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CNN LIVE AT DAYBREAK

Hurricane Emily Moves In; Storm Ready?; Supreme Selection; Looking for Rain

Aired July 20, 2005 - 05:28   ET

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


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And CNN is your hurricane headquarters. Emily is moving in. Conditions have gone from bad to worse along the Mexican Gulf Coast and in the south Texas coast as well. The eye of the storm is expected to make landfall around daybreak.
Chad, it looks like it's moving in quite closely, isn't it?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Certainly is.

WHITFIELD: Just about four miles away, at least the outer bands?

MYERS: The outer eyewall itself, the outer part of the eyewall is now about four miles from making landfall on the outer Barrier Island. Nobody lives there. It's just a sand island. It's a spit of land that's just about 13 miles from real mainland Mexico.

The miles itself, really, they don't make all that much difference. But everybody's been calling up here throughout the newsroom, CNN International, Es Spaniol, everybody wants to know is this thing on land yet? Is there landfall? No, landfall happens officially when the center of the eye goes over the land. Obviously, it's not there yet.

Let me get you all the way down into the center of the storm. There is the center of the eye right now. It is still 15 miles from that little spit of land. And then you see there's still more mileage before you actually get to mainland Mexico.

We'll zoom it back out so you kind of see it a little bit better, take a little perspective, a different perspective of it. This is the Gulf of Mexico. Here comes the storm crashing on shore here. Very populated area here around Brownsville. This is the Nasta (ph) area, basically, if you will, from Brownsville all the way through South Padre, Harlingen, McAllen, right on down into Mexico itself.

And the winds are now gusting to well over 60 miles per hour in that region. The heaviest winds are right in the center of the eye, right now at 115. It could go up a little bit more, 110, 115 miles per hour, as it slams on shore.

But these outer bands, that's what Chris Lawrence had a little bit ago, he's in South Padre. He had one of the big outer bands. Now there's another one about to affect him pretty soon. This entire storm is going to affect most of south Texas from about Corpus Christi southward. It starts to go downhill from Corpus Christi northward. Even from Laredo northward, you wouldn't even know it ever happened.

Back to you.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much -- Chad.

MYERS: You bet.

WHITFIELD: Well hundreds of tourists fled South Padre Island, Texas ahead of the storm. Meantime, residents are hunkered down as Emily brings gale force winds and crashing waves.

CNN's Chris Lawrence is in South Padre -- Chris.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka, definitely, I can definitely feel what Chad was talking about in terms of some of the gusts. We've been getting them all night. You know it dies down and then you'll get this incredible gust. But right now it seems like the gusts, when they do come, are getting a little bit stronger than they were before.

And I'm also seeing, and I'd be interested to know what Chad would think about this, we're also seeing a lot of lightning. I'm seeing lightning strikes about every couple of minutes. And I didn't know if that was normal for hurricanes like this or if it was peculiar to this one? But we're definitely seeing a lot of lightning strikes out there.

Not a whole lot of rain right here, which is a very, very good thing. Because one of the biggest worries with this particular storm here in Texas was going to be, even though we didn't get the eye of the storm, that it was slow moving, it was going to bring so much rain. A lot of the valley areas were very, very concerned about flooding. They flooded before. They were very concerned about flooding again.

And luckily, I think for about the past 45 minutes or so, we haven't really seen a lot of rain. There's a lot of water blowing around, but it's more that we're close to the ocean and it's churning up the ocean so much that it's just blowing the saltwater around. But we haven't seen a tremendous (INAUDIBLE) in the last hour, which is obviously going to be very good news for a lot of the folks in some of those low-lying valley areas.

Here you could tell the wind continues to particularly blow pretty hard on certain gusts. Here on South Padre Island, it's a resort town, hotels lining the beach. A lot of folks came here for vacation. Literally just a day ago, there were people walking the beach, families, moms and their kids out in the water. And just like that, the weather just started to change and go downhill.

And right now that water is literally coming all the way up to the hotel. Whereas a day before, you know we were a good 60 yards, 70 yards away from the shoreline, and now you could just -- we can see these waves just coming right up to the shore.

One bridge in and out of this area, it has now been closed to all traffic because of the high wind speeds. So, basically, if you're on the island, you're going to stick it out here on the island. If you're inland, then that's where you're going to stay.

But a lot of people here are very hopeful that perhaps by tonight or tomorrow things will at least be settling back to normal. A lot of people here, when they feel wind gusts like this, they're saying today, hey, it's a very good thing that we missed the eye of this storm.

WHITFIELD: Eye on you there at South Padre Island -- Chad.

MYERS: Yes, you know...

WHITFIELD: What are your observations?

MYERS: I have a radar presentation I kind of wanted to show what's going on here for Chris. He had a very big, heavy cell a little bit earlier. Now he's actually in between storms. He's in between bands of storms.

There you go. There's South Padre. Right under the word Padre, that's where Chris is right now. Well the entire area here is actually getting something here. This is one of the first bands as it came through. It came through a little bit ago. Now there's going to be another band here. So this is as good as it's going to get for Chris.

And at some point it's going to get a whole lot worse right through here as this band moves up at him. And it will, probably in the next half-hour or so. So you're in a lull right now, Chris, you're not getting too much rainfall, but that's also going to stop.

And that you can see all the way -- all my arrows are going toward land. Guess what that wind is doing? That is blowing the water toward the land as well, and that's why your waves are coming up, that's why your storm surge is coming up. I suspect, though, there's much more surge down to the south of you and also through the bays from Brownsville right on back down into northeastern Mexico. But if you're getting storm surge there, everyone else is from your point southward.

WHITFIELD: In other words, it really is just the beginning?

MYERS: It sure is. The eye is not even on land yet. The eye could still get a little bit stronger, not expecting any strength there, but that big, heavy band that's moving north of him, that was his first outer band. Now he's getting another outer band.

And in fact, we're just getting for southern southeastern Wilson (ph) County, in deep south Texas, a tornado warning. And that is expected to be over rural county, rural parts of the county, until about, I'd say, maybe 5:00 or 6:00, 5:15 a.m. Central Daylight Time is the expiration on this. This is just part of one of those outer bands.

Sometimes those outer bands will make landfall. One of those storms itself will begin to get torn apart a little bit by the land because of the friction and then they begin to spin. The whole hurricane has spin with it as well. And so we're going to get more in the way of tornado warnings. There's already a tornado watch exactly where Chris is right now, all the way back up from about 40 miles south of him to about 40 miles north of him.

WHITFIELD: All right, Chad, thanks so much. And, Chris Lawrence, at South Padre Island, brace yourself.

Well Monterrey, Mexico is about 250 miles from the coast where Emily is coming ashore. But as our Ed Lavandera reports, it still has some significant concerns.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The last major storm to steamroll through northeast Mexico was Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, a Category 3 storm with winds of 120 miles per hour. Two hundred sixty people were killed as the storm plowed through the Caribbean islands into the Yucatan Peninsula and back into the Mexican mainland. Hurricane Emily has followed a similar path.

Ruttilo Macisa has lived on the banks of the river that cuts through the heart of Monterrey, Mexico, for 25 years. It's a city of about 1.3 million people,125 miles south of the Texas border, 250 miles from the Gulf. He's trying to fix what he can on the roof of his home before Hurricane Emily strikes.

(on camera): Do you think people here are aware of what's happening?

RUTTILO MACISA, RESIDENT (through translator): Yes, of course, we're all ready. We know it's out there and we know it's coming, so we'll see what happens.

LAVANDERA (voice-over): Macisa lives in a poorly constructed home in one of the most downtrodden neighborhoods in the city. Emergency officials, like Gerardo Garcia, have been walking the neighborhoods here, urging people to evacuate by Tuesday night.

(on camera): So this is one of the most critical spots here in the city because the river is going to rush through here.

(voice-over): Maria Ortega sits on her front porch surrounded by kids. She has lived here 33 years and remembers when she used to walk several miles to bring home buckets of water. Now any time it rains, the water comes rushing through. She is nervous, scared, and ready to evacuate.

(on camera): Are you ready to go?

She is ready to go. All she has to do is lock the house and leave.

(voice-over): Hurricane preparations here in Monterrey don't have the same intensity you normally see before a looming storm. We didn't see people racing out to the markets and hardware stores. Instead, street crews spent the day manicuring lawns along the major streets. Children were laughing and hollering on the playgrounds. Everyone here says they are ready for what's coming, whatever that might be.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And that was Ed Lavandera reporting.

We've got the latest on hurricane locations, winds, damage, everything you need to know. You can count on CNN as your hurricane headquarters.

Now back to our other top story, new Supreme Court nominee John Roberts. Here's what happens next. The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold confirmation hearings. They'll take a close look at Roberts' record. The hearings will be followed by a full Senate vote on Roberts. President Bush has called on senators to conduct what he calls a dignified confirmation process with fairness and civility.

Here's what you can expect. Since 1981, it has taken an average 72 days from nomination to confirmation vote. So this is not an overnight process, and advocacy groups have already begun to fight. Since 1789, the Senate has rejected 30 out of 144 nominees. The general consensus is that Judge Roberts will not be rejected and he'll be seated before the Supreme Court reconvenes in October.

Joining us now with more on the president's nominee and the process ahead is former U.S. Attorney Kendall Coffey.

All right, Kendall, good that you could be with us from Miami.

KENDALL COFFEY, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Hey, thanks for inviting me -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, well one senator puts it this way, while John Roberts has an outstanding legal record, he's only spent two years as a judge. How significant will that detail be in his confirmation process?

COFFEY: Well, ironically, Fredricka, it's kind of a plus. Because with 20 months as a judicial officer, he's got a lot less to attack as opposed to some of the other judges who were being considered who had 20 years on the bench, which included a lot of opinions that might have been sources for controversy. So less can be more when it comes to being a target during a confirmation process.

WHITFIELD: And his background includes being a clerk for now Chief Justice Rehnquist. He clerked for him when he was an associate justice. So it seems as though John Roberts just might be at home being in the Supreme Court. Does that make a difference at all what kind of relationship he just might have with the other associate justices?

COFFEY: Well I think it underscores why I think he's considered a very, very good choice from the conservative Republican standpoint. He's won more than two dozen cases before the Supreme Court. He's very much a Washington insider. And he's got the kind of best and brightest record that suggests he not only would be effective in terms of the judicial philosophy that he appears to represent, but he could become a major force defining the direction of the Supreme Court, perhaps for decades to come, if confirmed.

WHITFIELD: And he is familiar with the Supreme Court on a different level, given that he's argued some 39 times before the Supreme Court. And he says still every time that he would go to the Supreme Court, walking up those marble steps, he would still get butterflies, he would still seem pretty nervous. But does it also show that this man has the mettle to be in the company of the Supreme Court justices?

COFFEY: I think there's no doubt about it. And as in terms of talent, in terms of credentials and experience, he is an A+, no question about that.

The big issue is going to be to what extent is it fair game to ask specific questions during a confirmation process to basically identify his position on issues where his record itself doesn't clearly commit or signal what the positions might be. And it's more complicated than just what's fair game, in a political sense. Because the American Bar Association has imposed what they think are ethical limits on what a nominee should talk about with respect to issues. It seemed like we had to come before that nominee as a potential jurist.

WHITFIELD: So he is still a mystery, in a sense, especially when he is potentially replacing someone who was a swing voter?

COFFEY: He's clearly less defined in terms of judicial opinions than many. But on the other hand, he's been on the inside of the Republican legal machinery in two different administrations. So without a doubt I think other insiders in the administration believe that this is a jurist that they would be able to count on on the issues that mean the most to the president of the United States.

WHITFIELD: Are you seeing a lengthy confirmation process? Are you seeing someone seated, potentially, by October?

COFFEY: I think he will be seated by October. This is not going to be the war of the worlds, although I think it will be a searching confirmation process. Because ultimately his credentials are impeccable, his personal integrity is beyond question and he's not so strident, so partisanly shrill or so much of a target that there is going to be a legitimate basis to deny him the post that the president has selected.

WHITFIELD: And this was a thoughtful nominee, wasn't it? He's 50 years old, meaning he has an incredible career ahead of him, if indeed he is confirmed?

COFFEY: From the standpoint of the president's judicial philosophy, they couldn't have made a better choice.

WHITFIELD: Kendall Coffey, thanks so much for waking up with us from Miami.

Time to read some e-mails now. We had asked the question is this the right choice, John Roberts?

Well one e-mail says the way President Bush announced his choice for Supreme Court nominee, using prime time television, and the choice that he made, selecting a right wing conservative which tips the balance of the court, it becomes obvious that the president wanted to create as much controversy as possible in order to take the heat off of the Karl Rove incident for the "TIME's" leak. How much longer can the Republicans just keep proclaiming Democrats as obstructionists and get away with it? That e-mail coming in from a man named Bill (ph).

And on the issue of longevity, this being a 50-year-old man, John Roberts. No, John Roberts is not the right choice. It is amazing how predictable President Bush is to pick a relatively young, conservative male who will remain on the Supreme Court for decades. It is important that women be represented throughout all aspects of the government. But more importantly, the right nominee should stand in the middle of either sides of the political agenda. That from Nicholas (ph).

And one in favor of John Roberts from Kelly Pritchard (ph). Yes, Justice Roberts should be confirmed. It is sad to see this country being torn apart at the seams like some crypts and bloods gang members with their red and blue states (ph). Since most agree he is a good man who is not afraid of research and forming his own opinion, I say confirm him. That from Kelly Pritchard of Santa Barbara, California.

Well still to come, another reason chocolate is a healthy way to indulge. "Health Headlines" after the break.

And at 10 till, why Hurricane Emily is a ray of hope for farmers in south Texas.

But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Wednesday morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Sweet news tops our "Health Headlines."

A new study shows dark chocolate can not at least soothe your soul but can lower blood pressure as well. This adds to a growing body of research that shows compounds found in chocolate called flavonoids can help blood vessels work more smoothly, perhaps reducing the risk of heart disease. But chocolate is high in fat and calories, so don't go overboard.

The FDA has issued a warning about the so-called abortion pill, RU-486. The Food and Drug Administration says it's investigating reports of rare adverse affects, including four deaths in the past two years associated with the use of the drug. And the government is urging doctors and patients to be aware of the risk of infection.

For more on these stories and much more about your health, check out our Web site at CNN.com/health.

Still to come, hard to imagine anyone welcoming a hurricane, but south Texas farmers are.

And a reminder, our e-mail "Question of the Day," is Judge John Roberts the right choice to be on the Supreme Court? Send us your thoughts at DAYBREAK@CNN.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Hot, hot, hot. Certainly a lot of people are fearful of just what a hurricane can do. But in the lower Rio Grande Valley, some farmers are saying bring it on. In a region stunted by a heat wave and drought, they look forward to a good dousing.

Our Rick Sanchez in La Villa, Texas.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): We found ourselves rolling out the hay to help farmers and ranchers beat the rains, which they fear will weigh it down, making it too difficult to move. It's something they haven't had to do here in quite some time. Even the cattle seemed to sense something different is about to happen.

As the Rio Grande region braces for a hurricane, many in these parts say their real concern is a drought. So serious, some are comparing it to the one that hit this area in the late 1940s. This region usually gets anywhere between 18 and 25 inches a year. So far this year, they haven't even gotten a fraction of that.

RANDALL CERVENY, CLIMATOLOGIST: We in the southwest are used to having triple-digit temperatures. It's just we'd like to have some clouds every so often to get away from those. And that's why Emily here is going to be kind of our ace card. We're hoping it's going to bring enough moisture to give us some clouds.

SANCHEZ: It's not just here. So far this summer, high temperatures have turned part of Arizona into a dustbowl. In New York, city dwellers are dealing with a most uncomfortable summer. In Boston, residents are heading to the beaches to get away from the heat. And in California, record temperatures have peaked at near 100 degrees.

(on camera): It's not often that a hurricane is actually welcomed by a region. But that seems to be what's going on here in the Rio Grande Valley, a region that supplies our nation with much of its corn, cotton and sorghum. It's a yield, we're being told, that right now, because of the drought, is down by 25 percent.

(voice-over): Jose Alfredo's family has been farming and ranching here for generations. He says he can't remember it being this bad.

(on camera): (SPEAKING SPANISH). And this is the worst that you've seen it in years? JOSE ALFREDO, FARMER: Yes.

SANCHEZ: (SPEAKING SPANISH). This would be the worst?

ALFREDO: Yes. Right.

SANCHEZ: (SPEAKING SPANISH). Without a doubt?

ALFREDO: (SPEAKING SPANISH).

SANCHEZ (voice-over): As for the drought and its cause, experts say they're studying it, but they can't pin it down.

In the meantime, they say all we can do is try and cool off and take it one steamy, hot day at a time.

Rick Sanchez, CNN, La Villa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: In Arizona, police say the unrelenting heat is most likely to blame for as many as 11 deaths. And near the border, federal agents say they found the bodies of 13 illegal immigrants. One church leader says entering the U.S. illegally should never be a death penalty. Some church groups are providing water, food and medical care to would-be immigrates at the border.

News "Across America" this morning.

Does Teflon, that nonstick stuff on pans, cause cancer? DuPont has been hit with a $5 billion class action lawsuit over the material. The lawsuit alleges the chemical used to make nonstick Teflon pans puts you at risk. Two Florida law firms say the chemical causes cancer in lab animals. A DuPont spokesman says Teflon does not include the chemical the lawsuit alleges and that Teflon is safe.

Two children attending a YMCA camp in Kent County, Maryland are being treated after being hit by lightning. Staffers used a defibrillator and CPR on one of them. They were flown to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. No word on their condition.

Now, watch this next video and listen.

Whoa, significant boom. Coming down in Ames, Iowa, two 11-story dormitories on the campus of Iowa State University. Nap Hall and Storms Hall were closed last year. They had been home to about 42,000 students since being built in the 60s.

Well time to read another e-mail we got in, all relating to whether the Supreme Court nominee Judge John Roberts is the right choice.

And Gary Clark (ph) from Russell, Kansas says, yes, John Roberts is an excellent choice for the Supreme Court. He'll do a fine job.

Keep those e-mails coming in. Still to come, some serious questions about the so-called "Morning After" pill. We'll examine the new FDA warning over RU-486.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It is Wednesday, July 20.

Emily is roughing up the Gulf Coast, but south Texas residents just couldn't stay inside, even though there is a hurricane knocking at their door.

Plus, it's one of the most important choices a president can make, and President Bush has made it. What now?

And a warning from the government, think before you take the abortion pill.

From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Fredricka Whitfield in for Carol Costello. Good morning, everyone.

Chad will have more on the forecast in a moment.

Also ahead, do you Yahoo!? You may have taken a dive overnight and didn't even realize it.

But first, "Now in the News."

Iraqi army recruits were the target of a suicide bomber in Baghdad this morning. As many as six people were killed in the blast. More than 20 others injured.

Iraqi insurgents have stepped up their attacks recently. And this morning, the victims are being remembered. Two hours ago, Iraq's National Assembly held three minutes of silence. Also, Vatican Radio observed a minute of silence as well.

Oil giant Chevron is one step closer to taking over competitor Unocal. A $17 billion deal was recommended by Unocal's board of directors just a few hours ago.

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

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