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Bad Weather Causes Destruction; Violence in Iraq; Missing White House E-Mails; Should There Be a Draft?

Aired April 14, 2007 - 11:00   ET

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

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
It is Saturday, April 14th.

Hello to you all on this Saturday.

I'm T.J. Holmes.

NGUYEN: Yes, good morning, everybody.

I'm Betty Nguyen.

We want to thank you about high winds, hail, even tornadoes, severe weather on the move at this hour. We are tracking the storms.

HOLMES: Also, chaos in Karbala. Two bombings in Iran, dozens killed. We're live with the latest from there.

NGUYEN: And maintaining the military with troops stretched thing.

Could we see the return of the draft?

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

If you're just waking up, take a good look. Powerful storms in the heartland, and they could be moving east. One death is reported in North Texas. Much of the damage was in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, where several stores and businesses were damaged.

High winds?

Well, they ripped the roof off of a grocery store. They also damaged several tractor-trailers. You see them there, just tossed around like toys. At least two tornadoes were spotted in the area.

Now, that same storm brought heavy snow farther north, producing whiteout conditions in parts of Kansas.

HOLMES: And that storm could be bringing tornadoes to the Southeast today.

CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider in the CNN Weather Center tracking all of this for us this morning.

Hello there -- Bonnie. BONNIE SCHNEIDER, ATS METEOROLOGIST: Hi, T.J. and Betty.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOLMES: All right, well, dozens of new civilian deaths to tell you about in Iraq today, following car bomb attacks in Baghdad and Karbala. The Karbala bomb exploding in a shopping area just 200 yards from a Shiite shrine. The Baghdad blast targeted a bridge over the Tigris River.

CNN's Kyra Phillips is there.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You can probably see by these pictures that we're just getting in from Iraqi television, it shows the hundreds of people that are crowded around the Karbala explosion. You can see emergency workers placing victims in ambulances and tending to the injured there.

This is what I can tell you right now with regard to the latest numbers. At least 43 people were killed in this explosion. Fifty- five were wounded.

What happened is there was a parked car bomb that exploded right there in the busy area of Karbala, a busy shopping area. People had just gathered for the beginning of the day to start their shopping here in the central area.

We can tell you, also, that this explosion happened not far from the Imam Hussein Holy Shrine. The background on that, it is where the grandson of Islam's Prophet Muhammad is buried. It's one of the most important areas for the Shiites.

So once again in Karbala, still 43 people have been dead, 55 wounded in that car bomb that exploded there.

Something else that we're learning that happened this morning, the second attack in two days on a popular bridge here in Iraq. This one at the Jadriya Bridge. It's usually a very crowded bridge. We're getting reports that 10 people were killed, 15 wounded, but not a lot of damage done to this bridge, like damage that was done to the Al- Sarafiya Bridge just two days ago. That explosion knocked that bridge out and people could not travel back and forth. A very historic bridge, a very important bridge to Iraqis.

Now, this second attack by extremists on this bridge not causing much damage, but killing 10 people.

There are 11 major bridges in Baghdad, so now U.S. troops and Iraqis will be taking a look at those other nine bridges, trying to prevent extremists from attacking that mode of transportation for Iraqis.

Kyra Phillips, CNN, Baghdad.

NGUYEN: Well, sharp words today, as President Bush defended his Iraqi policy. In his weekly radio address, the president attacked Democratic efforts to withdraw U.S. troops.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Democrats in Congress have spent the past 68 days pushing legislation that would undercut our troops. They passed bills that would impose restrictions on our military commanders and set an arbitrary date for withdrawal from Iraq, giving our enemies the victory they desperately want.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid responded with a written statement. Now, he accused the president of insisting on a failed strategy that has drawn U.S. troops into a civil war.

HOLMES: Well, you remember that panel that President Bush appointed to investigate the mess at Walter Reed?

That commission holding its first meeting this morning. The panel is led by former Senator Bob Dole and former Health & Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala. It's hearing testimony about substandard care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and problems throughout the veterans health care system.

NGUYEN: The White House on the defense today over e-mail.

First, word this week that a handful of staffers used Republican National Committee e-mail accounts for official White House business.

The implication?

Well, skirt a federal law requiring official records be archived.

And now, another bombshell -- e-mails from the official White House accounts -- millions of them -- seem to be missing.

White House correspondent Ed Henry on the e-mail trail.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

ED HENRY, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even as Democrats have Karl Rove in their sights over Republican National Committee e-mail that may have disappeared, fresh signs there could be a much bigger problem -- missing e-mail from the White House itself.

A new report by a liberal watchdog group charges that over a two year period, official White House e-mail traffic for hundreds of days have simply vanished, in possible violation of the federal Presidential Records Act.

MELANIE SLOAN, CITIZENS FOR RESPONSIBILITY & ETHICS: There were, between March of 2003 and October of 2005, apparently over five million e-mail that were not preserved. And these are e-mail on the regular White House server. HENRY: White House Spokeswoman Dana Perino stressed there is no indication the e-mails were intentionally lost. But she was careful not to dispute the group's allegations.

DANA PERINO, DEPUTY WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I'm not taking issue with their conclusions at this point. We're checking into them. And, again, you know, there's 1,700 people in the executive office of the president. Allegations that there could be days -- whole days missing -- and what I'm saying is we're looking into that.

HENRY: In fact, Patrick Fitzgerald, the special prosecutor in the CIA leak case, disclosed last year that some White House e-mails in 2003 were not saved, as standard procedure dictated. In a January 2006 letter to the defense team of former White House aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Fitzgerald wrote: "We advise you that we have learned that not all e-mail of the office of vice president and the executive office of president for certain time periods in 2003 was preserved through the normal archiving process on the White House computer system.

Democrats charge this raises questions about whether the public has gotten the full story on everything from the CIA leak case to the fired U.S. attorneys controversy.

SLOAN: Here is a White House that is deliberately violating an existing statute that requires them to preserve all records. And we have significant evidence now, both from the RNC e-mail and the White House e-mail that are missing, that the White House was using every means possible to avoid complying with the law.

HENRY (on camera): Robert Luskin, Karl Rove's personal attorney, told CNN that his client always believed the RNC e-mail was being archived and he did nothing wrong.

But as for White House e-mail, Luskin says he believes the special prosecutor that, in fact, there was a gap in White House official e-mail, a development that could ratchet the pressure on the administration.

Ed Henry, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

HOLMES: Oh, some taxing times at the White House. Not scandals, not e-mails, we're talking actual taxes this time. President and Mrs. Bush report their taxable income for 2006 topped $642,000. The tax bill came to $186,000. That's about a 28 percent tax rate.

The Bushes donated about $78,000 to charity, the volunteer fire department in Crawford, Texas, home to the Bush ranch, among those recipients.

And we all survived Friday the 13th. But that's nothing compared to Tuesday the 17th.

NGUYEN: Oh, yes. HOLMES: Yes, that is the tax deadline this year. Now, it's usually April 15th.

Why the change?

Well, the 15th is on a Sunday this year, then the 16th is a legal holiday in the nation's capital. So, your filing deadline is Tuesday. That means you've got two extra days this year.

NGUYEN: There you go.

A little good news.

And now for the bad, especially for folks waking up and dealing with these severe storms outside.

Let's get you straight over to CNN's Bonnie Schneider in the Severe Weather Center.

And things have been popping all morning long -- Bonnie.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: Well, even the secretary of state is weighing in on Don Imus. Find out what she's saying.

HOLMES: Also, in this age of video games, what's the best way to recruit new soldiers?

NGUYEN: Plus, the labor savers of tomorrow may be getting their test runs today. We'll take you live to a competition where robots are the stars.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, the offensive comment by former radio talk show host Don Imus is drawing reaction from the highest ranking African- American woman in the U.S. government. That's Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She says the remark about the Rutgers women's basketball team was disgusting.

In an interview on talk radio, the basket -- she said the basketball players were showing that they are really fine athletes, playing under extraordinary pressure. And she said their deeds were ruined by Imus' disgusting remark.

Meanwhile, a CNN/Opinion Research poll finds most Americans think Imus' remarks were offensive, but blacks and whites differ on how they view the talk show host himself. More than half of blacks consider Imus a racist. Only about a third of whites feel that same way.

NGUYEN: Well, many say Imus is getting a bad rap for something hip-hop artists do every day, and particularly when they talk about black women.

CNN's Tom Foreman looks at the question of double standards. (BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you were disturbed by what Imus said, cover your ears.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, COURTESY SHADY/AFTERMATH)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You gonna back that thing up or should I push (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: Top selling rap artists use the same words all the time, glorifying violence, drugs, promiscuity and denigrating women.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, COURTESY SHADY/AFTERMATH)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I need a (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: Imus was fired.

But listen to what people close to the hip-hop world are saying about rappers.

CORY "COCO BROTHER" CONDREY, HOST OF SPIRIT OF HIP-HOP RADIO ONE: I think what has to happen is we've got to actually stand with him, you know?

Not beat him upside the head, not judge him, but just stand with him and actually walk with him.

FOREMAN: Russell Simmons, the legendary music producer, issued this statement: "Hip-hop is a worldwide cultural phenomenon that transcends race and doesn't engage in racial slurs. We are concerned by the false comparisons between Don Imus and hip-hop. Hip-hop artists rap about what they see, hear and feel around them."

But researchers say rappers are also shaping their world. A study by the Prevention Research Center, which studies health issues, found that young fans of rap and hip-hop are more likely to have problems with alcohol, drugs and violence. And the Black Youth Project at the University of Chicago found that African-American kids themselves overwhelmingly say rap songs portray black women in offensive ways.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, COURTESY SHADY/AFTERMATH)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll let you lick your lollipop.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FOREMAN: So others are now asking, should Imus be the only one held accountable for airing such words? MICHAEL HARRISON, "TALKERS" MAGAZINE: Why don't we fire all the executives at all the record companies who have been signing and promoting all of these rap artists who have been saying these insulting words about African-Americans and women for all these years?

PAUL PORTER, INDUSTRYEARS.COM: No doubt about it, we should hold everybody accountable. And most of the times, the thing that always gets -- gets overlooked is the corporations. I mean corporations are the ones who are profiting from this.

FOREMAN: If the issue was Don Imus and a few ill-chosen words, the story is done. But if the issue is many others saying the same words and worse to much bigger audiences, the story is just beginning.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

NGUYEN: "RELIABLE SOURCES" turns a critical lens on radio host Don Imus' controversial remarks and the subsequent media firestorm. You don't want to miss it. "RELIABLE SOURCES," tomorrow morning at 10:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.

HOLMES: Well, a second round of surgery underway this hour for New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine. He's in critical condition after his SUV slammed into a guardrail on the Garden State Parkway Thursday. By all accounts, the governor was not wearing a seatbelt. The violent impact tossed Corzine from the front passenger seat into the back.

Today's surgery to clean a wound caused when his thigh bone punched through the skin. The governor facing months of rehabilitation for multiple broken bones. We do expect a briefing from Corzine's doctors at the top of the hour. You can see that live here on CNN.

NGUYEN: Well, this may not surprise you. There is ice on Lake Superior. But, that doesn't tell the whole story of what is happening to the water underneath.

HOLMES: Also, as U.S. soldiers spend more time overseas, is it time to reconsider a draft?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Chess champ and now political activist Gary Kasparov detained in Moscow. Police arrested him when he tried to lead a march against the Putin government. Moscow's mayor says all protests in the city are banned. Kasparov is taking a more political role in Russia these days, as a fierce, fierce critic of President Putin.

NGUYEN: So, if you just imagine this -- stick your big toe in, you probably couldn't tell. But the Great Lakes are getting warmer. Of greatest concern, Lake Superior, among the world's largest freshwater lakes.

CNN's Keith Oppenheim reports from Duluth, Minnesota. (BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

KEITH OPPENHEIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Look at the waves of ice on Lake Superior and probably the last thing you'd think about is global warming.

JAY AUSTIN, OCEANOGRAPHER: I'm just going to put them back on.

OPPENHEIM: But talk to oceanographer Jay Austin, and suddenly you realize that secrets lie beneath.

AUSTIN: The rates of change in Superior are some of the fastest rates of temperature change that, to my knowledge, have been observed anywhere in the world.

OPPENHEIM: Austin analyzed government data from three buoys across Lake Superior, which measured water temperature since 1979. Austin crunched the numbers with geologist Steve Coleman.

STEVE COLEMAN, GEOLOGIST: What astounded us when we first discovered it was that the water temperatures were warming faster than the air temperatures around them.

OPPENHEIM: In fact, in roughly 25 years, Lake Superior's water temperatures went up 4.5 degrees, almost twice as much as the air temperature.

These scientists believe warmer air is melting the lake's ice cover earlier, ice that normally keeps heat away from the water.

AUSTIN: As you take that ice away, you allow more heat into the lake earlier in the season.

OPPENHEIM: Adam Luck, a fisherman, wonders whether warming water could have a profound impact.

ADAM LUCK, FISHERMAN: A lot of to fish in the lake, you know, they're cold water fish. They like the colder temperature. And the raise in the water temperature has got to affect the fish.

OPPENHEIM: Indeed, some scientists say warmer water in Superior could be an invitation to predatory fish, like Asian carp, fish that normally can't stand Superior's cold, but thrive elsewhere and wreak havoc on habitat.

Other concerns?

Warmer water could mean stormier weather, more evaporation and less water, which could make it tougher for ships to carry full loads.

MELANIE NAPOLEON, SHEDD AQUARIUM: If this trend continues over time, we're going to see a really different place than the place that we're used to.

OPPENHEIM: But some scientists say climate change here isn't necessarily bad. (on camera): Is it possible that warming water here could mean more fish?

COLEMAN: It could mean better reproduction, yes, for some of the species, certainly.

OPPENHEIM: This is a view of Lake Superior on the rocks, if you will, and cold and chilly as it looks, scientists here are telling us that if trends continue, there could be little to no nice cover on Lake Superior by the year 2040, just 33 years away.

In Duluth, Minnesota, I'm Keith Oppenheim, reporting.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

HOLMES: Storms leaving a trail of damage across the South today. We'll get an update on what's ahead for your area. That is just ahead.

NGUYEN: Also this -- how can the U.S. military convince more young people to volunteer?

We're going to look at the high tech tools that are getting a tryout.

HOLMES: And Don Imus isn't the only celebrity to get in trouble for something he said. Find out the price some others have paid.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Here is what's happening right now.

At least 56 people are dead, nearly 80 wounded, in two car bombings in Iraq. The deadliest attack was at a crowded shopping area in Karbala. The second blast, a bridge in Baghdad.

U.S. interests in Morocco targeted by suicide bombers. The men blew themselves up near the American Language Center in Casablanca, slightly injuring a woman. Police have arrested three people, including the leader of a militant cell.

HOLMES: A dangerous storm system moving into the Southeast today. It's blamed for at least one death and a lot of damage in Northern Texas, mostly in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. A church in suburban Haltom City was destroyed. And here is an I-Report video from Saginaw, Texas, also in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're as big as golf balls.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, they're bigger than that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: They're bigger than that -- he's referring to hail that's coming down. The size, you can -- what?

They were saying about the size of an egg, maybe up to the size of a baseball. Lee Bendix (ph) took these dramatic pictures for us. You can hear the tornado sirens wailing there in the background and that hail hitting the ground.

NGUYEN: Well, let's find out where this weather system has moved onto, because it is still in play this morning.

Let's check in with CNN's Bonnie Schneider -- hi, there.

SCHNEIDER: Hi, Betty and T.J.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: All right, Bonnie, thank you for that.

The military has boots to fill and it's using two things sure to get the attention of 18-year-olds, money and video games. CNN national correspondent Bob Franken shows us.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's nothing like an action-packed video game to attract high school kids and the United States army is using one of its own called America's Army to give potential recruits a chance to get a make-believe taste of the real action that awaits if they join up. And even with the continuing news of extreme danger and personal hardship, the military has still been able thus far to meet its recruiting goals, which is vital for one basic reason.

LT. GEN. JAMES LOVELACE, U.S. ARMY: We have this wonderful thing called the all-volunteer force.

FRANKEN: And it's getting really expensive to maintain that volunteer force. hundreds of millions for advertising, bonuses that can go up to $40,000, education benefits. Some complain it's money not well-spent.

REP. CHARLES RANGEL (D) NEW YORK: We have never heard the president of the United States or the commander in chief make any argument in appealing to the people to enlist because it's the patriotic thing to do. Instead of that, they offer $40,000 bonus, $70,000 of education.

FRANKEN: But there is little doubt the selling job will get more difficult with the news that combat tours have gone up from 12 to 15 months. This raises the inevitable question, is it time to consider a draft? Most consider that politically impossible.

SEN. JOHN WARNER (R) VIRGINIA: I do not in any way believe that the Congress would step forward and institute a draft. Not under the present circumstances.

FRANKEN: So in the quest for volunteers, if video games create interest, then recruiters will utilize them.

(on-camera): Still, the military has to confront the grim reality. General Sherman did not say war was a game. He said war is hell. Bob Franken, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: We've been asking you all morning, do you feel the U.S. should reinstate the draft? Veronica de la Cruz joins us now with some of your e-mails. Hello again.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN.COM: T.J., we've received an overwhelming amount of e-mails, I must just such a strong response to this question. Unfortunately we can't read all of them, but we'd like to share a couple with you. This one from Judy in Chicago who said, it is past time to reinstate the draft with no exceptions, gay, straight, married, single, student, laborer. Until every American has a personal stake in this ghastly war of choice, it will never end. With the return of the draft, we will see anger in this country that will make Vietnam protests look like a pep rally.

And this e-mail from Marian Hawkins who writes, I agree to bring back the draft. I am one who has experienced the pain and loss of a young loved one in the war. No problem for most of you who disagree to ride on the backs and swim in the blood of those who fight and died for your freedom.

David in Idaho says not for this unnecessary war. I'm a U.S. Navy veteran and clearly remember September 11th. I give my deepest support to our troops, but this war has nothing to do with 9/11. I think the idiots that put us in this war should supply their family members to cover any shortage of soldiers, sailors and Marines.

And this from Stan Carter in Florida who says, make it illegal to not fight any legal war -- hilarious. This country is a time bomb ready to go off. A draft would be the perfect fuse. Yes, please make our day.

And then from Pam who teaches middle school in the Midwest, she says, 9/11 had nothing to do with Iraq. Getting into this war was the result of a lie. It's bad enough that we are losing the fine young men of our volunteer services, drafting young people to particular in a evil deed is unthinkable.

Now, since 7:00 this morning, we'd like to take a look at the quick vote. Lots of you have voted, at least 20,000 of you. Taking a look at the results right now, 28,764 of you have voted. Thirty seven percent of you are saying yes, the United States should reinstate the military draft; 63 percent of you are saying no, the United States should not reinstate that draft. Again, you can also continue sending your e-mail to us at weekends@cnn.com. You can also log on to cnn.com to cast your vote. T.J. and Betty.

NGUYEN: So will taking supplements actually help you live to be 10 0 years old? Would you want to live to be 100 years old. Some people may not. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has some answers. That's later in the NEWSROOM.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And it's kooky, it's crazy, it's are a little weird and it's a lot of fun. It's also very impressive. We're talking about the 2007 robotic competition live at the Georgia Dome. We're going to bring you the very latest coming up in just a few moments right here on CNN Saturday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Love the music. All right. Strange things are happening just a short distance from our CNN studios right here in Atlanta. High school students, science students to be exact, from all over the world are involved in a unique competition using robots that they build, you know, Mr. Roboto in our own - Mr. Roboto, Reynolds Wolf joins us next door at the Georgia Dome. I don't guess you run into your -- there he is doing the robotic. That actually is the robot dance. It's very good. Have you run into your robotic replacement just yet Reynolds?

WOLF: Not yet.

NGUYEN: Good.

WOLF: I'm not even thinking about that right now. I'm thinking about just the children all across the world that were actually tuning in watching me do the robot that have now fled for their lives, just running as fast as they can.

NGUYEN: The crying babies out there.

WOLF: No question about it. You know what's -- the robot itself is probably one of the worst dances ever created. However, the creations that these kids have put together here at the 2007 Firs Robotics competition are just amazing, absolutely incredible. Let me give you a little bit of a background of what's happening here. Then you're going to get a chance to meet one of the great contestants that we have here today.

It all started six weeks ago for kids not just nationwide, but worldwide. They all began with essentially the same kit of tools, basic elements to build a machine. They were given the tools, that's true, but they were also given just incredible ingenuity, imagination and just teamwork that helped put these great machines together. A couple of things about the machines. They can't weigh more than 120 pounds excluding the bumper and the battery. And then they have a certain task. And this certain competition, what they have to do is pick up these inner tubes and actually put them on the spokes of a structure that's in the middle of the arena.

What's interesting also is that they can't win alone by going it alone. They have to use teamwork, not just within their own team structure, but also with teams across the planet. So they might be going head-to-head against teams from Novi (ph) Michigan or perhaps maybe a place like Atlanta, Georgia, but in the next round, the people who they were competing against are then their team members. So it really does accomplish the whole idea of team, sportsmanship. It's a wonderful combination of ideas. One person who's been here not just one, not just two years, but he's been here three years is Adam Horne. He comes to us from Palm Harbor, Florida. Get over here. Look at this guy. How are you doing?

ADAM HORNE, ROBOTICS CONTESTANT: I'm doing pretty good.

WOLF: This is the third year you've been doing this. What is it that keeps bringing you back here year after year?

HORNE: What keeps bringing me back is just, it's just a lot of fun that we have. It's amazing building such an awesome piece of machinery in six weeks and we just have a great time doing it. It's just amazing.

WOLF: Now, Palm Harbor is certainly a great place and you've met people from all kinds of other great places. Tell me about some the far-reaching places from where you've had people.

HORNE: We've had met people from Israel. There's a couple teams there. There's a couple teams from Brazil. There's a couple teams from the Netherlands, just all across the world. We got a team here from Hawaii. It's just really awesome. We have everyone coming from all over the place to be here in Atlanta.

WOLF: The common bond is just creativity and teamwork and the -- the ideas, the designs you come up with are just remarkable. The same can be said for your spiky hair. Where did this come from? Where did the idea for your hair come from?

HORNE: Well, I wanted to do something crazy for the national competition so I told my mom I wanted her to cut me a Mohawk Monday before we left. So did that and decided to spray some blue hair paint on it.

WOLF: Blue hair paint, so that's not your natural hair color.

HORNE: No that's not my natural hair color.

WOLF: OK. Well, now we know the truth. Now the truth comes out. Tell us a little bit about your robot that you made.

HORNE: Our robot, we're an offensive robot and we score on the spider legs over there. We like to pick them up, the inner tubes from the ground and we put them in our claw and then move around and hang them.

WOLF: Incredible. And you know what? I wish you were able to actually see how incredible this machine is. It's just one of the best ones that we've seen here today. This guy has a bright future. He's going to be a senior next year and then he's headed off to the University of central Florida. How about those Golden Knights? All right. There you go. Good luck in the rest of the competition. One of many geniuses. I'm telling you, the next Thomas Edison. The next T.J. may be here.

NGUYEN: Whoa. WOLF: And also the next Betty. It's very possible.

NGUYEN: That's true, although the hair on that guy, that's an engineering feat as it is. Quickly though, can you give us one more sample of the robot because you did it so well just minutes ago.

See, Betty, the objective of our morning show is to attract viewers, not to repel them. So I think I'm going to step back and refrain from that.

NGUYEN: If this doesn't work out for you, can always be a back- up dancer. You're so good at it. Thank you, Reynolds.

HOLMES: Reynolds, thanks. We'll see you, buddy.

All right. Stay with us here, folks. We're keeping on eye on this serious situation here, the accident that Governor Corzine of New Jersey was involved in. We're expecting an update at the top of the hour from his doctors about his condition, reportedly had another surgery this morning. We're going to be monitoring that. Stay here with CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All week, our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta is reporting on decisions you make every day that may add or subtract healthy years from your life. It's the focus of his new book, "Chasing Life" along with a special this weekend on CNN. And right now, Dr. Gupta looks at popping pills for nutrition.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're about to meet a couple eager to live a long time. Who doesn't? They want to do it with the help of diet supplements that they take every day. It's a multi billion dollar industry. The promise, to convert the good stuff in our food into a pill. But do they really work? Every morning, Dr. Frank Pinto pops not one supplement, not two, not three, not even four, but 25 different pills from alphalathoric (ph) acid to zinc. Dr. Pinto is a dermatologist in Tipton, Georgia. His wife, Rosemary, is a family therapist.

ROSEMARY PINTO, SUPPLEMENT USER: It's really important to me to stay young. I'm six years older than my husband. So I feel a responsibility to stay young, physically, emotionally, mentally.

DR. FRANK PINTO, SUPPLEMENT USER: There's no way to halt the aging process. It's going to happen. People like myself and Rosemary that embark on a program like this, I think that we all, we want to age gracefully.

GUPTA: They try to eat well. They exercise and when afternoon rolls around, more pills. All tolled, the Pintos each swallow more than 40 different supplements every day. You could say it's a leap of faith. The Federal government says Americans spend several billion dollars a year on dietary supplements and yet the National Institute on Aging doesn't specifically recommend any supplement. Here are just two examples from the "Journal of the American Medical Association." Does ginkgo help memory? Probably not. Echinacea to fight colds, doesn't work. You've heard of antioxidants. People who eat lots of fruits and vegetables that are rich in antioxidants are less likely to get cancer and they tend to live longer. But one recent study found that taking antioxidants like vitamin A and E in pill form might actually be harmful. Studies have shown that a good diet, not pills, is the safest and best way to stay healthy. Frank Pinto agrees.

F. PINTO: If don't eat properly and you don't get any exercise, taking all of the supplements is kind of a waste.

GUPTA: But he's not about to give up the pills. Now the Pintos have been at this routine for about a year. They really do hope that by taking so many supplements today, they won't be weighed down by medical problems like diabetes and vascular disease in their older years. Big uncertainties, though, whether or not it's really doing anything at all for them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: And you can catch Dr. Sanjay Gupta, "Chasing Life" special tonight at 8:00 Eastern. That is going to be right here on CNN.

NGUYEN: Right now, the NEWSROOM will continue at the top of the hour with Fredricka Whitfield, Hi, there, Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you guys this Saturday. The prayers are being said out of New Jersey for the New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine as he's recovering from his terrible accident taking place earlier in the week. In the noon Eastern hour, we'll get an update from the hospital.

Meantime, presidential candidate Barack Obama the center of a rally scheduled for Atlanta at Georgia Tech. His grass roots campaign is being taken to the college campus. We'll update you on all that is taking place there.

And our 2:00 p.m. hour, our residential legal experts will be talking about this case. They saw it coming. That's the criminal charges against these three Duke lacrosse players would be dropped. Well, now our legal experts weigh in on exactly what is in store for the district attorney who is taking much of the blame for that case crumbling apart.

HOLMES: Now he's in some legal trouble.

WHITFIELD: He really is. He's facing some ethics charges and who knows where it goes from there? (INAUDIBLE)

NGUYEN: Thank you, Fred.

HOLMES: We'll see you at the top of the hour. Thank you and stick around here folks. We are just taking a quick break. We are right back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, we've got a couple of live events that we want to show you right now. Check this out in Atlanta, Georgia at this hour. Barack Obama is scheduled to speak on the campus of Georgia Tech and many have come out for this. Again, Obama is running for president and he is in town as part of a campaign rally there. And of course, we'll bring that speech to you when he takes to the microphone in the next hour.

HOLMES: Also, something else we're keeping an eye on today, the condition of the New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine who was involved in an accident of course, serious injuries, a lot of broken bones, another surgery he had this morning. We're expecting an update on his condition straight up at noon. We're going to be monitoring that and something else you can expect to hear from us here in the noon hour as well.

NGUYEN: Also, this. You've got to check this out. Have you ever hit the gas when you meant to hit the brake?

HOLMES: Yeah. This is what happens when you do that. Everything looks cools, but just wait for it and there it is. That's what happens. Somebody did it. Hit the wrong thing, hit the gas, wound up in a store. This is in Louisville, Ohio. Police say the driver was leaving a parking lot across the street when she collided with another car and then a few fancy steps later, bam right into the T & T store. That stands for TV appliances and tanning.

NGUYEN: We don't really get the connection. Maybe you can get a tan while watching television. Not so sure.

HOLMES: Police say nobody was hurt here which is a good thing.

NGUYEN: Definitely is good news, but check this out. This next video was no accident. Whoa. Look at this. This is in (INAUDIBLE) Alabama on Easter Sunday, no less. The car travels 50 feet inside a pharmacy. Then you see a guy start running out. And yet another coming in with some kind of mask on his head. Police say it was a smash and grab attempt. Two men planning to steal narcotics, but get this, the drugs were secured. You couldn't get to them. Should have thought about that. The pharmacy owner is installing steel pipes out front to discourage another attempt just like this one.

HOLMES: What is that on his head?

NGUYEN: I have no idea.

HOLMES: Hazmat thing. That's what we have for you right now. That's it for Betty and me actually, but CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Fredricka Whitfield.

WHITFIELD: A tornado in Texas and more severe storms are on the move right now. We'll tell you where they're headed.

Also, Senator Barack Obama on the campaign trail. We'll hear from the presidential hopeful live this hour.

And following the firing of Don Imus, how will this impact other radio shock jocks? News unfolding live this Saturday, April 14. I'm Fredricka Whitfield and you are in the NEWSROOM.

Shocking damage and death in north Texas, the aftermath of a powerful storm including a possible tornado battered parts of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Among the widespread damage, a Baptist church wiped out. Officials report at least two people killed. Jim Douglas of our affiliate WFAA has more.

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