Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Many Couples Marrying on 7/7/07; Infant Dies in Hot SUV; Wells for the World; John Mark Karr Arrested
Aired July 07, 2007 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: Hey, there. From the CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM. It is Saturday, July 7th. That's right, 7-7-07, a very lucky day, 10 a.m. here in Atlanta.
Good morning, everybody. You getting married? A lot of people are. If not, you're probably headed to a wedding today. I'm Betty Nguyen.
T.J. HOLMES, ANCHOR, CNN NEWSROOM: And I'm T.J. Holmes. So far, so good. It's been a lucky day.
But straight ahead in the NEWSROOM, a father speaks out about an unbearable loss.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know how she could possibly forget a kid for five hours, asleep or not. You know, you can't do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: A toddler dies when he's left in a locked car for five hours.
NGUYEN: And we hear about it every year.
And as the West sweats it out, that triple-digit heat is starting to move east. We're going to take a closer look at which states will feel the summer sizzle. That is next.
HOLMES: Hey, we've got music with a message, as Live Earth concerts rock around the world.
NGUYEN: And a lot of people are rolling dice and tying the knot today in some very unusual ways. We're going to tell you what's going on. That is ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.
HOLMES: We're going to start by talking about this scorching heat. And it's easing a bit in the western states, but you can't tell. If 115 is easing a bit, you probably can't even notice that it's easing.
It is dangerously hot in a lot of places. People are baking in triple-digit temperatures in at least seven western states.
And, of course, you know what that means. People naturally want to crank up the air conditioning, and that's causing transformers to overheat and, of course, taxing electrical grids.
The heat is also making it tough for firefighters battling dozens of brush fires across California and Nevada.
NGUYEN: Well, a parent's nightmare. Authorities say two toddlers died after being locked in cars for hours.
One case involves a 2-year-old boy in Iowa. The child's 18-year- old uncle charged with child endangerment.
Now, the other case involves a 1-year-old boy in Idaho. Want to get some details now on that from Annie Bishop of our affiliate, KXLY.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
ANNIE BISHOP, KXLY-TV REPORTER, OROFINO, IDAHO (voice-over): With his rosy cheeks and contagious smile, 15-month-old Patrick Jerome, Jr., was precious.
PATRICK GRABER, FATHER: And he was just so cute and so full of life, I don't know how you could possibly forget him.
There's just - he was a kid you never forgot.
BISHOP: He was already walking, and just starting to talk.
GRABER: He knew how to say "bottle," and he was starting, when you told him you loved him, he was starting to say "I love you, too," back.
BISHOP: Patrick Graber named his first son after him. On Wednesday, Graber experienced what no parent is ever prepared for.
GRABER: My heart dropped. I called my wife. I called my mom. They came down there.
BISHOP (on camera): Baby Patrick was inside an SUV parked along this street. It's the main street through Orofino. He was in that SUV for five hours, until a co-worker of his dad's walked by, saw him inside the car and called 911.
GRABER: Checked all the doors. All the doors and windows were up and locked.
And she just stood there and waited for the police to show up.
BISHOP (voice-over): When police arrived, they broke out a window. It was too late. Patrick, Jr., was already dead.
It was 93 degrees in Orofino on Wednesday - much, much hotter inside the SUV.
Rita Johnston, the baby's step-grandmother, was watching him that day. She was visiting a friend inside this house when she told police she fell asleep.
She's now charged with involuntary manslaughter and injury to a child.
Graber is still in disbelief and left with so many questions.
GRABER: I don't know how she could possibly forget a kid for five hours, asleep or not. That - no, can't do that.
BISHOP: He finds strength knowing his little boy may someday save another child's life.
GRABER: It's hurtful that he's gone. But I just want to get his name out there, so this doesn't happen to anybody else, ever again.
(END VIDEO)
HOLMES: Oh, that is a tough story to listen to.
We're going to move on to some weather happening here in the U.S. now, and signs this morning that the heavy rains and flooding across Texas and the Midwest finally starting to taper off.
In Texas, two more weather-related deaths have been confirmed there.
Oklahoma is finally getting a break this morning, as flood waters begin to recede. In northeast Oklahoma alone, flood damage there could be in the millions.
NGUYEN: So, we have flooding. We have dangerous heat.
Reynolds, these are two topics that we've been talking about a lot lately. When it is going to end?
REYNOLDS WOLF, METEOROLOGIST, CNN WEATHER CENTER: You know, we should get a little bit of a break in terms of the flooding for the latter half of the weekend. Texas not completely out of the woods just yet. South Texas could see a little bit of flooding, mainly south of San Antonio, down to Brownsville. That is an area of concern for us.
But one place that was really, really hit hard by the flooding, just over the past couple of days, was in Tyler, Texas. And we've got the iReports to prove it. Take a look at some of these images that we have for you - just unbelievable.
You see the roadway leading up to a building, just completely washed out. And we were lucky enough to have Jay Schulz with us. Jay Schulz is the fellow that took these images.
Jay, are you with us?
JAY SCHULZ, IREPORTER, TYLER, TEXAS (by phone): Yes, I am.
WOLF: Jay, give us some background on the story. Tell me about where you were, how these were taken, and who these people were who were in these vehicles. SCHULZ: Well, we were - it was early yesterday, and we were at the office. And one of the workers came in and said that his truck - or his car - had just been washed down the creek.
So, I hopped in my truck and went to see what was going on. And when I got down there, there was a blue truck - the one that you just showed a few minutes ago ...
WOLF: Sure.
SCHULZ: ... had already driven into the creek and was sitting there. And the driver was OK on that particular one.
And the two passengers that were in a white car that had already washed down the creek, they were both OK, as well.
But the road had washed out. It was early in the morning. And they couldn't see that the road was washed out and drove right into the creek after it had washed out.
WOLF: Well, add a little bit more to these images, if you can, verbally. We see one image that shows just the truck. If we can go back to that image, folks. Let's go back to it. Control room, I don't know if you can hear me.
There's a shot of the truck trying to - it looks as though there might have been a bridge there at one point. There it is.
Was that actually just a low-lying area? Was there actually some kind of structure there at one point, Jay?
SCHULZ: No, there wasn't a structure. It was that the road went on over there, and there was two - you can't see them in this particular picture, but there's two big culverts that are underneath it, big steel culverts, that are both about 2.5 feet ...
WOLF: Sure.
SCHULZ: ... in dimension.
And so, those just completely washed out.
And then the truck there - you can see he was coming from that opposite direction, and apparently flew off the road and then hit the embankment on the other side.
And then the boy that you see in the black sweater, he was the one that was driving the truck. And those are his parents and a firefighter with them, looking at it after they had already been - after he had already gone and called his parents.
WOLF: Very, very lucky to be there on dry land, and safe.
The truck - my goodness, though - those things can be death traps in flooding situations like this. Did you ask him, if he happened to see the water going over the road? Or was he blinded by heavy rainfall, and they just went over? Or did he think the water wasn't that deep?
What circumstances do we have here that led to this?
SCHULZ: I actually did not get a chance to talk to him, because I was on the other side of the creek and couldn't get across and talk to him.
But apparently - it was heavy rain at that particular time. We had had about 4.5 to five inches that night. And we've already had 45 inches for the year. And it had been raining all week.
So, it rained for about four or five hours, all night long. And then it - there was just extreme flooding all over Tyler and in the East Texas area. All the lakes are way above their spillway level. So, it's a mess here right now.
And then the white car had driven in earlier and had floated down the stream. And they were on the other side of the creek, as well, and it didn't stop him from driving in as he approached. So, that's why he went in, after the white car that you're showing right there had already gone in and then floated down the creek.
WOLF: I see.
SCHULZ: Two people in that car, and they both got out OK, as well.
WOLF: Well, thank heavens for that. That's the most important thing. Cars can be replaced, but people cannot. That's for sure.
Jay, thanks so much for your contribution.
And folks, again, we're going to see most of that rain now move away from Texas and into parts of the Southeast where they need it, into Alabama and Georgia.
Coming up, we're going to talk more about this heat wave that is moving from parts of the Southwest into the Central Plains, and eventually to the eastern seaboard towards the beginning of the work week.
Let's send it back to the news desk for now.
NGUYEN: So, it's headed our way. OK.
WOLF: It sure is.
NGUYEN: Thank you, Reynolds.
We want to turn you now to Iraq. An attack north of Baghdad killed as many as 25 Iraqis this morning. A suicide car bomb targeted a crowded market, and at least 50 others were injured. The U.S. military is announcing the deaths of six more service members, five of them killed in bomb attacks in and around Baghdad. Twelve U.S. troops have died in Iraq in just the last 48 hours.
And 3,602 have been killed since the beginning of the war.
Now, some video here of what looks like to be the aftermath of a British offensive in Basra. We're going to try to get that up for you today.
British troops, using tanks and aircraft in the raids. One soldier was killed by a roadside bomb. More than 150 British soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the start of the war.
A court appearance this morning for the first man charged in last week's British terror plot. Iraqi doctor, Bilal Abdulla, is charged with conspiring to cause explosions. He's the only one of eight suspects charged so far.
In court, Abdulla gave only his name and address. Abdulla was in the Jeep Cherokee that crashed into a terminal building at the Glasgow International Airport.
HOLMES: And terror attacks certainly on the minds of many Londoners today. It's the second anniversary of the deadly attacks on the London transit system - Underground stations and one of London's signature double-decker buses attacked.
New prime minister, Gordon Brown, laying a wreath today at the King's Cross Station. More than 50 people died in the July 7th bombings.
You can get a closer look at the British terror investigation on CNN's "This Week At War." Host Tom Foreman also has an in-depth comparison between the war in Iraq and Vietnam. "This Week At War" comes your way tonight at 7 Eastern.
NGUYEN: Well, in Pakistan there's been an explosion and an intense standoff at a mosque. Look at that.
Intelligence sources tell CNN that Pakistani forces targeted a fuel tank inside that mosque and triggered an explosion heard all across Islamabad.
The standoff, it began on Tuesday, when about 150 militant students attacked a police checkpoint close to the mosque. And since then, more than 12 - or two dozen people - have died. The latest casualties, two students who tried to surrender yesterday. Pakistani intelligence say that they were shot to death by other students.
HOLMES: The president of Nigeria avowing (ph) that kidnappers hold a 3-year-old British girl. Her mother says the toddler is under threat of death and living just on bread and water. She says she's received phone calls from the kidnappers.
Gunmen snatched the little girl on her way to school on Thursday. There have been more than 200 kidnappings in Nigeria's southern oil region.
NGUYEN: The concern about potentially tainted toothpaste from China - it is spreading to Massachusetts. Health officials have issued warnings about any toothpaste labeled "Made in China," any toothpaste labeled "Colgate, Made in South Africa," and toothpaste without English language labeling.
All of this after suspicious products were found in nearly a dozen communities. Last month, the FDA said toothpaste from China and counterfeit Colgate toothpaste may contain a chemical used in antifreeze.
I want to tell you about this, though, because in Panama, a prosecutor says 83 deaths have been linked to the chemical in tainted toothpaste made in Panama.
HOLMES: An announcement from the Vatican this morning makes it official. The sound of Latin is welcome back in mass.
Use of Latin had been abandoned after Vatican reforms in the 1960s. The pope's decree is seen as a bid to end the decades-old split between traditionalists, who support Latin, and reformers.
NGUYEN: Crime and tourism in New Orleans.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't want to appear like we're callous. And all we're concerned about is whether the tourists are safe. It's important that everybody is safe in New Orleans.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And we're going to take a closer look at the Big Easy's unease.
NGUYEN: All right. She is rocking and T.J. is bouncing to the beat. Rocking the world and raising awareness. We'll take you live to the Meadowlands. Whoa, Shakira, keep it on, keep it on.
HOLMES: Read slowly, Betty.
NGUYEN: We're going to take you there to the Meadowlands, as I said, for a preview - as if you had not seen enough. There is more to come. Shake it - right here on Earth Day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It sounds like little claws on your house. You've got to make sure you don't leave any doors open, because they'll get inside.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And then what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then you've got to chase them to get them out. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: We gave up the Shakira video for this?
NGUYEN: Are those crabs?
HOLMES: I believe so. You know, they've got the running of the bulls, but the running of the crabs to show you here.
And we've got that animal adventure coming up, plus the Shakira video, as well. That's a little later, here in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We've got music with a message happening today. No music playing here on this stage currently. But about 150 artists taking part in Live Earth.
NGUYEN: See? You ask, and they deliver.
HOLMES: You know, that's how it's supposed to work - 7-7-07, lucky day.
NGUYEN: Lucky day.
HOLMES: I just got lucky there. These shows are happening around the world today. They're getting ready for one of the smaller shows. That's a picture you're looking at there in Washington, right now.
NGUYEN: And on request, by T.J. Holmes, of course, that is Shakira, shaking it in Hamburg.
HOLMES: Oh, goodness!
NGUYEN: And a few other moves there in the show. And one in London going on right now with stars like Madonna, Pussycat Dolls and a Genesis reunion.
HOLMES: All right. A little clip there. One performance by a pretty unique group here.
A band made up of scientists from the normally isolated Rothera Research Station in Antarctica. So, they're jamming in Antarctica.
NGUYEN: On an iceberg, no less.
HOLMES: In Antarctica, as well. No Shakira there performing with them.
Of course, as you all know by now, Gore is asking everybody to participate in this today, to do seven special things, really - a seven-point pledge, if you will. Want them to do it online, to help raise awareness.
These concerts - what, every continent is covered. NGUYEN: All seven continents. But there are, what, 11 concerts total.
HOLMES: Eleven concerts.
NGUYEN: So, there's plenty of opportunity. We're going to be showing it all day on CNN. You can get it on pipeline, cnn.com. Plenty of places there.
I think most importantly, though, the message is what they're trying to send. It's not about raising money. It's about raising awareness.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN DOT-COM DESK: And really impressive that they've got these events going on in places like Antarctica ...
HOLMES: Yes, even there.
DE LA CRUZ: ... Kyoto.
NGUYEN: Right.
DE LA CRUZ: I mean, it's just - it's crazy. It's crazy, if you think about.
NGUYEN: In Sydney, Johannesburg, all these places.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes. But you know what? Let's just go ahead and take you to cnn.com, because there we have posted all the links of everything that you might need in case that you wanted to find out more about today's big event, today's big worldwide event.
One of the links takes you directly to liveearth.org. If you can't make it to the concert, take a look. You can actually check out any of the events happening live around the world online.
We're going to take a look at a concert. This is happening right now. This is live. You can find this if you click on one of the world feeds.
Also, at liveearth.org, you can get a bunch of tools and resources, including an online calculator that helps you measure your carbon footprint.
In three minutes, you can measure your score by answering really simple questions, like how much you pay a month when it comes to your electric bill, your natural gas bill, so on and so forth.
Also, some of the artists have been blogging, including John Mayer. In his blog he says, "I woke up this morning with hope, excitement. Live Earth is taking place in 48 hours, and I'm starting to feel the first ripples of what could become a revolution."
So, again, just log on to cnn.com. Search the word "Live Earth," and that will give you all the information that you need.
So, again, pretty impressive. And what's also impressive is that the two of you have tied the knot. And I wanted to make sure ...
NGUYEN: Little known to us.
DE LA CRUZ: Right.
HOLMES: Yes.
DE LA CRUZ: I wanted to make sure that you guys had your marriage certificates.
NGUYEN: This has knowing to do with awareness.
DE LA CRUZ: T.J. and Betty. So, there you go.
NGUYEN: Except for the fact that it's lucky sevens today.
HOLMES: 7-7-07.
DE LA CRUZ: Betty Nguyen Holmes, that is yours.
NGUYEN: That's lovely. Thank you.
DE LA CRUZ: And T.J. Holmes, that is your marriage certificate ...
HOLMES: Do these come with attorneys?
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: Yes, exactly. But before we get a divorce, I do want half.
DE LA CRUZ: So, congratulations to the two of you tying the knot on this 7-7-07.
HOLMES: On 7-7-07. A lot of people doing that.
DE LA CRUZ: Couldn't get you guys to Las Vegas, so that was the best I could.
NGUYEN: It was the best you could do. All right. Well, you know, I will cherish this for the next five minutes.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
DE LA CRUZ: Wow. No love in this room.
NGUYEN: There's love there, just not that kind of love, if you know what I mean.
All right, Veronica, thank you.
HOLMES: Veronica, thank you. NGUYEN: Before you get us in more trouble than we're already in, let's talk about some setting goals. Maybe not those marriage goals, but an example, perhaps.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RYAN HRELJAC, CNN HERO: I was six years old and I was in my grade one classroom. My teacher said there were people who have to walk 10 kilometers to get to a dirty mud hole. And I decided to do something about it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Too young to vote, but old enough to know how to make a difference. Straight ahead, we'll introduce you to this CNN hero.
NGUYEN: And a little bit later, selecting the New Seven Wonders of the World.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. Whoever said one person alone can't make a difference never met Ryan Hreljac. This remarkable 16-year-old has improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people across Africa, and he is our CNN hero this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK. Stand by. Go ahead, please.
RYAN HRELJAC, RYAN'S WELL FOUNDATION: Every day, 6,000 children die, because they don't have access to clean water. That's like 20 full jumbo jets crashing every day of the year.
I feel that we shouldn't live in a world like that.
I was six years old and I was in my grade one classroom. My teacher said there were people who have to walk 10 kilometers to get to a dirty mud hole. And I decide to do something about it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ryan told me he has been saving money to put up a well in Africa. And he said he want it in a school.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, let us look at example one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The well which Ryan built was the first clean water they ever had.
HRELJAC: I went to Uganda when I was 10.
I was pretty excited to go see what the impact was.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You read it.
HRELJAC: "Ryan's well. Funded by Ryan H."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Up to that moment, maybe Ryan never knew how much this means. A little boy who had this big dream - now, look where he is, not only doing one well, but so many wells. The clean water has reached far and wide.
HRELJAC: When a well is built in a community, the health skyrockets. And this is - smiles light up on people's faces, because they have clean water to drink. It's great to see the impact.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ryan has changed many, many lives out here. So, he is a hero. He is a warrior who made it happen.
(END VIDEO)
NGUYEN: Well, we're not the only ones who are impressed with Ryan's work. Just last week, the actor Matt Damon, through his nonprofit organization, H2O Africa, agreed to partner with Ryan's foundation to bring even more clean water to people around the world.
So, if you'd like to make your own contribution to Ryan's foundation, or nominate your hero for special recognition later this year, you'll find more information on our Web site at cnn.com/heroes.
Want to talk about a message now from the City of New Orleans.
HOLMES: Yes, got a message, also an invitation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's tough for some people to make that balance. They feel like, how can I come to New Orleans and really have a great time in a city that's still going through so much?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: I accepted that invitation, also that assignment to visit New Orleans. What I found, that's minutes away.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm Bonnie Schneider at Georgia Tech, where this robotic company not only makes a no-nonsense, maintenance-free pet, but he also can play soccer. Watch what happens when he gets feisty.
He's not working right. Oh, there he goes.
I'll have a complete report from the World Robo Cup, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. This just in to CNN, John Mark Karr has been arrested in Georgia. The 42-year-old was arrested after a 911 call of domestic violence at Sandy Springs, Georgia. He was taken into custody and actually transported to a local hospital after complaining of chest pains. Once he's released from the hospital, he will be taken to the Fulton County Jail.
He was arrested after police were called to a residence regarding an argument between Karr, his father, and a woman described as Karr's girlfriend. Now you may remember John Mark Karr, especially from this video. He was arrested in Bangkok back in 2000 connection with the Jonbenet Ramsey murder investigation. Now he was cleared of all questions there after a DNA test. And no charges were ever filed.
Again, John Mark Karr living in Georgia was arrested overnight after a domestic dispute at his father's home, which was in Sandy Springs. So as we get more information, we'll bring that to you -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Betty, meanwhile, in New Orleans this week, the Essence Music Festival came back home.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
HOLMES: Well, Ciara and other R&B royalty rocked the house as the celebration returned to the Big Easy for the first time since Hurricane Katrina devastated much of that city. Make no mistake, though, things in New Orleans are far from easy. There have been at least 98 murders in that city since the first of the year. That's a staggering number considering the population there still far below pre-Katrina levels.
But according to city officials, the violence in the streets shouldn't keep the tourists away.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES (voice-over): Yes, New Orleans has a crime problem. But they also have a problem with perception, according to Police Superintendent Warren Riley.
CHIEF WARREN J. RILEY, NEW ORLEANS POLICE: First of all -- and I believe that what has been portrayed about the city of New Orleans has been embellished tremendously because there's a progress. If the progress was focused on, more people would be coming to New Orleans, because there are a lot of positive things that are happening here.
HOLMES: A lot of the city's progress is visible downtown, where the visitors come to play and where it's relatively safe. And that's what the city wants you to know.
MARY BETH ROMIG, NEW ORLEANS VISITOR BUREAU: It's tough for some people to make the balance. They feel like how can I come to New Orleans and really have a great time in a city that's still going through so much? But New Orleaneans want people to come and have a great time.
HOLMES: Romig's challenge? Attracting visitors to a city dubbed "the murder capital of the United States." City officials are attempting to ease visitors' fears by explaining that the violent crime is almost exclusively criminals preying on other criminals. ROMIG: We don't want to appear like we're callous and all we are concerned about is whether the tourists are safe. It's important that everybody is safe in New Orleans because it has to be about being a great place to live, work and play.
HOLMES: Come to New Orleans. Don't worry, the criminals are killing each other. They don't want to kill you. Not exactly an ideal slogan for a tourism campaign, but it's a reality in the recovery of New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Now -- and to be fair there, and it sounds crazy, but the police there, they have to tell people something. And it is the reality. People are concerned about visiting there. So when they ask, well, what about the violent crime?
NGUYEN: And the deaths and all of that.
HOLMES: The answer absolutely is, and they say they do have to tell people, hey, it is isolated to that criminal element. They're not advocating, they're not saying that it is okay that the criminals are killing each other, but the reality is visitors are concerned and when they ask that question, is it safe for me to come visit? The answer has to be from police and from the visitor's bureau, well, actually, that's the criminal element killing the criminal element. And it's a strange answer to have to give, but it is the answer...
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: Yes. So when you're in downtown, you feel fairly safe, but when you go to the outskirts, when you go to the areas that still haven't recovered from Katrina, what was that like?
HOLMES: Well, so many folks there -- and if you go visit, you don't have to travel outside the downtown -- people come there to visit and they are in that area unless a lot of people do want to go visit that -- some of that devastation.
But a lot of people we talked to who actually live there in New Orleans have to drive through some of those tougher areas. They don't just work downtown and whatnot, they have to drive through some of those areas.
So those are most of the people we talked that didn't feel that safe a lot of times. They talked about not looking over to the side. When they pull up to certain stoplights and stop signs, you don't look over at the next car that's next to you.
So there are still a lot people who live there, don't feel safe. People that visit there, they'll tell you, we feel perfectly safe. The police will tell you, those people are perfectly safe if they stay in those areas. But it is not the way to go, it is not the perfect, ideal situation. But they need people to come back. And so they have to give them an answer.
NGUYEN: And unfortunately, they have to tell them something because the numbers are there and people are going to be asking.
HOLMES: Absolutely. But still, New Orleans has got a long way to go. But still, they think they are -- they are getting there. But it's going to take a long time.
NGUYEN: They're making improvement, little by little.
Well, we want to talk about a stormy forecast at the National Hurricane Center. That's right. The director is under fire from staffers who say their boss has undermined the public's confidence. About half of the employees say Bill Proenza exaggerated the forecasting problems they faced if an aging satellite failed. Proenza says he doesn't plan to step down but he will if that's what's best for the public.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL PROENZA, HURRICANE CENTER DIRECTOR: Working for the American people, I will do what is in their best interests. And if it involves me moving on, I will do so when the time comes. I will do it smoothly and I will do it genuinely in a way that supports the new incoming director.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Proenza has led the hurricane center only since January. And he spent the last 40 years specializing in weather for the government.
HOLMES: Well, another sign of recovery nearly two years after Hurricane Katrina, today's the grand reopening of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. The resort's original grand opening was ruined by the deadly hurricane. Katrina destroyed the casino floor along with much of the rock memorabilia on display. The resort has been quietly open just for a little while. But today is a big old ceremony with all the pomp and circumstance and whatnot.
NGUYEN: (INAUDIBLE) there's a lot of ceremonies taking place today. The kind that stays with you the rest of your life. Yes, lucky number seven.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh-seven, 07, 07, we've been waiting for it all year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yes. In minutes, if a marriage is a gamble, a lot of couples are betting that today is the day to cash in all their chips, our Lisa Goddard is following some extreme weddings.
Hello there.
LISA GODDARD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: How about that? As if 7/7/07 wasn't enough for you, a whole lot of couples are here to get even more of a ride. We'll have that story coming up after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Bonnie Schneider at Georgia Tech for the World Robo Cup competition where the dogs are smarter than some humans.
OK, fetch. Go, go, go.
We're going to have a complete report coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Eva Longoria is no longer desperate, as if she ever was. The "Desperate Housewives" star has tied the knot, marrying basketball champ Tony Parker, yesterday a civil ceremony in Paris. The couple reportedly plans to do it all over again today on this lucky seven day, having a more elaborate wedding in a Paris cathedral, then partying at a chateau.
HOLMES: A chateau. Well, they're not exactly at a chateau today. We go from a French castle and a chateau to Six Flags, OK, all in the pursuit of finding luck in marriage on this lucky day of sevens. Six Flags in Maryland, that is where our Lisa Goddard is following couples taking the big plunge.
So how is it going there for those couples?
GODDARD: What is up, T.J.? That's right, 7/7/07 is a big enough deal as it is, but the fact that it is on a Saturday is incredibly rare. And of course, thousands of couples around the country are taking advantage of it.
But for eight couples, that is seven and a spare, who came here to the Six Flags in Maryland, that getting married on a lucky day just wasn't a big enough of a thrill. You can see some of those couples took, as you said, a huge plunge. Look at that video, massive descent into water for some couples. Others were spun around, shaken on roller coasters.
Now one new couple, Cameron and Reggie Lewis, they picked the Superman roller coaster to go on. As you look at the video, Reggie did look both nervous and excited as he was strapped in while giving his wedding vows. Talked to Cameron afterwards, and it was so clear this woman was ecstatic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CAMERON LEWIS, BRIDE: Wedding on a roller coaster, it was kind of an adrenaline rush, which I like. And being emotional while we were getting married is something I had wanted to do for a really long time. And it just made me happy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GODDARD: And smiles all around here. There were kids, adults, grown-ups, people with tattoos, people with formal gowns, people with Hawaiian shirts. The whole crew out here getting married in a very nontraditional way.
Now for folks who want to do something like this again, I guess you could say 8/8/08 is coming up next year. But, T.J., I think that's on a Wednesday. So it's not as good of a day.
HOLMES: No, 8/8/08 doesn't have the same ring to it. And it is a Wednesday. But hey, it is all about just the "I dos." It shouldn't matter which day. But, Lisa, thank you so much.
NGUYEN: Yes. Well, Live Earth concerts are getting under way today on this lucky day. And it is happening all around the world. And the event is meant to raise awareness of global climate change. Eleven concerts in seven continents. Two shows right here in the U.S. One in Washington and another at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. And that is where we find our Brooke Anderson.
Oh, this thing is going to be crowded today with screaming people who are all there for a good reason.
BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: That's right. A great reason, Betty. And Live Earth will make its way here to its final destination at Giants Stadium in just a few hours. The police are actually set to begin their sound check any second now.
This is Al Gore's mission to inspire people to join the fight against global warming, but Live Earth hasn't escaped criticism. Many say that the concerts themselves really harm the environment with all of their waste, with all of their pollution, but Al Gore is adamant that they're trying to make this concert as eco-friendly as possible. And they're not the only ones.
There are other concert tours out there such as the Vans Warped Tour and other artists such as Jack Johnson, who are working tirelessly to go green.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON (voice-over): It's the opening day of the 13th annual Vans Warped Tour in Pomona, California. Today's crowd, 20,000 strong, has come to take in that time-honored summer tradition, the festival concert.
With more than 30 bands on the bill, an event like this leaves behind more than sweaty bodies and ringing ears.
TIM ALLYN: You see the waste management vehicles leaving the venue on the hour, you know, full. So it produces a lot of garbage.
ANDERSON: Tim Allyn is a former concert producer and tour manager who now works as an environmental consultant for major touring companies such as Warped.
ALLYN: There is a negative impact on the environment as much as that we as a community have a negative impact on the environment as much as that we as a community have a negative impact on the environment.
AL GORE, FMR. VICE PRESIDENT: The Live Earth concerts represent an unprecedented opportunity to ask for the world's attention.
ANDERSON (on camera): While Live Earth organizers hope to have a major impact on the public's awareness of the climate crisis, they're working behind the scenes to minimize their own impact on the environment and they're not alone.
(voice-over): A number of artists, including Willie Nelson, Neil Young and Jack Johnson, are powering their tour buses with biodiesel.
JACK JOHNSON, MUSICIAN: It is hard to find a bus company that will let you run the buses on by biodiesel. And all the trucks are all on biodiesel too.
ANDERSON: In Chicago, organizers of this summer's Lollapalooza are planning on doing their part, too. From using recyclable products to purchasing renewable energy credits.
KEVIN LYMAN, VANS WARPED TOUR: If we do anything, it's going to be these kids, the fans, my children that come to the show now that just start thinking. And it becomes a part of their everyday life.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: And Live Earth has implemented what they're calling green guidelines. The power is being used from renewable sources. There's recycling of the waste. There are also recyclable products being used at the concession stands. Hybrid fuel-efficient vehicles used as often as they can in transportation of the artist and everyone else here.
So Al Gore, Betty, has said that this is the greenest event of its kind ever.
NGUYEN: Well, it is going to be one event, we've already seen a lot of the acts already from around the world. That one gets under way a little bit later today. And you can already hear the sound check. I'm sure not before too long, people will be piling in. Brooke, thank you for that. We'll be checking in with you a little bit later.
HOLMES: Of course, not everybody is a morning person.
NGUYEN: True.
HOLMES: We have to be. But some people feeling still a bit crabby maybe this morning. We have reason to be for other reasons. Crabs taking over Florida streets. And residents trying to run them off. But these little things a bit faster than they may appear.
NGUYEN: Plus, competitors with some real drive. You can find them at the robotics competition in Atlanta. And we're going to take you there live right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, we've got a congratulations here that needs to go out to Venus Williams, she has picked up another Wimbledon title. This would be her fourth. She just defeated Marion Bartoli of France. Now Venus Williams, who we all know had an amazing run, almost unbeatable there for several years in the early 2000s or so, for several years had an amazing run.
Kind of fell off a little bit over the past couple of years. But still been on top of the tennis world, if you will. But she went into this tournament as a 23 seed. Made it to the finals and have now picked up her fourth Wimbledon title. Again, just now happening, beating France's Marion Bartoli.
So congratulations to the 27-year-old, who, of course, is the one half of a dynamic duo of Williams sisters. Her sister Serena was knocked out of Wimbledon. But still, the two have been really icons in this country for quite some time. Both of them great success in the tennis world. But a fourth Wimbledon title for Venus Williams.
NGUYEN: Good for her. And her competitor was number 18, so.
HOLMES: Was an 18 seed.
NGUYEN: So she did great today, winning Wimbledon. We want to tell you about hockey and -- you know, it has the Stanley Cup, right? Soccer has the World Cup. Well, science and techno-wizards, they are battling it out for what's called the Robo Cup, T.J.
HOLMES: How appropriately named is it, Betty? Now they may be the brains, but the robots the real stars here. And as we said earlier, one of our stars here at CNN. Bonnie Schneider covering the competition at Georgia Tech.
Are you picking up some pretty cool gadgets? You learning some cool stuff?
SCHNEIDER: Yes, and I'm making friends with my new pet. Let's see. He moves around. See? Wow. All right. Joining me now here at the Robo Cup competition is Eric Chown. And Eric is with Bowden College.
How do we turn him off?
ERIC CHOWN, PROFESSOR, BOWDEN COLLEGE: Just give him a good grip and he's penalized.
SCHNEIDER: Now I understand that your team has come all the way from Maine to participate in this competition, how do robot dogs actually play soccer?
CHOWN: Well, we write all the software ourselves. So we try to get them to see the ball. They have cameras here in their snout. And most of their processing is based on their vision. So they look around for the ball. And they look for goals and beacons that tells them where on the field they are. And from there, they try to play soccer much like you and I would try to play soccer.
SCHNEIDER: They probably play soccer a lot better than we do.
CHOWN: Probably, probably better than me. A little bit like my 4-year-old, actually, in some ways.
SCHNEIDER: But these actual dogs can be dog-like, and these pets, right? They have a...
CHOWN: That's right. They were originally designed as home entertainment robots. And sort of to be pets for people or sometimes they're used in, say, elderly homes because they're easy to take care of. There's no mess, there's no feeding and whatnot.
SCHNEIDER: Oh, here comes another one. How do they get along with each other? Look, they're...
(LAUGHTER)
CHOWN: Usually they'll fight for the ball, actually.
SCHNEIDER: That's great. So you're actually -- so this is really a great competition, and we have over 37 countries represented here at the Robo Cup here at Georgia Tech. We're going to have more throughout the morning. Back to you, Betty, T.J.
HOLMES: OK. We're having a blast watching those dogs run around, chasing each other. Are you going to get to bring that back, Bonnie?
SCHNEIDER: I want to. I don't know what I'll name him yet. I'll think of it.
HOLMES: All right.
SCHNEIDER: "CNN NEWSROOM."
HOLMES: We'll check with you later. All right. Thanks, Bonnie.
NGUYEN: Well, off the beach and into homes, it is that time of year. Yes, we're talking about land crabs. I know that was on your mind, too. And they're actually taking over. We're going to explain, CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
HOLMES: Well, we got a bear here that's hanging on. That's a bear that's up a pole. And he looks like he's got some issues.
NGUYEN: Just a few.
HOLMES: How in the world is he going to get down? We hope he doesn't do a belly flop. We'll let you know how this guy gets down, stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: OK. So some people in eastern Florida with a little bit of a problem. It's hard to say delicately, so.
HOLMES: We'll just say it.
NGUYEN: Be blunt?
HOLMES: They got crabs. They got thousands and thousands of land crabs, actually. They're on the prowl.
NGUYEN: Yes, what were you thinking?
HOLMES: Yes, what were you thinking this morning? We get more from Jana Eschbach of our affiliate WPEC.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JANA ESCHBACH, WPEC REPORTER (voice-over): After the 2004 hurricanes, they were nowhere to be found. Well, in 2007...
JOANNE PANTANO, HOMEOWNER: It's just a part of living on Hutchinson Island.
ESCHBACH: ...they're back.
PANTANO: Hundreds and hundreds, especially when the sun goes down.
ESCHBACH: After sundown, the giant land crabs make their way out of the shade, across the street, and right to Joanne Pantano's home.
PANTANO: The dog goes crazy all night long. They're climbing on the house, they're walking through the yard, the dog tries to get out to get them.
ESCHBACH: Too bad little Priscilla here is no match for the thousands, yes, thousands of crabs. St. Lucie County's natural resource agent knows they're in town.
KEN GIOELI, ST. LUCIE COUNTY NATURAL RESOURCES: People, when they call me, they want to be able to squirt some sort of repellant or something on the lawn, and there are no repellants out there for land crab control. Basically, what they're stuck doing is living with the problem or finding some way of trapping them and removing them.
ESCHBACH: But state law now prohibits you from catching and eating the crabs during breeding season. And by the way, it is breeding season.
PANTANO: It sounds like scratch-scratch, little claws on your house. You've got to make sure you don't leave your doors open because they'll get inside.
ESCHBACH (on camera): And then what?
PANTANO: And then you got to chase them to get them out.
ESCBACH (voice-over): And as for the chase, these guys are faster than they look.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: OK.
NGUYEN: My goodness. I've never seen the running of the crabs. The running of the bulls, but never the running of the crabs.
HOLMES: That might be safer to go that route. You can step on those babies.
NGUYEN: You might get pinched, but you will survive.
HOLMES: You won't get gored. Well, we have one -- another one here from the "you don't see this every day" file. Not a polar bear, just a regular bear, but it happens to be on a pole.
NGUYEN: Yes. This sight, as you can imagine, distracted drivers in Lancaster, California, yesterday. Police actually shut down the highway for a couple of hours while they tried to decide what are we going to do with this bear? How do you get it down? Well, eventually the bear actually just came down on his own. And the next hour of CNN begins right now.
HOLMES: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM on this Saturday, July 7th of 2007. That makes it 7/7 or '07. So it will be a lucky day for us all.
NGUYEN: The luckiest day of the century.
HOLMES: Not just of the year, of the century, today.
NGUYEN: So if you're getting married...
HOLMES: ... good luck.
NGUYEN: Yes, you might need it. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. And straight ahead this hour, weekend scorcher. Is there any relief from the record heat? The triple-digit details, that is coming up. Also...
(MUSIC PLAYING)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
