Turkey Hit By Large Earthquake; President to Announces Plan to Help Ongoing Housing Crisis; New Suspect Emerges in Missing Baby Case; Earthquake Devastates Eastern Turkey; Search for Baby Lisa
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: Bitterly cold temperatures hampering search and rescue efforts in Turkey as 264 people now confirmed dead following the worst earthquake to hit that country in a decade. A live report up ahead.</s>ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: A crash that claimed 50 lives including a pregnant woman and one person on the ground. Today new e-mails reveal that the pilot may not have been ready to fly.</s>VELSHI: And a mysterious person coming out of the woods in Missouri. The figure caught on surveillance tape. Could there be a link in the ditz appearance of baby Lisa?</s>CHO: And the Hollywood drama that has some of the industry's biggest stars talking. President Obama isn't the leading man some of them hope for, on this</s>AMERICAN MORNING. VELSHI: Good morning to you. It is Monday, October 24th. Welcome to AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Ali Velshi.</s>CHO: And I'm Alina Cho. Christine and Carol are of today.</s>VELSHI: Up first, a devastating 24 hours in eastern Turkey. The body count and misery on the rise following yesterday's powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake. Dozens of buildings have collapsed. At least 264 people are confirmed dead. Search teams are hampered by bitter cold temperatures as they try to find survivors under tons of concrete. The hardest hit area, the town of Argeus. Let's go there live. Diana Magnay at the scene of the worst earthquake to hit Turkey in a decade. Diana, what's the situation?</s>DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, this is a country that is used to earthquake. But as you say, 7.2 magnitude, this was a huge quake affecting this quite poor area, rural area of southeastern Turkey. And I'm in a down here you can see search and rescuers are trying to find people in the rubble. But today so far no one has been brought out of there alive. They've been using dogs. They've been using sound checks to see if they can hear any knocking or any screams. But as I said, no one out of here alive at this point. Of course, the Red Crescent and various other aid organizations are putting on huge efforts to try to get aid and relief to this part of Turkey, particularly, as you said, because the evenings get so cold here. So tonight they're going to be sending 7,000 tents in for people who were made homeless by the quake, also for the hundreds, thousands of other people who are too scared to go back to their own homes for fear of the fact that the foundations are un-solid now and the continued aftershocks that hit the region. There will be blankets in these two tent cities set up. There are tents especially designed for warm weather. There are mobile kitchens being brought in, huge cargo planes full of aid coming in from Ankara to the region, security efforts being made to a country that understands how to deal with relief on this kind of front, because you remember, Ali, in 1999 there was a massive earthquake in the Marmora region in which 17,000 people died. So again, this is a country that does understand the seismic fault line on which it stands, but, as always, you know it is a struggle to deal with these situations, Ali.</s>VELSHI: As you say, the Turkish government saying they do have things under control. While it's very difficult, they feel they have the resources to deal with it. Diana Magnay, thank you very much in Turkey for us.</s>CHO: We're expecting a formal decision from NATO this week on when its military operation in Libya will end. They've set a preliminary end date of October 31. Meantime, Libyans may be experiencing liberation hangover so to speak this morning. There were wild celebrations across the country following yesterday's formal declaration of an end to 40 years of dictatorship under Moammar Gadhafi. There's also new video surfacing of Gadhafi's final moments alive. It shows him being roughed up by his captors. Autopsy results confirm that Gadhafi died from a gunshot wound to the head, increasing speculation that he may have been killed execution style rather than in the crossfire. A warning from Hillary Clinton to Iran -- don't even think about meddling in Iraq. Now that President Obama has announced all U.S. troops will leave by the end of the year, there is growing concern that Iran will try to exploit that void and expand its root reach in the region. That would be a mistake, according to the secretary of state. But Republican Senator John McCain insists it's the White House that isn't talking straight.</s>SEN. JOHN MCCAIN, (R) ARIZONA: It is viewed in the region as a victory for the Iranians, and I don't think there's any doubt there is.</s>HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: We have a lot of presence in that region. So no one, most particularly Iran, should miscalculate about our continuing commitment to and with the Iraqis going forward.</s>CHO: In an interview released Saturday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said his country has a very good relationship with Iraq and he looks forward to seeing that relationship grow.</s>VELSHI: The President is rolling out a new plan as he begins a trip out west. The president's first stop, Las Vegas, ground zero for the housing crisis. No coincidence that he's expected to announce new help for underwater homeowners today. Athena Jones is at the White House with what else is in store. Good morning, Athena.</s>ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Ali. You know that Nevada is ground zero for the housing crisis, and the housing market hasn't recovered. Until it does it's going to continue to weigh down the economy. And so we don't have all the details of the plan, of course, but expect it to involve allowing feel refinance their mortgages, federally guaranteed loans allowing them to refinance no matter how far in value their home has fallen. They may be deeply underwater. This will be important for people in places like Arizona, Nevada, other places hard-hit. The idea here by the White House is one of the new strategy of trying to highlight what they call inaction, Congressional inaction, Republicans in Congress who have blocked the measures that they've tried to put forward to stimulate the economy, the job bill in particular, Ali.</s>VELSHI: All right, Athena, we'll be watching closely to see what the president proposes and how likely to get traction. One of the issues these days is that the president is coming forward with proposals that are not likely to get traction in Congress, as we saw with his jobs plan. So that's got Republicans, I guess, a little concerned as to whether or not this is campaigning or this is policy.</s>JONES: Certainly. The idea, these are executive actions. Actions the federal government can take, that don't involve Congress. Of course, in many ways, the kinds of things the federal government can do in terms of federally guaranteed loans, for instance, are going to be the kind of things that may tinker along the edges. Action by Congress would be a lot bigger, broader, go a lot further, but the White House says we can't wait. We're not going to stand by and do nothing. That's the idea, Ali.</s>VELSHI: That's a very good distinction. Athena Jones from Washington.</s>CHO: Possibly break in the case of missing baby Lisa in Missouri. New surveillance video surfaced showing a mysterious person coming out of the woods on the night she disappeared. Eleven-month- old Lisa Irwin was last seen nearly three weeks ago. CNN's Sandra Endo joins us live from Kansas City this morning. Good morning, Sandra.</s>SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Alina. CNN has obtained that surveillance video, and it shows an unidentified person walking as 2:15 in the morning of October 4th, the day baby Lisa Irwin disappeared from her home, and it's taken from a gas station less than a mile and a half away from her home. And so far authorities have not been commenting specifically on this video, but they say they are looking at all surveillance video from the surrounding area. Now, this could be key because speculation here is that this video could match witness testimony saying people saw a man walking in the dark carrying a baby in a diaper the morning of her disappearance. So clearly investigators are going to be looking at all the evidence here in this case. Now, yesterday, Alina, we saw an emotional Deborah Bradley, the mother of baby Lisa, return here to their home, also with father Jeremy Irwin. Family member, friends, neighbors, came out for a candlelight prayer vigil. This is the first time we've seen the couple in some time. They are staying away from the media spotlight. But clearly an emotional outpouring from the community here and the surrounding area. Everyone staying optimistic that baby Lisa will return. Alina?</s>CHO: Sandra Endo live for us in Kansas City this morning, thank you very much.</s>VELSHI: Also new this morning, a grenade going off in a nightclub in Nairobi, Kenya injuring at least a dozen people. Authorities haven't linked the attack to any one group but comes a day after the U.S. embassy in Kenya warned of retaliation by Islamist militants in Somalia who are now being targeted by Kenyan troops. Kenya has sent groups into Somalia, and the group there has said in retaliation for that they will attack Kenyan targets. The Kenyan embassy has warned Americans to be vigilant if visiting.</s>CHO: A public memorial service to celebrate the life of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon who died last week in a fiery 15- car crash at the Las Vegas speedway. Fellow IndyCar drivers remember Wheldon for his devotion to family and his practical jokes.</s>VELSHI: The World Series is now a best of three. The Texas Rangers beat the St. Louis Cardinals four-nothing last night to even the series at two games apiece. The pivotal game five tonight in Arlington, Texas.</s>CHO: Don't tell that to Rob Marciano, who is a big Yankee fan.</s>CHO: -- baseball a couple months ago.</s>VELSHI: Still to come this morning, he no longer an A-lister in Hollywood. The president has more critics there than when he first took office. We'll tell you who's not likely to contribute to his reelection campaign when we come back.</s>CHO: Plus, an autobiography of Steve Jobs hits bookstores today. How a decision that the late Apple CEO made seven years ago may have cost him his life.</s>VELSHI: And an icon of American country music has to cancel part of her tour. We give you an update on the health of Loretta Lynn. You're watching AMERICAN MORNING. It is 12 minutes after the hour.