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CNN Saturday Morning News
Cancun Hit By Wilma; South Florida Prepares for Wilma; Horrow Discusses World Series And Sports Business News; FEMA Putting Together Wilma Response; Tom DeLay's Indictment Discussed; 16-year-old Boy Charged With Murder;
Aired October 22, 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: Now in the news, hurricane Wilma has weakened this morning. Good news, but it is still a dangerous storm. Wilma is now a Category 3 hurricane. It's lashing Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula with 125 mile an hour winds. And it could stay there for the next day before heading to Florida.
We'll go live to Florida and get the latest from the CNN Weather Center in just a moment.
A California teen is being held on $1 million bail. Scott Dyleski is charged in the beating death of Pamela Vitale, the wife of high profile defense lawyer Daniel Horowitz. The 16-year-old will be tried as an adult. We'll have more details later this hour.
It is a real down home visit. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has taken her British counterpart to her native Alabama. Rice and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw will go to a University of Alabama football game today. Their visit is aimed at promoting human rights. Alabama was a center of the civil rights movement.
I've got to get myself together here.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: You're not situated yet?
HARRIS: No, I'm not. I don't quite have it together.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
It is October 22nd already.
Good morning, everybody.
I'm Tony Harris.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen.
It is 7:00 a.m. Here on the East Coast, as Tony gets it together.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: 6:00 a.m. In Cancun. We'll talk a lot about Cancun today.
We want to thank you for being with us.
As you know, CNN is your hurricane headquarters and we are bringing you the latest on Wilma. This morning, the Florida coast is already feeling an indirect effect of the Category 3 storm, which is now lingering over Mexico. Remember we mentioned Cancun?
As you can see, rain associated with Wilma is flooding streets in Fort Lauderdale already.
HARRIS: So, let's get the latest now on the whereabouts and how the storm is tracking right now.
Let's say good morning to Jacqui Jeras -- good morning, Jacqui.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, guys.
Well, the storm isn't tracking at all right now. It's basically stalled out over the Yucatan Peninsula, about 25 miles to the south and west of Cancun. And it's really even tough at this point. You kind of have to really look hard to pick out the center of circulation. The eye really not visible on our satellite imagery anymore.
But it's still a major hurricane, a Category 3, with winds of 125 miles per hour. And what a lashing these people have been receiving, unfortunately, as this system has been moving so very slowly. In fact, it's basically going to be sitting here throughout much of the day today and slowly making its way on up toward the north. And eventually, we think, later on tonight or possibly tomorrow it will be back into the Gulf of Mexico.
But we saw the pictures from Fort Lauderdale. We're already feeling the impact of Wilma.
Let's go ahead and take a look at a live picture in Fort Lauderdale at this hour and take a check in on how things are faring there this morning.
And those skies are fair. It's not raining there at this time. Temperatures around 73 degrees. There you can see the overcast conditions. Expecting to see the showers and thundershowers return, especially this afternoon. And some gusty winds, too. It could gust as high as 35 miles per hour.
We're going to go now to the other side of the peninsula and head on over to Fort Myers. Dark and early there, 75 degrees, also fair skies.
So you're mostly looking at mid and high level clouds. But showers and thunderstorms will be arriving later on today and we could see another maybe quarter of an inch to a half of an inch of rainfall in Fort Myers.
And a good morning to both of you guys, as you're getting ready for the arrival of Wilma. And Fort Myers in the cone of uncertainty. Let's go ahead and show you the forecast track of where this storm is going to be going. We're going to have a much better idea once it gets back over open water. The good news for the U.S. obviously not for Mexico, is that it has been over land for so long and continued weakening is expected.
We could see a little bit of a pop back up, as it heads over the water source again. But then as it heads toward Florida, landfall will likely be some time on Monday, probably in the afternoon or the nighttime hours. And at this time, we're expecting a Category 1 or two. But Tony and Betty, there's still so much uncertainty in terms of the intensity forecasting, I think the best that is to prepare for a major hurricane, a Category 3.
HARRIS: Sound advice.
NGUYEN: Yes. Better to be safe than sorry.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: Thank you, Jacqui.
JERAS: Yes.
NGUYEN: Well, tourists on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula are usually sunbathing or playing on the white sand beaches. But not this morning. They are taking shelter from hurricane Wilma's lengthy and fierce assault.
CNN's Susan Candiotti shows us the dramatic pictures from Cancun.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A relentless pounding from Wilma as it pummeled the coastline of evacuated seaside hotels. About 20, 000 tourists put out of harm's way. Residents holed up at schools and motel ballrooms in the center of town.
Not since Emily hit in July have conditions been so bad. CNN clocked winds of nearly 130 miles per hour. At one hotel, about 40 straw tiki huts on the beach were swallowed into the surf, looking like toothpicks in the waves.
(on camera): There is debris in the roadway. Look at this pole over here on the left. This traffic light just bent over and is sitting on the highway with the wind and the rain whipping around it.
(voice-over): The force of the winds strong enough to blow out one of these windows on a hotel balcony.
(on camera): The post from this fence ripped out of the ground.
And this thing is just whipping back and forth, and back and forth. Relentless pounding from wind gusts doing a number on what used to be a nightclub. You can see that the covering has sheared off. All that's left is the frame. Listen to that canopy at Pat O'Brien's. It almost sounds like gunfire.
(voice-over): Back at a hotel, chandeliers swayed precariously from the ceilings. A glass walled foyer burst under the pressure. Pieces of sky roof wobbled, cracked and eventually crashed to the floor, one right after the other. And the word is, the conditions could last another day.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Goodness.
And our Susan Candiotti is still hunkered down in the height of the storm.
She joins us now on the phone from Cancun with the very latest -- Susan, any let up? Or are things just still as ferocious outside as we've seen in that story?
CANDIOTTI: I'd agree with the latter. You can't tell much difference, quite frankly, between a Category 4 storm and a three when you're in it. Maybe the winds are howling slightly less than they were before. But let me tell you, there is a constant roar that went on all night.
From inside the place where we are staying, the water is coming down the ceilings and from the roof. As best I can tell at this hotel, the outdoor structure is staying intact. However, parts of the building, particularly the outdoor structure, are peeling apart and debris is falling. For example, those skylights that we showed you in that pre-taped story yesterday continue to crash to the floor.
So in terms of sleeping, you kind of do it off and on. But naturally it's pitch dark outside, so we cannot yet even see the ocean, and we are right there on the oceanfront. But you can hear those waves crashing. We are basically incommunicado, Betty. So if there are any injuries of any kind, we don't know because it's been impossible to reach anyone.
NGUYEN: You mentioned, Susan, parts of the building are just rattling, pieces of it coming off. You mentioned the shattered glass.
Is there any worry that these tourists need to move out of some of the hotels and into shelters? And are they even available?
CANDIOTTI: Betty, I'm losing you a little bit. I hope you can still hear me.
There are no tourists where we are staying. All of the hotels along the Gulf side were wisely evacuated. They either got out on the last flights out or, a number of them, hundreds of them, actually, maybe even into the thousands were bussed to downtown Cancun. And that's about, if there is no traffic, a half hour drive from where we are.
In fact, we tried to get there yesterday. We had been there the night before and talked to some of those tourists. But you couldn't get there yesterday because of the high water in parts of the road.
Those people at that time the other night were in fairly decent spirits. You know, sometimes there is safety in numbers. They were staying in the ballrooms of those hotels. They were provided with the bare necessities from the hotel at that time. There was food for them. There was water for them.
And of those with whom I spoke, they were passing onto their relatives that they were all right.
NGUYEN: Well, it makes for a memorable vacation, if nothing else.
Susan Candiotti, stay safe.
We'll be checking in with you.
Thank you -- Tony.
HARRIS: So Wilma may very well be out of steam when it reaches the Florida coast? It seems unlikely, doesn't it?
NGUYEN: Yes.
HARRIS: It really does. The forecasters say the hurricane could be a Category 1 or two storm before it's expected Monday afternoon arrival.
CNN senior correspondent Allan Chernoff joins us from Sanibel Island, Florida.
That is just across the bay from Fort Myers -- an, all right, Allan, it looks dry where you are, right now, at least.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Tony. It's actually a beautiful morning, as the sun is about to rise here on Sanibel Island. Just a little bit cloudy, but otherwise very nice.
That causeway you see right behind me, well, at the moment it's virtually empty. It should be packed later today. That's because there will be a mandatory evacuation as of 12:00 p.m. That means people, until 12:00 p.m. Are free to come and go. But after 12:00 p.m. The police here are saying they want to see cars head in only one direction, and that is out, back toward the mainland.
The reason? Well, this is a barrier island. We're about a mile into the Gulf of Mexico here. And if the storm were to come right this direction, you know this island would get hammered pretty badly. It did get hit quite a bit during Charlie back in August of 2004. A lot of large trees were slammed down on the roads. They were impassable for quite some time. And many roofs were severely damaged over here.
So the police are being very careful. They want people out.
Already we've had some people moving on out and lots of preparations, as well. Businesses yesterday were boarding up. So if you drive down the main street here, you're not going to see many windows. Instead, plywood over those windows and over the doors, as well. And many homes are already shuttered. People who own homes here have been clearing out. Lots of vacationers here, though. They've been saying they don't want to leave. They don't want to end their vacation unless they have to. And today, they will have to do that.
One other note, the police here are also saying that come noon time, there will be no alcohol sale permitted on the island. They don't want to have accidents and they say they also do not want hurricane parties -- Tony.
HARRIS: Hurricane parties? Yes, that's right.
Hey, Allan, just a quick question.
Gasoline supplies -- holding up so far?
CHERNOFF: There had been quite a rush on gasoline. As a matter of fact, there's a station about three blocks from where I'm standing. They ran out of gasoline Thursday morning at 10:00. Long lines on Wednesday and early Thursday. They got another supply Thursday night and yesterday it seemed they had no problem whatsoever.
HARRIS: CNN senior correspondent Allan Chernoff, getting up early with us this morning.
Allan, we appreciate it.
Thank you.
Game one of the World Series is tonight in Chicago. We'll take you "Beyond The Game" when Rick Horrow joins us a little later this morning.
NGUYEN: And do you know how to prepare for a hurricane or any other disaster, for that matter? Most people aren't ready when disaster strikes, but we are here to help.
That's next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: In case you're just joining us this morning, here's a check of our top stories.
Another twist in the CIA leak probe. The top editor at the "New York Times" now says reporter Judith Miller appears to have misled the paper. Miller was jailed for nearly three months for refusing to reveal her sources before testifying before a grand jury in the investigation into who leaked Valerie Plame's name.
Tom DeLay has appeared in court for the first time since being indicted in an alleged campaign finance scheme. Afterward, the Texas congressman proclaimed his innocent. And, finally, a 16-year-old California boy will be tried as an adult in the murder of Pamela Vitale. She is the wife of high profile defense attorney Daniel Horowitz. Suspect Scott Dyleski is being held on $1 million bail. We will have more details on that arrest and the teen's background in about 15 minutes.
NGUYEN: CNN is your hurricane headquarters. And as we watch Wilma and realize just how long this particular hurricane season really is, we have to ask -- is your family prepared for an emergency? Well, maybe not a hurricane, but what about a tornado, a fire or even just a power outage?
Most families are not prepared. But help is here.
And joining us now is Norris Beren.
He is the executive director of the Emergency Preparedness Educational Institute and author of "When Disaster Strikes Home."
And, you know, my first question to you this morning is a lot of us, when we talk about these hurricanes, and a lot of people are trying to get prepared, is there a litmus test? If it's a Category 3 or higher, time to leave. If it's lower, ah, you may be able to, you know, stick it out?
NORRIS BEREN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, EPEI: Preparedness is really a matter of not the cause of the disaster or the emergency, it's a matter of preparing for any kind of a hazard. If you're going to lose power, lose food, lose communications, if you're in harm's way, physical injury potential, then you need to be able to deal with the problem.
So we don't really care what's causing it, we just care about the impact that it'll have on you and your family.
NGUYEN: OK, we'll get to the list of what people need to have. But what would you advise when it comes to time to evacuate? What is it time to evacuate?
BEREN: I think evacuation is a function of, first of all, making sure that you start listening to the warning signals and the instructions from the leadership in your community. Let's make sure that we know if we're going to need to go that we're going to go and when we're going to need to go. Watch for traffic directions. Make sure you have a route and a map.
But the question is not how strong the winds are, it's a question of when is it safe to go. And I think relying upon the government is the best way to be able to know that, at least as far as the traffic reports are concerned.
NGUYEN: OK. Whether you leave or you stay, disaster is going to strike at some point. So you need to be prepared. That's what you were talking about just a little bit earlier. And I'm really interested, because you say people can get prepared for what it costs to fill up a tank of gas. Is that true?
BEREN: I really think so. I mean, at the end of the day, if you need water, right now is the time to turn on the tap and start filling bottles, milk containers, anything that you can, and that is all free. If you need a radio, an A.M. Radio for emergency information, five bucks and you can have one of those. You can get a five gallon pail with a box of plastic bags for probably $5 or $6, and, quite frankly, you can have, not a very attractive, but you could have a bathroom for a family of four for a whole week.
NGUYEN: Oh, that's lovely.
BEREN: Yes, well, it is lovely. Batteries, flashlights, batteries for the radio. These are all inexpensive things. Canned goods. For $30 or $40, you can have the most essentials, frankly, that we saw people needed during Katrina, didn't have and people died as a result.
NGUYEN: And let's talk about Katrina for just a moment, because Katrina sparked the talk about folks who just didn't have the means to evacuate.
You say that's not true. It's not a matter of means.
BEREN: It's not a matter of means, it's a matter of having a plan. We tell people you need to create your own safety map. The M is the materials, the things that you need. A is the attitude. I need to get prepared, I need to do this. And the P is having a plan.
Now is the time to arrange transportation with neighbors, friends, school buses, church buses, municipal buses, whatever it takes. You need to get out there and say to people, I've got a family of three, I need help, I need to get out of here, you have a car, can I count on you for getting out of town?
So it's not a matter of money, it's a matter of having that plan in place and making the arrangements in advance.
NGUYEN: That's key, have a plan and communicate that plan.
BEREN: Yes.
NGUYEN: Norris Beren...
BEREN: Well...
NGUYEN: Uh-huh?
BEREN: I was going to say, communication is probably one of the other most important things. Have a communications plan now.
NGUYEN: Get it ready.
BEREN: Yes.
NGUYEN: OK, Norris Beren, we appreciate it.
You are the author of "When Disaster Strikes Home."
Thanks so much for your time today.
BEREN: Thank you, Betty.
NGUYEN: Tony.
HARRIS: All right, Betty, time to check in again with Jacqui Jeras -- and, Jacqui, that storm just sitting there on the Yucatan Peninsula. I guess I should remind folks, or you can, 8:00 an update?
JERAS: Yes. Yes, 8:00 Eastern time, from the National Hurricane Center. We'll get an update on the wind speed and the coordinates. But basically we know where this thing is at, the same place it's been pretty much all morning long and throughout much of the overnight. This has been such a slow moving storm. It was moving slow to begin with and now it's basically stalled out, which is just devastating for the Yucatan Peninsula, for Cozumel.
The eye moved right over Cozumel. There you can see the island here and Cancun is right about up here. And the eye, the center of circulation, really, is about 25 miles to the south and the west of Cancun. And it's still a major hurricane.
This is a Category 3, sustained winds at 125 miles per hour and it's not moving. So imagine the devastation that this can cause. I think we're going to see a lot of destruction. And flooding a huge concern. Ten to 20 inches of rainfall. Locally, heavier amounts, from the National Hurricane Center. They're now saying up to 40 inches in Mexico. I can't even imagine it -- that's over three feet of water from this storm.
It is going to be heading north. It's eventually going to get into the Gulf of Mexico, back over open water. And then we're looking for that right-hand turn to head it toward Florida. That's probably going to happen some time on Monday, but it will be a hurricane -- or probably a Category 1 or a two, so a little bit of a weaker storm.
And more bad news. I hate to say it, Tony, but believe it or not, we have another system we need to keep our eye on.
HARRIS: Oh, come on.
JERAS: Well, not yet, but look over there. Just to the south of Puerto Rico here we have a tropical wave and I think it's very possible that this could be a tropical depression. I believe it would be number 25. I can't even remember there's been so many so far.
HARRIS: Yes, yes.
JERAS: But I believe it would be 25. And the good news with that, though, the models that are developing this are going to be bringing it a little bit farther off to the north. You know, the big trough that's going to be driving Wilma and driving it up to the north and the east? That's going to drive this storm away, also. So at least we've got that.
HARRIS: So, Jacqui, if that develops into a storm, it's Alpha? Is that what it is?
JERAS: Yes, it would be Alpha.
HARRIS: It's Alpha?
JERAS: The first time we've gone into the Greek alphabet.
HARRIS: Oh, my. OK. We don't want to go there. We don't want to go there. Not yet, anyway.
Jacqui, thank you.
JERAS: OK.
HARRIS: The teams prepare to run the bases for big money and the big title tonight in Chicago. I think it's going to be chilly there, too, maybe a chance of rain. Oh, my. Oh, my. As the World Series gets underway, who else to prepare us for the game?
NGUYEN: It's a good thing his mike is not potted up. We don't want to hear that.
HARRIS: Rick Horrow without a mike.
NGUYEN: Because you know he's talking trash.
HARRIS: There's a concept.
He joins us next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: History in the making at U.S. Cellular Field tonight, as the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros kick off the World Series.
Let's get the inside scoop now from CNN sports business analyst Rick Horrow, author of "When the Game Is On the Line" -- Rick, are you selling any copies of that book? We pimp it every week. Are you selling any copies of that thing?
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: I do, indeed.
HARRIS: Are you?
HORROW: Until you start mispronouncing cellular and then nobody buys it.
HARRIS: It was just for emphasis, all right?
Good morning to you, sir.
HORROW: Good morning, my friend.
How are you?
HARRIS: Good to see you.
HORROW: Getting ready for the hurricane down here. But I'll see you on Monday. We'll talk about that later.
HARRIS: Yes, we will. We'll get together on Monday, tomorrow, a couple of days from now.
Give us sort of the framework. A landmark here, a historical snapshot, if you will, of this World Series game. I guess the first time in Chicago since '59? Forty-six years or so?
HORROW: Yes. But the White Sox haven't won a Series for nearly 100 years.
HARRIS: That's right.
HORROW: You remember that Black Sox scandal. And that's huge. And then the Houston Astros started as an expansion franchise called the Colt 45s in the early '60s. They built the Astrodome. This is the first time they've ever gotten there.
And so it's corporate market number five against corporate market number three.
You know what that means?
HARRIS: What does that mean?
HORROW: Tickets are astronomically -- glad you asked that -- astronomically expensive and, as far as television ratings, no one can top the Red Sox run of last year. But the viewers are excited about this series. The championship series was down about 33 percent this year. They're looking for some real excitement from the series this year.
HARRIS: Let's hope so.
All right, the big money teams made the playoffs.
What does this World Series say about player payrolls?
HORROW: Well, first of all, baseball has generated $4 billion this year as opposed to about $1 billion 10 years ago. So it says baseball is doing pretty well. They've got a novel revenue sharing formula. It's not working completely. You know, the payrolls of the Yankees, about $200 million. And then basically everybody else.
The Yankees started the season, by the way, with $97 million of payroll for their pitchers alone. That was more than 26 teams' entire payroll.
Well, guess what? They aren't in the series. And the Red Sox, with $121 million, they're not in it, either.
HARRIS: Right.
HORROW: And it's team 12 versus team 13.
So you need money to be happy, but it doesn't guarantee you success.
Then you've got the bottom end of this. You've got Kansas City, you've got Pittsburgh, you've got Tampa Bay. Their payrolls are nearly almost a tenth of the Yankees'. So there is a lot of sharing, but a lot more sharing needs to be done.
HARRIS: Hey, Rick, from a marketing standpoint, if half of baseball fans are over 45 years old, this has to be a problem for major league baseball?
HORROW: Well, it's a wake up call. But it's in a good situation in the sense that 75 million Americans, fans, went to baseball games this year, a 3 percent increase over the year before. But you need to be creative. For example, appealing to minorities. You've got 10 percent African-Americans going to the games. Internationally, 25 percent of the players are Latin born, internationally born. And so there's that marketing effort, too.
Finally, the kids and other fans. You know, the games start late, it's prime time. We understand that.
HARRIS: Right.
HORROW: But Little League now, Minor League baseball, the hearts and minds, Tony, of the next generation is really key. That's the future of this sport.
HARRIS: Now, we've got a pretty big football game here in Atlanta in a couple of days.
You're coming in for it?
HORROW: Absolutely, my friend.
HARRIS: Good.
HORROW: We've got a big NFL game.
HARRIS: Good.
HORROW: So that's huge.
HARRIS: All right, see you in a couple of days. And tomorrow, what are you doing tomorrow evening?
HORROW: Well, you know, "Beyond The Game," we've got Beyond the NFL and it's a, you know, a huge story about NFL women, international corporate sponsorship. You know, the NBA sponsors of this new dress code and collective beginning agreement and all of that. And a lot oil of people are saying it's controversial. It was bargained for. We'll also talk about the NFL's image issues, hockey, basketball, baseball, com[are the sports, because that's on the minds of a lot of people are the dress code issues right, or is it going too far?
HARRIS: Boy, that could have been a Fair Ball/Foul Ball today if we had a little more time.
Good to see you, Rick.
See you in a couple of days.
HORROW: Hey, I'll see you in a couple of days, my friend.
HARRIS: OK.
NGUYEN: You know, it's all about image with Rick. Can't you tell?
Looking forward to that, though.
Appreciate it.
OK, Tony.
With hurricane Wilma just miles from the U.S. coast, FEMA is determined not to get caught off guard and make the same mistakes twice. We are talking to the FEMA director later this hour about what the agency is doing now to prepare for hurricane Wilma.
Plus, a critical decision is made in the case against a teenager accused of brutally murdering the wife of a high powered attorney. More on this bizarre story when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Hurricane Wilma, Betty, now a Category 3.
NGUYEN: Look at that damage.
HARRIS: Can't be fooled by it.
NGUYEN: Right.
HARRIS: OK? Folks say it's not a five, it's not the storm it was. Of course it's not. But it's still...
NGUYEN: It's still strong.
HARRIS: ... plenty intense and nasty.
And welcome back, everyone, to CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
We're waiting for an 8:00 update from the National Hurricane Center.
We'll get the latest coordinates... NGUYEN: On the winds...
HARRIS: ... speed.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HARRIS: That's coming up.
NGUYEN: And we will be talking more about that.
Besides just that update, we have more on Wilma in just a minute.
But first, here's a look at the headlines this morning.
Wild swans on Croatia tested positive for the H5 avian flu virus. Now, it's not yet known if it's the deadly H5N1 strain. You got that? The European Union banned poultry from Turkey and Romania after tests confirmed H5N1. That is the deadly strain.
And the British government also reports a parrot imported from Surinam has died in quarantine. That bird tested positive for a strain of avian flu.
Now to Pakistan, where appeals are coming out once again for more earthquake relief supplies. President Pervez Musharraf tells CNN at least half a million tents and blankets are still needed in his country. Donations of supplies can be dropped off at Pakistani embassies and consulates around the world.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has moved on to Mongolia from South Korea to praise Mongolian troops for service in Iraq. Mongolia is the third stop on Rumsfeld's five nation tour of Asia. One hundred thirty members of Mongolia's small army are serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.
And the son of slain Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is calling for calm and not revenge as a U.N. report suggests government collaboration in his father's assassination. Hariri died, as you recall, in February, on the 14th in a bombing there. A U.N. probe concludes Lebanese and Syrian involvement, a claim that Syria strongly denies.
ANNOUNCER: Keep watching CNN, your hurricane headquarters.
HARRIS: We're standing by waiting for an update from the National Hurricane Center, 8:00 Eastern, just 26 minutes or so from now.
NGUYEN: Less than 30 minutes, yes.
HARRIS: Jacqui Jeras, it seems to me it's -- and help me here. It's a good news/bad news situation for the Yucatan Peninsula, obviously getting pounded right now by Wilma. But the longer it sort of stays there, the weaker it gets.
Is that correct? JERAS: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: By the time it gets to the U.S. yes.
JERAS: Right. The thing that drives a hurricane, guys, is the warm water, right, from the ocean.
HARRIS: Yes.
JERAS: So it needs to have that source in order to sustain the storm. If it stayed over land, if it didn't move at all, eventually this would just kind of fizzle out and we'd have nothing to worry about then across Florida. But we don't think that's going to happen.
Even though it has stalled and it's weakened significantly, this is still a major hurricane. This is nothing to sneeze at. A Category 3 can cause some major damage still. And mobile homes, for example, completely wiped out. Even small built residences can sustain some significant damage, like the entire roof can get blown off. Some windows can get blown out and the rainfall is going to end up being one of the biggest stories, I think, in the Yucatan Peninsula, 10 to 20 inches, on average, expected, basically from right about here northward. And locally, heavier amounts of more than three feet is possible.
So major flooding. We are going to have a ton of standing water with this storm.
So it has been good news so far for the Florida that the storm has been weakening. But it is going to get back over open water and it could be intensifying a little bit more as it does that.
This is a radar picture out of Cancun I'm showing you. It's an hour-and-a-half old, but it gives you an idea of the structure and how there are a couple of kind of looking eye walls. Here's one. And then we've got another one. So a very symmetrical storm. It's still very well organized. And you can see all of these heavy rain bands and how far out it extends.
This thing is about 400 miles across right now. Not much for rain across Florida at this time. Let's check in on St. Petersburg, Florida, on the west coast. That's one of the cities in the cone of uncertainty. Not a lot of action going on there today, but you can expect to see some gusty winds, at times, up to 35 miles per hour.
On the other shore of Florida is where we have West Palm Beach. The temperature there around 78 degrees and expecting to see some showers and thunderstorms there later on this afternoon.
Florida is doing OK at this hour, but check out our forecast track and it does have central and southern parts of Florida in its sight. That will probably happen late on Monday -- Tony, Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, you know, the thing that shocked me about this is how big it is. You said 400 miles is how wide it spans? JERAS: That's right. The hurricane force winds extend out about 85 miles from the center of the storm. But the tropical storm force winds extend about 200 miles out. So do the math.
NGUYEN: Goodness.
HARRIS: Yes.
JERAS: Put the circumference into play there and that's about 400 miles across. A big storm.
NGUYEN: A big storm.
Thank you.
HARRIS: Jacqui, thank you.
Well, many people on the southwestern coast of Cuba are heeding evacuation orders to move inland during the threat phase of hurricane Wilma.
CNN's Havana bureau chief Lucia Newman shows us why potential flooding isn't the country's only problem.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A loudspeaker announces a hurricane alert is in effect, urging the people of this fishing town in Cuba's southwestern coast to speed up preparations for the evacuation.
"We're expecting waves of five, six, even seven meters, which poses potential danger for this area, so we're rushing to conclude the evacuation."
In the city of Pinar del Rio, coastal residents like Mapu Martinez (ph) and her son are relieved to spend the next few days at least in this school, a shelter about an hour inland.
"Two years ago when my son was born, the sea inundated my town, you can imagine the desperation to be surrounded by water, so they say leave, we leave," she says.
In historic old Havana, where the rain isn't expected to let up until at least next week, the worst threat isn't flooding.
(on camera): Here the dilapidated, overcrowded buildings, like this one, soak up the rain for days. And when the sun finally comes out and they begin to dry, they often crack and just simply collapse.
(voice-over): Those who are waiting out the storms in one of a thousand state-organized shelters will have food, water and medical attention. What's harder to supply is patience to ride out this slow- moving storm.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HARRIS: And that was CNN's Lucia Newman.
Stay with us. We'll have more hurricane Wilma coverage throughout the morning.
And, again, we're waiting for an 8:00 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center.
NGUYEN: In California now, bail is set at $1 million for the teenager accused of killing a prominent attorney's wife. Scott Dyleski is charged with one count of murder in the beating death of Pamela Vitale.
Ted Rowlands has our report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sixteen-year-old Scott Dyleski is being treated as an adult by the State of California. He made his first court appearance on charges of first degree murder.
DEP. D.A. HAL JEWETT, CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA: This is a brutal homicide and because he is very close to his seventeenth birthday, we believe that it's a situation where he is not entitled to the protections afforded him under the juvenile law and it's appropriate to prosecute him as an adult.
ROWLANDS: Dyleski is accused of killing 52-year-old Pamela Vitale, the wife of defense attorney Daniel Horowitz. Vitale was found dead at the couple's northern California estate last Saturday. A law enforcement source close to the case tells CNN that investigators believe Dyleski used a piece of crown molding to beat Vitale to death. They say he then carved a cross like symbol into her back.
Friday evening, investigators with dogs were back at the Horowitz estate, apparently searching for potential evidence.
Schoolmates tell CNN in recent years Dyleski was withdrawn, dressing in black, painting his nails black and wearing makeup. Anthony Catanesi says he used to play baseball with Scott Dyleski. He says Dyleski changed after his older sister died in an auto accident a few years ago.
ANTHONY CATANESI, FRIEND OF SUSPECT: And that may have helped in his turn toward the, you know, the goth side.
ROWLANDS: The decision to treat a 16-year-old boy as an adult can be a difficult one, according to former prosecutor Jim Anderson. But not in this case.
JIM ANDERSON, FORMER PROSECUTOR: The horrendous nature of the crime in and of itself is going to make me, if I were the one in charge of making that call, I'd file ASAP right now. It was just not even going to be a second glance. ROWLANDS: During his short court appearance, Dyleski did not speak or enter a plea. The hearing was continued because his lawyer was out of town.
Dyleski is scheduled to be back in court next Thursday.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And that was CNN's Ted Rowlands reporting from Martinez, California. Just a disturbing case there, and we'll be learning a lot more about that.
In the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING, former U.S. attorney Kendall Coffey will advise us on the legal implications facing this teenaged murder suspect.
So you want to stay with us.
That is coming up at 8:20 Eastern time this morning.
So here's a question for you, as well today -- is FEMA prepared for Wilma? We will ask the agency's acting chief.
That's next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
HARRIS: And hurricane response, Harriet Miers' nomination and the CIA leak -- is the White House team in hot water these days? Our senior political correspondent investigates that later this hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN, your hurricane headquarters.
HARRIS: 8:00, 16 minutes from now, Eastern time, we should get an update, a new advisory from the National Hurricane Center on the status of Wilma. Right now we're all waiting for Wilma. And come what may, the Pentagon is taking no chances. The Navy is moving three ships toward Florida today in anticipation of the storm making landfall in the U.S. And FEMA, the agency that is still sort of licking its wounds after Katrina, is also gearing up for the worst.
David Paulison is FEMA's acting chief and he joins us from Washington.
David, good to talk to you this morning.
DAVID PAULISON, ACTING FEMA DIRECTOR: Good morning, Tony.
HARRIS: Well, the eye of the hurricane is expected to strike, what is it, southwest Florida on Monday, I think is the latest. Maybe we'll get an update in just a couple of minutes.
What are you asking people to do as some of these mandatory evacuations take effect today?
PAULISON: Well, there are a couple of things. One, they need to really pay attention to their local emergency managers and the state emergency management office. The State of Florida really does have their act together. Governor Bush and Craig Fugate, the emergency manager, are probably some of the best in the country about handling these types of storms. So they need to pay attention and if they're asked to evacuate, they need to move out very clear and move out of harm's way.
But I think it's importantly that those who are not going to evacuate need to make sure that they have all their supplies together. We're asking people to have a three day supply of water, food. They need flashlights with batteries, portable radios, those types of things. Their medicines. The pharmacies are still open. Make sure they top off their car with fuel.
HARRIS: Right.
PAULISON: And so they can survive for three days before, you know, during the storm and after the storm.
HARRIS: What kind of documentation, paperwork, do you want people to take with them if they're leaving?
PAULISON: Well, one of the things we learned in hurricane Katrina is people left with pretty much just the shirts on their back. So they need to take insurance papers, credit cards, all of their important papers if they're going to have to survive. So if they're out of town or maybe even out of the state if there's a huge storm, they'll have enough stuff with them so they have all their documentation to get back in their home and get their insurance papers rolling and those types of things.
HARRIS: And maybe another one of the lessons from Katrina is to proposition perhaps even more assets into what we anticipate to be the affected area.
Give us a sense of what kind of pre-positioning is going on right now. I know the DOD is helping you, as well.
PAULISON: We're doing a lot of things. What we did not have in Katrina was a good situational awareness of what's happening on the ground. So we're trying to make sure that we do know what's happening.
Our job is really to assist the state when they need help. The State of Florida, like I said earlier, really has their act together. And, but we want to be ready with all the supplies, food, water, ice, medical teams, our urban search and rescue teams. If the state needs those, we want to have them on the ground and ready to go when they ask for them.
HARRIS: You mentioned yesterday in your briefing that really Florida, as a state, is the model of how you should prepare for these storms.
I mean do you have much of an active role when a storm rolls into Florida or is their act so together that they can pretty much handle things on their own?
PAULISON: Well, you know, it's going to depend on the size of the storm. But I am very comfortable, very comfortable that Florida can handle pretty much anything that comes their way. But, again, we are there to assist them with the supplies that they need when they ask for that. We don't get ahead of the state. We make sure we respond to their needs.
HARRIS: OK, David, just quickly, I know you wanted folks out of the Louisiana shelters by this time last week.
Where are you in that process now?
PAULISON: We're pretty much almost finished. As of, I think it was yesterday, we had less than 5,000 people left in shelters. And our October 15th deadline that we set on ourselves was before Rita hit, so that kind of set us back a little bit.
But we're almost finished with getting those people out of the congregate shelters and into some better housing like hotels and motels and things like that.
Then our next phase will be to move them out of that system into apartments and mobile homes and they're more comfortable living where they have more privacy for the families.
HARRIS: David Paulison, acting chief of FEMA.
David, thanks for taking the time to talk to us.
We appreciate it.
PAULISON: Yes, sir.
Thank you.
NGUYEN: And speaking of hurricane Wilma, we've got a couple of things we want to tell you about. As we've been mentioning, at 8:00 this morning, about 12 minutes from now, Eastern time, we are going to be getting an update on where exactly Wilma is, how ferocious this storm, indeed, is.
And, also, at 11:30 today, Eastern time, we're going to have a news conference, or be airing that live, from the National Hurricane Center. So you'll want to stay tuned for that.
But for right now, also watching Wilma is Jacqui Jeras.
She joins us with an update -- good morning.
JERAS: Good morning, Betty.
And good morning, everybody.
We're just kind of playing that waiting game, wait and see what happens here with Wilma. And we'll have a much better idea of what's going to be happening in Florida once this storm gets off the Yucatan Peninsula and gets back over open water and into the Gulf of Mexico.
It's basically stalled out right now. It's been moving very little over the last six hours. It's about 25 miles to the south and west of Cancun. There's the island of Cozumel. You can see that huge eye as it moved across the island very slowly. Yesterday afternoon really was landfall, about 4:30 Eastern time.
We are expecting the storm system to slowly start to move northward and then we'll watch for that sharp turn off to the right and head toward Florida. That will probably happen late in the day on Monday.
And it's also going to be picking up forward speed. So this is going to be a very fast moving storm across the Florida peninsula. We also have to keep our eyes out for the potential of another developing storm in the eastern Caribbean -- Betty.
NGUYEN: We'll be watching.
Thank you, Jacqui.
Tom DeLay's indictment, the CIA leak investigation, the Katrina fiasco -- there is a lot on the Bush administration's plate these days. Are the White House leaders losing control?
Well, CNN's Candy Crowley investigates.
That's next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know, you want to stand by for the briefing in a couple of minutes from the National Hurricane Center. We also want to know what kind of wind speeds as you plan...
NGUYEN: How big of a storm it is...
HARRIS: ... I mean as you -- well, because you're going to, you're trying to plan. If you're there in the Keys, you know you're under a mandatory evacuation.
NGUYEN: That cone of uncertainty.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: Definitely we'll get a better idea of exactly where that is and how fast it's headed there.
HARRIS: And, you know, the outer bands are being felt in Fort Lauderdale.
NGUYEN: Already, yes.
HARRIS: We have pictures from our affiliate, WFOR. So, a briefing. We'll get it all sorted out in just a couple of minutes from the National Hurricane Center. In other news now, another twist in the CIA leak probe. Judith Miller's boss isn't too happy with her. The "New York Times" reporter was jailed for nearly three months for refusing to reveal her sources. Now the "Times'" top editor says Miller may have mislead the paper about her role in the whole leak controversy.
Executive editor Bill Keller says: "I wish that when I learned Judy Miller had been subpoenaed as a witness in the leak investigation, I had sat her down for a thorough debriefing and followed up with some reporting of my own. It is a natural and proper instinct to defend reporters when the government seeks to interfere in our work and under other circumstances it might have been fine to entrust the details, the substance of the confidential interviews, the notes to lawyers who would be handling the case."
NGUYEN: Well, the CIA leak probe is focusing on two top White House aides. It's yet another bump in what has been a rocky second term for President Bush.
Senior political correspondent Candy Crowley sorts it all out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Somewhere between reelection...
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Harriet, thank you for agreeing to serve.
CROWLEY: ... and Harriet Miers...
SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R), PENNSYLVANIA: I think it's been a chaotic process.
CROWLEY: ... even Republicans think the A-team has morphed into the gang that couldn't shoot straight.
SCOTT REED, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: The last six or nine months have been as difficult as anything the party has gone through in over 30 years.
CINDY SHEEHAN: I will never get to see him again.
CROWLEY: A cold shoulder to a grieving mom, a Social Security plan that faltered off the launch pad, Katrina, and the specter of indictments out of the CIA leak investigation. The very disciplined, aggressive team of Bush loyalists, lauded for their ability to control the message, seems to have lost control.
BUSH: There's some background noise here? A lot of chatter, a lot of speculation and opining. But the American people expect me to do my job, and I'm going to.
CROWLEY: Analyzing the president's year of living badly, Democrats and Republicans see a combination of bad luck, bad policy and bad relationships. Democrats seethe over the partisan style. And worse...
JACKIE CALMES, "THE WALL STREET JOURNAL": The word I hear over and over again on the Hill from Republicans is hubris.
CROWLEY: Republicans and Democrats in and out of government complain the president is both perpetrator and victim of an insular White House.
CALMES: Their complaint is not enough information is getting through to him and that he is making his decisions -- let's say Harriet Miers -- based on his own gut instincts.
CROWLEY: Having governed from the right, the president has always found comfort there. It is all but gone.
REED: Economic conservatives started to get a little wobbly this summer on spending. The Harriet Miers nomination caught some social conservatives off base, some of the more self-appointed leaders of the social conservative movement. And they riled up. It seems like it was a tipping point.
CROWLEY: Navigating the roughest terrain of his presidency, George Bush finds himself with no soft place to land. The go-it-alone Texan may need help.
Candy Crowley, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HARRIS: And we are just minutes away from the next advisory from the National Hurricane Center.
NGUYEN: CNN's meteorologist, Jacqui Jeras, will join us at the top of the hour with Wilma's latest forecast.
HARRIS: There she is.
NGUYEN: There she is working away.
We'll check in with her soon.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: So, if you've got questions about this busy hurricane season -- and I'm sure you do -- the answers may be a simple point and click away.
Veronica De La Cruz joins us from the Dot-Com Desk with more on that -- good morning, Veronica.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you.
Right, Tony, if you need some pointers on how to prepare for Wilma or you simply want to track the storm at home on your computer, we've launched this special report at cnn.com.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DE LA CRUZ (voice-over): If you're in Florida preparing to evacuate, plan an escape route. Unplug all electrical devices in your home and make sure you have a supply kit. This site offers evacuation and safety tips.
Wilma is the 12th hurricane and the 21st named storm this season.
How does it stack up against hurricanes Katrina and Rita?
This interactive compares the strength and movement of all three. At 72 hours before projected landfall, Wilma was more powerful than Katrina and Rita, with winds measuring 145 miles per hour. Track Wilma's projected path and current location with this map.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DE LA CRUZ: And, of course, you can find that all online at cnn.com/hurricane. Lots of resources available to you at cnn.com.
HARRIS: Good tips. Good tips.
NGUYEN: Oh, yes.
DE LA CRUZ: Lots of things here.
NGUYEN: Thank you, Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: All right.
NGUYEN: The next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING begins right now.
Hurricane Wilma has weakened to a Category 3 storm, but it's still a fierce storm, and is pounding Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Look at these pictures. The National Hurricane Center says it is dumping heavy rains on the tourist area of Cancun and Cozumel. Forecasters, though, predict Wilma will make landfall in Florida Monday afternoon along the southwest coast, which is south of Tampa. That's where they're projecting it right now.
Also, more aid is being requested for victims of the South Asia quake. Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says half a million tents and blankets are still needed. With icy cold temperatures approaching, there are fears hundreds of homeless people will die if they don't get shelter. More than 51,000 people died in the 7.6 magnitude quake in Pakistan. Another 1,300 died in India.
A walk down memory lane for Condoleezza Rice. She's in her home state of Alabama this weekend with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. The secretary of state grew up in Birmingham, a focal point of the civil rights movement. And today, Rice will unveil a statue of four girls killed in a church bombing.
Also, a jazz legend is being remembered today, Grammy award- winning pianist and vocalist Shirley Horn has died. Her music company said Horn died in her hometown of Washington, D.C., after a lengthy illness. Horn received numerous awards, including a 2003 Jazz at Lincoln Center Award for Artistic Excellence. She was 71.
Well, good morning from the CNN Center. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING, October 22. A busy day.
HARRIS: Oh boy.
NGUYEN: We'll talk about that. It's 8:00 a.m. here at CNN headquarters in Atlanta, 7:00 a.m. in Cancun ...
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: ... where the winds are just roaring.
HARRIS: Getting beat up right now.
NGUYEN: Good morning, everybody, I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Thank you for being with us. CNN is your hurricane headquarters.
Here's the very latest on Hurricane Wilma. It's lingering over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula with 125 mile-an-hour winds, heavy rain. Look at these pictures. Thousands of tourists are holed up in shelters there.
Wilma has weakened slightly to a Category 3 storm this morning, but it remains very dangerous.
Meantime, rain associated with Wilma has already made its way to the Florida coast. The streets of Fort Lauderdale are flooded this morning. Florida could see hurricane-like conditions late Sunday, early Monday, and the U.S. Navy is gearing up for possible rescue and relief efforts. It's deploying three ships, including the U.S.S. "Harry S. Truman," in anticipation of Wilma making landfall in Florida.
NGUYEN: All right, we've been talking about it, now it is time. It's 8:00. The National Hurricane Center has just issued an update on Hurricane Wilma.
So let's check in now with Jacqui Jeras and see what they have to say. Morning.
JERAS: Hey, good morning, guys.
Yes, the storm's weakened just a little bit more. We're down to 120 miles per hour for the maximum sustained winds. That's down from 125 at the 5:00 Eastern Time advisory.
So the storm is steadily, but slowly, weakening. It's also starting to drift a little bit. It's been, in essence, stationary through much of the overnight, and now it's starting to drift a little bit farther on up to the north. So it's now about 10 miles away from Cancun, rather than 25. So it's making a little bit of progress, and that is good news for the Yucatan Peninsula. This is our latest radar imagery. And here you can see the center of circulation, right in this area here. And look at some of these extremely intense outer bands. Cozumel has just been smacked with this storm. It has been unbelievable. And this is a major hurricane still, at about -- in the middle of Category 3 range. And so extensive damage is still possible throughout much of the day today.
The storm will continue to drift on up towards the north, and we think later on tonight, will probably make its way back over open water into the Gulf of Mexico. When it does that, it could jump back up just a little bit in intensity. However, it's going to start to get picked up by a storm system in the nation's midsection, which will be digging down this way, and that is going to pick up the storm and drive it on up to the north and to the east.
And that's why Florida's -- southern part of Florida is in the path of this storm.
And take a look at the difference in time. I mean, this is like a 12-hour period, and then we're looking at a 24-hour period. So look at the difference in the timing. This thing will be ripping, about maybe 20, possibly even as fast as 30 miles per hour as it heads towards Florida. So it's going to be a quick assault, I think, on the Florida peninsula.
So rainfall not our primary concern, because it will be moving so quickly. But we will be very worried about the wind damage and also the storm surge as that system gets a little bit closer.
Florida's west coast, southwest coast, most vulnerable. But the Florida keys still in this cone of uncertainty, and all the way up here towards Tampa Bay and St. Petersburg need to be on high alert. Once this gets into the Gulf of Mexico tonight, we'll have a much better idea of what part of Florida will be most directly impacted by the storm.
But keep in mind, guys, 400 miles across. So even if you're not getting the eye or the eyewall of the storm, much of central and southern Florida will be feeling the impact of Wilma, as they have been already today with some isolated storms and thunderstorms. And those winds are starting to pick up too.
We also expect hurricane watches to be posted across parts of Florida later today.
NGUYEN: We'll be watching. Jacqui, thank you. We'll also check in with you soon too.
HARRIS: Yes, we're trying to get Susan Candiotti on the phone. Just heard about Cozumel, how devastated Cozumel is. Susan Candiotti is in Cancun.
NGUYEN: Right next door, yes, in Cancun.
HARRIS: And that's an area, obviously, that's gotten hit pretty hard as well. You spoke to her last hour...
NGUYEN: We saw earlier the ...
HARRIS: ... right?
NGUYEN: Yes, the winds were whipping outside. She said parts of the hotel that she was in was wobbling ...
HARRIS: Right.
NGUYEN: ... she said glass had already broken. So obviously we're having a difficult time getting her on the phone ...
HARRIS: We'll keep trying, yes.
NGUYEN: ... but as soon as we do get her, we'll bring her to you and let you know exactly what's happening there.
HARRIS: OK. Wilma's wobble through the Yucatan is probably a bit of a boon to Florida, as the storm is expected to significantly weaken before striking the Sunshine State. But Floridians are preparing nonetheless, especially folks living on the west coast, who are still smarting from Hurricane Charley last year.
You know what? Before we go to Tim Wetzel (ph), let's get to Susan Candiotti. She is on the phone with us now from Cancun.
And Susan, when we talked to you last hour, we could hear the wind and the wave. Give us a sense of what the situation is like right now where you are.
CANDIOTTI (on phone): Well, Tony, if the seas and the wind are less strong than they were, from a Category 3 to a Category 4, the difference really is incremental at this hour. As the sun is coming up, the wind is still screeching and howling. There is water dripping down the walls of the ceilings of the hotel where we hunkered down for the night. This place is facing the Gulf of Mexico, so we're looking out to the east.
And it would appear as though the wind has changed direction from yesterday, when it was coming in directly from the east. Now it appears to be coming in from the southeast, which might represent a bit of a curvature of the, you know, the counterclockwise winds from Wilma.
Now, the -- we can only speak, of course, for where we are. The phones are out. The power's been out for hours and hours and hours. The hope is, however, that the hotel residents that were moved by authorities, I guess it was a day and a half ago, to hotels in downtown Cancun, which is about a half-hour from here, presumably they're all right. They did have provisions at the time, they seemed pretty well set, and the people there were in fairly good spirits when I talked with them. There was nothing else they could do but just to ride out the storm where they are.
Now, as the sun is now coming up, we -- if the roads are passable, we'll go outside and check things out. That might be a little while before we're able to do that. I know yesterday, they were covered, in part, and you couldn't get through, because of high water, and in some areas, the debris.
So the question is, how long will these conditions last? As you have been hearing, perhaps throughout the day. So it may be difficult to get around -- Tony.
HARRIS: Well, Susan, just a quick question, just to sort of help us with our bearings. You are about -- did you mention you were about a half an hour away from that main strip that so many of us are familiar with, that row along the water where...
CANDIOTTI: No, no, Tony, we are right on that strip...
HARRIS: Oh, are you?
CANDIOTTI: ... where all the hotels...
HARRIS: Yes.
CANDIOTTI: ... are lined up. And, of course, there's a four- lane road that goes down toward the center of town. That's the one that we were driving on yesterday. We were able to, a day and a half ago, to get all the way downtown from here. But yesterday afternoon, when we tried to make that drive, the water was too high in spots for us to make it all the way.
HARRIS: And that's close to that strip where -- I'm thinking of some of the bars. That's -- there's a row of bars there. There's Senor Frog, there's Pat O'Brien's, and that's all along that stretch close to where you are now?
CANDIOTTI: That's right. You name it...
HARRIS: OK.
CANDIOTTI: ... yes, those places are located there. And we noticed some damage to some of those places. For example, you mentioned the one, and the canopy was blown off. Another nightclub that's shaped like a dome blown off. The structure...
HARRIS: Wow.
CANDIOTTI: ... of many of the hotels that we passed yesterday appeared to be OK. But clearly, there is leakage. Some windows are out. A lot of these places were worn out. But when you're talking about, as you know, a Category 4 or 5 storm, you are talking about the possibility of catastrophic damage.
Obviously, as the sun comes up, you'll be able to make a better assessment...
HARRIS: Right.
CANDIOTTI: ... of how much damage there is. HARRIS: All right, stay safe. Wow. CNN's Susan Candiotti, really kind of in the thick of it right now in Cancun. Susan, thank you.
NGUYEN: Giving us a good look at what's happening there.
Well, the Bush administration is trying to keep ahead of the curve on Hurricane Wilma. The government wants to make sure there's no repeat of its bungled response to Hurricane Katrina.
So let's go straight to Washington now, and CNN's Gary Nurenberg. He's outside of FEMA headquarters with the latest on the storm preparations. What kind of preps are you seeing?
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you.
Although some projections show that Wilma could only be a Category 1 or a Category 2 storm when it hits landfall, acting FEMA director David Paulison says, quote, "We are not taking anything for granted. This agency is going to continue on as if this is going to be a major hurricane at landfall." Paulison says he is not taking anything for granted, and is expected the unexpected.
As the general population in Florida prepares for the storm, FEMA has prepositioned 30 truckloads of water, ice, and food at two military bases in the state. Four urban search-and-rescue teams are in place, as are nine national disaster medical teams, with an additional nine on standby. The military is prepositioning ships and aircraft. And more than 300 satellite phones have been shipped to facilitate communications in the area, in case existing systems are damaged by the storm, as they were in Katrina.
On CNN just a few minutes ago, Paulison said just knowing what's happening will be key.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAVID PAULISON, ACTING FEMA DIRECTOR: What we did not have in Katrina was a good situational awareness of what was happening on the ground. So we're trying to make sure that we do know what's happening. Our job is really to assist the state when they need help. The state of Florida, like I said earlier, really has their act together. And -- but we want to be ready with all the supplies, our food, water, ice, and medical teams, urban search-and-rescue teams.
If the state needs us, we want to have them on the ground and ready to go when they ask for them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NURENBERG: Paulison says, frankly, his troops are exhausted after weeks of this, but insists they are ready and up to the challenge.
Betty, back to you in Atlanta.
HARRIS: All right.
NGUYEN: All right, Gary, thank you for that.
HARRIS: Your time to be a citizen journalist. Be careful. We always say that...
NGUYEN: That's always.
HARRIS: ... because we need to say that. Send us your photos and video of Hurricane Wilma. Log onto cnn.com/hurricane. As always, we want you to be safe when taking the pictures. So please do not put yourself or others in any kind of danger.
NGUYEN: Meantime, do stay with CNN for the latest on Hurricane Wilma. Next hour, we are live from Cuba, where hundreds of thousands have evacuated ahead of the storm. We'll check in with our Lucia Newman.
HARRIS: And running for hurricane relief. We'll meet a man who is running cross-country to raise money for Katrina victims.
We'll be right back.
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NGUYEN: All right, the story of Tom DeLay's legal troubles was captured in a single photograph this week, his mug shot. Does this guy -- take a look -- look like he's in any kind of trouble at all? Well, DeLay was booked and arraigned on money-laundering and conspiracy charges. Those relate to alleged campaign finance violations.
And that tops our legal briefs this morning. Former U.S. attorney Kendall Coffey joins us from Philadelphia, not with the same kind of smile. But we will talk about DeLay's smile.
Thanks for being with us.
All right, aside from the smiling mug shot, which has a lot of people baffled, by the way, and the request of a new judge and all the political wranglings about all this, has this turned into a circus?
KENDALL COFFEY, FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY: Well, certainly this is a case where the trial in the court of law has barely begun, but the trial in the court of public opinion is in full swing, turning the usual mug shot into a smiling photo-op. And definitely, with nonstop attacks on the prosecutor having political motivations, this is being hit as much in the press as anywhere else.
The big question is, what is the strength of the prosecution's actual evidence that Tom DeLay committed campaign law violations?
HARRIS: And that's what I want to know from you. How much of a case is this?
COFFEY: Well, so far, we haven't seen any strong evidence yet. Much too early to tell. The prosecution alleges that there is a smoking-gun document that shows that a crime was committed with respect to funneling corporate contributions to state legislative candidates.
But the fingerprints of Tom DeLay do not seem to appear on that document, either literally or figuratively. And Betty, unless one of the co-defendants turns on Tom DeLay, to turn state's evidence against him, this case is not necessarily a slam-dunk.
NGUYEN: All right, let's move over to Saddam Hussein and his trial, which we saw some pictures of this week. His lead defense attorney says they need more time, because many of the attorneys on the case just really don't have that much of a grasp on international law. Do they really need more time? It seems like this thing has been in the wings for a while.
COFFEY: Well, they want as much time as possible to turn this into a staging ground for basically a political trial. Meanwhile, the Iraqi special tribunal is avoiding, best as they can, a long-term trial of years, like Milosevic has been doing, the head of the former Yugoslavia, because they want to get this man to justice, final justice, sooner than later.
NGUYEN: And let's talk about that justice for a moment. Is that going to lead, in your opinion, to the death penalty?
COFFEY: Well, I think that's where this case seems to be headed. They didn't go the Nuremberg route involving former Nazis after World War II to create a showcase trial for future generations. They're only trying 150 victims out of maybe 2 million victims. Why? Easier trial, a more focused trial. A single death sentence will start the time running in which Saddam Hussein could actually be executed, and as long as he is alive, his very existence has a potential to destabilize.
NGUYEN: All right, let's move to California now, and the Vitale murder case. This is really bizarre, Kendall, because the wife of a prominent California attorney was not only murdered, but a cross was carved in her back. The suspect is a 16-year-old. What's the motive here?
COFFEY: Well, it's an incomprehensible trial -- crime in every respect, the savagery, the beating, the youth of the alleged perpetrator. We don't really know yet what is being alleged, but it appears that, best as anyone can tell, that he confronted almost by accident Vitale, in the course of picking up, perhaps, equipment that he had ordered, allegedly for a marijuana-growing operation, and somehow it turned into a violent confrontation.
Certainly, the psychological issues of the alleged perpetrator are going to be part of the defense strategy.
NGUYEN: And we have learned that that 16-year-old will be tried as an adult. But you mentioned this larger scheme, perhaps. Does that mean we're going to see more suspects here? COFFEY: Well, waiting to see if he was part of any ongoing conspiracy. And meanwhile, the other place to watch is the crime lab, because evidence of the suspect's physical presence on the crime scene is going to be essential here, especially with this kind of physical brutality, there should normally be DNA. If that DNA is found on the crime scene, it's going to be an overwhelmingly strong case.
And from there, the only likely defense is going to be some form of psychological insanity plea. And that young suspect would most likely be heading to a very, very long prison sentence, perhaps life.
NGUYEN: We're showing a picture right now of the suspect, Scott Dyleski. He's been described as a teenager in high school who is really into goth and all of that. What do you know about it? Do you know any more?
COFFEY: No, I -- but I think what we do know is that this is going to raise questions about, do school administrators, do all of us need to do a better job of teenage profiling? Because there were certainly some symptoms that this was a young man headed to very, very sinister -- in a very sinister direction. Could there have been an intervention somewhere along the line?
I think that's one of the questions that people around the country are going to be asking themselves as they look at other young people who appear to be troubled, who appear to be subscribing to what literally and morally is a very dark direction.
NGUYEN: You talk about questions. We are going to be asking you more questions at 10:20 this morning, talking CIA leak investigation. You'll be joining us to talk with Tony.
But for now, we thank you for your time.
COFFEY: Hey, thank you, Betty.
NGUYEN: Kendall Coffey, thanks.
Tony?
HARRIS: NFL fans got an early football fix, thanks to Wilma. We'll update you on who won the Friday night matchup. Friday night football, huh? And it's not high school football?
Also, Jacqui Jeras will be along with another check of the hurricane forecast. There she is.
We'll be back in a moment.
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HARRIS: And Friday football, yes, pro football. The Dolphins got their game in two days early to escape being hammered by Hurricane Wilma, but then last night, the Dolphins, well, they got hammered. There was a hammering, all right? By the Kansas City Chiefs. Priest Holmes is going to go off right here. Look at this. What is this, a 70-yard run or something? Yes, the Chiefs scored on...
NGUYEN: He's still running this morning.
HARRIS: ... their first series and rolled out the season high, 462 yards.
NGUYEN: Wow.
HARRIS: And beating the Dolphins 30 to 20.
NGUYEN: All right. Let's get to weather, shall we? Because Jacqui Jeras, we've been showing shots of you, Jacqui. You're working away back there ...
HARRIS: Me too.
NGUYEN: ... on the computer, because you got...
JERAS: I'm always working away, guys.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: That's true, that's true. But we...
HARRIS: Look at all that behind her.
NGUYEN: ... we have the option of being able to see you now. And so we're watching you at work back there.
So what have you learned about Wilma?
JERAS: Well, actually I was on a Web site from Mexico, trying to translate a little bit. So I'm not all that good at Spanish, so I've got someone up helping me. I'm trying to find a little bit more information about conditions across parts of Mexico, and I know Susan Candiotti, running short her battery. So not sure if we're going to be able to check in with her very often any longer.
The storm is still a Category 3. It's packing winds of 120 miles per hour sustained. And, you know, the eyewall of this storm came onshore about 24 hours ago. So these people have been dealing with sustained hurricane-force winds for 24 hours, just unimaginable, as the system is now starting to drift northward.
But drifting, so it's not moving a whole heck of a lot. And basically, they're going to be dealing with these conditions throughout the day today, and it's not going to be until tonight, we don't think, before the storm makes its way offshore.
Across Florida, some occasional showers and thundershowers. Those will be kicking up, I think, a little bit more widespread. In the afternoon hours, we're probably going to see some hurricane watches posted, I think, by the National Hurricane Center a little bit later on for today.
We still have a lot of time to prepare, and that's good news. We don't expect the winds to kick up or really for the conditions to get bad for you in Florida, until maybe -- at least through today, at least through tomorrow morning, maybe tomorrow afternoon we'll see tropical storm-force winds begin to kick in. And landfall potentially would be on Monday afternoon.
Back to you guys. I have to work away again.
HARRIS: Eleven-thirty...
NGUYEN: Yes.
HARRIS: ... we get another...
NGUYEN: Get back to that computer, Jacqui.
HARRIS: What happens at 11:30?
NGUYEN: We are having a briefing from the National Hurricane Center. They're going to update us on what they know about Wilma as well.
And, of course, Jacqui will keep us posted until then.
And then after that...
JERAS: That's right. I'll be back at night.
NGUYEN: Thank you, Jacqui.
HARRIS: Thank you, thank you.
New next hour, we're live in Havana, Cuba, where the island nation is starting to feel the events of Wilma.
CNN SATURDAY returns at the top of the hour.
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