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CNN Saturday Morning News
Severe Storms Tear Through Middle of U.S.; Woodring Search Expands Nationwide; Violence in Iraq During Ramadan; January Through August 2006 Saw Warmest Average Temperatures Ever Recorded; Name- Calling At U.N.; French Newspaper Reports Osama bin Laden May be Dead; Pope Reaches Out
Aired September 23, 2006 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now in the news, stormy weather -- the Midwest gets socked with tornadoes and flooding. More severe weather is expected today.
Our meteorologist, Reynolds Wolf, will have an update in two minutes. And we'll have a live report from an area that got the worst of it just about 10 minutes away.
An expanded search for the husband who allegedly shot and killed his wife at a domestic violence shelter in North Carolina. This morning, the search for the husband has expanded nationwide. He is considered armed and dangerous. We'll get an update from police in six minutes.
A new video has surfaced out of Iraq and onto the Internet. This claims to show the new leader of al Qaeda in Iraq executing a Turkish hostage.
Also, a leader of the Ansar Al-Sunna terrorist network has been captured by Iraqi and U.S. forces. The group is loosely linked to al Qaeda in Iraq and it is accused of civilian abductions and bombings. We'll have a live report from Baghdad in 10 minutes.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: At least 28 people killed and more than two dozen wounded when a car bomb went off this morning in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood. The blast came as Sunnis began their observance of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Sunday marks the first day of Ramadan for Shiites.
New signs that North Korea may be enhancing its nuclear weapons program. A visiting U.S. scholar says senior officials told him North Korea plans to unload fuel rods from its nuclear reactor to obtain more weapons grade plutonium.
We run-down our top stories every 15 minutes here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, with in-depth coverage all morning long.
Your next check of the headlines is coming up at 7:15 Eastern.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CASSIE QUICK, STUDENT: When we first heard the first boom, we pulled together really fast and we prayed for nothing to happen to us. (END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Her school had just finished a tornado drill when a real tornado hit, just one of the severe storms to strike overnight.
ROESGEN: That's wild.
From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
It is 7:00 a.m. Eastern, September 23rd.
Good morning.
I'm Susan Roesgen filling in again for Betty Nguyen.
LEMON: And I'm Don Lemon.
Thanks for being with us this morning.
ROESGEN: It sounds awful -- houses torn to pieces. That's how one emergency worker describes the scene he saw after severe storms tore through the middle of the country.
If you're just waking up with us, expect more bad weather in some parts of the nation today. Storms last night spawned tornadoes in Illinois and Missouri. Businesses, a middle school and more than 100 homes in Missouri were damaged. The middle school had just wrapped up a tornado drill when it was struck. No one was killed.
In Indiana, heavy rain from the storms triggered flash flooding.
And in Arkansas, a woman died when her boat was struck by lightning.
LEMON: And we are getting in new pictures this morning of the damage from overnight. This is video from Blount County, Alabama. Police there say a possible tornado moved through last night. No deaths are reported and you can see the damage at this gas station.
A high school football stadium and several houses were also damaged.
ROESGEN: So now let's find out what's happening right now in the weather.
LEMON: We go now to the Weather Center for a first check of the weather and Reynolds Wolf -- hi, Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hey, there.
It is still booming in many parts of the country. We're talking specifically about portions of the Midwest, the mid-Mississippi Valley, parts of the Southern Plains and into the Tennessee Valley, as well.
Now, the areas that you see shaded in red, those happen to be places that are still under those tornado watches and will be through much of the morning. But the big story at this time really isn't the tornadic activity, but rather the flooding that we're seeing.
Moments ago, you were talking about some flooding in Evansville, Indiana. On the other side of the river, the other side of the Ohio, in parts of Kentucky, we've been dealing with up to six inches of rainfall, especially near the Louisville area. We've heard reports of homes flooded.
At this time, the scattered showers moved southward right along parts of I-65. We drop down into the Nashville area. Nashville was booming there moments ago. The heaviest rainfall now moving off to the east. Some of these storms are severe. Possible tornadoes with these.
The big picture that you have with these storms is that in the nighttime and into the early morning, visibility is very poor. So certainly you need to be advised to listen to those sirens that you have in the area, pay attention to all the local watches and warnings, and, again, look out for that potential flooding.
The reason why we're seeing the possibility of flooding in many locations, including parts of northern Arkansas and into places like Oklahoma is because much of the rainfall that we're seeing has been falling over the same topography, not just in the last couple of hours, we're talking five hours, six hours, up to 10 hours in some locations.
So with that, that water begins to stack up. The ground can only absorb so much, then you have run-off. And with run-off, you have the flooding.
For example, in Sharp County, Arkansas, which is located right about here, there have been reports of people in trees -- people in trees, other people missing. Certainly bad news, to say the very least.
Now, we're going to be seeing more of that activity throughout much of the day. We still have all of the elements you need for a severe weather scenario. A lot of moist air coming in from the Gulf of Mexico. This area of low pressure, this trailing cold front all coming together to give you that classic possibility of severe weather.
And, of course, we'll keep you posted with the very latest.
Let's send it back to you, to the news desk.
This is going to be a busy day, no question.
ROESGEN: Yes.
Hey, Reynolds, before you go, so does that mean that after the cold front pushes through, then that area will calm down?
WOLF: You're going to get much -- a tremendous transformation in your forecast. That's actually an excellent question. When you have those kind of air masses, the moist warm on one side, then cool and dry on the other, you're always going to have that type of severe weather outbreak.
And, yes, to answer your question, once that cooler air moves through, it's going to be a tremendous change and a change for the better.
ROESGEN: OK.
LEMON: Thank you, Reynolds.
ROESGEN: Thank you, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
ROESGEN: Meanwhile in the news, a woman's killer is on the run- this morning and the suspect is her husband. He allegedly shot and killed her in a place where she had tried to get away from him, a domestic violence shelter.
Detectives say Bonnie Woodring's husband forced himself into the shelter in rural western North Carolina and opened fire.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A woman has been shot with a shotgun. He ran out the front door.
UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: But he is on foot?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, and he's got a sawed off shotgun.
UNIDENTIFIED DISPATCHER: And he's got a sawed off shotgun?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, ma'am.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: Well, the search for the suspect, John Woodring, has expanded nationwide. And we're going to talk to Jeff Jamison, the police chief in Sylva, in just a few minutes for more on story.
LEMON: Now to the war in Iraq.
A bloody Saturday underway in Iraq. Police say more than two dozen people were killed this morning when a bomb went off in the Sadr City area of Baghdad. Also today, Iraq's interior ministry says a key terrorist leader is in custody following his arrest east of Baquba.
CNN's Arwa Damon is live in Baghdad with the latest for us -- Arwa.
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right.
Now, that first incident that you were speaking about, another car bomb. More death here in Iraq. This time it exploded in Sadr City, that Shia stronghold, home to some two million Shia. The car bomb detonated close to a fuel tanker at a fuel line. At least 28 Iraqis killed in that incident; another 26 wounded.
Now, this comes at a time when Iraqis are out and about shopping, preparing for the holy month of Ramadan. It actually began today for the Sunni community here. It begins tomorrow for the Shia community. It is meant to be a time where community ties are strengthened, where family ties are strengthened. And it is meant to be a time of giving, a time of compassion.
But here in Iraq, it is anything but. As one Sadr City resident put to it when we spoke to him over the phone, he said here it's not so much a time of forgiveness and moving forward. Here in Iraq, it is a time where we expect more violence.
LEMON: Arwa, I've got a question for you.
We -- what about the reports that the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq has shown up on a video on the Internet?
DAMON: That is what has been posted. And the video has been released from the Associated Press.
That is actually a re-release of a video that was released, we are told, by the Turkish embassy. This is because the hostage shown in that video is a Turkish hostage.
They said that they actually received the video about a month- and-a-half, two months ago. What is new about this is the statement that comes along with it that identifies the executioner as being Abu Ayyoub al-Masri, or Abu Hamza al-Muhajer. This is the man who took over as commander of al Qaeda in Iraq from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
The timing of the release of this statement, that is what is interesting, what people are going to be paying attention to. It came just as the holy month of Ramadan was starting for the Sunni community. It could, perhaps, be a sign to his followers to be carrying out more attacks or himself re-establishing himself as commander of al Qaeda in Iraq.
He has, up until now, kept a fairly low profile.
Of course, now, having said all that, there really is no way to identify or verify his identity that is shown in that footage.
LEMON: All right, thank you very much.
Arwa Damon live in Baghdad this morning.
ROESGEN: And we have much more news ahead.
But first, we'd like to take just a minute and welcome my partner here, Don Lemon, the newest member of the CNN news team.
And you'll be co-anchoring, Don, with Kyra Phillips on... LEMON: Kyra Phillips.
ROESGEN: ... CNN NEWSROOM, right?
LEMON: CNN NEWSROOM, 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern.
ROESGEN: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Eastern.
LEMON: 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Central.
Yes. 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Central.
ROESGEN: You know, she flew...
LEMON: I said that for my mom, because she's in the Central time zone.
ROESGEN: She flew in an F14 yesterday, or the day before that.
LEMON: Yes. Amazing. The day before yesterday, yes.
ROESGEN: Top Gun, yes.
LEMON: I sent her a message saying she's a rock star because...
ROESGEN: She is.
LEMON: ... you know, the only journalist to get that last flight on that F-14. Congratulations to her.
ROESGEN: Well, you guys will make a great team.
LEMON: Thank you.
ROESGEN: Great to have you here.
LEMON: And thank you for having me.
ROESGEN: I'm just filling in for Betty, but it's nice to be here.
LEMON: All right, thank you very much.
ROESGEN: Much more ahead.
LEMON: Yes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you think you could ever forgive him?
DESTIN PERKINS, KIDNEY RECIPIENT: Forgive him?
Probably not.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROESGEN: It was a matter of life and death and yet that boy's own father skipped out on him. The whole story in about 20 minutes.
LEMON: Plus, alert employees foil a school shooting plot in Connecticut. All the details when we go Across America in five minutes.
ROESGEN: And Boston may lose one of its landmarks -- this sign -- thanks to Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez. The story in about 30 minutes right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Tonight and tomorrow night at 7:00 Eastern, CNN's Christiane Amanpour examines the roots of world religious conflicts with former President Bill Clinton.
Then at 8:00, she follows the trail of AIDS in Africa. "WHERE HAVE ALL THE PARENTS GONE?," only on CNN.
We're back in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Now in the news, severe weather rips across the Midwest and into the South. We're seeing more storms break out today. Twisters hit Illinois and Missouri last night. And in Arkansas, one person was killed by lightning.
Now to Reynolds Wolf for a quick check of our weather today -- Reynolds.
WOLF: Well, right now, Don, it looks like the focus of severe weather now moving into portions of Kentucky and Tennessee. We still have a few tornado watches that are in effect at this hour. And it looks like there's going to be other parts of the Midwest, as well as the Central Plains that may be under the gun-into the afternoon and evening.
We'll talk about that coming up in just a few moments.
LEMON: A nationwide manhunt is underway this morning after a woman was killed at a domestic violence shelter. The suspect is the woman's husband, the man she was trying to get away from. Police say he forced his way into the shelter in rural North Carolina and shot her.
ROESGEN: A new video has surfaced out of Iraq and onto the Internet. It claims to show the new leader of al Qaeda in Iraq executing a Turkish hostage.
Also there, Iraqi officials say a leader of the Ansar Al-Sunna terrorist network has been arrested by Iraqi and U.S. forces east of Baquba. The group is loosely linked to al Qaeda in Iraq and it is accused of civilian abductions and bombings. New signs that North Korea may be enhancing its nuclear weapons program. A visiting American scholar says senior officials there told him that North Korea plans to unload fuel rods from its nuclear power reactor in order to get more weapons grade plutonium.
We run-down the top stories every 15 minutes here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, with in-depth coverage all morning long. So your next check of the headlines is going to be coming up at 7:30 Eastern.
LEMON: News Across America.
Two teenagers are in jail in East Hartford, Connecticut. They're accused of plotting to kill three classmates. Police say an employee seized a gun-from one of the boys as they entered the school yesterday.
Police want to know who draped Swastika-like flags from several freeway overpasses in southern California. The flags were displayed at the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah. Hanging any flag or sign from an overpass is illegal in California.
New Jersey native Justice Samuel Alito has been honored with a street named after him in Hamilton. And that's where he grew up. Samuel Alito, Jr. Way leads to Hamilton's municipal court, the police station and also the public library.
ROESGEN: And we will be keeping an eye all morning on the weather with Reynolds Wolf.
WOLF: Absolutely.
We're talking about the possibility of severe thunderstorms, large hail, damaging wind, heavy rainfall and maybe even tornadoes, as we make our way through the morning into the afternoon and evening.
We'll have more coming up right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROESGEN: We have this new video just in from Louisville, Kentucky. New video just in to CNN.
Now, you see people there in boats. They have had a terrible Friday night and early Saturday morning. Severe weather -- tornadoes reported there. As you can tell, also, flooding, people in boats.
LEMON: Yes, there were some 45,000 customers, apparently, in that area without power. And according to -- there have been unconfirmed reports of sightings of tornadoes. But we're going go check-in with Reynolds Wolf to make sure that -- we just want to get an update on that to make sure that -- was it possibly a tornado? Is this weather -- can this cause tornadoes for us?
WOLF: Oh, absolutely.
I mean this whole -- the whole situation that we're seeing right now, all the elements are together for tornadoes popping up.
In this area, the biggest threat that we have at this time, believe it or not, is just the flooding. Flooding is by far and away the biggest killer in severe weather. And the problem they've been having in places like Evansville back over to Louisville is they've had these showers that have been forming over the same area. The storms keep rolling over the same topography and the ground can only absorb so much. And then the additional rainfall causes the flooding. And that's what they're dealing with this morning.
The point is they're going to be dealing with more of it as we make our way into the afternoon. We're not seeing any let-up whatsoever with those scattered showers. As soon as some begin to fizzle out, look farther back to the west. We're seeing more development here, again, as I mentioned, moving over the same territory.
Now, farther to the south, we are seeing more of a rotation with some of these storms. The tornadic possibility is far greater at this time in Tennessee, especially along the I-40 corridor near Cookeville, eventually into Crossville, Tennessee.
But one of the big issues when we're dealing with flooding would have to be in Sharp County, Arkansas. Sharp County, Arkansas located right here in this county. The problem that we found out there have been reports of people in trees from floodwaters. Right now, we don't have anything in terms of rainfall.
But look what's happening father on into the west. One very intense line that we have stretching from I-35 southward from Oklahoma City northward to Springfield, Missouri. All of that moving into northern Arkansas.
Is it going to be a rough day weather-wise. And, of course, for the very latest, stay tuned to CNN. We'll keep you posted -- back to you.
ROESGEN: Yes, Reynolds, it looks like the Carolinas might be up next, huh?
LEMON: Yes.
WOLF: Well, the thing is, though, that is possible. But as the storm system gets closer to the Carolinas, it really is going to be losing a great deal of its momentum and a lot of its punch. So the severe time really is going to be over the next 12 hours or so.
By the time it gets to the Carolinas, it should be primarily a rain event.
ROESGEN: Good.
OK.
LEMON: Reynolds Wolf.
WOLF: You bet.
LEMON: You'll be watching it.
Thank you very much, Reynolds.
ROESGEN: Now we have an update on a CNN story that brought a lot of outrage. A 16-year-old boy, Destin Perkins, needed a kidney transplant. And his father, who was a match for the surgery, was temporarily released from jail to donate a kidney. And instead he ran.
Where are the father and son now?
Here's CNN's Susan Candiotti with an update.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PERKINS: See what I mean?
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Like any new golfer, Destin Perkins admits he needs some work on his swing.
PERKINS: I shanked it.
CANDIOTTI: But for him that's not what playing golf is all about.
PERKINS: It's just fun. Especially when you've got your friends with you, it makes it a lot of fun.
CANDIOTTI: Fun-is not what Destin was having last winter. The 16-year-old was badly in need of a kidney transplant. And the man he counted on for help skipped out on him.
(on camera): Do you think you could ever forgive him?
PERKINS: Forgive him? Probably not. That's a pretty bad thing that he did to me.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): That he is Destin's own father. U.S. marshals call by Destin's dad, Byron Perkins, the most hated man in America.
(on camera): Are you any closer to catching Byron Perkins?
DEPUTY DAWN IZGARJAN, U.S. MARSHALS SERVICE: We are no closer to catching Byron Perkins or Lee Ann Howard.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Perkins took off with his fugitive girlfriend, Lee Ann Howard, last January. He was temporarily freed from jail while awaiting a maximum life sentence so he could donate a kidney to his son.
After CNN first ran the story last February, American tourists vacationing near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico-told police they recognized the couple, but not before Mexican villagers say they bought Perkins' sob story that his money was stolen and were never repaid for bailing him out.
Though they've run-down leads from Canada to Kansas, U.S. marshals suspect the couple is still in Mexico-pulling off scams.
IZGARJAN: I don't want the public to forget about Byron Perkins and Lee Ann Howard just because Destin is doing is great right now. We need to catch him and we need to bring him and face the charges.
This is my working file...
CANDIOTTI (on camera): These two?
IZGARJAN: ... on Perkins and Howard.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Authorities say they hope the publicity will generate fresh leads.
(on camera): What do you think, he'll just slip up?
IZGARJAN: Everybody makes a mistake. And he will eventually make a mistake. And we'll just wait.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Destin's mother also is waiting for that day.
ANGELA HAMMOND, DESTIN PERKIN'S MOTHER: He will mess up. He always did.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): Do you still love him because he's your father?
PERKINS: Yes, I love him because he's my father, but I still don't think I could forgive him. I really want him back behind bars.
CANDIOTTI: You think he should be punished?
PERKINS: Yes.
CANDIOTTI: Put behind bars?
(voice-over): The person who gets credit for saving Destin Perkins? An anonymous organ donor who died in California.
(on camera): Do you think this has made you a stronger person?
PERKINS: Oh, yes, I think I could probably do anything now.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Including showing off his transplant scar, that may fade faster than the emotional wounds left by his fugitive father.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, Jamestown, Kentucky.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROESGEN: And Anderson Cooper will continue to follow that story. That's "ANDERSON COOPER 360," weeknights, 10:00 Eastern, only on CNN.
LEMON: And we are tracking storms hitting the Midwest and the Southeast. More on the severe weather coming up with Reynolds Wolf.
WOLF: That's right.
It's day two, as a major storm system drifts its way across the United States. We'll tell you exactly what you can expect coming up in just a few moments right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROESGEN: Now in the news, strong storms caused flash flooding and spawn tornadoes in the Midwest. This is video from Louisville, Kentucky, where we've also had reports of terrific storm damage, possible tornadoes, and, as you see, flooding. And unfortunately the forecast calls for more severe weather today.
A new video on the Internet. This one claims to show the new leader of al Qaeda in Iraq executing a Turkish hostage.
Also there, a leader of the Ansar Al-Sunna terrorist network has been arrested by Iraqi and U.S. forces. That terror group is loosely linked to al Qaeda in Iraq and it is accused of kidnappings and bombings.
Speaking of which, a car bomb went off in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood this morning. At least 28 people were killed and more than two dozen wounded. And that bombing came on the first day Iraqi Sunnis began observing the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
LEMON: New signs that North Korea may be enhancing its nuclear weapons program. A visiting U.S. scholar says senior officials told him North Korea plans to unload fuel rods from its nuclear reactor to obtain more weapons grade plutonium.
A terror threat has the capital -- the Czech capital -- under tighter security. That includes several locations in Prague, including the international airport. A government spokesperson refused to provide details, other than to say that the information is the most serious ever.
We run-down the top stories every 15 minutes here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of the headlines is coming up at 7:45 Eastern.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it was real scary. I just hope I don't have to go through it again.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: A close call for a community in Missouri when a tornado hit. We're tracking storms hitting the Midwest and Southeast, and we'll have your full weather forecast in just a moment. Welcome back, everyone.
I'm Don Lemon.
ROESGEN: And I'm Susan Roesgen filling in for Betty Nguyen.
Thanks for waking up with us.
LEMON: Well, it was a real life lesson in Severe Weather 101. A tornado touched down in South Central Missouri. Students inside this elementary school put what they'd learned from tornado drills into action.
Chris Hayes with CNN affiliate KTVI has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS HAYES, KTVI CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Seventh grader Cassie Quick takes pictures of what was happening while she was inside St. James Middle School.
C. QUICK: The school was shaking.
HAYES: Parts of the roof torn off. The flagpole bent to the ground, while Cassie was huddled in a hallway with more than 500 other kids.
C. QUICK: When we first heard the first boom, we -- we pulled together really fast and we prayed for nothing to happen to us.
HAYES: See for yourself. The crumpled walls of the gymnasium.
Cassie's mom, Bonnie Quick, called the school to say she was coming.
BONNIE QUICK, PARENT: The phone was just dead. I couldn't hear nothing.
HAYES: So she drove straight over.
B. QUICK: I thought for sure that something bad was happening because I saw debris everywhere.
HAYES: A relief to see each other, like many others. Some who went to their vehicles no longer with windows. Not one kid reported injured.
Jack Fors told us they just practiced a tornado drill.
JACK FORS, STUDENT: Right after we got in class, one of the counselors got on the intercom and said this is not a drill. This is not a drill.
HAYES: Construction crews and some parents began repairs right away, as more storm clouds threatened. Others inside the gym hurriedly pushed the water with squeegees and mops. (END VIDEOTAPE)
ROESGEN: And what Missouri got, Kentucky is getting now.
Let's get a check on what's happening in the weather with Reynolds Wolf.
WOLF: They really are. It is awful to see this entire storm system drifting its way to the east. And the problem that we have is some of these communities, especially near Evansville and Louisville, they've already been socked with plenty of rainfall. But if you look a little bit farther back to the west, there's still more to come.
So with ground that is just started with water that's already piling up and with more on the way, it's not a good combination. They need a break and they're not going to get it, at least for a day or so.
Let's zoom in on a few places particularly in Kentucky, for the time being.
This is Louisville, to give you your bearings. You see the yellows and the greens, indicating some heavy rainfall over in Evansville, where they have had some flooding. In Carbondale, the same story there. Cape Girardeau over to Paducah. Heavy rainfall. Reports of tornadoes last night. Really no confirmations in places like Paducah as of yet. But today, when they get out and have a chance to survey the damage, they'll have a better report for you.
Meanwhile, we've had reports of tornado warnings also right along the I-40 corridor. Cookeville, you've had some rough times. It's going to get easier for you. You're going to get a little bit of a break in the action.
Meanwhile, in Nashville, you've had a few cells that have drifted through very heavy, producing not only some heavy rainfall, but also some hail. Damaging winds -- yes, that's also going to be something you're going to be dealing with in parts of Central Tennessee.
Eventually, this storm system will be moving into places like Crossville, right along the I-40 corridor. McMinnville, easy times for you for the time being. But you are going to have a rough time later on this morning. I'd say around 9:00 or 10:00 or so.
Meantime, we take you to Springfield, Missouri and near Raleigh, right along I-44. Just yesterday in Phelps County, they had a large tornado. We've seen some video of that. That classic wedge shaped tornado now one very large cell. A super cell thunderstorm drifting over toward I-55, down toward Sharp County into Arkansas.
They've had reports of extreme flooding there. People in trees -- people reported in trees, hanging out, trying to avoid the floodwaters. And the problem that we have, if you look a little bit farther back to the west, we have another line of intense storms. And with daytime heating, that's only going to intensify. So we've got another big rain producer forming farther back to the west. Not the combination you want to be dealing with in parts of Arkansas.
So it's going to be a very rough day.
Again, as I mentioned, we have got all the key elements for this -- a lot of moisture coming in from the Gulf of Mexico-interacting with this frontal boundary. Places like Chicago, yesterday you had some strong storms there. It could have been worse for you. Right now, though, Chicago is still looking very bad from the Navy pier over to Wrigley Field and the Dan Ryan Expressway. A lot of cloud cover there.
Delays at O'Hare yesterday up to three hours. Today, if you happen to be trying to fly out of Chicago, you'd better be patient. It may be a rough time for you, also, up in the Northeast, to say the very least.
That's a look at your forecast around the nation.
We've got so much more to share with you and we'll get to it.
But let's send it back to the news desk.
LEMON: Yes, Reynolds, I know about those delays at O'Hare. That's where I came from.
WOLF: I'm sure you do.
That's right.
LEMON: All right.
You know what I want to ask you?
Before there weren't confirmed reports of tornadoes. But you did say that there -- that you -- that it's spotted.
Is it confirmed that there were tornadoes?
WOLF: There were reports of tornadoes around the area.
The biggest problem that you have at this time of the year -- and I know you already know this -- but at nighttime and into the early morning, visibility is really poor. So a lot of times we have what we refer to as Doppler indicated tornadoes, as opposed to, say, trained storm spotter indicated.
So what happens when you have Doppler indicated, usually the next morning or a few hours later, you have a crew that comes out from the local National Weather Service office. They survey the damage. That's when they confirm as to whether or not it was a tornado.
ROESGEN: OK.
LEMON: Thank you. ROESGEN: Thanks, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet you.
ROESGEN: Well, for most of us, those storms mean that summer is on the way out as the fall season rolls in. But most of us won't forget what a scorcher this past summer was.
Could that have been the result of global warming?
CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano tackles a controversial question.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): September air is a welcome relief for the scorched North American landscape. But the damage is done and the numbers are in.
January through August 2006 saw the warmest average temperatures ever recorded. And this summer was the hottest summer since the Dust Bowl, the years in the 1930s when the Central United States was plagued by drought and dust storms.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Excessive heat.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Punishing heat.
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY: Sweltering heat.
MARCIANO: In July, an intense heat wave blistered much of the nation, breaking more than 50 all time highs.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's hot. It's really hot.
MARCIANO: Californians suffered the most. Out of 200 heat related deaths around the nation, 160 were in California.
And if it seems like summers have been getting warming for years now, you're right. Eight of the last 10 summers have been warmer than average in the United States.
But will the trend continue?
TOM KARL, NOAA RESEARCH SCIENTIST: If you had to place your bets, you would place them on warmer than average temperatures and the likelihood of having record and near record summers will continue to increase.
MARCIANO: Why so hot? You may already know the answer.
KARL: We think there's very strong evidence that humans, in fact, are largely attributable. As greenhouse gases continue to increase, conditions like this past summer become more frequent and more extreme.
MARCIANO (on camera): If global warming is making summer hotter, what's happening in winter? For a while now, scientists have been concerned about the shrinking glaciers in the Arctic. But they have always taken comfort in knowing that sea ice -- sea water that freezes in the arctic regions during the colder months -- comes back year after year. But a new NASA study shows that that sea ice is not returning like it once did.
JOSEFINO COMISO, NASA RESEARCH SCIENTIST: In the previous 25 years, it was flat. But in the last two years, it has declined substantially. This is a very important result because it ties up with modeling predictions. We have expected the biggest signal of greenhouse warming in the winter period.
MARCIANO: Which means one of the last pieces to the global warming puzzle may be falling into place. And much of what climate forecasting computers said was going to happen is starting to happen.
Rob Marciano, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Going Global now, heading over to our International Desk.
ROESGEN: CNN's Brenda Bernard joins us with stories she's keeping an eye on -- Brenda.
BRENDA BERNARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I'm starting with the pope still trying to make peace after his remarks linking Islam to violence. But Muslims around the world remain outraged.
(VIDEO FOOTAGE OF PROTESTS)
BERNARD: Protesters took to the streets in the capitals of Egypt and Sudan and in the West Bank in Jerusalem yesterday. Pope Benedict is preparing to hold talks with representatives from Muslim countries at his summer residence on Monday.
Turkey and Iran immediately accepted the pope's invitation.
We're still waiting to hear which other countries will send envoys.
A United Nations team arrives in Lebanon later today to start investigating allegations of human rights violations by Israel during the war with Hezbollah. The investigators arrive on the heels of a huge rally in Beirut. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah told supporters that the militants will never give up their arms. And Hezbollah, he says, is stronger than ever.
And turning from one protest to another, this was the scene in Hungary, a demonstration that lasted into the early morning this morning. About 10,000 people were gathered in front of the parliament building demanding the prime minister's resignation. It's the latest in a week of protests sparked by leaked tape of the prime minister where he admitted lying about the country's economy to win election.
Opposition leaders say an even bigger rally will be held later today. And I just checked the wires, Susan. They're already starting to gather.
ROESGEN: OK.
Thanks for watching it for us, Brenda.
BERNARD: You bet.
LEMON: It is a huge chunk of history in Boston, more than 40 years old. But now a city council member says the famous Citgo sign in Kenmore Square has got to go.
CNN's Dan Lothian tells us why.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Citgo sign has been a Boston landmark since 1965, towering over the city and historic Fenway Park.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Basically, that's how I know I'm home.
LOTHIAN: But Boston City Council Member Jerry McDermott wants the sign removed.
JERRY MCDERMOTT, BOSTON CITY COUNCIL: I'd like to see the biggest American flag that we could put there.
LOTHIAN: The sign is owned by Citgo, which is a subsidiary of Venezuela's oil company. McDermott, a Democrat, is still hot under the collar after that country's president, Hugo Chavez, blasted President Bush at the United Nations, calling him the devil.
MCDERMOTT: I thought it was disgusting to see a head of state come to our country, on our soil, and basically spit on America and insult our president.
LOTHIAN: The Chavez Citgo sign controversy heated up on talk radio.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP FROM WRKO AM RADIO)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Should we change the Citgo sign?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
LOTHIAN: Like Boston's WRKO.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP FROM WRKO AM RADIO)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think that the sign should stay.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I say get rid of the sign. I just feel that way.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What if we just put a -- draped a black cloth over it until there's a newly elected president of Venezuela? (END AUDIO CLIP)
LOTHIAN: Citgo tried to remove the sign more than 20 years ago, but the city fought to keep it. It has since undergone a $1 million facelift.
In a statement to CNN, a Citgo official said the company is proud of its American heritage, that goes back nearly a century. And he added that the Citgo sign is an important part of that heritage.
(on camera): Chances are the sign will stay put. But the Boston City Council will take up the matter at its next meeting on Wednesday. A public hearing could soon follow.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: Well, if you haven't seen this yet, take a look. It's the storm damage in Missouri. And there might be more on the way. You must not miss the severe weather update coming up in about two minutes.
ROESGEN: And later, meet us at the Water Cooler. A reversal of fortune reversed.
Could it happen to you?
A big winner winds up losing.
We'll be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROESGEN: Coming up on "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta, medical controversies. We'll go inside a new study that challenges the traditional definition of brain dead.
Plus, why McDonald's hasn't kept a public promise it made four years ago.
That's coming up at 8:30 Eastern this morning only on CNN.
And we'll be back in 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Now in the news, about a foot of water fills streets in Evansville, Indiana after heavy storms rolled through the area. Weather experts say conditions are ideal today for more violent storms across the Midwest.
Let's go to Reynolds Wolf for the latest on today's severe weather -- Reynolds.
WOLF: Absolutely. Well, this is the big weather maker we've been talking about, Don, is this area of low pressure, this trailing cold front, all the way from parts of the Ohio Valley back into portions of the Tennessee Valley and the Mississippi Valley. That's the area that's really going to be under the gun-today. And we're not talking about just the possibility of tornadoes, but also the potential for flooding.
We're going to talk more about all of that coming up throughout the morning.
Let's send it back to you at the news desk.
LEMON: All right, Reynolds.
Thank you very much for that.
On to other news now.
Iraqi officials say a leader of the Ansar Al-Sunna terrorist network has been arrested by Iraqi and U.S. forces east of Baquba. The group is loosely linked to al Qaeda in Iraq and it's accused of civilian abductions and bombings.
In Baghdad's Sadr City, at least 28 people are dead and more than two dozen are wounded following a car bombing. Iraqi police say the blast came as Sunni Muslims began observing the holy month of Ramadan. Sadr City is a largely Shiite district of Baghdad.
ROESGEN: In Lebanon, the leader of Hezbollah says his fighters won't surrender their weapons until Lebanon has a stronger government. Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah spoke at a so-called victory rally yesterday in a bombed out Beirut suburb. Nasrallah claims his fighters still have 20,000 rockets left after the war with Israel.
An expanded search for the man who allegedly shot and killed his wife at a domestic violence shelter in North Carolina. This morning, the search for the husband has expanded nationwide. He is considered armed and dangerous.
We run-down the top stories every 15 minutes here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, with in-depth coverage all morning long. So your next check of the headlines will be coming up at the top of the hour.
If you've ever wanted to say "I report for CNN," now is your chance.
Here's Veronica de la Cruz.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How are you doing today?
ROESGEN: OK.
I'm doing fine.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, you know, Susan, we've always accepted submissions from viewers when it comes to pictures and videos. But now we've made it even easier, because we've created a destination or a community. It's called I-Exchange. And that is where you can upload your own material.
This week, we have received some great pictures and video from our viewers in Hungary. Check out this footage from Budapest. It's a smoky scene outside the Hungarian state television building. It was shot early in the morning and it comes to us from Sarah (ph). She asks that we don't use her last name on the air.
Sarah tells us hundreds of protesters broke down the front door of the building and set fire to several cars.
As you may know, people began protesting after a tape surfaced in which the prime minister admitted lying about the economy in order to win reelection.
So we couldn't be there when it happened, but Sarah was there. She captured the footage and she thought of sending us these images. And you can do what Sarah did for us this week. Send us your own I- Report. Just log onto CNN.com and look for the I-Report logo and click. That will get you started.
We, also, Susan, give you tips on how to capture the very best images and how to upload them.
Now, coming up at 10:00 a.m. I'm going to show you a few pictures of all the severe weather that has been sweeping through the Midwest, as well as a few pictures from Thailand. There's one picture that I want to show you guys.
The caption from Thailand: "Smile, it's a coup."
ROESGEN: That was pretty good.
I think I'm going to be out of a job, though, Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes.
ROESGEN: With all these people out there reporting, bringing us video?
DE LA CRUZ: Well, you've got to carry your camera around with you, Susan.
ROESGEN: Yes. I guess -- I think it's great. Really, it's great. Please do, do it. Be an I-Reporter.
DE LA CRUZ: All right.
ROESGEN: Thanks, Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: See you guys at 10:00.
ROESGEN: OK.
LEMON: We love it when our viewers are part of the news. Thank you very much.
Name calling, finger pointing, insults -- yes, it's been a devil of a week -- guess where -- at the United Nations.
And here's our very own Jeanne Moos.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The name calling has gone a little cuckoo. The president who tosses around axis of evil expected a showdown with the government that calls the U.S. the Great Satan. But the Great Satan insult got totally overshadowed by the devil.
HUGO CHAVEZ, PRESIDENT OF VENEZUELA (through translator): And the devil came here yesterday. Yesterday the devil came here. Right here.
MOOS: Venezuela's leader called President Bush the devil about eight times. But who's counting? Probably the junior note taker, scribbling away in the U.S. seat. All the high-ranking U.S. officials shunned Hugo Chavez's speech.
CHAVEZ (through translator): The devil's recipe.
MOOS: Which earned him the tabloid nickname "El Loco-Lefty."
It's been a weird week at the U.N. There was Bolivia's president brandishing a cocoa leaf to rebuke the U.S. for criticism of Bolivia's anti-drug policies.
PRES. EVO MORALES, BOLIVIA (through translator): Here. Here. Here's a cocoa leaf. You see it? It's not white like cocaine.
MOOS: The cocoa leaf got applause and the devil remarks got a giggle.
The flamboyant Chavez has become a media magnet. At a press conference, he bantered with an attractive reporter.
CHAVEZ (through translator): I am Colombian, says Tapaya (ph). I am from Barranquilla.
MOOS: Another time, he noticed a reporter's birthmark on her forehead and suggested it was like his, only much prettier.
On Thursday, he headed for church in Harlem, where he sat like Santa, holding kids on his lap. And when he tried to draw this girl in for a photo, she resisted.
This time, he called President Bush an alcoholic, and, once again, the devil.
Outside, anti-Chavez Venezuelans called President Chavez Fidel's new pet. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's crazy. He's the devil himself.
MOOS: Chavez's speech, by the way, got prolonged applause -- 40 seconds. President Bush's only got 15 seconds. What the devil were they thinking?
Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: It's been a pretty amazing week at the U.N.
You can see more of Jeanne Moos weekdays in "THE SITUATION ROOM" at 4:00 Eastern and again at prime time, at 7:00 Eastern.
The Baldwin brother who found god and wants the world to know about it. Coming up tomorrow, hear from Stephen Baldwin on what 9/11 had to do with his newfound faith.
And how does a sports stadium help rescue a city's soul?
Marking a return of the Superdome in New Orleans.
We're looking forward to bringing you both of those stories tomorrow on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
ROESGEN: Now, imagine -- now imagine hearing the words "Congratulations, you won the jackpot."
LEMON: Oh, yes. But then it's followed by oops, false alarm.
What would you do?
That story next in the Water Cooler.
WOLF: Hi, folks.
I'm Reynolds Wolf with a look at today's Allergy Report.
And if you happen to be in the Central Plains or in parts of the Southeast, you may have some issues with dust, with pollen and ragweed. However, if you're in the Northern Plains, the Pacific Northwest or the extreme Northeast, conditions should be just fine for you. You should be breathing easy.
That's a look at today's Allergy Report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROESGEN: Time for our Water Cooler stories.
This is when we take a little break from the ordinary news of the day for some of the unusual stories we've come across.
LEMON: And you'll see, there is a definite theme to today's Water Cooler. You can call this one the jackpot blues. But first, there's a lucky gambler in California who struck it rich on a nickel slot machine. Nearly three quarters of a million dollars, in fact.
ROESGEN: But not so fast. Casino officials immediately declared the win invalid, saying the machine malfunctioned. They said the maximum payout for a nickel slot was just $2,500.
LEMON: Hmmm.
The Casino has offered him $10,000 instead. That doesn't seem right, does it?
It's a safe bet the gambler has hired an attorney.
You want to bet on that?
ROESGEN: So he'll make more money.
LEMON: Yes, absolutely.
ROESGEN: And a nearly identical situation at a Casino a few weeks ago in Florida. That jackpot was for a quarter million dollars.
LEMON: Now, once again, the Casino declared a machine malfunctioned. That seems to be a theme here, a machine malfunction. This time they agreed to pay anyway, though, as a gesture of goodwill. That's good for them.
ROESGEN: Go back to that one with your nickels.
LEMON: All right, we're going to turn to more serious -- to other news coming up in just a moment, including severe weather sweeping across the Midwest in the South. We'll show you where the storms are headed now.
Also, while we were sleeping, Baghdad was rocked by another deadly bombing. We'll take you live to Iraq for the latest on the war.
ROESGEN: All that coming up after a quick break.
But first, here's Gerri Willis with her real estate Tip of the Day.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Turn someone else's loss into your dream come true -- buy repossessed objects at auction. It's a good idea to attend a few auctions before you're ready to make a purchase, to get a feel for what's a good deal.
Ask what, if any, information or identification you need to bring along. Will you need to pay in cash? Is there an entry fee?
Research the items up for auction ahead of time. Check out a car's value on "Kelly Blue Book" and search for an accident history report on "Carfax." If possible, get the item you're after appraised. Make sure you obtain certificates of authenticity on collectibles and antiques. If the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
(on camera): I'm Gerri Willis and that's your Tip of the Day.
For more, watch "OPEN HOUSE" today, 9:30 a.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Now in the news, people in the Midwest and South are bracing today for more violent storms. Yesterday's one-two punch of twisters and thunderstorms left their marks on more than 100 homes.
Stay with CNN with the very latest severe weather updates. Our next one is just minutes away.
A car bomb went off this morning in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood. Police say at least 28 people were killed and 26 others wounded. The attack came as Iraqi Sunnis began observing the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Shiites begin Ramadan tomorrow.
ROESGEN: New signs that North Korea is boosting its nuclear weapons program. A visiting U.S. scholar says senior officials told him North Korea plans to unload fuel rods from its nuclear power reactor in order to get more weapons-grade plutonium.
Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan says he is seriously ill. That's according to various news reports. He sent letters to followers asking them to continue the movement, and he says he's suffering from serious infection and inflammation that may be linked to an ulcer.
LEMON: We're watching a primary race in Hawaii today. At issue in this Democratic race, age. Incumbent senator Daniel Akaka is 82. Even so, two recent polls give Akaka a big lead over 53-year-old congressman Ed Case.
And we run down the top stories every 15 minutes here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check the headlines coming up at 8:15 Eastern.
ROESGEN: Would you pay to make your child a couple of inches taller? Coming up in 30 minutes, a controversial new treatment for giving perfectly healthy children human growth hormone.
LEMON: From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's September 23rd, 8:00 a.m. here at CNN headquarter in Atlanta, 4:00 p.m. in Baghdad.
Good morning, everyone. I'm Don Lemon.
ROESGEN: And I'm Susan Roesgen, sitting in for Betty Nguyen. Thanks for joining us.
It's another morning, another deadly day in Baghdad. More than two dozen people killed this morning when a bomb went off in the Iraqi capital's Sadr City strict. Also today, Iraq's interior ministry said a key terrorist leader is in custody.
CNN's Arwa Damon joins us live in Baghdad -- Arwa.
DAMON: Good morning, Susan. That's right. And that explosion killed at least 28 Iraqi, wounded dozens of others.
It happened in the Shia slum of Sadr City, home to some two million Shias. And it came at a time in the morning when a lot of people were out on the streets getting ready for the holy month of Ramadan, which for Shias begins tomorrow.
We are told by residents of the area that there was a large line of civilians, mainly women, waiting to fill their propane gas tanks when the explosion happened. A car bomb, the explosion then setting off a fuel tanker that was located right next to it.
Now, Ramadan usually is a time of bonding for communities, for families. It is a holy month. It is a time of peace, a time to give to the poor. But speaking with residents of that area, speaking to people all across Iraq, they all say that here in Iraq, they only expect more violence.
But there has been, as you just mentioned, a sign of success. An announcement from Iraq's Ministry of Defense that they captured a senior -- what they're saying is a senior Ansar al-Sunna leader. They've identified the man as being Muntasser El-Jbouri.
They say that they captured him in a raid in Diyala Province, in the city of Muqdadiya, along with two of his associates. They say that in this raid there were no violence, that they were able to capture him and detain him peacefully without a shot being fired.
In terms of significance in impact that this is going to have, Ansar al-Sunna is an organization that regenerates itself fairly quickly. The individuals that are involved in the organization expect to be killed or captured, and there are always measures in place to replace them should they be killed or captured.
So, in terms of how that's going to affect the overall violence in this country, probably not very much -- Susan.
ROESGEN: It's awful. All right, thank you.
Arwa Damon reporting live for us in Baghdad.
If you'd like more in-depth analysis of this week's developments in Iraq, be sure to tune in to CNN tonight at 6:00 Eastern for "This Week at War," hosted by John Roberts.
LEMON: We have some developing news coming out of France. We continue to track an unconfirmed report. A French newspaper reports al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden may, and we emphasize may, be dead.
The French president reacted to the reports this morning but would not confirm. Our very own Nic Robertson is looking into the published reports and he joins us by the phone from London.
Nic, what do you know?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I think there is an indication from the French president in his statement that the documents -- that there may be some facts behind the documents. He said he was surprised to see the confidential notes in a newspaper that has ordered the defense minister -- defense ministry to begin a full inquiry. He didn't confirm any of the details.
The details say essentially that Osama bin Laden's succumbed to typhoid in Pakistan, according to normal -- normally reliable sources. These sources the French document attributes to the Saudi intelligence services.
What is interesting about this is that it quotes normally reliable sources. The best information that journalists and certainly many politicians seem to have been given over the past few years is that there has been no information. So that does raise a question about normally reliable sources.
He also said -- the document that was published in the French newspaper purports to be a very recent confidential French document. It was only written in the last few days. It claims that the information was so credible and reliable that it was passed on to the French president, the French prime minister. And it does say, according to this French newspaper, that Osama bin Laden succumbed to typhoid while in Pakistan.
We have spoken with Pakistani intelligent sources today. They say there's no credibility and no truth in this report. They say that if Osama bin Laden had been suffering from typhoid in Pakistan, they would have known about it and they would have reacted to it and moved on it.
However, the French -- the French newspaper quotes Saudi intelligent sources. And perhaps at this time, it is those intelligent sources who perhaps have the best idea of the veracity and the credibility of this intelligence reporting, because, of course, there are many, many rumors and erroneous reports about Osama bin Laden. This may be one of them, but at this stage it's very unclear -- Don.
LEMON: Yes. Whether it's a rumor or not, it certainly is getting a lot of attention here in the U.S. and probably elsewhere around the world.
Nic Robertson joining us by phone from London.
Thank you so much for your report this morning. ROESGEN: And this morning we're also tracking the widespread destruction brought on by a line of severe storms. A power official says that several thousand customers don't have power today in the Kentucky area, and there were unconfirmed sightings of tornadoes along the Ohio River.
And besides the high winds, there was this: torrential rain and flooding in low-lying areas. This is in the Louisville, Kentucky, area. And this rough weather stretches from Illinois, all the way to Alabama. The worst of it is expected right in the middle of the country.
And we will get more from Reynolds Wolf.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: Time is of the essence in southern California, where firefighters are racing to surround a massive wildfire. The concern? The arrival of the hot, dry Santa Ana winds. Forecasters are predicting wind gusts of at least 70 miles an hour.
And you can help us report the weather. We want to know if you capture a great picture or video on your camera or cell phone. Just send it to us at CNN.com, or your cell phone, punch ireport@cnn.com. I-Report is your chance to share what you see with other CNN viewers around the world.
ROESGEN: A bizarre Illinois murder case has the police searching for three missing children. We'll have the latest information next.
LEMON: And coming up in 10 minutes, why the pope's apology still isn't enough for some in the Islamic community.
First, here's Sanjay Gupta with a preview of today's "House Call."
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks.
Well, there have been so many controversial health stories in the news recently, we decided to take a look at some of the most intriguing, from tracking the E. coli outbreak in the CDC's mission control, to why some parents are using drugs to give their children's appearance a boost. There's also a story out there about how relatives are being invited into the emergency room to watch the efforts to save their loved ones.
Those stories and more coming up on "House Call." That's at 8:30 Eastern. Don't miss it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROESGEN: "Now in the News," at least 28 people are dead and more than two dozen wounded after a car bomb went off this morning in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood. The bombing came as Sunnis began their observance of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Sunday will be the first day of Ramadan for Shiites. People in the Midwest and the South are bracing today for more violent storms. We just got this new video in from Clarksville, Indiana. It's similar to the flooding we saw in Louisville, Kentucky, earlier.
Heavy rains. This is an apartment complex they're trying to evacuate. Really, a one-two punch of twisters and thunderstorms doing damage all the way from Chicago to Alabama.
So stay with us here on CNN for the very latest severe weather updates throughout the day.
LEMON: New signs that North Korea may be enhancing its nuclear weapons program. A visiting U.S. scholar says senior officials told him North Korea plans to unload fuel rods from its nuclear reactor to obtain more weapons-grade plutonium.
Patricia Dunn is out completely. The embattled chairman of Hewlett-Packard exited the company yesterday, several months earlier than expected. It happened after the stock in the stock market closed, causing company shares to jump 1 percent in after-hours trading.
Dunn had been embroiled in a corporate spy scandal. Chief executive Mark Hurd is now the new chairman.
We run down the top stories every 15 minutes here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, with in-depth coverage all morning long. Your next check of the headlines coming up at 8:30 Eastern.
ROESGEN: Now a search, and you might be able to help. The police in Illinois are looking for these three little girls.
It turns out that a 26-year-old woman claiming to have given birth to a stillborn is being questioned in the murder of a woman whose fetus was removed. And the victim's three daughters that you just saw there are missing.
The woman in question sent up a few red flags when she told investigators that she had gone into labor accidentally but refused to be examined. And during the course of the investigation, detectives ruled out the possibility that any of the victim's family members were involved in the children's disappearance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAPT. CRAIG KOEHLER, ILLINOIS STATE POLICE: We've spoken with family members of the children. And none of the family members of the children are considered suspects in their disappearance in any way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: Well, while the investigation into the crime is ongoing, the main focus again is on finding these three missing children. LEMON: A woman is shot and killed at a place where she went to stay safe, a domestic violence shelter. And this morning, a nationwide manhunt is under way for the suspect. That suspect is her own husband.
Police in Sylva, North Carolina, say Bonnie Woodring's husband, John, forced his way into the shelter and shot her. The shelter's director says their security was no match for his determination.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEAN BOCKSTAHLER, JACKSON COUNTY REACH EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: A man like this particular man, who has both the background and the determination to pursue in this kind of murder, I wish we had a way of protecting them more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And police say Woodring's husband was already wanted on domestic violence charges for allegedly trying to strangle her. He is considered armed and dangerous.
ROESGEN: Your tax dollars at work coming up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUPTA (voice-over): If there's a mission control for handling the E. coli outbreak, this is it. You're getting a unique look at DEOC, the Director's Emergency Operations Center of the CDC.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Coming up in 10 minutes, Dr. Sanjay Gupta shows us how the government's health agency is tracking down the source of the spinach contamination.
ROESGEN: And protests continue against the pope in Muslim cities. Up next, we'll tell you what some people are demanding the pope do now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): How do you make fitness a forever in your life? "Consumer Reports on Health" surveyed nearly 22,000 people who were committed to exercise. Here are some of their secrets for success.
Tip number one, fine your personality match.
NATASHA RICHARDSON, PERSONAL TRAINER: Some people are more extroverts, and they -- those people are probably best in, like, a group-type setting, maybe group fitness or dance class, kick boxing, cardio funk.
COSTELLO: For introverts, a circuit training workout might be a better personality fit.
Fit number two, squeeze it in. Work exercise into your busy schedule. Try to exercise at the same time of the day and be sure to schedule it on your calendar.
Tip number three, make it a habit. Keep a food accountability journal.
RICHARDSON: So, 60 percent of your results would be from nutrition and dieting, 40 percent would be from your cardio, your weight-lifting.
COSTELLO: Tip number four, take lapses in stride. If you skip a workout or eat something fattening, don't beat yourself up, just keep going forward.
Tip number five, consider a trainer. A trainer can motivate you and make it easier for you to make exercise a lasting part of your life.
Carol Costello, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Muslims around the world are still up in arms about comments made by Pope Benedict XVI. Some clerics and religious leaders are calling for his removal.
Meanwhile, as CNN's Delia Gallagher reports, the pope is reaching out to Muslims, trying to diffuse their anger.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN FAITH AND VALUES CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Despite a public apology, Pope Benedict XVI is still the object of outrage for many Muslims around the world. Hundreds marched through Kashmir Friday, some throwing stones at the police. The chief cleric at a prominent mosque said the Pope's words of regret were just not good enough. He says we strongly condemn whatever the Pope has said. He has apologized, but we demand he should take back whatever he said in his statement.
In Jerusalem, hundreds gathered outside the al-Aqsa mosque following Friday's prayers at the start of Ramadan. Some carried signs that said conquering Rome is the only answer. Some clerics and religious scholars in Pakistan have called for the Pope's removal. Some more moderate Muslims say though the holy father's choice of words may have been unfortunate, this could be the divine intervention needed to start a solid dialogue among religious groups.
Abdullah Redoin (ph), an Italian Muslim leader, told us he thinks that god probably wanted this tension to create a better environment for cooperation and understanding. Here in Rome, Islamic faithful gathered at Europe's largest mosque for their traditional Friday prayers. While security at the Vatican has been tightened, the Pope is doing what he can to show he's not afraid, even riding around St. Peter's Square in an open Pope-mobile at his general audience on Wednesday. Some visitors who came to see the holy father offered him their support.
GARRY COX, AMERICAN TOURIST: I think what he has said has been enough. It was not an indication as to how he felt at all. I think it was a matter of quoting from a text, and he's made that clear and has apologized. So I think that's sufficient.
GALLAGHER: While the Pope has gone to great lengths to try and ease the anger felt by many Muslims, today the Vatican said he's prepared to go even further.
(on camera): It was announced today that the pope has invited Vatican ambassadors from Muslim countries, as well as prominent Italian Muslim leaders, to his summer residents at Castel Gandolfo. The purpose, to open a dial he says he's been wanting all along. That meeting is set for Monday.
Delia Gallagher, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROESGEN: Well, what goes into making a real diet plan, a diet plan that works, that you can live with? Coming up in the next hour, our fitness guru will give you some advice to make weight loss a reality for life.
LEMON: But first, would you give your healthy child human growth hormone just to make him a few inches taller? Up next, "House Call" explores a new treatment that could do just that and costs as much as a new house.
ROESGEN: And coming up at 10:00 Eastern in the "CNN NEWSROOM," dealing with an annoying co-worker. How do you it? We've got some advice.
And we want to hear from you about your office horror stories. E-mail us at WEEKENDS@CNN.com.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROESGEN: If you live in the Midwest or the mid-South, watch out. More rough weather expected today. The conditions are ideal for another round of thunderstorm and tornadoes and flooding.
Yesterday's line of storms affected communities all the way from Alabama to Illinois. And a woman struck by lightning so far is the only reported fatality.
So let's go to Reynolds Wolf now.
(WEATHER REPORT)
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