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CNN Saturday Morning News
Strongest Earthquake In A Century Devastates South Asia; New York City Commuters On Edge After False Alarms; National Hockey League Will Air On OLN, Bird Flu Could Be A Serious Threat; Progress Report On Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; Conservatives Show Concern Over Miers
Aired October 08, 2005 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: A powerful earthquake rocks Pakistan overnight and is felt some 400 miles away in three different countries. At least 351 are dead. Hundreds of others injured. It is 7:00 a.m. here at the CNN Center in Atlanta and 4:00 p.m. in Islamabad, Pakistan.
This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING, the 8th day of October. And good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen. We'll have live reports from Pakistan and India for you this morning. But first, some of the other stories making news right now.
Police are still searching bags in New York City's subway system after warnings about possible terrorist attacks. Some federal officials have suggested the intelligence was not credible, but city officials are standing by their decision to beef up security. We'll have more in just a few minutes.
Operation Iron Fist is over. U.S. and Iraqi forces have ended the nearly week long offensive against insurgents in western Iraq's Anbar Province. The U.S. Marine says more than 50 insurgents were killed. Meantime, U.S. troops are pressing on with Operation River Gate, which is a similar offensive in the region.
And keep doing what you're doing. Mohamed ElBaradei says winning the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize sends him that message. ElBaradei heads the U.N. agency that keeps tabs and nuclear powers. The prize will be split equally between him and the agency.
HARRIS: And much more to come this hour on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
It hasn't arrived her yet, but bird flu is certainly ruffling feathers here in the U.S. Is the nation ready to deal with a possible epidemic? We'll talk to an expert.
Also, was it just a big case of hype in the Big Apple? We'll take a closer look at the subway security scare.
And hockey is back, but is the NHL on thin ice? We'll go "Beyond The Game" with Rick Horrow.
NGUYEN: Arguably, the strongest earthquake in a century devastates South Asia. That is our top story this morning. The quake, measuring 7.6, jolted Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. Pakistani government officials say the death toll could reach the thousands. You're looking at pictures right now of the devastation.
The quake happened 9:00 a.m. Pakistan time. Currently, it is 4:00 in the afternoon there. Homes, schools and businesses are destroyed and relief operations are underway.
So let's get the latest now from Danny Kemp, the Islamabad deputy bureau chief for AFP, which is an overseas news agency.
The first thing I want to talk to you about, Danny, is as we watch these pictures, what have you heard about the death toll? Because right now we are hearing somewhere around the 351 mark.
DANNY KEMP, AFP ISLAMABAD, DEPUTY BUREAU CHIEF: That's the confirmed toll. We have been told by the chief military spokesman that more than 1, 000 people are feared to have died. And, I mean, again, that may be a conservative estimate. We've also been told by officials that some, at least, oh, around 250 people have died in the capital of Pakistani controlled Kashmir alone.
So I think we get the feeling that the figures are going to rise.
NGUYEN: Yes, the numbers keep rising and very quickly. Obviously, rescue operations, as we see, are underway.
How large of a scale was this quake? We talked about it reaching several different countries. Was this one that could be felt for miles and miles?
KEMP: Apparently so. We -- I mean there have been a number of deaths in India, particularly in India's section of Kashmir. And also the quake was felt in Afghanistan, where I think a small number of people died. Certainly our bureau there reported that they had felt the tremor.
So it's been over a very wide area.
NGUYEN: So are you seeing widespread damage? Because we're looking at one particular area, but we want to know -- we're also reading reports that villages, entire villages have been wiped out because of this.
KEMP: That's what we've been told. The main -- the widespread damage or the major damage appears to have been in northern Pakistan and north India, but particularly focused around Pakistani controlled Kashmir. All the phone lines and roads to the area have been cut. So it's been difficult to get full reports on what's going on there.
But we've, you know, the more that comes through, the bigger the death toll appears to be there. So that's where it appears to be concentrated.
NGUYEN: The thing that concerns me as I watch these pictures that we're showing right now are the rescue operations, searching for survivors amid all the rubble, are the aftershocks and the fear of those aftershocks as people go into these areas, to these buildings through the tunnels, trying to reach people are who alive. If an aftershock comes, obviously, there's going to be more devastation.
KEMP: That's an extremely good point. We were just watching -- we've just seen Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, visited the site of an apartment block that collapsed in the capital, Islamabad. He was just climbing through the wreckage and then was addressing reporters when another very strong aftershock rocked the capital, which we felt here, and which he learned from watching television.
We -- it's, so, you know, there could, you know it's definitely a problem for the rescuers that they have to face.
NGUYEN: A lot of work ahead. And, obviously, we are going to follow every bit of it as it occurs. Danny Kemp for AFP, which is an overseas news agency. Thank you for that update -- Tony.
HARRIS: And, Betty, the quake also caused widespread damage and deaths in Indian controlled Kashmir and it shook buildings some 400 miles away in the Indian capital of New Delhi.
CNN producer John Raedler joining us from there -- and, John, give us a sense, first of all, of the situation on the ground where you are in New Delhi and then widen the view out a little bit and talk to us about Indian-controlled Kashmir. John, are you there?
John Raedler?
JOHN RAEDLER, CNN PRODUCER: Can you hear me, Tony?
HARRIS: I sure can. Right now I can.
All right, did you hear my question, John?
RAEDLER: I did, indeed.
HARRIS: OK.
RAEDLER: The situation in New Delhi is quite calm. The earthquake struck at what was about 9:30 in the morning on Saturday in New Delhi. Buildings shook and shuddered. It was obvious what was happening. It could only be an earthquake.
But I have to say that the extent of damage is minimal, it appears, in New Delhi, and there are no significant counts of injuries.
However, in Indian occupied Kashmir, the situation there grows worse. We had an official, the secretary of the chief minister there, give a press conference a couple of hours ago in which he said there were some 157 known dead.
CNN's stringer in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian occupied Kashmir, just got off the phone with him moments ago. He said the toll now, according to a police chief in Srinagar, is now 180 in Indian occupied Kashmir. That includes 15 Indian Army soldiers who have been killed in the earthquake, as well.
And from what we were hearing from your correspondent in -- across the border in Islamabad, the situation in Pakistani controlled Kashmir appears to be much, much worse than that -- Tony.
HARRIS: John, you're in that part of the country. Give us a sense of what it is like, the structures in these villages and these small towns, and how they're built and why, because of the way they are built, they are so susceptible to collapse in the face of an earthquake.
RAEDLER: Well, these buildings, it has to be said, are basic. And that's about the best you could say of many of them with regard to withstanding an earthquake of a magnitude like this, 7.6.
A lot of people in these areas, in the Indian controlled Kashmir area, live in little more than mud huts. Other buildings of wood and other structures are put together in a very, very basic way.
So there would be little ability on the part of buildings to withstand this sort of a quake.
HARRIS: Yes.
John, we're just getting reports that there are still aftershocks being felt.
Are you feeling any aftershocks in New Delhi?
RAEDLER: We have not felt aftershocks in New Delhi, or at least I haven't. However, in talking to our stringer in Srinagar just before I came on the line with you, Tony, he said that they were experiencing yet another aftershock right at that time. I could hear some screaming in the background.
HARRIS: Oh, boy.
RAEDLER: It seemed to be the voices of children. And from my rough count, that's probably about the third or fourth time that he has reported to us feeling aftershocks. He said that these aftershocks are causing people there to flee buildings, flee what remains of houses and simply come out in the streets. He said there is a good deal of panic and fear as each round of these aftershocks hits.
HARRIS: OK. CNN producer John Raedler for us in New Delhi. And, John, we're going to let you go to do some reporting on this, but stay with us.
I'm sure we'll be coming back to you throughout the course of the morning. And stay with CNN for continuing coverage of the Pakistan earthquake. More live reports this hour and throughout the day from the disaster zone.
NGUYEN: Back in the U.S. New York City says beefing up subway security was the right thing to do in the face of a possible terror threat. But some federal officials aren't so sure. Two incidents turned out to be false alarms and commuters, well, they are still on edge.
CNN's Deborah Feyerick has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It began during the morning rush. First, a suspicious package. Then a soda can filled with green liquid at Penn Station. In the afternoon, a major Manhattan subway line was temporarily shut down. And so it went, the mayor standing by his decision to warn New Yorkers despite opposition from Washington.
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (R), MAYOR OF NEW YORK: A lot of our information comes from the FBI. And what you see in Washington is different intelligence agencies looking at either different information or evaluating it differently.
FEYERICK: The timing of the suspected attack is one reason New York's mayor went public, CNN learning that, Friday, October 7, was talked about as a date for a possible attack. Sunday, October 9, was another date mentioned.
BLOOMBERG: The intelligence information you get is never going to be so explicit and so guaranteed to be correct. And by the time you get that, the event has already taken place.
FEYERICK: An official close to the investigation tells CNN the information about the suspected attack came from a source who had provided accurate information in the past, the official telling CNN the source was questioned in Iraq and passed a polygraph test concerning the proposed New York City subway attack. That source trained in a terror camp in Afghanistan.
Based on the information, the U.S. launched a joint operation. Three men were taken into custody. An official tells CNN they are of different nationalities, some Middle Eastern. The FBI chief in New York says there's no reason to believe any terror suspects are in the city.
(on camera): As for the New York-Washington split, a high-level City Hall source tells CNN Mayor Bloomberg spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff before Thursday's press conference and that Chertoff did not ask the mayor to withhold the information or stand down. The source also says New York's FBI's chief did get permission from the FBI director in Washington to attend the press conference.
Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Now, the New York terror scare is rippling out the West Coast. The San Francisco area's mass transit system has boosted its alert status. And officials say they acted in response to the reported New York threat and not because of any specific threat to San Francisco.
Well, just one week ago today that we brought you the breaking news regarding the terror bombings in Bali. Indonesian police are now questioning more witnesses in last Saturday's deadly terrorist attack. The death toll from the string of suicide bombings in Bali has gone up to 23 after another victim died of his injuries.
Meanwhile, police raided a house where one of the suspected masterminds of that attack was believed to be hiding out. But they say the man had fled just hours earlier.
HARRIS: George Bush, Sr. makes three stops today on his post- hurricane tour. He flies to the Alabama Gulf Coast this morning, Mississippi this afternoon and then to Louisiana to spend the night. The official death toll in Louisiana now exceeds 1, 000. The increase puts the total number killed at 1, 239, including 221 in Mississippi, 11 in Florida, two in Georgia and two in Alabama.
One New Orleans city councilman wants more police presence on the streets to prevent looting or theft.
Meantime, state authorities are investigating claims that New Orleans police officers broke into a Cadillac dealership and made off with nearly 200 cars.
And finally, how to bring New Orleans back? Will it be our tax dollars or our heard earned ones? Mayor Ray Nagin is floating a sort of Las Vegas idea.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR RAY NAGIN, NEW ORLEANS: I'm proposing expanding and creating a zone which will start from Clayborne Avenue and run along Canal Street. So it would go along Canal Street, it would loop around Harrah's Casino and go to Poidras Avenue. And then Poidras Avenue to Clayborne again. So it would be a U-shaped casino, conversion and gaming zone. And in that zone, hotels that have 500 rooms or more would be allowed to convert into a full fledged casino.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK.
There will be a few new homeowners in Houston. Make that 1, 000 new homeowners. It's called Project Restart -- a combined effort by Grammy winning artist Usher, Hibernia National Bank and Freddie Mac. The project will eventually provide 1, 000 houses to families displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
NGUYEN: You can see the smiles there.
Well, we are getting information by the minute about the earthquake in Pakistan. Expect live updates all morning long right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING and throughout the day.
HARRIS: Plus this... (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Parliamentary inquiry...
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), HOUSE MINORITY LEADER: If you would just honor ...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Parliamentary inquiry...
PELOSI: ... the wishes of the American people, who have spoken.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does the gentle lady have a parliamentary inquiry?
PELOSI: I have a parliamentary inquiry. When are you going to honor those wishes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The House will be in order.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Wow! A heated battle on the House floor last night.
NGUYEN: Goodness.
HARRIS: The topic, the nation's energy supply. We'll show you what happened. And good morning.
Welcome back, Rob Marciano.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Tony.
Hi, Betty.
I'm looking forward to that video. I wonder if there's going to be fisticuffs there on Capitol Hill.
Hey, speaking of Capitol Hill, D.C. is seeing a tremendous amount of rain, some localized flooding. It is just a washout up the I-95 corridor. We'll discuss that forecast. Here's a live look at D.C. You can barely see the Washington Monument. Seventy-two degrees and it is raining. And it's probably not going to stop all day long.
We'll be right back with the complete weather forecast.
Stay right there.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM ZAGAT: According to our survey, which we did 11,000 families with children, the three top ranked national parks were Yosemite, Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon.
Talking about any of these parks is like talking about the American flag. I think most Americans have either known about these places or have been to them. Yosemite is just a gorgeous valley with these wonderful waterfalls.
Yellowstone and, in fact, most of these parks have various kinds of hiking. And the geysers of Yellowstone are very famous.
The Grand Canyon is just amazing to see. And you can visit it from the rim of the canyon.
I just think that each one of these three are among the most beautiful places on Earth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: With the nomination to the Supreme Court comes new found labels from critics and supporters alike. So far, though, we've heard Harriet Miers described as a pro-life, fundamentalist Christian and a George Bush crony. So, just who is Harriet Miers?
A close look next hour on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And checking our top stories, massive casualties are feared from an earthquake that hit South Central Asia today. Damage is considerable. The 7.6 magnitude quake was centered northeast of Islamabad, Pakistan. But it shook buildings as far away as India and Afghanistan.
Back in this country, there's progress in fighting those California wildfires. Firefighters have nearly surrounded blazes that have burned more than 10,500 acres in San Diego and Riverside Counties.
And in sports, the Chicago White Sox beat Boston 5-3, to sweep the defending World Series champs out of the playoffs. It is the first time the White Sox have won a post-season series since 1917. Chicago will play either the New York Yankees, the Evil Empire, or the Los Angeles Angels.
In the American League championship series. The Angels beat the Yankees 11-7 last night.
NGUYEN: Rob Marciano, did you hear Tony? Did you hear that? The Evil Empire?
HARRIS: Everybody calls them that. You know, they just have all the money in the world, all the talent in the world and...
NGUYEN: Isn't that your team, though?
MARCIANO: But that's less than...
NGUYEN: That's your team? MARCIANO: You shouldn't talk about Boston like that. They just got swept.
HARRIS: I know.
MARCIANO: It's really not fair.
HARRIS: I shouldn't talk about Boston.
MARCIANO: You know, there are good people in Boston.
HARRIS: You bet.
MARCIANO: They make great chowder.
NGUYEN: He's like flipped it.
MARCIANO: And they had their run, all right?
HARRIS: And it was a great run.
MARCIANO: It was a great run.
HARRIS: It really was.
MARCIANO: Now they can rest for three or four months.
Hey, I don't know about the Yankee-Angels game this afternoon. That looks like it's going to be washed out. You know, unless they get a lot of sand out there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: We see you guys in just a little bit.
NGUYEN: Rob, my Longhorns are playing O.U. today. It's a big game.
MARCIANO: I know it. I know.
NGUYEN: Red River shootout.
MARCIANO: Good luck to your Longhorns.
NGUYEN: Hope ...
HARRIS: Claims everything in Texas, the whole state. She just claims it.
Thank you, rob.
NGUYEN: I'm proud of it.
MARCIANO: Yes, see you guys.
NGUYEN: Talk to you later, Rob. OK, we are following a developing story out of South Central Asia today. A major earthquake has hit India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. We'll have the latest information coming up.
HARRIS: But first, NHL teams are back on the ice. But are fans showing love? Are they showing support? We'll break down the start up next in "Beyond The Game."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS (voice-over): It is, perhaps, the most important week in the history of professional hockey, the first games back since a lockout wiped out last year's entire season. The big question this morning -- can hockey, a sport that was already suffering an image problem, win back its fans?
The topic this morning, as we take you "Beyond The Game."
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: Even before last year's lockout TV ratings for hockey were on the decline. Then ESPN refused to renew the league's broadcast contract.
Dropping the puck with us this morning is CNN sports business analyst Rick Horrow, who is also the author of "When the Game Is On the Line" -- Rick, good morning to you, sir.
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Good morning, my friend.
You know what this -- do you skate, by the way? You don't look quick enough to skate.
Do you skate?
HARRIS: I have skated. I'm not a skater.
HORROW: I have skated ...
HARRIS: How is that?
HORROW: That's a very good political answer.
HARRIS: Finessed it a little bit?
HORROW: That was wonderful. Yes, that was great. Good.
HARRIS: Hey, let me ask you this. You know, ESPN drops hockey and now you've got to look on this OLBN National Geographic channel to find hockey. Is this better or worse? It can't be better, can it, for the league?
HORROW: Well, I know one thing, they're not going to return your calls if you call them. It's called the Outdoor Life Network.
HARRIS: Oh, OK.
HORROW: OLN, pal, OK?
Here's the deal. ESPN, Fox, all of those networks were important to the NHL at the time. They went away for a year, the National Hockey League, as we know. They came back with a salary cap and labor peace and they're pretty stable.
But they need three things -- money, money and more money. And OLN gave it to them, $70 million a year, in order for OLN to try to use hockey to get into 80 million homes.
HARRIS: Wow!
HORROW: They're doing a great promotional job. NBC is going to cover the Stanley Cup. But OLN also has the deal. The NHL hopes so, because $130 million of corporate advertising is spent on hockey. And the league wants to double or triple that.
HARRIS: OK, and if you don't have OLBN life, then call your cable operator, is that the line here?
HORROW: Yes, that's the line here for me to use. Clearly not you, because you've got to know what the network is.
HARRIS: All right, here's the question of the day, though. How is the NHL going to bringing back old fans, established fans, fans who loved the game and then those much needed new fans?
HORROW: Well, it's good you got that question right.
Here's the deal, though. This is the puck for the Stanley Cup champions the last time they played. Most people don't know where that is. It's Tampa Bay. The surveys said only 7 percent of the fans are avid, so they need to do three things.
First of all, make the game more affordable. The tickets are about $41 average. High, but not as high as the major sports, and 8 percent less than last year. That's good.
Second, they're promoting regional rivalries. Half the games are against your own division, who you hate. And that will bring more people out.
And third, bigger goals, smaller equipment, shootouts, one player against a goalie. No more ties in hockey. They've got a guy by the name of Sidney Crosby, a teenage phenom, that's starting in Pittsburgh. So the promotional wheels are turning. Fifteen games on Wednesday night, all 30 teams, the most ever. They play to 98 percent capacity.
HARRIS: Wow!
HORROW: So it seems to be moving in the right direction. HARRIS: OK, out of time for your Fair Ball/Foul Ball. What are you doing tomorrow night with Carol Lin?
HORROW: Well, we're talking about the NFL on NFL, "Beyond The NFL," women's sports, how the NFL is promoting the women's game or the women's support of the National Football League. And we think it's a major marketing effort. And we're going to talk about that tomorrow night with Carol after part of the NFL schedule is over tomorrow.
HARRIS: Beautiful.
HORROW: Thank you.
HARRIS: Rick Horrow, good to see you.
HORROW: All right.
HARRIS: See you in a couple of weeks here in Atlanta.
HORROW: Yes, sir.
HARRIS: You take care of yourself.
HORROW: Yes, sir.
NGUYEN: There is much more to come, including the developments out of South Central Asia today. Of course, we are following that huge earthquake. It was a 7.6 magnitude quake and we are learning that not only are there deaths and damage, but there have been aftershocks as strong as 6.3 in Pakistan. So we are going to give you an update on all of that.
And, the bird flu -- how worried should we be that it will migrate to the U.S.? we'll decipher fact from fiction when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Now more on the massive earthquake that rocked South Central Asia. By some accounts, the death toll could climb into the thousands. The 7.6 magnitude quake was centered north of Islamabad, Pakistan. But buildings shook hundreds of miles away, causing damage and casualties in India and Afghanistan.
Let us get the latest now from Danny Kemp.
And Danny is the Islamabad deputy bureau chief for AFP, an overseas news agency -- and, Danny, thanks for talking to us again.
We understand there has been a really strong aftershock that, boy, on any other day would feel like the earthquake itself, a 6.3 aftershock.
What can you tell us about that?
KEMP: Well, it came as a shock, I could certainly say that. I mean we -- the quake this morning was, you know, really quite mind blowing in its intensity. And then we thought we were over the worst of it. But then, you know, just as we were reporting on a visit by Pakistan's President Musharraf to an apartment block that collapsed in Islamabad, right at the time, we then felt this new shock. And, again, everything was shaking in the office. The fixing were, you know, the fixtures were shaking.
HARRIS: Yes.
KEMP: It was very strong.
HARRIS: And, Danny, a 6.3 aftershock is enough to cause some serious damage. So I'm imaging a picture where you have folks in some of these towns trying to conduct rescue operations and now there is a 6.3 aftershock and some of the folks out doing rescues are now very much in harm's way.
KEMP: Well, that's very much the case, I think. I mean we -- a lot of the villages that were worst hit by this earthquake are in the far north, where the -- where, you know, buildings are kind of not of the best quality and, you know, where construction is very shaky. So I think that we're definitely fearing that there may have been more casualties from the second quake -- the second, you know, tremor.
HARRIS: Oh, boy. And, Danny, I'm going to ask you a very basic question here, but it'll help a lot of our viewers this morning.
Give us a sense of what it is like to actually, for folks who have not experienced an earthquake, what it is like to actually feel the ground move around you, beneath u.
KEMP: It's not really something I'd wish on anyone. We were asleep in bed when the quake happened and the first thing we heard was a sort of unearthly rumbling, a rumbling sound, and then the shaking of kind of, you know, the clanking of sort of light bulb, you know, the lights and furniture. And then we felt this shaking, an unbelievable shaking, like nothing I've ever experienced.
And so we -- my wife and I grabbed our daughter. We ran downstairs immediately. We barely had time to put out clothes on and just made sure we were outdoors in the clear where nothing could fall on us.
HARRIS: Yes.
My sense of it, the one time I've sort of experienced aftershocks, is that you just sort of -- you don't really know where to go. They tell you to get underneath a doorway, but you just really have no sense of where to go and you're always constantly looking up, wondering are you clear of anything that could fall?
KEMP: Well, exactly. I mean, in the end, you end up kind of paralyzed. I mean you really don't know what to do sometimes. I mean if I wasn't working, I would be in a field somewhere making sure that I was nowhere near any buildings. But as it is, I just have to take it as it comes. HARRIS: OK, the current death toll that we have, the figure is 394. And what are you hearing from officials in terms of -- is that a conservative number, do you think?
KEMP: That is a conservative number. We've been told by the military that it's going to be, that they fear that some -- that more than 1,000 are dead. And, again, I think that is a -- that, in itself, is a conservative estimate.
We've got a confirmed death toll of 250 people alone in the capital of Pakistan, the administered Kashmir. Those are from about reports. So reports are coming in from other villages of, you know, 50 dead here, 100 dead there. And we really fear it's going to be big.
HARRIS: OK, Danny. Danny Kemp, thank you for your work for us this morning. We do appreciate it. And we invite you stay with CNN for continuing coverage of the Pakistan earthquake. We will have live reports throughout the day from the disaster zone.
NGUYEN: In the meantime, in other news right now, the question is, is the bird flu spreading overseas? Well, health officials in Romania fear it might be. They've quarantined a village of about 30 people after three ducks tested positive for avian flu. They're the first such cases reported in that region.
Now, there are no reports of people in the area getting sick, but there have been at least 116 cases of the current bird flu virus all across Asia, including 60 deaths. Now, the White House is taking the possibility that the avian bird flu could one day migrate to the U.S. and be very serious. In fact, President Bush spent part of Friday meeting with vaccine makers because he's worried there's not enough vaccine to handle a major outbreak.
So just how serious of a threat is the bird flu here in the U.S.? Joining us now to talk about that is Walter Orenstein, a doctor and also with the Emory University Vaccine Center. He is the assistant or associate director there.
My first question to you, Doctor, is, as we talk about this catastrophic outbreak of bird flu, one, do you believe that's going to be the case? And, if so, how soon are we talking?
DR. WALTER ORENSTEIN, EMORY UNIVERSITY: Well, we really don't know how serious it will be. There are several things that make us concerned -- the spread in Asia, the numbers of people who have been infected so far and the fact that the virus is mutating and becoming more virulent.
On the other hand, we've seen no evidence of human to human transmission, which is necessary for a severe pandemic. So I think a much more likely scenario this season will be our traditional influenza outbreaks, where 36,000 people die, on average, and over 200,000 are hospitalized. So I hope everybody listening in who needs influenza...
NGUYEN: That's a traditional outbreak?
ORENSTEIN: That is a traditional annual outbreak.
NGUYEN: Goodness.
ORENSTEIN: It's under appreciated. And my hope would be is for people who need the current vaccine, they get it, that there's two things. One, it protects them from this year's flu, most likely flu; and, two, it helps to build our manufacturing capacity to gear up for a pandemic strain should it happen.
NGUYEN: All right, but Health and Human Services Secretary Leavitt said that yes, there is a vaccine. That's the good news. But the question is how readily available is that vaccine? And then you talked about this flu, this virus mutating. So how do you know the vaccine is going to prevent against what it could become?
ORENSTEIN: The current avian flu vaccine is in very limited quantities and at least the initial tests that have been reported says you need two doses of very, very high quantities.
NGUYEN: Something that's not even available.
ORENSTEIN: So it's really not available to an appreciable extent. Now, I understand, a contract has been let to make more doses, but we really don't have much vaccine as yet. There is research going on to see if you could make more with what you have.
or example, giving it into the skin you might be able to get by with less vaccine doses. There may be adjutants, things that enhance the immune response. But at the moment, we don't really have a lot of vaccine and the hope is to gear up to develop that vaccine.
NGUYEN: So what do Americans do? Do they just get a regular flu vaccine and hope for the best?
ORENSTEIN: I think at the moment there's two things. One is they ought to get a flu vaccine if it's recommended for them. That's particularly the high risk -- people at high risk of complications for influenza. Again, that will help protect them from the most likely strains. And, two, it helps to build manufacturing capacity.
The second is to keep tuned. There will be more information that comes out and more guidance and more directions as we learn more about what happens with the avian influenza virus.
NGUYEN: So get your vaccine, your regular flu vaccine, that is.
ORENSTEIN: That's correct.
NGUYEN: And then stay on top of the daily reports about this.
ORENSTEIN: Exactly. I think that, again, the most likely influenza will be what we've seen before and what we tend to ignore, but is a serious illness.
NGUYEN: Absolutely.
All right, Dr. Walter Orenstein, associate director of Emory University Vaccine Center, we thank you.
ORENSTEIN: Thank you very much.
HARRIS: Betty, I have to ask you.
NGUYEN: OK.
HARRIS: You're just back from Vietnam.
NGUYEN: Vietnam. Where they have the most cases of bird flu, in that country.
HARRIS: And the -- OK, so the officials there are dealing and have been dealing with this from the onset. OK, so give us a sense of what you were able to find out in terms of how officials in Vietnam are dealing with avian flu.
NGUYEN: Well, I'll have to be honest with you, I was in Vietnam for two weeks, two weeks there on the ground.
HARRIS: Welcome back. Welcome back.
NGUYEN: Well, thank you. And I have some pictures to put up to show you. Essentially, there's nothing that's being done in the southern region, at least from what I was able to see ...
HARRIS: OK.
NGUYEN: ... because I was all throughout the southern region on a humanitarian aid trip. But I also noticed that in the markets where you go to buy food, where people in Saigon especially go to buy food, there are no chickens that are being sold there.
But in the restaurants, there is chicken that's being sold. People are eating it as if there are no warnings out there. Take a look at this picture. This is out in one of the rural areas where we went on the humanitarian aid trip. Of course, it's the monsoon season...
HARRIS: Sure.
NGUYEN: ... so everything is muddy. The rains are just coming down. And you see the pigs and you see the chickens just roaming around. They are not being quarantined. People are walking barefoot through this mud. I was actually walking through this mud.
But when you walk barefoot through the mud, you come across the possibility of coming in contact with the fecal matter from chickens.
HARRIS: Sure, sure.
NGUYEN: And that is a way that the bird flu could possibly be spread. So, there are a lot of issues out there and at this point we're talking about people dealing a flooded areas. They are living in awful conditions. And they're also very poor and destitute. So there are not a lot of regulations right now for them as to staying away from chickens, not eating chickens or poultry products.
HARRIS: OK, so how much of a concern is this avian flu in Vietnam? How much concern is evidenced?
NGUYEN: Well, I know in the northern region, where there are the most cases of avian flu, there are people who are being quarantined. There are poultry farms that are being quarantined and tested in those areas.
HARRIS: Yes, yes.
NGUYEN: But like I said, I spent most of my time in the southern region.
HARRIS: In the south, sure.
NGUYEN: And there, people are eating in restaurants. They are eating chicken. They are eating eggs. They are surrounded by chickens on the farms. And it's not as if they are feeling that are any kind of precautions that need to be made.
Again, that's just from my own personal observation while there.
HARRIS: OK.
NGUYEN: But it appears that they're dealing with so many issues. You can see it's a very flooded area because of the monsoon season.
HARRIS: Well, great to have you back.
NGUYEN: Good to be back.
HARRIS: I know that we're going to be seeing more pictures and more -- you'll be telling more stories about your trip.
NGUYEN: Yes. I have some pieces coming up, so you'll want to stay tuned for that. We'll be talking about the work that we did there. And, you know, as these Katrina and Rita survivors talk about what they've dealt with, with the flooding, we're going to take you half a world away to Vietnam and show you what they're dealing with, as well.
HARRIS: Oh, very good. Good to have you back.
NGUYEN: Good to be back, Tony.
We also have a look at the day's top stories coming up, including the powerful earthquake in Pakistan, a quake that could be felt up to 400 miles away from its epicenter.
HARRIS: Let's go with that live picture. Good morning, Washington, D.C. the nation's capital. Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong brings his Tour Of Hope cancer fund raiser into town. The grand finale celebrations are set for 9:00 a.m. Eastern.
Your forecast with Mr. Rob Marciano coming up right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: The war between North and South Vietnam ended with more than a million people dead. And 30 years later, stories of human suffering still capture the world's attention. Such is the case with a diary written by a young Vietnamese doctor who was killed on the battlefield. An American soldier found the book and he joins us live tomorrow on "CNN SUNDAY MORNING."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: The top stories this hour, strong aftershocks follow a massive earthquake in South Central Asia, with a magnitude of 7.6. The quake struck about eight hours ago, its epicenter near Islamabad, Pakistan. Pakistan's government says casualties could go into the thousands.
U.S. and Iraqi forces have ended Operation Iron Fist. The U.S. Marine says more than 50 al Qaeda terrorists were killed in the six day, anti-insurgent mission.
In sports, Chicago's South Side is celebrating the White Sox sweep of Boston, the defending World Series champs. Chicago awaits the winners of the Yankees-Angels playoff series. Last night in the Bronx, the Angels beat the Pinstripers 11-7, for a two games to one advantage in the best of five series.
NGUYEN: Well, on Capitol Hill, the House has narrowly passed an energy bill, but not without a heated debate. You have to see this. Democrats say the bill caters to rich oil companies by urging them to build more refineries. Republicans say the nation needs more refineries after the damage done by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Well, the Democrats fought the bill very hard, every step of the way, and even chanted their disapproval after it passed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PELOSI: If you would just honor...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Parliamentary inquiry...
PELOSI: ... the wishes of the American people, who have spoken.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does the gentle lady have a parliamentary inquiry?
PELOSI: I have a parliamentary inquiry. When are you going to honor those wishes?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The House will be in order. On this vote, the ayes are 212, the nays are 210, the majority voting in the affirmative. The bill is passed without objection and the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.
UNIDENTIFIED REPRESENTATIVES: Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: Man, it's parliament.
NGUYEN: Fireworks. Yes.
HARRIS: It was parliament for a second there.
NGUYEN: There was no fighting, though.
HARRIS: Wow! That was something, huh?
NGUYEN: Just verbally.
HARRIS: No fisticuffs. All right.
NGUYEN: Not yet.
HARRIS: Changing gears now.
NGUYEN: OK.
HARRIS: Hearing about the devastation along the Gulf Coast is a lot different than seeing it for yourself.
NGUYEN: Boy, you know it.
Next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, meteorologist Rob Marciano walked the walk. A Reporter's Notebook, when we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: We just want to give you a quick update on the growing death toll from this massive earthquake located about 60 miles north- northeast of Islamabad, Pakistan. The new death toll figure is in. It's at 394. And we're getting reports that this death toll could be in the thousands when all is said and done.
So far, the death toll, 394 people dead in Pakistan. This quake felt in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan and this death toll is spread out among those three areas. We'll continue to update the death toll and the suffering and the rescue effort underway right now from this massive earthquake, 7.6, aftershocks in the sixes, above six, in Pakistan.
All along the Gulf Coast, there's progress to report. People are returning to their homes. The streets of New Orleans are drying out and power is slowly being restored.
NGUYEN: CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano has spent many days in the region. He's just back -- and, Rob, we want to talk to you a little bit about what you saw, because you saw so much while down there.
MARCIANO: Well, we had two storms. We've got a progress report, like you said, on Rita and Katrina.
NGUYEN: Right.
MARCIANO: Rita came through about, you know, almost two weeks before and then Katrina it was about five weeks.
HARRIS: That's right.
MARCIANO: So we, first we started off in Port Arthur, Texas, which is where the western end of the eye wall of Rita came through. And people still weren't back. I mean the power was still out. Obviously, plenty of damage. But the main tent cities were sent up for people to come in to clear the trees, to try to get power back up and to clear the roads.
So what was shocking to me on all three stops was how slow the cleanup was.
HARRIS: Really?
MARCIANO: My next stop was Lake Charles, Louisiana. We went over the border toward Calcasieu Parish, where there were a tremendous amount of trees down. And that's where most of the damage is. And they were still without power when we got there. We went to the hospital that Sanjay Gupta spent the night in, the only hospital to stay open in Calcasieu Parish. And folks were just starting to come back into that area.
Long Beach, Mississippi, a place that felt ignored a little bit by both the federal government and by the media, you know, what happens five weeks after hurricane Katrina comes through? Kids aren't in school for a month. They just got back into school. And it poses all sorts of problems, not only for elementary school and middle school, but high schoolers, especially senior high schoolers.
NGUYEN: Oh, yes, this is their last year.
MARCIANO: Yes, I mean there's problems with scholarships, with college, with just graduating.
HARRIS: Right.
MARCIANO: Listen to what this young lady, Lizzy Maloy, had to say about those issues.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIZZY MALOY, HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR: It really is the most important year of a high schoolers life. And, you know, you're so excited about all the different organizations you're in and all the different activities. And we literally feel like we've been kicked in the stomach. You know, we worked so hard on so many different things, like the annual staff and student council. And we're worried about being able to print this $100,000 yearbook. We don't know if we're going to be able to.
We're -- we should have been worried about picking out our homecoming dress, not whether or not we could afford the dance. Scholarships and college applications and just everything, everything is a mess. And we're really going to do the best we can. And we're not complaining and we're not whining, but, you know, I just wish people could remember how it felt to be 17 and to have all the dreams and hopes and aspirations in the world and just for it all to be demolished, literally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: That gets you right there.
NGUYEN: Yes.
MARCIANO: Obviously, there are other issues. The city may be going bankrupt because of a lack of tax income. I'm going to talk with an alderman in the 10:00 hour and he'll give us a tour of what Long Beach looks like. And it really hasn't made a whole lot of progress since Katrina came ashore.
HARRIS: Good stuff, Rob.
NGUYEN: A lot of work to be done.
MARCIANO: Thanks a lot.
NGUYEN: Good work down there, though, Rob.
MARCIANO: Thank you.
NGUYEN: Thank you. We're going to take a quick break right now. Of course, we're staying on top of this earthquake in Southeast Asia. And stay with us for that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Protect yourself and your family against lead poisoning. Houses and apartments built before 1978 have paint that contains high levels of lead. Lead exposure can be harmful to everyone, especially young children and babies. If your home is one of those built before 1978, have it tested. A paint inspection and a risk assessment can tell you about the lead content in your home and whether there is serious lead exposure.
And if you suspect that your house has lead hazards, contact the National Lead Information Center at 1-800-424-LEAD.
I'm Gerri Willis and that's your tip of the day.
For more, watch "OPEN HOUSE" Saturday mornings, 9:30 Eastern, on CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: It is a global health threat, this avian or bird flu. If you have questions, the answers may be a simple point and click away.
Here's Veronica De La Cruz from the cnn.com Desk.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Avian flu was first identified 100 years ago in Italy. Now, it is most common in Southeast Asia. Most birds are thought to be susceptible to the disease, though poultry are most vulnerable.
Researchers say the bird flu virus is similar to one which killed as many as 100 million people in 1918. Find out more about that pandemic and if it could happen again in this report.
So far, the current strain has killed more than 60 people. But it's not clear whether it has spread person to person, which is the biggest fear, that the virus and spread quickly between humans. Officials say plans to combat the virus are expanding, but there is much more to do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DE LA CRUZ: And there is much more to do. And, of course, you can find that all online at CNN.com/health, Tony.
HARRIS: All right, Veronica, good to see you.
DE LA CRUZ: Good to see you.
HARRIS: The next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING begins right now.
Aftershocks as strong as 6.3 are being felt in Pakistan after an earthquake devastates South Asia. The quake measured 7.6. It killed at least 394 people and injured scores of people in Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. Homes, schools, businesses are destroyed. Relief operations are under way. We'll get a live update from Pakistan in just minutes.
U.S. and Iraqi forces wrap up Operation Iron Fist in western Iraq. The U.S. military claims more than 50 insurgents were killed and new outposts established in Anbar Province near the Syrian border.
Former president George Bush makes three stops today on his post- hurricane tour. He flies through the Alabama Gulf Coast this morning, then to Mississippi this afternoon, and wraps up the day in Louisiana. The death toll in the four-state hurricane zone rises to 1,239.
From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is October 8, 8:00 a.m. here at CNN headquarters in Atlanta, 7:00 a.m. in the Mississippi Valley.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Tony Harris.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen. We want to thank you for being with us today. Here are some of the top stories, obviously.
The powerful and deadly earthquake in South Asia is something we are going to be focusing on a lot today. One government official warns the death toll could reach the thousands. The quake struck north of Islamabad, Pakistan, but it also jolted Afghanistan and India, collapsing buildings and in some cases burying entire villages. And we are now getting word of some very strong aftershocks there.
On the phone is Danny Kemp, the Islamabad deputy bureau chief for AFP, which is an overseas news agency. Bring us up to date, especially with these aftershocks, Danny. What are you seeing right now?
KEMP (on phone): ... few minutes. But it's about just over an hour ago. We were, you know, reporting, thinking of reporting on the rescue efforts and thinking everything was going OK, and then we suddenly -- there was a very strong aftershock, which made, you know, just made the whole office shake. Again, we have -- people started -- people again ran outside, scared for their lives.
And it happened just as President Musharraf in Pakistan was visiting one of the worst-affected sites in the capital. So it was very scary.
NGUYEN: So what's happening now with rescue efforts? Obviously more aftershocks have to be a fear at this point.
KEMP: That's right. I mean, I think the rescue efforts are being led by the army, and the army here, and I think they're going to have to be very cautious. A lot of the rescue efforts are going to be in northern villages, particularly in the mountainous area of Kashmir. And I think they have to watch for landslides, also there are kind of poorly constructed buildings, which may further collapse. And I think that it's going to be a very tough job for them.
NGUYEN: For those viewers who are trying to grasp exactly how large of an earthquake this was, and how many countries it affected, tell us where it started, the epicenter, and how many countries indeed are affected.
KEMP: The epicenter was around 100 kilometers north of here, Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, so we felt it very strongly. But we know from our bureaus in New Delhi, the Indian capital, and Kabul in Afghanistan, they also felt strong tremors. And I think it was strong enough in some of those places to also cause people to run from their houses, and that's, you know, that's -- it's many -- they're many hundreds of kilometers apart, and the whole area.
NGUYEN: It is a large area, and a very powerful quake, not to mention that the aftershocks ranged somewhere 6.3 magnitude in Pakistan. Obviously, we're talking about a large death toll. Where do you see it right now, and how high are you expecting it to rise?
KEMP: Well, we -- the confirmed death toll we've had is around 500 for the three countries, Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. But Pakistan seems to be the worst affected. We've been told that more than 1,000 are feared dead, and I think that's a conservative estimate. I mean, we -- as the day goes on, and people are trying to reach the more or most affected areas, I think everyone expects the death toll to rise quite sharply.
NGUYEN: We're looking at pictures right now of the damage from a bird's-eye view. I assume this is from a helicopter. It looks like there is some widespread damage. Mainly, are we seeing it in the cities, or in the villages? Where are you seeing the most damage?
KEMP: It's in as I said, it's in these sort of mountain villages where -- I mean, Islamabad had a -- seems to be a freak accident, where a whole apartment block collapsed, and at least five people killed, including at least one foreigner. But that's -- in Islamabad itself, there wasn't much major damage. Most of it seems to have been in these remote villages.
NGUYEN: Yes, because we're looking at ...
KEMP: ... which were (INAUDIBLE).
NGUYEN: ... a main city, or we were just moments ago. You saw many of the buildings still standing, although one or two might be in just rubble at this point. So it's those villages. Give me the details of those villages. Are these just mud huts? I mean, how are they comprised?
KEMP: Yes, it's, they're, it's just a mixture of kind of very weakly constructed concrete buildings, you know, maybe a couple of stories high, and, you know, shod, fairly shoddy workmanship, concrete and brick. And in the even more remote villages, you're talking about mud-brick houses really made of, you know, made of the sort of natural materials, which are clearly very susceptible to any kind of earthquake, let alone one of this size.
NGUYEN: Clearly. Well, Danny Kemp, obviously we're going to be speaking with you throughout the day. You are there in Islamabad with an eye's view of what is going on in the region. So thank you for that update, and we'll be checking in.
HARRIS: One area hit hard by the quake is Indian-controlled Kashmir. More than 390 people are reported dead there, and hundreds of homes are destroyed. The quake also shook buildings in India's capital of New Delhi, some 400 miles from Islamabad.
Joining us from New Delhi is CNN producer John Raedler.
And John, let's start with Indian-controlled Kashmir. Give us the latest information, the situation on the ground there.
RAEDLER (on phone): Figures very hard to come by, Tony, in terms of being accurate estimates. We did hear at a press conference earlier from the secretary to the chief minister in Indian-controlled Kashmir that the death toll at that stage stood at 157 souls.
Since then, we have learned that there were also 15 Indian army soldiers who were killed as well, and we have heard further numbers there. The latest estimate we're getting for just Indian-controlled Kashmir is in excess of 200.
But a lot of these areas, Tony, are remote. A lot of them do not have good communications to begin with. What communications they do have, have been disrupted. And also the military, which is the main institution with the ability to get to all these places, has yet to get to all of them.
So we still don't know. We're just getting a slice of the big picture. We don't know how big or small that slice is.
HARRIS: OK, so you haven't been able. I'm just wondering. You gave us a sense of it just a moment ago. How close are we able, at this point, is CNN able to get to the ground and ability to talk to someone on the ground to get a sense? Are -- do we have a stringer in that area that maybe we can contact and get a sense of what it looks like, what it feels like on the ground?
RAEDLER: It's been almost impossible to get through by any means of communication to Indian-occupied Kashmir. CNN's stringer there has been able to call us on about three or four occasions. On all of those occasions, the line has dropped out, but he has relayed information.
The last time I talked to him, an aftershock occurred while he was on the phone with me. In the background I could hear what appeared to be children screaming. He said to me that people had emptied out into the streets, trying to get away and stay away as far as they could from buildings of any kind.
All these buildings, Tony, very poorly constructed to begin with. Those that survived the main quake, 7.6 magnitude, would probably be damaged and might not withstand these aftershocks of lesser magnitude.
HARRIS: OK, so let's widen the scene a little bit and get a bit of wider view of this. What is the situation like where you are in New Delhi?
RAEDLER: Things are quite calm in New Delhi, different to what happened at the time the quake struck. It was about 9:30 in the morning local time here, Saturday morning, and there was a very clear shuddering and shaking of buildings. I was in a hotel here at the time. Everything in the room moved. Things rattled on top of desks, on top of bedside tables. And that sort of thing could only be explained by an earthquake.
Everyone must have known what it was. Some people in parts of the city ran out into the streets. There was, in parts of the city, a sense of fear, a sense of panic. This region has had major earthquakes in the past.
But that very quickly subsided. I haven't felt any aftershocks here in New Delhi. But things are very calm here compared to what they must be like to the north of us.
HARRIS: Yes, that's for sure. CNN producer John Raedler. John, thank you.
And stay with CNN for continuing coverage of the Pakistan earthquake. We'll have live reports throughout the day from the disaster zone - Betty.
NGUYEN: The president's choice for the Supreme Court has stirred a world of controversy within his own party, actually. We'll find out more about just who Harriet Miers is in just a moment, and this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't hold him personally responsible for her death, I just feel like he could have done just a little bit more.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I did my job appropriately at the time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: But did he? The new top cop in New Orleans, and the charges he didn't do enough for a battered woman. That story coming up next hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: In South Central Asia, an aftershock with a magnitude of 6.3 in Pakistan after a major earthquake struck just before midnight Eastern Time. At least 394 people are dead, and hundreds more are injured after the magnitude 7.6 quake. The earthquake's epicenter was less than 60 miles from Islamabad, Pakistan, and was felt as far away as India and Afghanistan. Pakistan officials say casualties could reach the thousands.
In Central America and southern Mexico, a week of intense rain and mudslides have killed at least 200 people. Guatemala beared the brunt of damage and deaths. Rescuers pulled 71 bodies from a mudslide in one village. Local officials say up to 1,000 people may be buried under the mud.
White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove will soon make his fourth appearance before a grand jury investigating the 2003 disclosure of a CIA agent's name. Rove is accused of exposing this information to a reporter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a letdown for the conservative base. Most of the folks who voted for President Bush are not energized by this nomination.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll have to gather little pieces and shreds of evidence, and do almost a "CSI" type of operation to try to conjecture out of that where a person will be. WILLIAM KRISTOL, EDITOR, "THE WEEKLY STANDARD": It's a mistake that could be rectified by Ms. Miers deciding that it might be for the good of her president if she stepped aside.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
NGUYEN: So no doubt, conservatives are furious over President Bush's choice for the next Supreme Court justice. Just four days after tapping Harriet Miers for the high court, the president is asked if he will withdraw her nomination.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: She is going to be on the bench. She'll be confirmed. And when she's on the bench, people will see a fantastic woman who is honest, open, humble, and capable of being a great Supreme Court judge.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Even with that said, the question remains, just who is Harriet Miers, and what do we know about her?
John Council is a senior reporter for the "Texas Lawyer" newspaper, a weekly publication that targets the legal profession. And he joins us this morning from Dallas, an area where Miers worked on the city council there and spent a lot of time in Texas.
My question to you is, the president said that Harriet Miers was the most-qualified person he could select for the Supreme Court. That's what he said. Yet we know so little bit about her. Fill us in on what we don't know.
JOHN COUNCIL, "TEXAS LAWYER" NEWSPAPER: Well, actually, she's very well known among Texas lawyers. She was the state bar president of Texas, she was a big-firm lawyer in Texas, and she was one of the first female partners in a large law firm in Texas. She made that in 1972. So if you talk to Texas lawyers about Harriet Miers, they know her, they trust her, and they think that she's not going to be an ideologue.
NGUYEN: OK, but she has no prior experience as a judge. She doesn't hail from an Ivy League school. These are some of the qualifications that we've seen in the past. So is she indeed qualified?
COUNCIL: I think the lawyers that I've talked to think that she's very qualified. I mean, she's had to deal with a number of issues as a lawyer. She's had to deal with issues of high controversy on the Dallas City Council and as a state bar president.
And what the lawyers tell me about her is that she's -- always tries to find common ground between people and find a middle road that's acceptable to everyone. And the lawyers really like that. I mean, if she's going to be the centrist voice on the court, as they expect that she will, she won't have any constituency. She won't be to the left, to the right. She'll follow the law, and that's exactly what the president said that she's going to do.
NGUYEN: A lot of people are asking, and you mention it too, those hot-button issues. Where does Harriet Miers stand on these issues, like abortion, gay rights, things like that?
COUNCIL: Well, we've written that she's actually, in her personal belief, that she's pro-life, but that -- the lawyers and judges that know her say that may not have any impact on how she looks at a case, that she can separate her personal beliefs with how she views the law.
NGUYEN: So do you think that she's going to be a conservative if nominated to the court, or is she going to be in a role more like a moderate swing vote, like we saw Sandra Day O'Connor?
COUNCIL: Well, I -- the lawyers that I've -- that know her think that she's going to be a sort of conservative moderate, somebody who doesn't really have an allegiance to the left or the right, and that may make a lot of activists angry. She's not -- she may not go exactly the way that they want.
But if you're a lawyer arguing a case before a court, you want the chance that she's going to look at your side, at your view of the law, and they take some comfort in that.
NGUYEN: John Council, contributor to "Texas Lawyer" newspaper. We thank you for your insight today, filling in some of the gaps on what we don't know about Harriet Miers. Thank you.
COUNCIL: Thank you.
NGUYEN: Tony?
HARRIS: And Betty, our top story this morning that we continue to follow, a major earthquake in Southeast Asia and a major aftershock. The earthquake hit 7.6 magnitude, the aftershock at 6.2. Hundreds are dead in Pakistan, also in India. Also the earthquake felt in Afghanistan. The quake's epicenter was nearly 60 miles from Islamabad, Pakistan, and was felt as far away as New Delhi, and also in Afghanistan.
We'll take a break, and we'll come back with a further update on our top story this morning. More CNN SATURDAY MORNING right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, it's a Saturday morning. Want to get a check of the weather. And I know here, Tony, we've been dealing with a lot of rain, a lot.
HARRIS: And we needed it. And we needed it.
NGUYEN: We needed it.
HARRIS: We really did. NGUYEN: But I'm ready to see the sunshine again.
(LAUGHTER)
MARCIANO: I'm working that for you, Betty.
NGUYEN: OK.
MARCIANO: The rain, for the most part, is sliding up towards the north and east, but very slowly.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
MARCIANO: That's the latest from here, Tony and Betty. Back over to you.
HARRIS: Rob, thank you.
MARCIANO: You bet.
NGUYEN: Thank you, Rob.
Want to give you an update now on the earthquake in Pakistan. That's where the epicenter was, about 60 miles northeast of Islamabad. This was a 7.6 magnitude quake, a very powerful quake. Some 394 people are dead as of now, but many officials feel that that death toll will rise into the thousands.
Want to give you an idea of exactly what's going on. Besides the rescue operation, it's about 5:25 in the evening in Pakistan, and sun sets at 6:12, so they have less than an hour of daylight left to try to get to these rescuers. Obviously, this is going to go into the night, but they're dealing with aftershocks as well, an aftershock as strong as 6.3 magnitude in Pakistan.
So there are a lot of issues, a lot of people in need of help and getting out of those trapped areas where they are. We're going to keep you on top of all of that throughout the day, so stay tuned to CNN.
HARRIS: And just another quick note, the American military has also mobilized to offer assistance in the affected areas, so there you got.
NGUYEN: Which is going to be needed, obviously.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: In other news, E equals MC squared. You remember that from high school. But the many ways that we use it in everyday life will actually surprise you.
HARRIS: Bill Nye, the science guy, joins us to celebrate the centennial of this famed formula.
And up next, "HOUSE CALL" is thinking pink for breast cancer awareness month. Dr. Sanjay Gupta takes a closer look at the newest developments in breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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