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News Choppers Crash; Dry Weather Hurts Farmers in Maryland and Virginia; Iraq Wins Asia Cup; Gordon Brown to Visit United States
Aired July 29, 2007 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: What went wrong? That's the question for investigators on the site of that deadly chopper crash in Phoenix as they pick up the pieces and mourn two veteran news crews.
Plus, at 6'11", he's a force under the hoop, but one NBA player found himself playing defense against thieves on his home court.
And celebrating a rare victory in Iraq.
Hello and welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
We begin in Arizona. The two Phoenix news choppers were both functioning normally before they collided on Friday. That's the word today from investigators after interviews with witnesses. The "Arizona Republic" reports authorities now believe one of the choppers was hovering in a set location when the other struck it. They also say the tragedy would have been much worse had the choppers not crashed into a park. A hospital, roadways and neighborhoods were all nearby. All four people on the choppers were killed amid televised scenes of chaos.
Joining us now by telephone from Phoenix, the "Arizona Republic's," John Faherty. John, give me an idea of what investigators have told you to kind of paint the picture of exactly where those two choppers were positioned before they collided.
JOHN FAHERTY, ARIZONA REPUBLIC: Well, there's still actually some confusion about that. The radio transmissions that were immediately before the collision, one helicopter clearly asking "Where's channel 3? Where's channel 3?" And the channel 15 pilot is saying that he's over him. But it's still unclear exactly where they were. Obviously, they were too close.
WHITFIELD: So from this information, it's being made clear that these choppers had an awareness about where each one would be positioned on a regular basis. And we're talking about, what was it, six or maybe even seven choppers that were in the air at the time, including a couple of police helicopters during this police chase, right?
FAHERTY: Yes, well, ideally they are working together and working the scene and providing footage for it. But in a car chase, it's very difficult because everything is moving. The scene that they're photographing is moving, so it's complex under ideal circumstances. But in a moving situation, it becomes considerably more so. WHITFIELD: And there are a lot of distractions when we're talking about the kind of news coverage that involve helicopters. You work in a newsroom at the newspaper "Arizona Republic" right now, but I understand where you've also worked in the local television newsrooms where choppers are very much a part of news coverage there.
Give me an idea what these photographers, as well as the pilots of these choppers are up against, the kind of communications they're dealing with when they are in the air covering something.
FAHERTY: Right. It's remarkably difficult. They're clearly very skilled, but they're talking to each other, they're talking to the tower. They're talking to a producer. They're talking to an anchor. They might be talking to the photographer right behind them as in, you know, where do I need to be? They might be preparing a report in their head. And they're doing all this while they're flying a helicopter.
WHITFIELD: Yeah, it's a dangerous combination of events. Give me an idea of whether you think this kind of accident is going to precipitate any new rules or regulations as it pertains to news choppers there in the Phoenix area.
FAHERTY: Well, it's still so early. It's hard to say. The NTSB is going to provide their initial report on this upcoming Friday, and that should be fairly telling.
In other markets, television stations have worked together and decided that pilots won't be providing reports anymore. They should be up in the air, just flying. But you have no idea where it's going to go.
WHITFIELD: All right. Still early stages. John Faherty, reporter with the "Arizona Republic," thanks so much for your time and your report.
FAHERTY: Thanks for having me.
WHITFIELD: Well, let's talk a little bit more about the car chase suspect. Christopher Jones, now being held on a million dollars bond. He may face charges now connected to that helicopter crash. Preliminary charges include theft, resisting arrest and aggravated assault.
Killed on the channel # chopper were pilot Scott Bowerbank and Jim Cox. Their families will hold a joint memorial service on Tuesday. While pilot Craig Smith of channel 15 will be remembered at a service on Thursday. And a service for the fourth victim, photographer Rick Krolak is scheduled for Saturday. All four memorials are to be held in the Phoenix area.
An air show in Dayton, Ohio now resumed today after the tragic crash of a stunt plane there. A coroner says veteran pilot Jim LeRoy died instantly when his biplane crashed at some 200 miles an hour. Thousands of spectators watched in horror as the plane slammed into a runway across from a viewing area. And here's an i-Report from that air show. Steven Elliot captured this scene with his digital camera. He said he thought the low-flying plane was part of the show. He quickly realized something was wrong when he saw the flames.
A patient who had been in a car wreck is among the four people who survived the crash of a medical helicopter. That crash occurred Saturday morning as the chopper was taking off from Quitman County Hospital in Marks, Mississippi. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt.
And within the next couple of hours, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is scheduled to arrive in the United States for talks with President Bush. The two leaders will meet tonight and tomorrow at Camp David. It's their first face-to-face meeting since Brown took office a month ago. Thorny issues top the agenda, including the crisis in Darfur and Iraq.
Meantime, victory for Iraq on the soccer field. Today the Iraqi national soccer team won its first Asian Cup championship. They beat three-time champs Saudi Arabia 1-0. As the final whistle blew, celebratory gunfire rang out across Iraq. CNN's international correspondent Dan Rivers reports now from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There were really quite remarkable scenes here in Iraq as thousands of people took to the streets to celebrate Iraq's victory in the Asian Cup, beating Saudi Arabia one-nil.
The sound of celebratory gunfire was deafening all around Baghdad and around where I'm standing as the results came through. Thousands of people took to the streets, not only here, but in cities all around the country, both Kurdish, Shiites, Sunni.
For once, the sectarian division seemed to fade away as everyone was united behind the soccer team, waving the Iraqi flags, singing and dancing.
But, and there is a big but, people are still nervous that these celebrations, which are still ongoing right now, could still be marred by violence. Already the authorities say they have found one car bomb and arrested one they describe as an al Qaeda suspect who was holding a detonator attached to that car bomb in the eastern Baghdad district of Zaiuna (ph). They say that that was in an area where people later went to celebrate the victory.
Clearly, if that car bomb had gone off, it could have cost blood shed and mayhem. Justice happened last Wednesday when people were celebrating the semi-finals there. But for now, so far, the peace seems to be holding and the gunfire is still ringing out across the city. Not, for once, in conflict, but in celebration that Iraq's soccer team has won the Asian Cup. Dan Rivers, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE) WHITFIELD: And according to initial reports by police and hospital officials in Iraq, at least four people were killed today by gunfire shot by people celebrating the Iraqi soccer victory -- 17 wounded.
Well, today U.S. military officials announced the capture of, quote, "two high-level al Qaeda cell members in Iraq." The two were caught during a helicopter assault raid north of Baghdad on Saturday. They're suspected of killing Iraqi civilians and attacking coalition forces with roadside bombs.
And now a little sports news here in this country. A second trading card company is sacking Michael Vick from its roster. Upper Deck is also removing all memorabilia autographed by the Atlanta quarterback from its online store.
But Vick's problems aren't just on paper. In less than 24 hours, a co-defendant in his dogfighting conspiracy case will have a plea agreement hearing before a federal judge.
Legal analysts say that probably means he'll be cooperating with prosecutors. Vick maintains his innocence. He pleaded not guilty to all charges on Thursday.
Pro athletes make some big bucks, and that can make them big targets for bad guys. For the second time in less than a month, an NBA player has been robbed in the Chicago area. Three armed robbers bound a New York Knick, Eddy Curry, his family members and an employee with duct tape and then stole jewelry and cash. The circumstances of this weekend's crime are very similar to a robbery earlier this month at the Chicago home of the Heat's Antoine Walker. But police aren't ready to say if the two crimes are linked.
Elsewhere in Chicago, a mystery gunman put a violent end to a backyard party overnight. Nine people were wounded by shotgun fire as they danced in the yard. All were in stable to good condition in area hospitals earlier today. The victims range in age from 21 to 73. They told police they didn't even see the shooter.
After decades of study, a genetic jackpot. Scientists make a discovery that could advance the fight against multiple sclerosis.
A CNN i-Report shouts off about quite a sight, this one right in her front yard.
We'll talk to her later on in the NEWSROOM.
DAN SIMON, CNN CORREPSONDENT: I'm Dan Simon in San Francisco at AT&T Ballpark. Barry Bonds on the verge of making history. All the crowds are in place, the kayakers in the cove. We'll have a live report coming up.
WHITFIELD: And a live look at the NEWSROOM right now. We continue to work a lot of stories coming your way, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: That was Friday. Barry Bonds homer hit, 754. Well, will today be the day? San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds has another crack at the bat and another chance to break Hank Aaron's all- time home run record of -- or at least tie it, 755.
The Giants are at home playing the Florida Marlins, and our Dan Simon is there. And just that beautiful view behind you, all the boats in place too just in case they get to maybe catch a fly ball?
SIMON: Well, they're hoping so. They're hoping they get the record-winning ball. You can see the crowds is in place behind me. A packed crowd here at AT&T Park, sold out. I mentioned those kayakers earlier. You can see them in place there in McCovey Cove. So much excitement surrounding this game.
Barry Bonds needs one home run to tie, two home runs to break the record, 756 is the magic number. But Fredricka, we cannot have this conversation without talking about the allegations that continue to dog Barry Bonds, the steroid allegations.
As you know, many sports fans and sports commentators think that Barry Bonds has used performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career. They think perhaps there should be an asterisk next to his name. But Giants fans trying to put all of that aside today. Here's a sampling of what some had to say. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to see him break the record. You know, still takes some skill to hit round ball, round bat. Steroids aren't going to help that. You've got to have skill.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're the biggest fans of Barry Bonds in San Francisco. That's why he needs to do the record here in town. You know what, it's history in the making. People don't want to cheer it, that's their loss and our gain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The man has hit 754 home runs. I mean, however you hit them, you hit them, you know? Put the man in the record book. It's a done deal.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SIMON: Fredricka, here's the thing. You know, Barry Bonds averages about four at-bats during the game. That means he has to home run half, two. He has to get two home runs today. So a tall order.
If he doesn't do it today, there's a chance that he may do it on the road. The Giants are in Los Angeles. They're facing the Dodgers next week.
That is a hostile crowd, and if Barry Bonds does break the record there, he will likely get a chant of boos. It's important to the Giants fans, it's important to Barry Bonds that he breaks the record here in San Francisco. WHITFIELD: Yes, and I guess Dan, everyone feels like it's inevitable. It's going to happen this season. The chances are pretty good that he'll at least tie, if not break the record. But I guess home field advantage, people in San Francisco, whether they like the whole 'roids talk or not, they just want to see it happen there. I get that impression. Is that right?
SIMON: Absolutely. You know, the question went away a long time ago in terms of when it was going to happen. Well, in terms of if it was going to happen. Now it's just a question of when. Everybody hoping that it's going to be today. But, you know, he's got to home run twice, so it's tough.
WHITFIELD: Pressure is on. I don't know. You may see a little history being made there in San Francisco today, Dan.
SIMON: Absolutely. So much history on the line. You know, nobody thought that he could get 755 home runs early on in his career. Then later in his mid-30s, Barry Bonds really exploded, you know, started breaking all these records, got 73 home runs back in 2001. So will he do it today? We're going to be watching.
WHITFIELD: All right. We'll check back with you. Thanks a lot, Dan Simon there in San Francisco.
SIMON: All right, let's talk about Ohio now. Bluffton University baseball players, remember them? Well, this time they got an inside peek at the major leagues. Yesterday the Cleveland Indians invited the team to a game at Jacobs Field. You'll remember the Bluffton players lost five teammates in a horrific bus crash in Atlanta back in March. The team didn't talk about the tragedy while visiting the Indians dug out, but their coach says their next season will be dedicated to the players killed in that crash.
And when the CNN NEWSROOM returns, drought conditions continue across the U.S. and farmers are certainly feeling the pain. We'll talk to one farmer about his crop-saving efforts.
And Leonardo da Vinci may be long dead, but his famous painting has conspiracy theorists clogging up the Web. More on that when the NEWSROOM continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Hot, windy weather out west is fuelling dangerous wildfires. This fire near Missoula, Montana, shut down a major interstate. Another blaze near Glacier National Park is within a mile of a lodge there and guests have been asked to evacuate.
Two troubling fires in Idaho. This one is in the northern part of the state. It closed a highway and forced some residents to evacuate. A second fire in southern Idaho and northern Nevada has already charred 1,500 square miles. Officials say it could be fully contained today or tomorrow.
And the battle against this blaze in Washington state is slow going. It has burned more than 50 acres, and it's spreading pretty quickly.
A seemingly endless dry spell in the east is putting family farmers there in a real financial predicament. Here with that story, CNN's Gary Nurenberg.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One look at the heat rippling over this Maryland cornfield tells you it's very hot. One look at the parched ground tells you.
MELVIN BAILE JR., MARYLAND FARMER: We're very, very, very dry.
NURENBERG (on camera): How is this year's crop?
UNIDENTIIFED MALE: God awful.
NURENBERG (voice-over): Buddy Hance is a farmer who is Maryland's deputy secretary of agriculture.
BUDDY HANCE, MARYLAND DEPUTY AGRICULTURE SECY: The corn crop is getting near the point of no return.
NURENBERG: The same story in parts of Virginia.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This corn is useless. It's just a total loss.
NURENBERG (on camera): At this time of year in this part of Virginia, the corn should be 12 feet tall. In this field, it's not even close.
GREG MENTZER, VIRGINIA FARMER: We haven't had a good soaking rain for 10 months to a year.
NURENBERG (voice-over): Greg Mentzer works the Terra (ph) Farm in Northern Virginia where the black angus need human help to feed.
MENTZER: The cows have survived on this grass in years past until October. But with no rain, no grass.
NURENBERG: You can see it in the brown fields of soybeans with plants that would normally be knee high. Now, only inches tall. You can see it in the creek bed.
MENTZER: This creek here is usually 15 foot wide, two feet deep the whole way.
NURENBERG: Right now it's the corn that's suffering the most.
JASON SCOTT, MARYLAND FARMER: I'd say we're looking at 50 percent yield reduction from our average.
WILLIAM LAYTON, MARYLAND FARMER: To see all of that money just drying up out there and withering is really frustrating.
NURENBERG: The answer is simple and beyond the farmer's control.
DONNELL MARING, MARYLAND FARMER: Rain. That's what we need is just rain.
NURENBERG: A lot of rain.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We need a hurricane.
NURENBERG (on camera): Seems like this is a business that can break your heart year after year.
MENTZER: And it does, but it's in your heart. If it's not in your heart, then I don't know.
NURENBERG: Ever wonder why you stick with it?
MENTZER: Every day. Every day.
NURENBERG: Gary Nurenberg, CNN, Loudoun County, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well yesterday in many parts of the country, we were talking about too much water and now today Jacqui Jeras in the Weather Center, not enough in too many places.
(WEATHER REPORT)
WHITFIELD: All right, well doctors are calling it a genetic road map. This mother hopes it will lead to the end of MS. Details straight ahead.
And what would you do if you saw this twisted tower of -- it's water. I-reporter Mo Dixon grabbed a camera and she also has picked up the phone. We're going to talk to her when we come right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well, welcome back to the NEWSROOM. Some of the stories happening right now: NTSB investigators have been retrieving wreckage and interviewing witnesses to Friday's news chopper collision in Phoenix. The team needed to drain a pond to get some of the debris. Four people died in that crash.
President Bush will host the new British Prime Minister Gordon Brown tonight at Camp David. It will be their first sit down together. A spokesperson for Mr. Brown says Darfur and world trade talks will be high on the agenda.
Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable mysterious nervous system disease; some patients suffer from numbness, blindness or life in a wheel chair. Some 400,000 people in the U.S. have it and every hour another person is diagnosed with it. After a decade's long search, researchers have identified new genetic risk factors for the disease. CNN medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen explains.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Thirty three-old Jennifer Paretta was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis ten years ago. Now her son is worried he could be next.
ANTHONY PARETTA, JENNIFER PARETTA'S SON: Am I going to have ms, mommy?
JENNIFER PARETTA, HAS MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS: No, you're not, you know why? Because they're going to come out with a cure.
COHEN: There's a reason 6-year-old Anthony is concerned. The disease runs in his family. Paretta 's dad's twin brother had it. Right now there is no way of testing someone for ms. But a breakthrough discovery may one day change that, 30 years after the first ms gene link was found, a long-awaited discovery. Analyzing the DNA of thousands of people with ms, researchers from around the world have identified two new genes they say increase an individual's risk of ms by 30 percent.
DR. JONATHAN HAINES, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: That now will allow us to understand much better what is going on with ms and then be able to, again, develop better treatments and better therapies for ms.
COHEN: Much about ms remains unknown. It's widely considered an autoimmune disease. Something makes the body attack and destroys insulation along nerve fibers, stopping the flow of information from the brain to the body. But identifying two more genes will help solve only part of the ms puzzle. Most of the time people don't get ms because it runs in their family. They get it for reasons doctors don't fully understand. Still, researchers believe this discovery puts them on track for eventual genetic testing, even preventing ms.
DR. JOHN RICHERT, NATIONAL MS SOCIETY: It gets us much closer to understanding the basic cause of the disease and to understanding how to prevent the disease in the first place.
COHEN: The discovery makes Paretta optimistic that one day a mom like her won't have to worry if her child will get ms.
J. PARETTA: ,I think my kids will be OK.
COHEN: And if they're not, she knows they can handle it.
Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, the popular diabetes drug Avandia get a new warning label or taken off the market entirely? The FDA is asking outside experts to weigh in on the issue. Health and human services officials are expected to meet tomorrow; conflicting studies have raised concerns that Avandia could increase the risk of heart attacks.
An update on Vice President's Dick Cheney's health. He is back home today recovering from yesterday's minor surgery to replace a heart defribillator, the device monitors Mr. Cheney's heartbeat and makes sure it has a regular rhythm.
Later this week the vice president talks about the war in Iraq, the war on terror, to name a few, only on "Larry King Live" that is Tuesday night, 9:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.
Terrorists change tactics all the time. President Bush wants the same flexibility. He's asking Congress to change a surveillance law that governs how intelligence agencies use wiretaps against suspected criminals. But it may not be an easy sell. Our Ed Henry is at the White House with more.
Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good evening, Fred. You know, CNN is also getting new information about the Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' allegedly misleading testimony about the president's domestic surveillance program. But Democrats say they're still not buying this explanation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY (voice over): The internal dispute in 2004 over President Bush's warrant less wire-tapping program centered on data mining of information gleaned from the program, rather than the actual eavesdropping, a former government official told CNN. The distinction is critical because it will be Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' defense against allegations he committed perjury.
ALBERTO GONZALES, ATTORNEY GENERAL: There's not been any serious disagreement about the program that the president has confirmed.
HENRY: That despite the fact former deputy attorney general James Comey threatened to quit because of his concerns.
JAMES COMEY, FORMER DEPUTY ATTORNEY GENERAL: I prepared a letter of resignation.
HENRY: In 2005 when the president acknowledged conducting eavesdropping without warrants, he did not admit the government was searching through databases picked up by that surveillance. Which is what Gonzales is hanging his defense on, if you listen to his precise words.
GONZALES: The disagreement that occurred and the reason for the visit to the hospital Senator was about other intelligence activities. It was not about the terrorist surveillance program that the president asked.
HENRY: Democrats charged this is a distinction without a difference because the data mining and the surveillance are both part of the broader wiretap program.
Sen. RUSS FEINGOLD, (D) WISCONSIN: The truth is that the attorney general, in my view, has at least lied to Congress and may have committed perjury.
HENRY: One Republican insists Gonzales did nothing wrong.
SEN. ORRIN HATCH, (R) UTAH: This is not about the attorney general. This is about the Democrats. They're using him as a punching bag to get to the president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: The White House, meanwhile, is trying to use the threat of a potential summer terror attack on U.S. soil to try and speed through a small package of changes to the law that oversees this whole survelience program. According to a letter obtained by CNN, the director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell on Friday told Congressional leaders, quote, in light of the urgency of the situation, I offer the attached significantly narrowed proposal, focused on the current urgent need of the intelligence community to provide warning of potential terror attacks.
WHITFIELD: All right. Ed Henry from Washington thanks so much.
Next hour we'll focus on the possible perjury probe facing the Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. What could the fallout mean to Republicans? Political strategist Matt Towery joins us at 5:00 Eastern.
Straight ahead, it's a scary time for American homeowners. Home values and sales keep falling. And foreclosures are going through the roof. Our Dan Lothian has been following the fate of a desolate neighborhood in Cleveland devastated by the mortgage mess.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Cleveland, Ohio is drowning in a sea of bad loans and foreclosures. And Audrey Sweet and other residents like her are fighting to keep their heads above water.
Kind of at the peak of your problem, what were you facing?
AUDREY SWEET, CLEVELAND HOMEOWNER: We had no money left at the end of the month.
LOTHIAN: How close were you to losing your home?
SWEET: Very close. At one point we were sent the foreclosure papers.
LOTHIAN: Sweet told her story on Capitol Hill. How a lender over stated her income and savings to profit from home loan two years ago.
SWEET: They knew that I couldn't afford it, but they made it appear that I can so they could approve it.
LOTHIAN: Shady lending practices that cost so many others in the Cleveland area their homes.
JAMES ROKAKIS, CUYAHOGA COUNTY TREASURER: We had 13,600 foreclosures last year in the county, which is about 10,000 more than we had ten years earlier. We're going to do 17,000 this year.
LOTHIAN: We first reported on Cleveland's mortgage crisis earlier this year. Snow on the round couldn't mask this ugly picture, block after block of boarded-up and abandoned homes.
These are all foreclosures?
ROKAKIS: That would be correct.
LOTHIAN: Predatory lending practices sent councilman Zack Reid a major factor; lenders get borrowers into loans they can't afford. Homeowners default, properties are abandoned. Then thieves strip homes of anything valuable like siding and copper. Another blow to already- battered communities. Back on Capitol Hill, the Joint Economic Committee looking into this mess also heard from Barbara Anderson, who's neighborhood was hit hard and who's home of more than 25 years was nearly taken away.
BARBARA ANDERSON, CLEVELAND HOMEOWNER: Being a victim of predatory lending penetrates your heart and soul.
SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER, (D) CHMN. JOINT ECONOMIC CMTE: The sub prime mess is leaving deep scars that threaten economic security nationwide.
LOTHIAN: It may be a crisis in Cleveland, but lawmakers say everyone should pay attention.
SEN. SHERROD BROWN, (D) OHIO: Cleveland to be sure is the canary in the coalmine.
ROKAKIS: This is the beginning. It's going to get much worse.
LOTHIAN: Some say this problem was fuelled by, quote, unbridled greed during a booming housing market. Now many parts of the country are in a slump. That means people who can no longer afford their mortgages will have trouble selling their homes as a way to get out.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And straight ahead, check out this ireport, a glimpse of this almost sent one family to the basement. It would send you to the basement, wouldn't it? Here about their story.
Plus, rocking and rolling all night long may have taken its toll on this classic rocker. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Well we reported to you earlier farmers across the country are having big problems with their crops because of drought. Well, not the owners of this field right here. Thanks to our affiliate, WFAA, you're looking at a huge marijuana field, according to police who are now descending on this field, somewhere near I-20 and state road 480 there in Texas. They say this is an enormous marijuana crop. They believe it to be the largest marijuana field in state history. That after last week they made a huge bust that involved something like 5 million marijuana plants. Now authorities are saying they think this marijuana field tops even that. More when we get it.
Well, imagine just chillin' in your home, only to look out the window and then see this. Take a look. This is what happened to ireporter Mo Dixon yesterday in Savannah, Georgia. Yeah, she grabbed her camera and took these dramatic pictures of what looked like a tornado. It turns out it was a huge waterspout. She is joining me now on the phone, Mo Dixon, have you ever seen anything like this in the Savannah area?
MO DIXON, SAVANNAH GEORGIA, (via telephone): Actually, yes. We live on the water here in Savannah, so we've seen quite a bit. This is definitely the largest one we've seen. Actually my husband saw it first.
WHITFIELD: So this caught your eye. Our Jacqui Jeras is keeping a close watch of this as well because while we know this to be a waterspout, thankfully it didn't do any damage, right?
DIXON: Right. We watched it form, and it took a bit of time. Then we watched it dissipate.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Mo, this is Jacqui. We were watching this area yesterday you were under a thunderstorm watch. Much of Georgia, North Carolina got hit hard, with a lot of hail and some damaging winds. Did this cause any damage at all that you know of?
DIXON: No, not that we know of. As a matter of fact, we had quite a few friends and my brother-in-law who saw it. My husband was sitting in his office and watched it form. Just as quickly as it formed, it dissipated. We didn't hear about any damage pertaining to this particular waterspout.
JERAS: So it just lasted a matter of minutes.
DIXON: It was about five to seven minutes. My husband watched it form and then he told me to get the camera. We literally could watch the water crawl up and form. It was getting bigger and bigger. It was about five to seven minutes and started to dissipate in front of our house.
WHITFIELD: Thank goodness, right?
DIXON: Yes, definitely.
WHITFIELD: Jacqui, how often does this happen? It was just a couple days ago we were talking about waterspouts off the Florida coast. Seems like maybe as of late we're seeing more of this?
JERAS: Well, it's that time of the year. We have a frontal system across much of the east and the southeast, so we've been seeing these things pop up along the Gulf Coast and along the Atlantic coast. Really the last couple weeks it's been common. We had a big sea breeze event that took place in Florida and we had over a dozen waterspouts reported. When they're over water, you call them a waterspout. When they're over land, you call them a tornado.
They're different than the super cell thunderstorms. You know the real big ones that you see across parts of the Plains. Usually when you see a waterspout like this, be it's weak and usually causes very little damage. But you want to stay in your house. It wasn't coming towards you, was it?
DIXON: Actually, I said to my husband, what are we going to do? He said we're going to get in our garage. Then it started to dissipate. So we were OK.
JERAS: Always be aware, they can hurt you.
DIXON: Yep.
WHITFIELD: All right. Mo Dixon thanks so much for sharing your story.
DIXON: Thank you.
WHITFIELD: And thanks for playing, Jacqui, as well.
JERAS: Absolutely.
WHITFIELD: Well perhaps you see a waterspout or something else that you think is particularly interesting and you want to get a picture and, perhaps you want to send it to our ireport. Go to CNN.com and click onto the ireport logo.
Some international stories on our radar now. The Taliban has set a new hostage deadline in Afghanistan. They say they will kill 22 South Korean hostages if the Afghan government does not free insurgent prisoners by 3:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The South Korean's were snatched July 19 while traveling on a bus. The leader of the group was killed last week. The Taliban members say because he was sick.
Iraq's new heroes, well today the country's national soccer team won the Asian Cup Championship. The team beat three-time champ Saudi Arabia 1-0. As soon as the final whistle blew, celebratory gunfire rang out in Iraq. Despite orders banning the traditional practice. Hospital and police reports say four people were killed, 17 were hurt.
In Japan, a snub for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The hawkish leader is refusing to step down, despite a crushing defeat for his party in yesterday's election. His coalition government suffered big losses in the upper house. Voters were angry over a series of government scandals. In acknowledging the defeat, Abe vowed to win back the people's trust.
A new theory about Leonardo DaVinci's "last supper" has sparked a web frenzy. An amateur scholar said superimposing the photo with its mirror image reveals a new picture with additional people. The famous painting is already the focus of intense interest. And the starting point for author Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code" thriller.
Well it takes a few salivating seconds to chew, but the damage lasts longer than the taste. How gum busters are tackling the problem now.
JERAS: I'm CNN's Jacqui Jeras with today's allergy report. We're seeing a lot of yellow and a little bit of orange on the map across parts of the west. That means the pollen count is moderate to high. Grass seems to be the common denominator across the country, but we're also seeing high levels of ragweed. Those of you across the Great Lakes and into the east, a lot of green here. That means things are looking good.
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WHITFIELD: Well no rock and roll right now, not right now. Well Kiss singer Paul Stanley had to pull out of the California show after a pretty scary health episode. During rehearsal Stanley's heart rate suddenly spiked forcing paramedics to start an IV and even give him a shot. The band played on, however, as a trio, just without Mr. Paul Stanley.
Well, a bizarre accident at the Philadelphia Philly Stadium put two workers in the hospital, one in critical condition. The twist, the men where brothers. One of them was driving a cart and somehow plunged down an elevator shaft, landing on the elevator, his brother was riding in.
And a Cinderella story for a country that hasn't had many lately. Iraq's soccer team won the Asian Cup Championship today sparking celebratory gunfire back home. The Underdogs beat Saudi Arabia 1-0. Log on to CNN.com for details on these stories and much more.
It's a problem in virtually every major city on the planet, litter that, well, sticks with you and on you and can be almost impossible to remove. CNN's Kathleen Koch takes a look at the gooey problem many cities are sinking their teeth into.
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KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): If you think it's a gooey mess here, once gum hits the sidewalk, it becomes a problem of, well, globular proportion.
DAN NESTOR, OSPREY DEEPCLEAN: Auditoriums, movie theaters, the national zoos, the monuments, you name it. Everywhere, there's gum pollution.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't really notice it unless it's stuck on me.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Aside from being unsightly, I think it's gross. I'm sure there's germs.
KOCH: Singapore residents got so tired of close encounters of chewing gum -- UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I set down there and there you got all that stuff sticking on your pants.
KOCH: That for several years it was banned. Gum can sold there now, only for therapeutic purposes. It's a monumental problem in Washington.
RONALD JONES, D.C. MAINTENANCE SERVICE: All over the sidewalks. This is probably one of the harder-hit areas in the downtown area.
KOCH: But at the memorial to the world war, the U.S. helped end it's a European invention winning the battle of the bulging blobs.
NESTOR: It's actually a European technology developed in the mid '90s by a company based in the Netherlands in Holland.
KOCH: The gum buster's machine combines low-pressure steam and environmentally safe chemical and a rotating brush.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It will pop up there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It would typically take us a good five minutes on each one of these. It will literally take seconds now.
KOCH: It's not cheap. A typical city can spend half a million dollars a year getting up the gooey stuff.
The gum industry for its part says it will keep urging consumers to chew responsibly.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is the only way to really eliminate the problem is to stop the littering from taking place at the start.
KOCH: The problem now, what to do about all the clean spots on the sidewalk.
Kathleen Koch, CNN, Washington.
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WHITFIELD: Collinsville, Illinois is already the home to the world's largest ketchup bottle. Now they want to be the home of the world's largest ketchup pack. Why not? More on that when CNN NEWSROOM continues.
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WHITFIELD: So becoming an Eagle Scout is a pretty special honor, but when you've waited for it for 70 years, well, it takes on added significance, which was the case here; 88-year-old Walter Hart finally received his Eagle award yesterday. The Florida man actually earned the honor when he was a teenager, but he joined the navy in World War II and spent many years at sea, so he didn't actually get to receive his award until now. Hart joined the cub scouts back in 1928. Congratulations. In southern Illinois they are trying to catch up to history. After fire damaged the Collinsville Christian Academy officials realized a bid for the Guinness World Record could help them raise much needed green for repairs. So Hines donated 4,000 bottles of ketchup so the school would create the world's largest ketchup packet. Well folks paid a $1.00 each to join in the fun dumping bottle after bottle to create the 1500-pound plastic pouch.
The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM begins right now.
Up next in THE NEWSROOM, lingering questions about that fatal mid air collision between two TV news choppers in Phoenix. What went wrong?
And that's the sound of a really happy crowd. Iraqi citizens rejoicing throughout the Middle East this morning for a few hours today their national soccer team gave them a respite from war. But there is death even in celebration.
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