i'm carol costello. the eastern seaboard bracing themselves for the worst of irene on this "american morning." good morning, everyone. it is -- it's wednesday, wowp halfway through the week. august 24th. welcome to "american morning." feels like it's halfway through the week. he had like a hundred years of news in two days. >> we started off yesterday with what was going on in libya, these hurricane preparations, and then an earthquake. >> right. >> did you feel it? >> christine and i were together working. i thought it was a little vertigo. i said, is that the subway? and we were with somebody who said the lights are swaying. >> yeah. >> this ligds grid was swaying. >> i did not feel it. i was in a shoe store buying shoes. >> you thought that's what it was. my husband is in baltimore, he really felt it. he e-mails me and says, get out of wherever you are. i'm thinking, how does he know i'm buying shoes. >> hopefully, gladly there are more stories of that sort. >> only something like that could take libya off the moment by moment, because remember, we were watching yesterday amazing pictures for the battle for tripoli. >> rebel fighters tightening their grip on the capital, in control of the gadhafi family compound, the biggest prize, gadhafi himself continues to elude them. the rebels stormed the heavily fortified complex yesterday. you saw that while be were on the air. it's the symbolic center of gadhafi's power for the last four decades. it fell with remarkable speed. cheering, a lot of celebratory gunfire. rebels looted his arsenal, trashed the symbols of the gadhafi reign. gadhafi did speak to a radio station and said his retreat from the compound was a tactical move. in a second radio message overnight broadcast on two arabic networks, gadhafi remains defiant. >> translator: i call to all libyans, tribesmen, youth, seniors, women and loyal fighters, to clear the city of tripoli and eliminate the criminals, traitors and rats. we could let the tanks and cannons shell the city of tripoli and demolish it on their heads but this is not right. the military cannot shell the buildings and the houses. the rebels are hiding between the families and inside the civilian houses. it's your duty to enter these houses to take them out. >> now, there are still pockets of resistance from pro-gadhafi forces in tripoli. case in point, dozens of journalists including cnn's matthew chance are virtual hostages at the rixos hotel in tripoli. gadhafi loyalists are in charge there. they're not allowed to leave the hotel. matthew told us yesterday morning that the gadhafi forces are saying that they're protecting them. >> he reports he had a mars bar for breakfast. they have been able to secure some food but still stuck in that hotel. >> that must be like hell now because -- >> oh, yeah. >> yeah. for many, many reasons. >> yeah. >> the world watched as libyan rebels broke through the walls of moammar gadhafi's fortress like compound. it was symbolic as historic. scenes of joy and chaos. sarah sidner followed the rebel fighters inside. >> following behind rebels who are taking us into the compound. they say it's safe. we know that sometimes they are not sure exactly what they might encounter even inside of that large compound, but we were seeing amazing celebrations in the neighborhood near bab al azizya and we're hoping to get into that compound in just a few moments here. we are walking into gadhafi's compound of bab al azizya. the rebels have taken the compound. we're going in to see what we can see. this is bab al azizya. they now have people standing as security. they're telling us okay, okay. we can go inside. to the compound. so as everybody runs into this compound, you're seeing people go in and take out weapons. look just over there behind you, is a huge box. this box -- can i look? some of the weapons inside of the gadhafi compound of a handgun and a rifle. >> more guns. more guns. these guys have found. and so they've been taking some of these things out. the weapons that are coming out of this compound are just massive. there's so many of them. boxes of them just people carrying them. carrying them out, taking some of the trucks that belonged to gadhafi forces. we're having to run out of the compound now. we see gunfire coming from outside the compound. it's getting -- it's getting too close. we're leaving. we're not going into the compound. from outside the compound firing towards us. we're getting out of here. bab al azizya. yes, the rebels have been inside and going around it. but there's definitely still some resistance. sounds like it's coming from the other side. rebels saying on the other side of the compound there are some rockets and gunfire coming from gadhafi loyalists. so there's no way we're going all the way inside. we went in the second gate, but i think it's not safe. >> wow. that is remarkable and what sarah was experiencing all day yesterday and into the night. joining us live from tripoli. cnn's sarah sidner. remarkable what you've seen in the last 24 hours. and i understand moments ago, that you are still seeing, still witnessing fire coming into that compound or toward that compound from presumably from pro-gadhafi forces? >> yes. it is coming, it is coming basically from the neighborhood where we do know there has to be some of gadhafi forces. basically what's happening, you're seeing the rebels going into the compound right now, because there is this fire fight still going on. basically, just over my right shoulder, you can see some of the damage and how far these mortars are falling. we have so far heard about six mortars fall around the area. one second. okay. we've heard some mortars fall around us, about six mortars have fallen and seen smoke coming from some of the compound as well. we know that fire is getting into the compound of bab al azizya and it is still not a safe place to be. >> so, sarah, who are all the people surrounding you, beeping their horns? >> these are the rebel fighters who are going in. i think now basically what's happening is they're hearing all of this gunfire and they're going in so they can try to push out the gadhafi forces from the other side. and it's getting quite loud. what you're also seeing are a few, just a few, civilians, who have come to this area. they've never been inside this compound. this was a place where you had to be a very close friend or ally to get anywhere near it. there was massive amounts of security and so now, people want to come and sight see. the problem with sightseeing, we've seen families with children driving in, is we have literally heard bullets fly past our head and seen mortars falling not far from us. a very uncertain place to be. we know the gadhafi forces are outside of the bab al azizya compound, but that doesn't mean anything, because the mortars can fall right there as we saw today. >> sarah, it's christine, can you tell me how organized the rebels seem to be? some seem to be opening boxes of guns as if they've never had a gun. we know that nato, we heard yesterday from the transitional national committee, that nato is helping organize things, but street to street, these are the rebels who are in charge. how organized are they at this point? it seems more like a celebration than a military offensive? >> well, it's a celebration now. it was a military offensive less than 24 hours ago. there was a massive fire fight here and they are organized enough to push the gadhafi forces out of one of the most important buildings or the most important building in this entire city. it is equivalent to the white house. it's equivalent to a king's palace. this is one of the most important places that people feel is a symbol of the gadhafi regime, his personal space. what i can tell you now is that in the streets of tripoli, things are very calm in much of the city. we've driven around the city a bit today. we are hearing mortars now, just one second, we have to figure out if this is incoming or outgoing. okay. so that's outgoing. it sounds like that's outgoing. all right. we got to go. sorry. that's coming -- that's coming towards us. we got to get out of here. sorry, guys. let us get to a safer place and we'll get back to you. >> go, sarah, go. >> get to safety. that's something else. we're hearing as well there's shots being fired outside the rixos hotel where matthew chance and his three colleagues from cnn are staying as well. tells you something when sarah can stand there and distinguish between incoming and outgoing. >> have you ever been to the war training cnn offers. you learn to differentiate the sounds. they're distinctive. she has at love people around her. he ae she's not standing alone. people that know the ways of warfare. >> the transition committee, the rebel government at this point, said they hoped to have a security committee to be in charge of that facility n charge of tripoli, but it was going to take several days. when you talk about the organization of the rebels it doesn't look like that's in place, as though there's not -- >> supposedly they're moving in the headquarters for the rebels has been gaza. supposedly benghazi to tripoli and set up shop and make that their headquarters. they can't do this until this thing with the compound is said and done. >> sarah sidner, matthew chance, arwa damon have done amazing reporting over the past several days. to see sarah at the gates trying to recognize what's incoming and outgoing -- >> i don't think her mother would feel the same way. >> i think you're right. >> a story everyone else is talking about, the day that east coast shook. the 5.8 magnitude earthquake collapsed some homes near the epicenter in virginia, caught millions off guard in the middle of a work day in places like new york city where people were -- dozens of stories above the ground feeling the floors move and sway and now the earthquake is bringing attention to a nuclear power plant that sits just about 85 miles from the nation's capital. our brian todd is live outside the north anna nuclear plant in mineral, virginia. p tell us what the situation is there, brian. >> we've found out a short time ago that power from the main grid was restored to this nuclear power plant overnight. that's the power that fuels the cooling systems for the nuclear reactors and spent fuel pools here. both nuclear reactors at this power plant remain shut down as they walk through the safety checks. that's one part of how an entire region is recovering from this quake. >> may be an aftershock, but you're allowed to go back in the building at this time. >> reporter: to millions of people on the east coast, this was the big one. >> you believe you've just witnessed an earthquake in washington, d.c. >> reporter: it's the strongest quake to hit the virginia area since 1897, a 5.8, rattling nerves and shaking buildings in the nation's capital. >> i thought it was some kind of bomb. i never felt nothing like that before in washington. >> i was on the bus and the bus did a shimmy. >> i thought the building was about to ke lapse. >> reporter: the quake centered near mineral, virginia, 83 miles from d.c., but could be felt in martha's vineyard where the president is on vacation. shaking felt in more than a dozen states in all even into canada. nbc's cameras focused on the white house caught the shaking as it happened. some of the masonry of the national cathedral fell off and the national park service says engineers found a crack near the top of the washington monument and will be closed indefinitely to keep visitors safe. many government buildings, including the pentagon, were evacuated. but no major damage was reported. further north in new york city, people ran from skyscrapers, down flights of stairs as they sway. >> the building shook back and forth. it rocked. >> reporter: near the epicenter of the quake, the north anna nuclear power station. the earthquake triggering an automatic shutdown there. diesel generators kicked in to keep the reactor cores cool, but i spoke to a plant executive who wanted to make sure we knew everything was under control. >> the power plant is safe, the operator responded well, both units are shut down, maintain g ing a safe shut down condition. >> reporter: to clarify the nuclear reactors are still shut down and an official toll told me a short time ago it's unlikely they'll be back on-line later today. they did get power from the main grid back here overnight. the power that fuels the cooling systems here for the reactor and for the spent fuel pools. christine? >> brian todd in mineral, virginia, thanks. coming up on "american morning," a new gadhafi messages from parts unknown urging libyans to take out rebels who have taken over tripoli. we heard from sair sa sidner there is still a fire fight going on at the gadhafi compound in tripoli. we're not going to leave that story. explosions rock a small town in iowa as a school 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[ male announcer ] get ready for the left lane. the volkswagen autobahn for all event is back. right now, get a great deal on new volkswagen models, including the jetta, awarded a top safety pick by the iihs. that's the power of german engineering. hurry in and lease the jetta s for just $179 a month. ♪ visit vwdealer.com today. hurricane irene is on the move and gaining strength. check it out this video from the turks and caicos islands yesterday. 90-mile-per-hour winds ripping through the trees, rain relentless pounding the area. puerto rico reports one death linked to the storm already. irene may hit the u.s. by the weekend. widespread damage is possible from coastal carolina to major cities in the northeast and emergency preparations are under way. all right. jacqui jeras on the cnn hurricane center tracking. she is tracking irene. jacqui, a lot of people in the carolinas are watching this nervously. they haven't seen one like this in a while. >> they haven't. it's been 15 years, you know, since they've seen at least a major hurricane. this one just shy of major status, but it's going to get there, 110-mile-per-hour maximum sustained winds. it has to be 111 to be a major hurricane. the hurricane hunters will be flying in two hours from now and sample the atmosphere, take their instruments in there and find out how strong the winds are as opposed to estimating it by looking at the satellite picture. look at that soot light picture your can really see the eye on this thing now. it is tightening up and intensifying and getting stronger as it heads towards the west/northwest through the turks and caicos and into the southeastern bahamas. the forecast track does it have it taking that more northwest early turn and then rounding up and taking a turn towards the north. we're not talking about impact until we head towards this weekend. notice how large that cone is, guys. look at how far into the northeast this thing goes as well. so a lot of people need to be on alert and these models have been trending eastward and some of them even keep it off the coast. even if it stays off the coast, we do think it will be a big rain and wind maker, especially in the mid-atlantic and northeast. we'll talk more about that and the flood threat in the next hour. >> jacqui has her hurricane emergency kit with her and it's not going to hit atlanta. >> might show it to you later. >> the epitome of preparation, as we should all be. >> have your junk bag at a moment's notice. >> she's a weather geek. >> she is. now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the question, should perp walks be public. dominique strauss-kahn is a free man. you know the story by now. the man once considered to be a good bet to be the president of france is accused of rape charges. the rich and powerful dominique strauss-kahn was taken downtown by new york city police and became the star of a very public perp walk. many in france were appalled. even new york mayor michael bloomberg eventually came out against public perp walks saying, i've always thought the perp walk was outrageous, even if they're guilty they're not guilty until they're convicted and we vilify them. one new york city councilman has banned perp walks in light of the dst perp walk. as cnn legal analyst jeffrey toobin says they're practical. the perp needs to be transported. jurors are smart enough to recognize a perp walk is not proof of anything. casey anthony? she was walked in front of the cameras a million times and found innocent. the perp walk can be a way for a suspect to thumb his nose at accusers. remember mob boss john gotti. no one did perp walk like him. he celebrated it. he owned it. the talk back question today, should perp walks be public? facebook.com/americanmorning. i'll read your comments later this hour. coming up, facebook is making some changes to its privacy settings. find out how it could save you from potential embarrassment. >> will i know how to do it? >> that's the second question. 22 minutes after the hour. ♪ [ upbeat ] [ announcer ] who could resist the call... of america's number-one puppy food brand? with dha and essential nutrients also found in mother's milk. purina puppy chow. discover aveeno positively radiant tinted moisturizers with scientifically proven soy complex and natural minerals. give you sheer coverage instantly, then go on to even skin tone in four weeks. aveeno tinted moisturizers. your nutritional needs can go up when you're on the road to recovery. proper nutrition can help you get back on your feet. three out of four doctors recommend the ensure brand for extra nutrition. ensure clinical strength has revigor and thirteen grams of protein to protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. and immune balance to help support your immune system. ensure clinical strength... helping you to bounce back. ensure! nutrition in charge! 26 minutes after the hour. minding your business this morning. the dow gained about 3% in a solid rally on wall street yesterday. the nasdaq up more than 4%, the s&p 500 almost 4.5%. good news from the fdic that a number of failing banks shrank for the first time in almost five years. markets got a boost from the growing bu