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CNN Saturday Morning News

New Orleans Holds Elections; Iraq's Parliament Approved New Cabinet Today; Religion Goes High-Tech; Vintage Plane Crashes; Summer Box Office Review

Aired May 20, 2006 - 11:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the news, tragedy in Kentucky. An explosion killed five coal miners today. One man was able to actually walk out of the mine to safety. Governor Ernie Fletcher is headed to the scene in the town of Holmes Mill. Now today's blast follows accidents at West Virginia mines in January, they killed 14 men.

To New Orleans, voters are deciding who will lead their city's recovery from Hurricane Katrina. Incumbent Ray Nagin faces Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu in a runoff for mayor. We have a live report from a voting super site in just a few moments.

Well, Iraq's parliament approved a new government, this move paves the way for the formation of a national unity government. We'll have a life update from Baghdad in about five minutes.

In Gaza, a blast seriously wounds the Palestinian intelligence chief and kills his bodyguard. Security officials call it an assassination attempt by a rival Palestinian faction.

And air marshals are supposed to blend in with other passengers. But a congressional report says their dress code actually draws attention to them.

Good morning everybody. Good morning, Tony.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Betty. Good morning.

NGUYEN: Good to see you.

HARRIS: Wow, good to be seen, thank you Betty.

NGUYEN: As if we haven't been out here for the past four hours. It's SATURDAY MORNING, May 20th. From the CNN center in Atlanta I'm Betty Nguyen.

HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris. Good morning all of you and wake up Los Angeles.

NGUYEN: That would be Los Angeles.

HARRIS: We're checking in on your city this morning. Where it is early, 8:00 a.m., good morning. Your cell phone is ringing. Could it be a message from God. We'll talk to a man who is putting the "E" into evangelism. And you wouldn't know it from all of the hype but you don't have to see "The Da Vinci Code". We'll tell you about some other movies coming your way this summer. What's hot and what's not. But first ...

NGUYEN: It is runoff day in New Orleans. Nine months after Hurricane Katrina, voters must decide who will lead efforts to rebuild their city. Incumbent Mayor Ray Nagin who came under heavy criticism for his initial response to the storm, faces a tough challenge from Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu. CNN's Sean Callebs is there. And Sean we just saw buses arrive from Atlanta. People are taking this very seriously. A big decision to be made today.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, without question. There was a huge turnout on April 22nd. That was the initial mayor's race when there were 20 something candidates, now, this is the runoff between the two leading contenders, Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu as well as Mayor Ray Nagin.

And they called that the freedom caravan, it rolled in from historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, it left last night. Man, what a trip. They came down this morning and are now parked in the city and basically those voters are going to have to fan out to the various polling sites where they would need to vote.

Now we're at a so-called super site. This is one of 28 or so around the city on the campus at the University of New Orleans and people have been streaming in here throughout the day. I want to show you a couple of things real quickly. These are popping up on doorsteps this morning. This one a last ditch effort for Mitch Landrieu. Vote today for a safe city, smart city, caring city, an accountable city, and a world-class city.

This one for Mayor Ray Nagin, also another popular council member here Oliver Thomas who we have already talked with this morning. He says, the people's choice, one vote. It's interesting because so much is really at stake in all of this. Really who is going to guide the city as the billions of dollars of your tax money, federal tax money begins flowing into this area. So much at stake. How will the city rebuild, how will they make sure the levee system, the only thing keeping the waters outside of this bowl of a city, outside how will that fare.

Plus, FEMA trailers and the relationship with FEMA, the relationship with the states. So much is at stake. Mayor Ray Nagin has been saying, look, we've already started down one path, let's keep going down there. For his part, Landrieu is saying you know what we need leadership, we need hope at this time. That's where it stands. Betty?

NGUYEN: Well I know that you're at one site and this is going to be going on all day long, but from where you are and what you've seen so far, Sean, how is turnout so far? Are you seeing a lot of people show up?

CALLEBS: Turnout is good. It has been steady. I actually had a chance to talk with a pollster just a short while ago. He expects the turnout is not going to be as large as it was back on April 20th. But expects it will still be significant. There is a lot of interest in this. So much at stake and when you talk to people, they're well educated on the issues. And still bouncing around, there are still a lot of undecided voters out there.

NGUYEN: We'll see how it all shakes out in the end tonight. Sean Callebs though following it every step of the way. Thank you, Sean. We'll talk to you soon.

Well more on New Orleans coming up in this hour. Including this ...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: New Orleans today, a city with less than half its pre-Katrina population has a murder rate comparable with some of the most violent gang infested suburbs of Los Angeles.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: So you heard it there. After Katrina, man-made danger. Why critics say crime is just soaring out of control. You want to stay with us for an in-depth look. And stay with us for complete coverage of the New Orleans mayor's race. We'll have live updates throughout the day. And we will have final election results as they come in, so stay tuned to CNN.

HARRIS: New details today about President Bush's plan to send National Guard troops to the U.S./Mexico border. The "Associated Press" reports it's obtained a pentagon memo saying the deployment will run at least two years. There's no official word on when the deployment will begin. But California guard leaders say they've been told it will start next month at the earliest.

NGUYEN: President Bush discussed the National Guard plan during his weekly radio address today, along with other initiatives to step up security along the U.S./Mexico border.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This week, I asked congress to provide funding for dramatic improvements in manpower and technology at the border. We'll hire thousands more border patrol agents. And to help these agents do their jobs, we will deploy advanced technologies, such as high tech fences in urban areas, infrared cameras and unmanned aerial vehicles.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

NGUYEN: President Bush also addressed the broader immigration issue, urging congress to create a program that will allow more foreign workers to enter the country legally.

HARRIS: A roadside bombing in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood today killed 19 people and wounded 58 more. The bomb went off at an area where day laborers gather. Elsewhere, police found the bodies of 21 Iraqis apparently kidnapped and tortured by death squads.

Despite the violence, Iraq's parliament finally approved the new cabinet today. The big disagreements, while they still remain, negotiators were unable to agree on two critical slots. Defense minister and interior minister. CNN's Ryan Chilcote join us from Baghdad. Ryan, this is the day that this administration has been pointing to. How did it come off?

RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it came off reasonably well. A historic day, really, the Iraqi prime minister appearing before the country's parliament unveiling his long awaited cabinet. The first government in this country to be -- a permanent government to be formed since the fall of Saddam Hussein. This is a government that will serve for four years.

A government that has much more power, a much more sovereign power than the governments that preceded it. And it is a government that the U.S. administration believes will be able to set the conditions where the U.S. military can begin to bring home troops. Perhaps as early as next year. It's something that we heard from the U.S. envoy today that he thinks that his government will be able to create those conditions.

It was the day, however Tony, but not without problems. We heard that two of those key spots, you were just mentioning the interior ministry job, the job of defense minister were not filled with people that will keep those jobs on a permanent basis. The politicians really unable to work out who should have those jobs for the whole four-year term. So they will be run by temporary leaders in the time being.

But it was really a day of hope, I think, for the Iraqi people and also for some of the members of this new government. In fact, I spoke with the new oil minister, a Shiite politician who spent more than a decade in jail under Saddam Hussein's rule. And I asked him how he felt, if he ever thought, back in Saddam's day, if he ever thought that he could be a member of a democratic government in Iraq. Let's listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. HUSAYN AL-SHAHRASTANI, IRAQI MINISTER OF OIL: I spent more than 11 years in solitary confinement in Abu Ghraib prison, and in those days, no, I was not expecting that one day I'll be called upon by my people to serve as minister of oil. But I've sacrificed along with many other Iraqis. And I'm committed to help these people to remedy all the injustices that has been inflicted on them. And I think the oil ministry is perhaps a key sector where a lot of Iraqi illnesses could be cured.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHILCOTE: Of course, the biggest illness that remains in Iraq is the problem of violence. And we were reminded of that today. You mentioned that roadside bomb that killed more than 19 Iraqi civilians, wounding three times that. It's just a reminder that violence is problem number one that this government is going to have to tackle and tackle quickly.

HARRIS: Boy, that's for sure. OK, Ryan Chilcote for us in Baghdad. Ryan, thank you.

NGUYEN: Going global now, an explosion at Palestinian intelligence headquarters. The intelligence chief is badly hurt. His bodyguard dead. Some suggest the attack was an assassination attempt by Hamas. But Hamas denies that.

An American soldier has been killed another six wounded in a firefight in southern Afghanistan. Troops had been fighting what they call a spring offensive by the Taliban. The U.S. led coalition says it has killed more than 60 enemy fighters this week alone.

And at Cannes, film critics are all starry eyed over "Dreamgirls." There's Beyonce, Tony's favorite. The movie is based on the wildly popular Broadway show. It stars Jamie Foxx, Academy Award winner there, and Beyonce. The film won't be in theaters until December but already the Cannes elite are whispering about a second Oscar for Jamie Foxx.

HARRIS: Well still ahead, "Da Vinci," is it da bomb?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

By Leonardo Da Vinci?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Is it a good thing or did you mean the bomb or that it bombed?

HARRIS: I'm not quite sure how I'll describe to that. Sorry about that. One critic called the code an unholy mess. We get a second opinion this hour, Betty talks with Hollywood insider Tom O'Neil.

NGUYEN: Yes that's going to be good. And take a look at this. Is this Saddam Hussein's Benz, and if it is, what is his ride doing in Connecticut of all places?

Plus this ...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I made the assumption that my fatigue and my inability to do things was because my heart was just failing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: Well, his heart wasn't killing him. Food was. How a lack of shut eye can make you fat. Dr. Sanjay Gupta checks in shortly.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: All right. You've just to got to look at these pictures. Check this out. Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, a big air show going on today. These tricks are just really amazing to see. It's part of a three-day joint service open house featuring performances by the Army's Golden Knights.

We saw them a little bit earlier jumping out of airplanes and parachutes. Some without parachutes, causing our hearts to stop. But everything went OK. And the Navy's Blue Angels take to the skies a little bit later this afternoon around 3:00.

HARRIS: And technically, that maneuver there is called -- nuts. That's what that is right there. Look at this, look at this.

NGUYEN: Oh that's worst than a roller coaster ride. My goodness. All right we have to move on. We can stay here all day but we have to move on. All right, top stories now. A coal mine explosion in Holmes Mill, Kentucky. Well, that has killed five workers today. Another worker did manage, though, to escape. The mine is 250 miles southeast of Louisville. There's no word yet on the cause of that. We'll stay on top of it for you.

New Orleans, it is holding its runoff election today, a vote that will determine who takes charge of the city's Katrina recovery efforts. Voters are choosing between incumbent Mayor Ray Nagin and challenger Mitch Landrieu.

And five months after the Iraqi elections, a new cabinet is finally sworn in. But there is still no permanent decision on who will fill two crucial slots. Defense minister and interior minister.

HARRIS: In Connecticut, the feds have seized a car that may have once belonged to Saddam Hussein. It's a 1988 armor-plated Mercedes- Benz. Customs agents think it was illegally brought to the United States by an Army reservist as a war trophy. Wrong move.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: All right. God on your iPod? The bible on a blackberry? Bringing a whole new meaning to evangelism, that's next.

HARRIS: Plus, could how much sleep you get determine how much you weigh? The answer when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Professional snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler catches air and at this year's Winter Olympics, captured silver too. Originally, Bleiler dreamed of going to the games for hockey or soccer, but all of that changed when she was 14.

She started snowboarding, and her instructor told her she was a natural. So she quit all of the other sports. Bleiler joined the U.S. snowboarding team after high school and she's been competing professionally ever since. She was down on the 2002 Olympics, but kept trying and reached her Olympic dream this year. GRETCHEN BLEILER, PROFESSIONAL SNOWBOARDER: The best advice I can give is just to have goals, but have them because it's exactly what you want. Once you come up with that, do everything you can to get it. Don't back down and go at it 100 percent.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: You know, you can already get news, sports, instant messages, not to mention phone calls on your cell phone. Why not a message from God? Christopher Chisholm is co-founder of FaithMobile.com. He's here to tell us about a new trend how religion is going high-tech. Christopher, good to see you. You're joining us from where? California, Los Angeles?

CHRISTOPHER CHISHOLM, FAITHMOBILE.COM: We're in Los Angeles. Good morning Tony.

HARRIS: Wonderful. Thank you for getting up so early for us. Appreciate it.

CHISHOLM: Delighted to be with you, thank you for having me.

HARRIS: Christopher, what are we talking about here? What kind of content might I be able here soon to download onto my cell phone?

CHISHOLM: Well not soon, it's available right now. We started FaithMobile.com to provide an alternative to maybe some of the questionable or other material that's out there. You said there's news, sports and weather available already in the mobile space.

And all kinds of content is going, as far as video, text, audio, instant messaging. And we thought, wouldn't it be great to offer a family friendly and somewhat uplifting alternative for people who happen to be believers or people who need a spiritual charge every day to get a daily devotional or a verse of scripture or daily video or audio message from God.

HARRIS: Well I say soon because I've got to go home. I've got to logon and I've got to get a couple messages on my cell phone.

CHISHOLM: Go right to FaithMobile.com.

HARRIS: There you go. So tell me about the partnership because this is content. You've got to get the content, so who are you partnering with?

CHISHOLM: Well we have really partnered with some of the biggest churches and ministries in America, Promise Keepers, Extraordinary Women, the American Association of Christian Counselors, Tindale House Publishing, The Watchward Bible. At Faith Mobile we are an aggregator or a clearinghouse for Christian content.

Like a lot of other phone companies have, like you said news, sports, weather, we have Christian content for teens, adults, Christian music, ring tones, wallpapers, daily devotionals, text messages. Audio and video that's offered everyday on Faith Mobile.

HARRIS: What's been the most popular?

CHISHOLM: Well, ring tones. People love ring tones and when you have Holy, Holy, Holy on your cell phone ringing in the supermarket, instead of 50 Cent, you know people go, "Where did you get that ring tone?". You know it's a little different than paying for Snoop.

HARRIS: No he did not go there.

CHISHOLM: But it's relevant and a lot of people really like it.

HARRIS: You got to pay, right? What's the price, come on?

CHISHOLM: $5.99 a month for a subscription to Faith Mobile gets you a month's subscription to all the Faith Mobile you can eat, as we say, all that you can consume. And our logo is, "Have you Talked to God Today?" At first blush, it seems silly to use your cell phone to connect with God, but you know, every Sunday pastors and priests and ministers around America in the pulpit say stay connected with the word. And this is one way to do it. And for $5.99 a month you get a daily dose of screen savers, wallpapers, text messages, video and audio.

HARRIS: Not without a little controversy. Some conservative Christians are suggesting that this is another way of watering down the message. How do you respond to that?

CHISHOLM: Well our message is clear. I mean we lead with the word of God. I mean we are not a non profit company. We are an entertainment company that happens to produces Christian entertainment or content or programming.

Many people subscribe to cable and watch religious content. We feel that it's a robust business. People really appreciate the product. Like books or magazines or movies that relate to their faith, people are willing to, you know, pay to check in every day and buy it.

HARRIS: There you go. And what we say around here is check it out for yourself. What's the Web site one more time Christopher?

CHISHOLM: It's FaithMobile.com and it's a wonderful service, you can reach out and touch someone. You can be touched, too.

HARRIS: You salesman you. He's smooth, isn't he? Christopher thanks for your time this morning. We appreciate it.

CHISHOLM: Thanks, Tony. Good morning guys. Thank you Tony.

NGUYEN: Good morning to you. OK on this election day in New Orleans as more residents return, so does crime.

HARRIS: Plus, a cruise ship captain kicked off his ship only hours before he was to set sail. What happened here? We'll tell you all about it. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: People are living longer and able to stay active in their golden years. With that in mind, aircraft manufacturer Boeing is working to make air travel easier for the elderly.

VICKI CURTIS, BOEING SENIOR ENGINEER: The goal of the experienced agents are to teach the younger engineers by turning them over and then having them on an airplane flight so that they can firsthand relate to how difficult it is to get in and out of seats.

UNIDENTIFIED CORRESPONDENT: Engineers wore suits that simulate what it's like to walk in the shoes of an older person. Things like poor vision, back pain and flexibility problems.

Oh, that hurts.

It's a lot easier to stand.

No, I need more leg space.

CALSEE ROBB, BOEING ENGINEER: It's harder to walk. It's harder to carry things. It's harder to see where you're going.

PHILLIP AYOUB, BOEING ENGINEER: I just kind of want to lay there and just be very still and just kind of get it over with.

CURTIS: The project is pretty much an awareness for the engineers that things are going to need to change. The lighting is improved, better signage. Bin latches that will open a little easier, lavatory door latches. Oh I think you'll start seeing them with the 7E7 in 2008.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Good morning, everyone. Now in the news, tragedy in Kentucky. An explosion killed five coal miners today. But one other man was able to walk out of the mine to safety. Governor Ernie Fletcher is headed to the scene in the town of Holmes Mill.

In New Orleans, voters are deciding who will lead their city's recovery in the recovery of Katrina. Incumbent Ray Nagin faces Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu in a runoff for mayor.

A crucial day in Iraq. Iraq's parliament approves a new cabinet, paving the way for the formation of a national unity government.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN McCAIN (R), ARIZONA: I supported the decision to go to war in Iraq. Many Americans did not.

(END VIDEO CLIP) HARRIS: Yes, boos and cat calls for Senator John McCain during his commencement address at New York's New School. Some students at the liberal leaning college said they were upset about McCain's support of the Iraq war and his recent speech at Rev. Jerry Falwell's Liberty University.

NGUYEN: All right. Let's get back to our top story now. Evacuees are being bussed in from as far away as Atlanta and Houston to vote in today's runoff election in New Orleans.

The results will determine whether incumbent Mayor Ray Nagin continues to lead the Katrina recovery effort or whether challenger Mitch Landrieu replaces him. Polls close at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, 8:00 p.m. New Orleans time. So whoever is elected in New Orleans today will face huge challenges, including what some say is an out of control crime rate. CNN's Drew Griffin has that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He was shot in broad daylight, shot in the middle of the street, shot to death in the city where the crime rate had become, at least for a time, a non- issue. But among all the pressures to rebuild New Orleans, now comes ominous indications that crime, gang, drugs and murders also are making a comeback. Peter Scharf is with the University of New Orleans.

PETER SCHARF, UNIVERSITY OF NEW ORLEANS: We're all involved (ph) and I think what started in the beginning of 2006, we started having a significant murder resurgence.

GRIFFIN: Thirty five murders as of this past week, spiking last month with 13. Ronald Hilliard heard the gunfire of two shoot outs in two days and says he's worried.

RONALD HILLIARD, NEW ORLEANS RESIDENT: I'm trying to get back to the way it was before. And we don't need that.

GRIFFIN: Crunch the numbers says Scharf and New Orleans today, a city with less than half its pre-Katrina population has a murder rate comparable with some of the most violent gang invested suburbs of Los Angeles, 45 killings for every 100,000 people.

SCHARF: Which puts you in the top five, six or seven of the cities in the United States.

GRIFFIN: So New Orleans is right back to where it doesn't want to be?

SCHARF: Doesn't want to be, right. When you're competing with Compton, you're in trouble.

SUPT. WARREN RILEY, NEW ORLEANS POLICE: Not happening. Not happening.

GRIFFIN: New Orleans police superintendent, Warren Riley, says crime is up. But it is not business as usual on his city streets.

RILEY: We have had some increases in crime, however, nothing to compare with pre-Katrina levels of crime.

GRIFFIN: To underline his point, Chief Riley has released first quarter crime stats that he says show significant drops year to year. But it depends on whose numbers you use. The chief says far more people actually live in New Orleans than the city's own official count. The chief's count skews high because it includes the increased worker pool that commutes into the city during the day.

RILEY: This is the mean when you compare the daytime population and the nighttime population and use the average, 221,600 people. When you use that on a per capita basis, our violent crime is down 25 percent and our overall crime is down 5.4 percent.

GRIFFIN: Critics like Peter Scharf call that creative counting. Whatever the true statistics, the problem is New Orleans criminals may be returning to the city faster than the New Orleans police and justice system can prepare for them. The department is by its own count 200 officers short.

Many police stations are still unusable. The jail, courts and even patrol cars are in disrepair. In this spot last month, a shooting victim's body lay uncovered in the street for all to see because police told CNN at the scene, Katrina wiped out supplies, including tarps used to cover the dead.

(on-camera): This is where that body was found, right at the corner of Louisa and Maray (ph) right in the middle of the street in the middle of a neighborhood New Orleans like many, struggling to come back to life, its residents trying to move in. But look where they're moving into. Houses may be ready, some FEMA trailers, but also abandoned buildings, areas ripe for crime to return to this city.

RILEY: It's certainly something that we're focusing on to make sure it does not become a problem in the city.

GRIFFIN: Police say there are indications that violent Latino drug gangs are following the heavily Hispanic labor force into the city, setting up the potential for turf wars. Ronald Hilliard says he now sees it every night in his old neighborhood.

HILLIARD: New people, strange people, people just coming from everywhere. I think that's what kind of causing it, too. Everybody trying to fight for some kind of ground, I guess.

GRIFFIN: Chief Riley says he's prepared, though he's asking the state for 50 to 60 state troopers to patrol the city's abandoned areas. While he hopes to have his police force back to 1600 officers in the next two years, what he says he really needs to control New Orleans is, of course, twice that strength. Drew Griffin, CNN, New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE) NGUYEN: And you'll want to stay with CNN for complete coverage of the New Orleans mayor's race. We're going to live updates throughout date and of course, final election results as they come in.

HARRIS: OK, Betty, let's go across America now. A cruise ship captain is out of a job today. The Coast Guard says the man was about to set sail drunk. The Mercury part of the celebrity cruise's family got on its way to Alaska with a relief captain, a relief captain.

Seventeen hikers are dirty, tired and sunburned today. But they're safe. The junior ROTC group had to be plucked off Utah's Mount Ogden. The trouble started when the kids broke off a familiar trail and decided to take a short cut down the mountain. The ground was icy. Everybody started slipping and sliding. The group leader called for help.

NGUYEN: Tony, I want you to meet somebody. This is a big city bear, right up in a tree. This guy has been strolling sidewalks in upstate South Carolina, get this, dogs that chased this poor little bear up a tree. Wildlife workers though had to put a couple of tranquilizer darts in him but the bear just went higher.

It just wasn't working. So two more darts were used to get him down from that tree, but he eventually took off running. Then he finally tuckered out. Yes, those darts took effect, started to fall asleep. Workers then took him to a more familiar surrounding, say the woods nearby.

HARRIS: Yes, exactly. And there's this Betty. A vintage plane sits underwater today outside Seattle. Look closely, and you can make out the outline of the plane. The World War II era air coupe sputtered as the pilot tried to put it down on a private air strip. Here's Mimi Young with affiliate KING with the story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIMI YOUNG, KING (voice-over): Just a few hundred yards from landing on a private air strip, a 65-year old vintage air coupe crashes into Rocky Bay in front of stunned witnesses.

RON REYNOLDS, RESCUER: I just grabbed a paddle and grabbed my kayak.

YOUNG: Ron Reynolds saw the plane upside down in the water and knew he had to help.

REYNOLDS: At the time, I was thinking, well, we got to get out there and maybe help them, see what's going on, if there are any survivors.

YOUNG: Sky King was overhead as Ron reached the two men. 61- year-old Darryl Powell and his 32-year-old son Ryan were in the water but alive.

REYNOLDS: There was a younger guy out there and he pointed to the older gentleman, say, grab him, get him. YOUNG: Neighbors say the elder Powell was piloting the plane and was attempting to land when they heard the engine sputter, then stop before taking a nose dive into the water. But amazingly, both men made it to shore safely.

CHIEF PAUL BOSCH, KEY PENINSULA FIRE DEPT: The firefighters and paramedics met them on the shoreline and walked them to the ambulance. They were relatively uninjured.

YOUNG: A happy ending to what could have been a fatal disaster.

REYNOLDS: It definitely feels good. If you like, I made a couple of friends, you know.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And affiliate KING tells us Federal investigators will look over the plane for clues to the crash.

NGUYEN: Quite a story. Well, are you dreaming of ways to keep those pounds in check? It may be as simple though as some heavy-duty Zs, talking about shut eye. Here's our Dr. Sanjay Gupta with a look at sleep and how it can affect your weight.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Bill Ten Eyck has always battled the bulge, he says since his 40s. He suffered three heart attacks, and watched the numbers on his scale go up and down like a yo-yo. His cardiologist couldn't figure out why his weight was fluctuating. So he suggested that Ten Eyck see a sleep specialist.

BILL TEN EYCK, SLEEP APNEA PATIENT: I made the assumption that my fatigue and my inability to do things was because my heart was just failing.

GUPTA: Ten Eyck was diagnosed with sleep apnea. His tests found that some evenings, he stopped breathing 33 times in one hour. He wasn't getting rest and that wasn't helping his weight. Not only does a lack of sleep zap your energy, but studies have found that sleep deprived people just seem to eat more. Doctors say chaotic sleeping patterns tend to develop chaotic heating habits, and that can mess up your metabolism and cause you to burn fewer calories. Researchers have also found that people who got four hours of sleep or less a night saw a rise in the hormone ghrelin that stimulates the appetite and causes people to eat.

DR. THOMAS LORUSSO, N. VIRGINIA SLEEP DIAGNOSTIC CENTER: They got these patients to sleep better using various sleep hygiene techniques and when they repeated the levels of these hormones, they found that the level diminished significantly.

GUPTA: Today, Ten Eyck is working on keeping the pounds off. He uses a c-pack device to help regulate his breathing. It blows air through his nose and keeps his airways open. He says it's been a lifesaver, because for once in his life, he's getting a good night's sleep. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And be sure to catch Dr. Sanjay Gupta's one-hour special sleep tomorrow night at 10:00 p.m. right here on CNN.

HARRIS: Well, it's a bird, it's a plane and it is coming to a theater near you this summer. But will Superman's return have what it takes to be a summer blockbuster? That story next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: And our top stories now, five coal miners were killed in an explosion today in Kentucky. One worker managed to walk out of the mine to safety. Today's mine deaths bring the U.S. total to 31 this year.

New Orleanians are voting for a major today. Katrina evacuees arrived by bus to cast ballots. Incumbent Ray Nagin faces Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu in a run off. Some see the race as a referendum on Nagin's performance during and after Katrina.

And the wheels of government are starting to turn in Iraq today. Parliament approved the cabinet offered by Prime Minister Designate Nuri al-Maliki. Two critical posts, defense and interior ministers were not filled. More political wrangling yet to come on those important jobs.

NGUYEN: Well, we still have so much to tell you about. "CNN Live Saturday" is coming up at the top of the hour. And Brianna Keilar is in for Fredricka Whitfield today. Hi.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: We have a CNN exclusive coming up at noon. It's top secret. It is heavily guarded and filled to the brim with illegal drugs. We have an exclusive look inside the vault.

And maybe you've ordered movies through the mail from Netflix or Blockbuster. I have. I don't know if you guys have. But we're going to put some of those home movie services to the test to find out what's the best deal for your dollar.

NGUYEN: It's viewing season, summertime, kind of catch up on all those movies. Thank you Brianna. We'll be staying tuned.

HARRIS: And we have a bit of breaking news we want to share with you right now. This just in to CNN, a top Hamas commander has been killed in a suspected Israeli air strike against a car that this commander was traveling in, this, according to witnesses on the ground. Once again, a top Hamas commander killed in a suspected Israeli air strike.

And this story is coming to us from wire reports at this time. Still some work for us to do here at CNN to confirm this story independently of those wire reports, but the reporting again, at this time, is that a top Hamas commander has been killed in a suspected Israeli air strike. We'll continue to gather more information on the story and bring you the very latest as we get it.

NGUYEN: Tom Hanks stars in "The Da Vinci Code." The movie generating some mixed reviews, though. But it is expected to bring in some major bucks at the box office this weekend. The summer blockbuster season is off to a tough start. Tom Cruise's "Mission Impossible" sequel underwhelmed at the box office.

And the disaster remake "Poseidon" is being called an outright flop. So Tom O'Neil is a columnist for the "LA Times" film site threeenvelope.com or theenvelope.com and he joins us with a sneak peak at some of summer's other hits and misses at the movies. You know, summertime, Tom is a time when people go and watch the major blockbuster movies. So that being said, what's getting the biggest buzz?

TOM O'NEIL, "INTOUCH" MAGAZINE: Where should we start? Long list here. Let's start with "Pirates of the Caribbean." I think that's going to be the big breakout hit of the summer. This sets off July 4th weekend which is the biggest weekend of the biggest movie going part of the year. "Pirates" was shot at the same time as "Pirates 2." We don't know much about the plot, but part two made $300 million and what we're hearing about this from screening audiences is just terrific.

NGUYEN: So is that it? I mean, there's a ton of other movies out there, what, "Superman." That's got to be on your list.

O'NEIL: Yes, "Superman" opens the week before "Pirates" does and I think this is going to be a bomb. I'm sorry.

NGUYEN: Really, why?

O'NEIL: $250 million -- do you buy this wimpy ex-model, Brandon Routh --come on, as the man of steel?

NGUYEN: Tom O'Neil. Well, I think the problem is going to be, a lot of people are going to see him and say, "who are you, I don't remember seeing you in other movies."

O'NEIL: Well, Christopher Reeve was a relative unknown when he took on the role of the man of steel. That's fine, but I think Christopher Reeve brought a soulful quality to the Clark Kent side of this. I think the mistake Hollywood made here is bringing in Brian Singer who did the "X Men" movies and he's turned this really into an action flick. "Superman" works because he's half human and half hero.

NGUYEN: Of course, there are always going to be your sleeper hits of the summer and these are the ones that just really take off and when you don't really think they're going to. So that being said, what do you think is going to be the sleeper hits this year?

O'NEIL: My number one choice is "My Super Ex-Girlfriend."

NGUYEN: What is that all about and is she really all that super?

O'NEIL: This is so great, revenge, comedy, romance. This stars Uma Thurman who gets dumped by her boy friend and then reveals, oh, by the way, I'm a secret super hero and I'm mad. She takes out a chain saw to go after this guy. It's a comedy. See, you're laughing. You know this is going to be great.

NGUYEN: I'm laughing because I'm female and we love this stuff. Guys out there, they might not like it so much.

O'NEIL: I think it's a formula for a winner. Think of some of the great surprises hits like "War of the Roses" and "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." They're all revenge romance comedies.

NGUYEN: Yes they are, all right. We talked about the flops and of course, families are wanting to go to the theaters during the summertime, especially get the kids out of the house. "Cars" is one of the big movies that people are talking about. What do you think?

O'NEIL: This looks charming. This of course is the latest Pixar movie. It's about Nascar. So they figure, what a combination, right? But it's really about a Nascar driver played by Owen Wilson who finds out how wonderful life can be off the fast lane. He makes a wrong turn into a small town, a dilapidated little place and discovers a bunch of local eccentrics, among them, Paul Newman. It looks like a real winner.

NGUYEN: All right, three of them quickly though that I want to talk about, "Snakes on a Plane" what do you think?

O'NEIL: What a hilarious - it's the greatest film title of all time.

NGUYEN: Listen to the title, "Snakes on a Plane."

O'NEIL: Yes, Samuel Jackson plays a guy who is transporting a Mafia witness. The Mafia puts a crate on the plane with 40 snakes, pythons, little biters. If they play this up for its camp value, it could be a classic.

NGUYEN: It just gives me the heebie-jeebies just watching it. My skin is just crawling.

O'NEIL: That's the whole idea.

NGUYEN: Exactly, so it's a winner already and I haven't even seen it. And "X-Men 3" of course is going to get a lot of buzz. The World Trade Center is going to be something that people are either going to like it they're going to hate it, it seems, because we've dealt with that with another 9/11 movie that kind of came out a few weeks ago and so that caused a lot of stir. So we'll be watching, Tom, thanks for your insight.

O'NEIL: Thanks, Betty.

HARRIS: Well, still ahead, if you think your house is a zoo this morning, it's nothing compared to one New Hampshire household.

NGUYEN: What, in a house? HARRIS: Yes, yes. The zoo house is grabbing the attention of reviewers online this morning. We'll tell you all about it next.

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HARRIS: Have you seen this? All morning long. Great fun, huh?

NGUYEN: It's fantastic. They do these stunts and you think, oh, my goodness, how are they going to get out of this? How are they going to survive this? And they do. I guess that's why it's call a stunt.

HARRIS: Yes, they do. This is Andrews Air Force base in Maryland and later today, the Blue Angels will perform. We've got all kinds of trick flyers.

NGUYEN: The golden knights are there. It's really quite a performance and we've been dipping in through the morning. But it gives you a little glimpse of what's going on over the sky over there at Andrews Air Force Base, really neat stuff.

HARRIS: All right. Time to check in and find out what people are watching online. Veronica de la Cruz from the dotcom desk is here. Veronica, good morning.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, guys. The interesting things that you find in people's homes sometimes.

NGUYEN: They can be scary.

DE LA CRUZ: Scary. Let's go ahead and start in Ogden, Utah. This is pretty scary. This video has been circulating on the Internet. Some people out there might think that it's a hoax, but it's the real thing. This is what approximately 70,000 cans of beer in your apartment would look like if you drank 24 beers a day for eight straight years and then threw the cans on the floor.

NGUYEN: On the floor. Can you imagine the smell in that place?

DE LA CRUZ: No, I don't want to. The tenant's Coors light cans covered everything, the TV, the couch, all of the furniture. The cans were eventually recycled for $800. And out in Farmington, New Hampshire, Betty, you were just talking about snakes on a plane. How about snakes in a house?

NGUYEN: No.

DE LA CRUZ: The only thing I can say about this home is what a zoo. Police found snakes on chandeliers, geckos in cages. And a five-foot alligator in the bathtub, all living in harmony with the Roy (ph) family. But it doesn't stop there. Those are just the highlights. There were a total of 50 reptiles, 200 rats, mice, dozens of cats and dogs, all living in conditions that are deemed unsanitary and unsafe. The animals have been removed from the house, but they are fine.

NGUYEN: That's good. DE LA CRUZ: They are fine.

HARRIS: That's insane.

NGUYEN: All those stories were kind of frightening in their own right. Thank you, Veronica. "CNN LIVE SATURDAY" is up next right after this short break.

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