability of country to fund its rebuilding, but the stability of global markets. A successful attack here could send oil prices rocketing.
(voice-over): Yet the four-year-old 1,000-man navy is short on resources.
LT DOMINIC KILBANE, BRITISH NAVY: The money is there, the will is there, but unfortunately at the moment, the supply chain lets us down slightly. It's very hard to outsource parts and spares for the vessels.
ROBERTSON: And without improvement, the implications are serious.
CMDR STEVE STACY, U.S. NAVY: Well, it impacts the situation because, if you don't have the logistics to support operations, then operations grind to a halt.
ROBERTSON: Right now, British and American warships help the fledgling Iraqi force maintain security around the terminals. But in a few months, the Iraqi navy will be taking over sole responsibility for securing the smaller terminal and the country's main sea trade route.
KILBANE: We're expecting to in the next few months just hand over control of the perimeter defense to the Iraqi marines (INAUDIBLE), which is the (INAUDIBLE) oil terminal, and also we're expecting to hand over, in the next few months, the security of the Port Abdullah (ph) all the way to the Iraqi navy.
ROBERTSON: A short trip aboard one of the Iraqi navy's five Predator boats spotlighted maintenance problems. One of the engines caught fire, not uncommon, according to crew members. Of their 24 fast aluminum rib boats, only 10 are working, the others cannibalized for spares. Coalition commanders say new boats are on order. And as training pays off under their mentoring, the Iraqis are becoming increasingly proficient.
STACY: We will not allow them to fail. We will ensure that we are there alongside them to ensure that, yes, they are protecting the infrastructure of Iraq. In fact, they're securing the future of Iraq.
ROBERTSON: The stakes are high. Failure here would impact world oil markets with inevitable repercussions for the global economy.
Nic Robertson, CNN, on the al Basra oil terminal in the Persian Gulf.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: And you can hear much more about the future of Iraqi security in just about 90 minutes from now on LATE EDITION with Wolf Blitzer. Wolf has an exclusive interview with Iraqi president, Jalal Talabani.
HOLMES: Also to come this hours, they served their time in Iraq but now say they're being short-changed on benefits.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was set up purposefully to make sure we did not get the G.I. bill.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yeah, days in the war zone and how paperwork can change benefits due servicemen and servicewomen.
NGUYEN: Plus, check this out, a school bus and plenty of police cars in hot pursuit. It is a crazy chase with a wild ending. You don't want to miss it, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Welcome back everybody, on this Sunday morning, good morning, I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And good morning to you, dear Betty. What do you call this 30 minutes left here for us.
NGUYEN: Thirty minutes for us.
HOLMES: All right, I'm T.J. Holmes. Good morning to you all.
Going to look here at some of our top stories this morning. Got some new arrests in dozens of pro-democracy demonstrations going on. The government now saying they've also seized weapons in this whole mess we've been watching in Myanmar for a couple of weeks, now, but still keeping an eye on the situation.
NGUYEN: We're also keeping an eye on this. Highways are starting to reopen around Tacoma, Washington, after a massive explosion -- you see right there -- at a foundry. That happened late yesterday. It forced evacuations and road closures. One person is in critical condition this morning.
HOLMES: Also, fugitive sex offender William Joe Mitchell is behind bars in Virginia. The accused kidnapper was picked up at a truck stop there. Mitchell accused of abduction a 15-year-old girl he met on the Internet.
NGUYEN: OK, near Little Rock, Arkansas, police chase a stolen school bus for 40 miles through three different counties. And you can imagine how this ends. They almost always end the same way, with the driver in handcuffs. But, you won't believe who's behind the wheel. Here's Amanda Manatt, from our Little Rock affiliate, KATV. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANDA MANATT, KATV REPORTER: As a stolen Dumas school bus flies down highway 65 Friday night, dozens of officers from three counties, four towns, and state police remain in hot pursuit. Dumas School officials had been closing up after their football game around 11:00 p.m. when they noticed lights coming from the bus yard and reported the vehicle stolen.
From there, the driver of the bus led police down Highway 65, all the way into Jefferson County. That's despite road spikes state police set up to try and slow down the bus.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ...he missed them all. We're now coming on into town. Speed at 25 mile-an-hour.
MANATT: Finally, as the bus pulls into Pine Bluffs city limits, the driver slowed down enough for a deputy to make the stop. But, as officers approach, they're surprised by who they find behind the wheel. Police say the driver's a 10-year-old boy. He was immediately cuffed and taken into police custody then later released to his parents.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Yep, 10 years old. Now, school officials say the same boy, get this, was caught in a group trying to steal another bus just last month. He needs to be on that bus headed to school.
HOLMES: They need to lock those buses up maybe too.
Well, I need to take you to New York now where an explosion rocked a Harlem neighborhood, 24 people injured, eight of them children. The fire department says a gas leak caused an explosion in a five-story apartment building. It was around 119th Street. The blast hurled glass and air conditioners into the street and shook several other buildings. A business owner saw what happened and rushed over to help.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VICTOR ALBINO, BUSINESS OWNER: When you went into the building, it looked like everything got blown, came up, you understand? So then after that, we just went inside. My co-worker grabbed the little girl that was inside. She was about 70 percent burned on her body. I grabbed the little boy. We both grabbed him. We grabbed the lady stuck in the apartment. We took them outside. And after that, we continued upstairs. There was no visibility, it was from the smoke.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, the Pentagon is reporting a successful test of its $100 billion -- make sure I got that number right, $100 billion.
NGUYEN: Yeah, that's a big difference. Billion with a "B."
HOLMES: Defense system.
NGUYEN: Yeah, but is the system as bulletproof as the military claims? Well, here's CNN senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): OK, imagine North Korea launches a nuclear tipped long-range Taepodong missile towards the U.S. In reality, this is a view of a target missile leaving Alaska behind for last week's missile defense test.
The Pentagon says Friday's test was designed to mimic a North Korean attack and showed the U.S. can now react within minutes. Streaking into the California sky, this interceptor missile quickly reaches a closing speed of more than 10,000 miles-per-hour. What happens next, the Pentagon argues, could be what someday saves a major American city from nuclear destruction. Watch that thermal imagery again. It shows the actual kill vehicle colliding with the dummy warhead in space.
LT GEN TREY OBERING, DIR MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY: It's a major step forward in being able to step show we have a system that does work.
MCINTYRE: General Obering told CNN that with 23 interceptor missiles on standby, three in California and 20 in Alaska, the system is already providing a rudimentary missile shield against North Korea.
OBERING: The crews are trained and certified and ready. The sensors in Alaska, as well as California, are ready. So, yes, it could be used, if need be, for an attack.
STEPHEN YOUNG, UNION OF CONCERNED SCIENTISTS: What they're claiming is they're ready for the World Series. Reality is they're still playing little league baseball.
MCINTYRE: Stephen Young of the Union of Concerned Scientists thinks the tests are phony, so tightly controlled they prove nothing. And in any event, he argues, North Korea would have no problem overwhelming the $100 billion shield by launching several missiles at once or using simple, cheap, low tech decoys.
YOUNG: The system can't tell the difference between a Mylar happy birthday balloon and a nuclear warhead in space. They simply travel at the same speed, they look identical. You can do any number of things to fool this system. It simply can't work in the real world.
MCINTYRE (on camera): General Obering bristles at the charge that his tests are rigged, that he's in effect, cheating, and he says decoys will be a part of a more challenging test early next year. His fallback argument though, is that however imperfect the defense is, if it saves one American city, it's better than nothing, in fact, much better.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, southeastern China is hunkered down as a deadly storm makes landfall. More than a million people in its path have been evacuated. I want you to take a look at some of the damage. Before that storm moved to the mainland, it was a typhoon in Taiwan and the winds knocked down electric poles, even tossed debris on the cars. Now residents there are busy cleaning up all that mess.
And check out these pictures of the waves crashing along the shore in southeast China. Look at that. Again, that storm has been downgraded but is still packing powerful winds.
HOLMES: We will turn to Reynolds and we'll turn to weather here in the U.S.
Reynolds, I don't know if it's I'm confused or got it wrong. There's a big 93 on Memphis over there, and I know it's Fall time.
WOLF: I know man, I mean. It's hard to believe. Very, very warm conditions not far from your hometown. You're actually in West Memphis. Well, actually, you're in Atlanta.
NGUYEN: There's a difference.
HOLMES: Across the bridge.
WOLF: One being in Arkansas, the other being in Tennessee, both great places.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: All right, Reynolds, we appreciate it.
HOLMES: All right, check this out, folks. What happened last night at a baseball game. Playoff game between the Rockies and Phillies. The game -- just one you just got to see. And now you don't see it. No need to adjust there, folks. Coors Field went dark for a few minutes thanks to a computer glitch. For Phillies fans, maybe they wish the lights would have stayed off. Maybe they would have had a chance to win the game. Might become known as the night the lights went out in Denver. The Rockies went on to win the game, beating the Phillies, and going on to sweep that series.
NGUYEN: Well, T.J., listen up, because in Madison, Wisconsin, this week, it is cool to be a geek. Yes, geeks from all over are gearing and gathering to celebrate video games, Japanese animation -- called Anime, by the way -- and of course, Dungeons and Dragons. In fact, T.J. was supposed to be the keynote speaker at this convection, but he couldn't get the weekend off.
Now, the two-day Geek-Kon, as they call it, was the brainchild of a couple of University of Wisconsin students. So, here's your time, go ahead, impart some knowledge on these geeks. HOLMES: I'm sorry I couldn't get the vacation time, but I'm with you in spirit. Please, don't let my starched shirt and tie fool you. I normally dress like that on my off days.
NGUYEN: Or your pocket protector.
HOLMES: Yes. Don't let it fool you, folks.
Got something else to show you, here. Watch these strong guys and gals. Pretty tough folks when you see what they're pulling here.
NGUYEN: There it is.
HOLMES: The annual airplane pull. The group in Philadelphia raising money for locals with muscular dystrophy, and these Philadelphia volunteers wanted to make a difference, so they pulled the 747 12 feet. The plane weighs 167,000 pounds. My workout yesterday was nothing.
NGUYEN: Nothing compared to that.
All right. Well, listen to this because they were welcomed back from the war by family and friends, but denied some benefits by the U.S. government.
HOLMES: Yeah, we'll take a look at the red tape and efforts to cut through it in a special report, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: They're off, a little while ago. The Army's annual 10- mile race kicked off in Washington, said to be the nation's biggest ten-mile race. 26,000 runners signed up. At least one person from every state and the District of Columbia is running. They racers start at the Pentagon, and they'll sprint through downtown, if you will -- don't know how much of a sprint it is -- but they will end up back at the Pentagon. And we can keep talking about this or hear Marvin Gaye...
NGUYEN: "Ain't no Mountain High Enough."
HOLMES: Do the thing, here. Yeah. A great morning for it, as well, the weather cooperating and great video, as well, we saw of the parachute jump that happened right before the race took off. So, this is a wonderful day there, wonderful event and been going for 20- something years, I do believe now.
All right well, soldiers of the 27th Brigade Combat Team of the New York National Guard can relax and enjoy being with family this morning. The Guard members were officially released from duty yesterday during a ceremony in Syracuse, a troop that spent over a year serving in Afghanistan. And some say it can be hard on families during those long deployments.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) STAFF SGT RICHARD HAYDUK, U.S. ARMY: It's hard to explain, especially to younger children. They don't really have a concept of the time and they just know their daddy's gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, just as the guard troops were being released, another unit was getting ready for deployment. They'll report to Fort Drum for training.
NGUYEN: Well, it sounds like a raw deal. Some National Guard troops finally came home from Iraq after almost two years there only to learn that they'd somehow just barely missed qualifying for full benefits under the G.I. Bill. As CNN's Brian Todd reports, the Pentagon insists no troops were deliberately short changed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRAIN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They served longer in a combat zone than any other grounds unit in the war, suffered nine fatalities, were awarded dozens of Purple Hearts. But, when they got home from Iraq recently, nearly half the members of this Minnesota National Guard unit learned they couldn't get a full package of educational and other benefits under the G.I. Bill.
LT JON ANDERSON, MINNESOTA NATIONAL GUARD: I really feel disappointed in the Army. I poured my heart and soul into the Army.
TODD: To get the full package, Lieutenant Jon Anderson needed his written orders to say he was deployed for 730 days or more. But Anderson and hundreds of others in his unit fell short by just 1 to 12 days. As a result, they were shorted more than $200 a month for college.
And unlike those who get the full package, their college benefits end when they leave the National Guard. Anderson says this about Army officials in charge of writing those orders.
ANDERSON: It was set up purposefully to make sure that we did not get the G.I. Bill. It was set up because why else would you pick 729 days?
TODD: The head of the Minnesota National Guard has written a memo saying, "These soldiers were victims of a significant injustice."
SEN AMY KLOBUCHAR (D), MINNESOTA: They served many, many more months than they were supposed to. They served an ample amount of time to get those benefits, and their promises were basically wrapped in red tape, and it's got to get fixed.
TODD: We asked an army official about Anderson's charge the army was just trying to save money.
LT COL DARREL DARDEN, U.S. ARMY: I can't imagine there'd be anybody here, anybody in the organization that would do something to save money when you have soldiers that have gone down range and answered their nation's call.
TODD: So how did it happen? Army officials say this goes back to the surge, when Anderson's unit had their orders extended. Even though they're all in the same unit and got to Iraq at about the same time, not all of them had gotten their original orders on the same day. So, when they were extended, the Army tried to calculate their orders to make sure they all got home on the same day. And the total number of days simply came out differently.
(on camera): How will it be fixed? The Army says it's reviewing all the paperwork and will ask these soldiers to apply to have their orders amended. Bottom line, Army officials tell us they'll help these soldiers get their full benefits, hopefully by the New Year.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And Congress is calling for stricter oversight of contractors in Iraq. Today on THIS WEEK AT WAR, "Security for Hire." Plus, fewer troops are dying in Iraq, so is it a turning point or just a statistical blip? THIS WEEK AT WAR airs today at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
HOLMES: And we are still here gathering new information about that huge explosion in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my god!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yeah, this was in Tacoma, to be specific. We're just minutes away from an update about this.
NGUYEN: But first, an African American burial ground almost forgotten underneath lower Manhattan's gleaming towers. We're going to give you those details right after this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: A forgotten page in history is now being remembered at one of the country's newest national monument.
HOLMES: Yeah, it's a memorial that reveals some of the important contributions of slaves. CNN's Allen Chernoff reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLEN CHERNOFF, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): From its very beginning, New York was a slave town. African slaves helped build the colony and establish it as a commercial center. Blacks were banned from burial in churchyards, so north of the city, which then was the lower tip of Manhattan; the Negro burial ground was established. More than 10,000 people were laid to rest across nearly seven acres, where office buildings now stand.
TARA MORRISON, AFRICAN BURIAL GROUND SUPT: People are quite often amazed that slavery existed in New York, that there was an African burial ground in use for approximately 100 years.
CHERNOFF: It had been forgotten by all but a handful of historians until digging began for a new skyscraper.
(on camera): The archaeological dig here provided vivid proof that indeed New York City had been built on the backs of slaves, and as if they hadn't suffered enough degradation, their burial ground was simply covered over with dirt. New York City literally was built on top of their bodies.
HOWARD DODSON, SCHOMBURG CENTER: There was nothing morally or ethically in the conscience of peoples of that time that would have required them to consider the site a sacred site and to consider the people buried there anything other than, in effect, discarded slaves.
CHERNOFF (voice-over): That act of disrespect, ironically, served to preserve the bodies and history. Remains of 419 people were excavated and analyzed. This skeleton, a woman age 25 to 35, her bones indicate arthritis and scarring at muscle connections, results of hard labor.
Four years ago, the 419 African ancestors were reentered, given honor they never had in death. And with today's dedication of the African Burial Ground National Monument, the country now has a memorial to tell the story of their contribution to the United States.
DODSON: These enslaved Africans who were buried in the African burial ground were part of the formation and foundation and development of New York City. For the better part of 200 years, they've been a forgotten page in history, a missing page in history, a missing presence in New Yorkers' consciousness and our nation's consciousness.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And that was our Allan Chernoff reporting. And he adds that the African-American community there glad that their ancestors finally gaining proper recognition.
NGUYEN: Right now, though, it's time to check in with Howard Kurtz in Washington to see what is ahead on CNN's RELIABLE SOURCES.
Hi there, Howard.
HOWARD KURTZ, RELIABLE SOURCES: Hi Betty.
Coming up, did Rush Limbaugh really insult what he called phony soldiers, or is this a fake controversy whipped up by his critics?
Clarence Thomas denigrates Anita Thomas on "60 Minutes," and other TV show? Why wasn't the Justice pressed in his account of his conformation hearing? Plus it's media makeover week for Jenna Bush and Fred Thompson's wife Jeri, but Britney and Paris still getting the terrible press they deserve.
Columnist Frank Rich joins our discussion, ahead on RELIABLE SOURCES.
NGUYEN: All right, thank you so much. We'll be looking forward to it.
HOLMES: Well, leave it to a California college to bring something hip into the classroom.
NGUYEN: Yeah, it should be an easy grade for most of the students, right, Veronica?
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN.COM DESK: Yeah (INAUDIBLE) if you can't really afford a college education because YouTube now is bringing that education to you and all you have to do is log on. We're going to have the details next on CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues.
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HOLMES: All right, trying to get into college draining your account, you might want to listen up.
NGUYEN: Oh yeah, because the Internet is emerging as the college classroom of the future. It might just save you not a few bucks, but a bundle. Veronica de la Cruz joins us not to look at that.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, you don't want to not go to college, you don't. But, I'm going to give you the detail on what you can do. And college courses have been available as podcasts for a while. Some have been online. But this week there was a seismic shift in old school versus new school. Because U.C. Berkeley is now posting full lectures on YouTube. And you guys, I'm not talking about five seconds here and there, I'm talking about the entire lecture.
So, the good news is for the student who can't get out of bed in the morning, it means that they can get caught up whenever they want. They can watch the lecture again to review. And also, you don't even need to be a student. Anyone can go to YouTube, they can audit a class. But the selection right now is pretty limited. There's biology, physics, chemistry. I know your favorite courses, right, Betty. Chemistry, whoo!
NGUYEN: Bring on the labs.
DE LA CRUZ: But, again, it's not just the highlights. You can watch the entire lecture.
NGUYEN: There's the highlights right there.
DE LA CRUZ: There you go.
Some of these lectures are more than an hour, you guys. And again, want to remind you, not a substitute to sending your child off to college yet, but it's a pretty good indication of the direction that higher education is taking these days. And it could be that in the future you simply pay a fee to attend U.C. Berkeley and then you kind of never leave your house.
HOLMES: Awesome.
NGUYEN: Yeah, your parents are going to love that. Don't have to pay for room and board.
DE LA CRUZ: You've got to school. You've got to have the whole college experience.
NGUYEN: Yes, you do.
DE LA CRUZ: You can't just mail it in.
NGUYEN: It worked very well for T.J., didn't it?
HOLMES: I get to hang with you guys.
NGUYEN: See, he became a successful guy. It's all good. Thank you, Veronica. And actually, you have a little news for us, right?
DE LA CRUZ: A little news, yeah, this is actually my last day with you guys because I am off to New York, and I'm going to cry. I can't even say good-bye to you guys.
HOLMES: Oh, please.
NGUYEN: Well, it's not really good-bye because you're going to be on AMERICAN MORNING.
DE LA CRUZ: I'll be on AMERICAN MORNING Monday through Friday. So I hope that you guys will...
NGUYEN: Exactly what she does here, Dot-Com, all the good information and the great stories.
DE LA CRUZ: But, it's sad for me and I want to you know that I love you guys dearly. And, you know, you really are my family and everybody is just so wonderful, Betty, T.J., Reynolds, Josh Levs, who always mans the Dot.Com Desk wherever he is. And, you know, (INAUDIBLE) and of course, my producer, Glen Emery, I just want to say thank you so much, because all of this could not have been possible without you. So, you're wonderful.
HOLMES: Is he crying somewhere?
DE LA CRUZ: Yeah.
NGUYEN: He's somewhere in a fetal position right about now.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, you know, he won't come to New York with me, so it's his loss. HOLMES: Well, it's our loss too. We -- it's been a pleasure. It's been a blast, not doubt, with you. But we're going to see you plenty...
NGUYEN: Yeah, you're not really gone...
DE LA CRUZ: ...come up to New York, you guys have a place to crash. I know I'm going to see Betty because she's going to want to do all the shoe shopping she can up in New York.
HOLMES: She does plenty, right here.
NGUYEN: All right, moving right along, folks.
HOLMES: Good luck to you, we'll see you...
DE LA CRUZ: Thank you.
NGUYEN: Best of luck.
DE LA CRUZ: Thank you.
NGUYEN: We're going to talk about this right now. Soldiers in Iraq, if they're against the war, are they phony? Well, it's a statement that got talk show host Rush Limbaugh in a heap of controversy. It's a hot topic coming up on RELIABLE SOURCES.
HOLMES: Then coming up on LATE EDITION with Wolf Blitzer, he was chairman of the board, Alan Greenspan watched over the nation's economy for decades, now he's talking turbulence in the nation's marketplace.
And of course, have a check of this morning's top stories.
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