Florida Residents Preparing for Alberto; More Fallout from Killing of al-Zarqawi
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Tropical Storm Alberto aims for Florida. In this hour, you're going to find out when and where it could land. And in defense of the Haditha marines, for the first time, a lawyer for one of the marines speaks out about the incident that left 24 Iraqi civilians dead. And one of the most powerful weapons for terrorists is not a gun or a bomb, it's the Internet. Al Qaeda is making the most of the World Wide Web. It is Sunday, June 11th and you're watching CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Carol Lin and these are the stories making news right now. People along Florida's west coast are already being warned that a tropical storm is coming their way. Alberto is churning in the Gulf of Mexico and headed right for the U.S. A live report on the storm in one minute. Now Alberto's heavy rain has already caused major flooding in western Cuba. And forecasters say the storm may bring up to 30 inches of rain. And with it, the threat of flash floods and mudslides. Now a new threat from al Qaeda in Iraq. Days after the death of leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, on an Islamic Web site, the group threatens a large attack that will, quote, "shake the enemy and rob them of sleep." And a security expert says even with al-Zarqawi dead, more attacks against the U.S. forces are likely.</s>JAMES WALSH, INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST, MIT: al-Zarqawi is only one part of the insurgency. There are nationalists, there are Baathists, there are criminals. It's helpful, maybe they can put them on the defensive a little bit. But I think we're going to continue to see violence.</s>LIN: To Afghanistan, a British soldier is killed in a fire fight, with suspected Taliban fighters. Two others seriously injured. They were patrolling the Helmand province when they came under attack. And new details about the alleged civilian massacre in Haditha, Iraq. We hear from the sergeant who led the accused marines and he is denying his unit went on a rampage or tried to cover anything up. A full report in 13 minutes. Now according to the latest survey, gas prices have been stable for the last three weeks. The average price of self-serve regular remains at $2.93 a gallon. Stable crude oil prices, increased supply and flat demand have helped keep those prices steady.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You've got to be aware of it and you've got to be ready to act.</s>LIN: Florida emergency teams are bracing for Alberto. The first-named storm of the season is dumping rain on the Gulf of Mexico and bearing down on the United States. Now right now, a tropical storm watch covers 300 miles of Florida's west coast. Jacqui Jeras covering all of this for us from the CNN Weather Center. Jacqui?</s>LIN: Now, for more on the view from Florida, Nicole Linsalata of CNN affiliate WSVN is in Key West.</s>NICOLE LINSALATA, WSVN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the famous southern-most point, not quite a picture-perfect Sunday.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This sucks. We were going to rent a boat today.</s>LINSALATA: Little Skye (ph) and Kyle (ph) from New York, will likely end up at the zoo in Miami instead. Even visitors from overseas realizing it's just that time of year.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were hoping we'd get between hurricanes. But didn't happen this time. It's still very nice.</s>LINSALATA: Well maybe not a hurricane, but the first storm of the 2006 season, showering Key West with steady rain. Washing out the weekend for tourists and business owners alike. (on camera): Some of the things you're selling today?</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lots of umbrellas. Lots of umbrellas and ponchos.</s>LINSALATA (voice-over): And while Lahta (ph) the dog may be having a good time, jet skis hit idle, a glass-bottom tour boat remains docked. The water too riled up for visitors to see very much. Just two months ago, work crews finished repairing the Sunset Pier, damaged after Wilma and completed roof work on the Ocean Key Resort. But Robert Cooley (ph) is still waiting for his roof damage to be repaired and for his house to sell.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was supposed to be out of here two years ago. And it's just not been able to do it. And now, probably will be a couple years before people will forget that we've had -- the weather we've had.</s>LINSALATA: Away from the crowds, an oasis of calm and reassurance. (on camera): Sister Mary Louis Gabriel established the Lourdes Grotto here in Key West in 1922, after a series of hurricanes killed hundreds of people here. She said, as long as the Grotto stands, Key West will never again experience the full brunt of a hurricane. And this area had a lot of luck with that until Hurricane Wilma. And now, residents say the days of feeling safe are over.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But most people, take things a lot more serious. And things that we took for granted, we don't take for granted anymore.</s>LINSALATA (voice-over): You don't have to live here to feel that way. Just ask Dan and Noel Henry (ph), married eight days. (on camera): The Chapels (ph) from New York, the family with the two small children, say they likely will be leaving town early. But interestingly, those folks who live in Key West, everyone we spoke to anyway, says that if a hurricane comes this year, they'll be leaving town, as well. Reporting in Key West, Nicole Linsalata for CNN.</s>LIN: Stay safe out there. Our storm coverage will continue. At the bottom of the hour, we're going to tell you why Alberto could actually be a good thing for parts of the southeast.</s>ANNOUNCER: CNN, your hurricane headquarters.</s>LIN: More fallout now from the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Al Qaeda in Iraq is vowing revenge for the death of its leader.</s>FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): With a promise of large-scale operations that will, quote, "shake the enemy and rob them of sleep," a group calling itself al Qaeda in Iraq sent a message. Despite the death of their leader, they will continue to attack their enemy. While CNN cannot verify the authenticity of the statement, it was posted on a Web site that has carried messages from the group in the past.</s>MOWAFFAQ AL-RUBAIE, IRAQI NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: They're trying to make up for the huge loss and the disorientation they are suffering from because there is a huge vacuum of power, now within al Qaeda.</s>WHITFIELD: The statement mentioned no replacement for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. But the posting claimed the group would continue attacks and renewed allegiance to Osama bin Laden.</s>WALSH: Whether al-Zarqawi was dead or alive, they'd still be trying to mount a big attack against U.S. forces or more likely against the Shiite Muslim community, with the purpose of trying to encourage a civil war.</s>WHITFIELD: The statement also warned that the group will not be acting alone, but will coordinate with other members of the Mujahadin council to launch future operations.</s>CAROLINE FARAJ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think this is very important because they are here reiterating that they're not only the al-Zarqawi group if you like, quote, unquote, they are also some other militants who are supporters of al-Zarqawi.</s>WHITFIELD: The White House has been cautious about what impact al-Zarqawi's death may have, but U.S. leaders have said before that further attacks are inevitable.</s>LIN: Now there have been so many rumors swirling in the Arab world about how he died. al-Zarqawi's autopsy results are expected to be released at a military briefing tomorrow at 8 a.m. Eastern. Now in Iraq today, 230 detainees are set free. It's part of a government plan to promote national unity. About 2,500 Iraqi prisoners will be released as part of that plan. Now as for the future plan for Iraq, that is going to be the big topic when President Bush and his top advisers and military commanders in Iraq hold a summit this week. And White House correspondent, Ed Henry, has more details.</s>ED HENRY, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: As President Bush gathers his top advisers for two days of high-level talks on Iraq strategy at Camp David, the Iraqi national security adviser is predicting U.S. troop levels will drop below 100,000 by the end of this year.</s>AL-RUBAIE: By the end of next year, most of the multinational forces would have gone home. And by the middle of 2008, we will not see a lot of visibility neither in the cities nor in the town of the multinational forces.</s>HENRY: President Bush is downplaying expectations of U.S. troop cutbacks while touting the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as a major blow to al Qaeda.</s>GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He killed a lot of people. And it's a big deal to have brought him to justice. Having said that, I don't want the American people to think that a war is won with the death of one person, that we have still more work to do.</s>HENRY: The top U.S. commander in Iraq, who will participate in the Camp David talks by video conference, suggests U.S. forces will come home over time.</s>GEN. GEORGE CASEY, U.S. COMMANDER IN IRAQ: I think as long as the Iraqi security forces continue to progress, and as long as this national unit government continues to operate that way and move the country forward, I think we're going to be able to see continued gradual reductions of coalition forces over the coming months and into next year.</s>HENRY: Experts say the death of al-Zarqawi coupled with the filling out of a new Iraqi cabinet sets the stage for more progress at Camp David.</s>PAUL BREMER, FMR. US AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ: The opportunity now is to design a military strategy to defeat the insurgency which is the core of the problem in Iraq. And once that is done, once a strategy is in place, it makes it possible to deal with the problems of the Shia militia, the problems of reconstruction of the economy and so forth.</s>HENRY (on camera): A senior administration official said the president wants to leave this two-day summit feeling that every level of the U.S. government has a specific strategy to help the Iraqi government succeed. Ed Henry, CNN, the White House.</s>LIN: But the president is dealing with an unexpected distraction: the suicides of terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay. Senate Republican leader Arlen Specter and Democrat Jack Reed are both troubled by what's happening at Gitmo.</s>SEN. ARLEN SPECTER (R-PA), CHAIRMAN, JUDICIARY CMTE: There is the overtone that quite a number of them will be tried, if there is tangible evidence. As to a great many others, there is not evidence, which could be brought into a court of law. When they are rounded up, their efforts may determine which ones are enemy combatants and which ones are dangerous and then they're brought to Guantanamo. But it is the flimsiest sort of hearsay.</s>SEN. JACK REED (D), RHODE ISLAND: And I think also, too, we recognize, or should recognize, that as long as Guantanamo exists, it's a source of international attention and concern. And that these types of incidents, these suicides, not only will provoke further condemnation around the world.</s>LIN: Tonight, at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, former U.S. army chaplain, James Yee, once stationed at Guantanamo Bay. He talks about the detainee suicides, tonight on CNN SUNDAY NIGHT.</s>NEAL PUCKETT, ATTY. FOR STAFF SGT. FRANK WUTERICH: To represent it as a massacre is just totally wrong.</s>LIN: His client led the marine unit in Haditha that's accused of killing 24 civilians. For the first time, hear what one defense lawyer says -- what really happened, according to him, that November day. And Web sites of hate and violence. We're going to show you how terrorists are utilizing the power of the World Wide Web.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He cut off my arm with a machete and then ordered my mother and the others to do the same.</s>LIN: She had to explain why her hand was missing. Her classmates got a lesson in the horrors of war.