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CNN Saturday Morning News
Flooding Hits Midwest
Aired August 25, 2007 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TJ HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR, SATURDAY MORNING: From the CNN center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It's August 25th. Good morning to you all. I'm TJ Holmes.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR, SATURDAY MORNING: Welcome back TJ.
HOLMES: Thank you and welcome to you.
CHO: Thank you. Nice to be in Atlanta. Good morning, everybody. I'm Alina Cho. Betty is on assignment. Thanks for starting your day with us. There is a lot to get to, including this -- heartache in the heartland. We are in the flood zone this morning. It's going to be a weekend of cleanup for thousands of people and more rain could be on the way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can't do anything to bring my daughter back, but you can do everything to save these other kids.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: A sex offender murdered his daughter. Now this Florida father is speaking out saying more money is needed to protect children from pedophiles.
CHO: And some very good news about this young Iraqi boy just five years old. He has touched so many of our hearts.
HOLMES: We are going to start talking weather. No relief for people in the Midwest this morning. Many are still unable to return home after flooding turned their street into rivers, their towns into lakes and yes, more rain could be on the way. That could lead to more flooding along the Des Plaines River in northern Illinois. In the Chicago suburb of Mount Prospect, people are preparing for the worst.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAGGIE LIPPIARTS, RESIDENT, MT. PROSPECT, ILL: All of our houses are at stake. My house, we just remodeled actually and if the water comes, everything is ruined and the money is gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: In Ohio rescuers are still working hard to get to many people stranded by floodwaters. CNN's David Mattingly is in Ottawa, Ohio, where he's tracking the impact across that region. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Houses surrounded by water in Illinois, in Indiana, three miles of interstate shut down by rain. Flood soaked and storm-pounded communities can't catch a break as more rain pours across the soggy upper Midwest.
CLTV, VICKY METZGER: Mother Nature overtook us. There is not a thing we can do right now.
MATTINGLY: In less than a week, storms and floods are blamed for at least 17 deaths. Hundreds of homes are damaged. In Ohio, the sound of generators means it is time to pump out flooded basements. Many of the city streets in Ottawa, Ohio, remain submerged. Emergency crews continue to patrol by boat. Even the Coast Guard got involved in one high-profile rescue. This Ottawa couple refused to leave a house full of purebred cats.
JOHN FRIEMONT, OTTAWA, OHIO RESIDENT: My wife has been crying a lot. I'm ready to.
MATTINGLY: After three days, they finally got the help they needed to move cats by the dozen to higher ground. This was no small operation. There were a total of 63 adult cats that needed to be rescued and that's not counting all of the kittens that have been born since the flood happened. But as quickly as this flood hit, catching so many by surprise, its retreat is painfully slow, measured in inches at a time and leaving a huge mess behind. David Mattingly, CNN, Ottawa, Ohio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And be sure to stay right here with us for continuing coverage of the Midwestern flooding. Jim Acosta is in the flood zone in Illinois. He's going to be bringing us a live report in our next hour.
CHO: And more storm misery in southeastern Michigan. The National Weather Service says at least one tornado hit in Fenton. That's about 60 miles northwest of Detroit. Several homes were destroyed, some business and office buildings heavily damaged. The mayor of Fenton put a curfew into effect last night. We're going to take you there live in just a couple of minutes.
HOLMES: We turn now to a person who has the answers and maybe not the answers a lot of people looking for. More rain could possibly be on the way. Bonnie Schneider in with us this weekend. Hello to you, Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi TJ. I want to show you some of the rivers that we are watching. Areas where we have rivers that are at or near flood stage indicated by the black dots you see. And I zoomed into northern Illinois because this has been a really problematic area where we still have the flood watches and warnings right now from Fox Lake down to the west of Chicago. So we are watching this very, very closely at this time. We also have flood advisories posted all the way from parts of Missouri through Iowa and on into Illinois, even into the counties not just the rivers. But we may see some flooding into the low-level areas due to the runoff from the rivers and streams. That stretches all the way from Indiana back out eastward towards Ohio just around the area of Cleveland where we have also seen a lot of rain.
Now looking at the region at this point we are still seeing some heavy rain. It is mainly to the southwest of the flood zones. You can see a lot of rain coming up from Kansas through Arkansas sliding across Missouri on into Illinois and that rain is headed for Chicago once again today. In terms of heavier thunderstorms, we are seeing that right now across Tulsa and back out further to the north and east of that across Chicago and into Lake Michigan. We are also monitoring the heat. Heat advisories are in place for us today all the way from Virginia through New York and then up towards Boston today. Both Boston and Philadelphia will have heat indexes feeling like it is 104 degrees today. So excessive heat warnings in effect for those cities later on this afternoon. TJ, Alina.
CHO: That's good news because it has been cold in New York for the past several days.
HOLMES: You will take 104.
CHO: I'll take 104, that's right. It is August, after all. All right. Thanks, Bonnie. We will check back with you later.
A suspension and the admission for NFL star Michael Vick. In a written plea, Vick has admitted to operating and funding a dog fighting ring but denied placing bets or taking any of the winnings. Vick also admitted he was involved in the killings of six to eight dogs that did not perform well in test fights. After the admission, the NFL suspended the Atlanta Falcons quarterback indefinitely without pay. His plea will be heard on Monday in Federal court in Richmond, Virginia. Ray d'Alessio from CNN sports will join us in about 15 minutes to talk about this.
And deputies in Arizona have seized 12 pit bulls from the home of rapper DMX. The sheriff's office says the dogs were not being fed or given water. Authorities said they also found the remains of three other dogs on the property. The rapper was not home at the time. His attorney says he was quote extremely disturbed to learn the animals weren't being cared for. He blames the dog's caretaker. We are going to have a live report from Arizona in our next hour. TJ.
HOLMES: New details this morning about a suspected friendly fire incident in Afghanistan. British military officials say a U.S. fighter jet dropped a bomb that killed three British soldiers. The incident happened Thursday in Helman (ph) province. Officials say the British troops were part of a NATO force that came under attack by Taliban insurgents and two U.S. jets were called in for close air support. Officials say the British troops were hit during the intense fighting.
Looks like the debate over U.S. troop levels in Iraq has a key Republican breaking ranks with President Bush. Virginia Senator John Warner calls for cutting the number of U.S. troops in Iraq by the end of this year. Senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre reports now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE McINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With more than 160,000 troops in Iraq, Senator John Warner believes the mission could spare a few thousand just to make the point the U.S. is not staying indefinitely.
SEN. JOHN WARNER (R) ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: The first redeployment hopefully with the troops getting home by Christmas.
McINTYRE: But U.S. commanders in Iraq insist they need every American boot now on the ground to hold on to hard-won games because the Iraqi Army cannot yet fill their shoes.
MAJ. GEN. RICK LYNCH, CMDR., MULTINATIONAL DIVISION CTR: I've got some great Iraqi Army units in my battle space and we are working transitions there. But there's still such a detailed, complicated fight going on that it is no time between now and Christmas to move coalition forces out.
McINTYRE: But General Lynch's forces are on the frontlines south of Baghdad. Aren't there any troops anywhere in Iraq that could be sent home? Sources close to the top commander in Iraq tells CNN that General David Petraeus has not ruled out recommending troop cuts when he reports to Congress in two weeks. But he is playing his cards close to the vest. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is preparing options for next year under the hopeful scenario that deep force cuts can be made then, with as many as 60,000 troops coming home. The "Los Angeles Times" reports outgoing joint chief Chairman Peter Pace favors such a cut but General Pace issued a written statement calling the report purely speculative, adding he will provide his advice privately to the president. The White House has politely thanked Senator John Warner for his suggestion but made no promises.
GORDON JOHNDROE, NATL SECURITY COUNCIL SPOKESMAN: Certainly respected senator but right now the most important thing is listen to what our generals on the ground have to say.
WARNER: They are perfectly willing to reject it, (INAUDIBLE) want to do, reject it. At least I have spoken out with clarity and cleared my own conscience.
McINTYRE: Every indication from nearly every U.S. commander Iraq is that they believe pulling U.S. troops out before the end of the year would be too soon. That means any announced withdrawal would likely be largely symbolic. Jamie McIntyre, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And we are going to be talking to retired Brigadier General David Grange about all of this in the next half-hour of CNN's SATURDAY MORNING. CNN's General Grange is joining us live at 7:30 Eastern time. CHO: Other news this Saturday morning, frantic calls for help. Dispatchers trying to grasp what was happening in the moments after the Minneapolis bridge collapse. Newly released 911 tapes reveal how the magnitude of the disaster unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: Do you have an emergency or can you hold?
CALLER: Yes, I need everything you got. The whole bridge over the river fell down. There's cars all over the place.
911 OPERATOR: OK, where sir?
CALLER: I want to say 35W over the Mississippi down by the (INAUDIBLE) . There's hundreds of cars. I'm over the river. Bring everything you got.
911 OPERATOR: OK, sir, we're getting them started, OK.
CALLER: Oh, oh, hurry up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: The Minneapolis emergency communication center released tapes and transcripts from about 40 calls. Thirteen people died in the collapse.
Stopping sexual predators.
HOLMES: Death sentence now for the man who killed Jessica Lunsford. But her father says so much more needs to be done.
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Help is on the way for Youssif, the five-year-old boy whose face was grotesquely disfigured after an insurgent attack. I'm Arwa Damon in Baghdad and that story is coming up.
CHO: That is a heartwarming story.
And also this, religion by the numbers. Which is the biggest and the fastest growing? We have some surprising new poll numbers. We will have those for you later this Saturday morning. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back to CNN Saturday Morning, these pictures new to CNN right now. Multiple forest fires sweeping across southern Greece that claimed at least 37 lives. Numerous homes have been destroyed. And get this, it has also put a damper on political campaigning ahead of next month's national elections. In fact, Greece's ruling party has called for a temporary suspension of political campaigning as a sign of respect of those who perished in those fires. This by the way is the country's worst fire season on record. TJ.
HOLMES: Well, severe storms here causing major damage this morning in southeastern Michigan. At least one tornado touched down in Fenton, Michigan. Several people lost their homes. Other buildings were damaged as well. The mayor put a curfew in place last night. Cheryl Chodun of affiliate WXYZ is live for us there in Fenton. Good morning to you Cheryl.
CHERYL CHODUN, WXYZ: Good morning TJ: More than 100 homes are damaged here in Fenton. Many trees are down. There is no power. People stayed in a shelter last night and one business suffered massive damage. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHODUN: The high winds nearly destroyed the Tractor Supply store on the edge of town. Employees hid in a bathroom as the roof collapsed and a wall blew out. Not far away, trees were down all over the residential area near downtown Fenton, trees on cars, on houses across streets. Firefighters from nearby Burton came to Fenton late last night to help clear the debris.
UNIDENTIFIED FIREFIGHTER: This is some pretty severe storm damage. I haven't seen anything like this before.
CHODUN: It all started late in the afternoon with a dark and ominous wall of clouds, with lightning and high winds and heavy rain. There is no question Fenton was one of the hardest hit areas.
UNIDENTIFIED FIREFIGHTER: It is amazing that these big trees are uprooted, like the sidewalks are heaved and lifted off, moved. There are houses damaged. It is amazing nobody was hurt.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHODUN: As the people of Fenton wake up and take a look at the damage, they are shaking their heads in disbelief. They really can't believe what happened last night but they do believe exactly what the National Weather Service has confirmed, that it was a tornado that hit Fenton last night. In Fenton, I'm Cheryl Chodun reporting. Back to you.
HOLMES: All right Cheryl and I think we heard that right but after seeing all those pictures and all that damage, nobody was injured? Do we have that right?
CHODUN: There were some minor injuries. I would say about 10 people suffered minor injuries from blowing glass and blowing debris. But they were treated. Nobody was hospitalized. It is amazing. We walked back in the neighborhood -- if you could see -- well, you saw it in my piece but the damage is extensive. And it is really amazing but there was a warning and a lot of people went to their basements and that probably saved them from more serious injuries.
HOLMES: It is nice to hear when those warnings work and people heed those warnings. Cheryl, thank you so much this morning. Thank you so much.
A senseless and horrible act of violence, the victim a five-year- old Iraqi boy burned nearly to death by attackers in Baghdad. We first brought Youssif's tragic story earlier this week.
CHO: And a lot of our viewers have been following this one. This morning, Youssif and his family have new hope thanks to a California foundation dedicated to helping children. Our Arwa Damon has more from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Help is on the way for five-year old Youssif.
ZAINAB, YOUSSIF'S MOTHER (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): I was so happy. I didn't know what do with myself. I didn't think that it would be like this. I thought maybe one organization would come forward.
DAMON: Yousiff's father is a security guard. It is too dangerous for him to appear on camera.
TRANSLATOR: I just want to thank everyone who has come forward to help.
DAMON: Youssif's parents say they never expected the overwhelming outpouring of support for their son. Since we first told Youssif's story, a five-year-old boy in Baghdad attacked by men who set him on fire, the Children's Burn Foundation has offered to bring Youssif and his family to the U.S. for medical treatment. The foundation will cover all their expenses and Dr. Peter Grossman of the affiliated Grossman Burn Foundation offered his services to do the surgery Youssif will need. It will take at least a year to do the multiple operations he requires and adjusting to America will not be easy for the little boy and his family.
TRANSLATOR: It will be hard but I will do anything for Youssif.
DAMON: It is also expected Youssif will need psychological treatment. His mother tries to coax him to talk to us but he's withdrawn into himself, into a place no five-year-old should ever have to go but one his family hopes he will eventually be able to forget.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Such an adorable little boy. Arwa Damon joins us live from the Iraqi capital this morning. So Arwa, I'm curious. We hear so many unfortunately, hear so many awful stories coming out of that region. Yet, we are not often moved to act on this. And so I'm wondering how did this all come about with this California organization?
DAMON: Well, you know, it really was the outpouring of support that we got, viewers' reactions, NGOs, medical institutions all reacting to the story that ran on our air and also, to a piece that we put together for the website. And that's how this whole process began. I'm talking tens of thousands of e-mails, people calling in. It was really, really overwhelming I think for everybody who is involved. Those of us here in the Baghdad bureau and those in Atlanta that were trying to keep up with this flow of information. We spoke with the family. They decided to seek medical treatment in the United States. So that's pretty much how it all came together.
CHO: I'm sure it is incredible for you. I saw the e-mails that you were sending to all of the CNN staff as well. I'm just curious because I know this little boy, unfortunately, has a long road ahead, six months to a year of surgeries. When is the family expected to arrive in the United States? Is the whole family coming?
DAMON: Yes the whole family is going to be traveling together to the United States which really makes them all very happy. The idea of being -- of having one parent separated from their son was very difficult. Granted if that was the case they would have dealt with it. The one thing right now that's really preventing the family from traveling is that we are trying to get a passport for Youssif's mother and his younger sister. But really the sticking point is going to be getting those U.S. visas. It is incredibly difficult for Iraqis already to get visas for the United States. There are literally tens of thousands of Iraqis on that waiting list. There are officials that are saying that they can try to help us expedite the process. So it is pretty much a wait and see game right now. The organization is ready to receive Youssif and his family the moment they arrive.
CHO: Perhaps they will be able to make some sort of consideration for this family considering what happened. Arwa Damon, we thank you for bringing the stories to all of our viewers around the world. We'll check back with you later.
And impact your world by logging on to cn.com/impact to learn about how you can help Youssif and other children just like him. Impacting your world, not just a click away at cnn.com/impact.
And in our next half hour, Veronica de la Cruz will take a look at how our website viewers are reacting to Youssif's story. Suffice it to say, it is the most viewed non-breaking story in CNN history. That is incredible.
HOLMES: It is nice when they work out, when -- that's why sometimes we do what we do to get that kind of reaction. Hopefully it's going to work out for this little boy.
CHO: That's right. As journalists, we hope at some point we can make a difference. Arwa is making a difference.
HOLMES: She is doing some great stuff over there. You can tell, one of her favorite stories.
CHO: Absolutely.
HOLMES: All right. We are going to turn now to not really a favorite story for a lot of folks. We're going to tell you about Michael Vick and his plea deal.
CHO: Can it save his future with the NFL? Ray d'Alessio of CNN sports is with us next. He's going to help sort it all out for us. Stay with us. We'll be right back.
SCHNEIDER: I'm CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider. Flash flood watches and warnings are now in effect for over eight states across the country. And the reason why, we still have more rain sliding in. We will be watching this very closely. Plus, it is going to be a scorching day in Philadelphia. Take a look at a live picture now of Philadelphia, hazy skies and excessive heat warning in effect from 12:00 to 6:00. I'll have a complete report on the nation's weather coming up next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Details now coming out about what Michael Vick will plead guilty to. He is scheduled to appear in Federal court Monday. In a written plea entered yesterday, Vick admits to operating and funding a dog fighting ring. We need to turn to CNN's sports Ray d'Alessio to help sort this thing out. Good morning to you, sir.
RAY D'ALESSIO, CNN SPORTS: A little confusing.
HOLMES: A little confusing. Now he is pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy but he's admitting to a lot of other stuff.
D'ALESSIO: The official plea is he's pleading guilty to conspiracy to operate a dog fighting ring across state lines, which is a Federal offense. As part of that conspiracy, you know, charge. Vick acknowledges he provided most of the money for Bad News kennels, the dog fighting operation. And he was also involved, involved in the killings of six to eight dogs. Never admitted that he physically killed a dog himself, but says he was involved and that these dogs died through a collective effort of himself and two co-defendants. As far as jail time or prison time is concerned, the government in this case is recommending between 12 to 18 months. However, it is not going to be up to them to decide. It's going to be up to the judge who is presiding over the case on Monday. And he has a reputation of being very stiff on sentencing.
HOLMES: That's tricky language in there you're talking about. He's saying he played a part, but maybe he didn't necessarily kill the dogs. I guess that's purposely put in there to make it look a little better.
D'ALESSIO: It was all done in an effort to really try to probably salvage his career and from a public relations move as well. But as we saw Roger Goodell (ph), the NFL commissioner said he still, as part of this gambling operation you may not have physically or may not have bet on dogs yourself, may not have bet on the fights, but you put up the money. He says Michael Vick, he says that he never took the proceeds from the winnings or anything like that. But in the eyes of Roger Goodell, it was still all part of that gambling and it violated the NFL's personal conduct policy and hence, the indefinite suspension.
HOLMES: A big thing here now, he's turning snitch. How much can that possibly help him? And we talked earlier, there's some talk he may not get any jail time.
D'ALESSIO: That's going to be interesting to see. That's why it is so hard to speculate what's going to happen. Again, you know, the Judge Hutchins in this case is very very strict on sentencing, but depending on what Michael Vick does now, how much information he provides to the government, it could result in a lighter term of prison or maybe no prison at all, maybe just house arrest. And I think that's what Roger Goodell is going to look at. How much does Michael Vick provide, what he does from here on out, how remorseful he is because of all these charges.
HOLMES: And again, we talk about that language possibly trying to -- worded the way it is to possibly salvage an NFL career. Again, we don't know what kind of sentence he might get. But he could be suspended indefinitely right now. But that does not mean that later (INAUDIBLE) he could be back playing.
D'ALESSIO: And that's the thing. Michael Vick has two things going in his favor. A, he's 27 years old. He can relatively say - he gets a two-year prison sentence just hypothetically. He's in prison for two years. He comes out, Roger Goodell suspends him for another year after that. Possibly back in the league by the time he's 30 years old. Again, it is going to depend, to me personally, it is going to depend on what Michael Vick does from here on out whether or not he returns to the NFL.
HOLMES: You personally. We always want to hear from you personally. Ray D'Alessio, CNN sports. Always good to see you. Thanks.
CHO: Stay with us, a lot coming up. Breaking ranks with the president. At issue, Iraq and a top Republican call for President Bush to start bringing the troops home by the end of the year. We will get a general's insight right after the break.
And a reality check from Josh Levs. Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Alina. Good to have you down here with us. Today we are talking a look at the real size of the world's religions. We hear different assertions all the time and they play a massive political role. Well, now we have got the surprising numbers. That's coming up. Alina.
CHO: We look forward to that. Also, the flooding misery spreads and the forecast holds out little hope of relief. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WILLIS: Be sure to make color copies of your passport and ticket information to avoid mishaps at the airport or just save them in your e-mail so that they can be accessed from anywhere in the world. And sketch out an itinerary before you leave. Planning ahead will help you fit in all of your sightseeing, beach going and restaurant hopping.
And, most important, head to cnn.com to check the weather before you pack.
(on camera): I'm Gerri Willis and that's your Tip of the Day.
For more ideas, strategies and tips to save you money and protect your house, watch "OPEN HOUSE," today at 9:30 aamm Eastern right here on CNN.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Take a look at these pictures. The largest Hindu temple in the United States opens today. We have exclusive video to show you this half hour. This is not far from Atlanta and our CNN center right here.
Welcome back, everyone.
I'm Alina Cho.
Betty is on assignment.
HOLMES: Yes.
And I'm T.J. Holmes.
Also, from a multimillion dollar building to a dream come true on a smaller scale.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM WSVN)
SHAWNEE CHASSER, LIVES IN TREEHOUSE: I dreamed it. I also didn't have a tree house when I was growing up. All the little boys did. So I wanted the most magnificent of all and I got it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yes. And we're going to show you a tree house that works for kids of all ages. You want to stick around for that.
But first, at least one senior Republican senator now says it's time to star bringing U.S. troops home from Iraq.
CHO: That's right. John Warner of Virginia, who just returned from Iraq, says he's losing patience with Iraq's political leaders. He believes the Iraqi government needs some tough love in the form of an immediate troop withdrawal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN WARNER (R-VA), ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE: I say to the president, respectfully, pick whatever number you wish. You do not want to lose the momentum, but certainly in the 160,000 plus, say 5,000 could begin to redeploy and be home to their families and loved ones no later than Christmas of this year.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And, as you can imagine, it's unlikely the White House is going to be taking Warner's suggestion.
CHO: That's right. One U.S. military commander says taking any troops out of Iraq right now would be disastrous.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. GEN. RICK LYNCH, COMMANDER, MULTINATIONAL DIVISION: And in my battle space right now, if soldiers were to leave -- if coalition soldiers were to leave, having fought hard for that terrain, having denied the enemy their sanctuary, what would happen is the enemy would come back. He'd start building the bombs again. He'd start attacking the locals again. And he'd start exporting that violence into Baghdad. And we would take a giant step backwards.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: The White House has made clear it won't make any strategic changes in Iraq until the latest military assessments are made on September 15th.
And for more on Senator Warner's apparent split with the White House, let's turn to our CNN military analyst, Brigadier General David Grange.
He joins us this morning from Oak Brook, Illinois. Good morning, General.
I'm curious, Senator Warner is a war veteran. He's a former secretary of the Navy and one of the most respected voices in the Senate. He wants at least 5,000 troops home by the end of the year.
What do you make of his comments?
BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, U.S. ARMY (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, I respect him, as well. I think he's a great government official. But I disagree totally with his comment.
First of all, the troops think we're crazy, you know, start a new strategy -- oops, stop, some of you come back. I mean you have to run this new strategy through to have any effect.
Second, we announce on television -- because who watches CNN besides Americans -- not only our enemy but the political leaders of Iraq. And so if we say this 5,000 token force is to put pressure on them and it's just an expression, they're just going to ignore it. That's not how you get their attention. So that won't have any effect on Iraqi political leadership.
CHO: Well, I have a feeling that I know the answer to this, but then why does Senator Warner, one of most respected voices in the Senate, as I mentioned, and a war veteran himself, why does he make these comments, then, at all?
GRANGE: I don't know. I hope it's not because of the political wind -- the infighting between parties.
But who ought to make these kind of comments are the field commanders on the ground. They're the ones that are in a fight every day. Five thousand troops taken away right now, I would expect, is detrimental to the plan being executed. They need every boot on the ground to make this thing happen.
And so let the commanders that are doing this make those kind of comments. They know.
CHO: Well, and let's get to that because, as you well know, there's this highly anticipated report that we're expecting some time in mid-September from the U.S. commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus. He will be giving an assessment report to the White House, which will be turned over to Congress.
But there was this other report that came out on Thursday. The NIE report, or the National Intelligence Estimate, that essentially it was mixed bag, saying there were measurable but uneven improvements.
What do you make of that report and how much credence should we give to it if we're anticipating this other report in just a couple of weeks?
GRANGE: Well, there are several reports coming out. And you have to really like look at all of them and make your own informed decision.
But, first of all, in September, the report is only going to be able to analyze since June 15th or so, mid-June. You're really not going to get a very valid report, I don't think, until the end of the year. And so that's not going to have a lot of effect.
The weak link in the whole thing of diplomacy, of information, of military, of economics, is the political leadership of Iraq. You have to get them behind closed doors, put your finger in their chest and say look, pal, get with it because we really are going to leave.
Now, we're not just going to leave the region. We'll be on the periphery, because we're going take care of any meddling of Iran. We're going to take care of any issues that result from the issue of Israel. Those things will happen.
So it's not -- we're not going to let certain people take over that country. And so that he had -- they have to know that and get off the fence and make some decisions.
But to say 5,000 on TV will have no effect.
CHO: The best people who know are the people who are there, as you say.
Brigadier general and military analyst for CNN, David Grange.
We thank you for joining us this morning from Oak Brook, Illinois.
GRANGE: My pleasure.
CHO: And keep in mind, CNN correspondents will talk about the latest intelligence review on Iraq and how many more Republicans are breaking ranks with the president over troop levels. Plus, what's life like for the average Iraqi family?
All that and much more on "THIS WEEK AT WAR" with host Tom Foreman. That's tonight at 7:00 Eastern time.
HOLMES: We turn to our weather mess that's happening in the Midwest. Severe flooding keeping major areas of the Midwest under water this morning and more rain could be on the way.
CHO: A big mess right now. State and federal disaster areas have been declared in several states, maybe a half dozen states. Many people still unable to return to their waterlogged homes, as rivers continue to rise around them.
HOLMES: And flood watches or warnings are in effect for nine states this morning. Those are Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio and Michigan.
CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider has an eye on all of those nine states and beyond. And we're talking about the dangers this morning -- good morning, Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, ATS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, T.J. And Alina.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: And officials in Greece keeping an eye on things there, as well. Dozens and dozens of fires causing all kinds of issues there. Some of the news video we're getting here. This is happening in Southern Greece, the southern part of the country, where 37 people have died.
Again, multiple fires, dozens, really, is what they're saying. And this is because -- it's been blamed on extreme heat that they're seeing there but, also, as you can see in the pictures, pretty strong winds that are fanning these flames. And they have been unable to get these fires under control. And dozens of homes have been destroyed, as well.
But all kinds of issues they're having there in Greece and no sign right now -- they are throwing everything they have at this -- these fires.
CHO: That's right.
HOLMES: And no signs just yet of having them under control.
CHO: It's the worst fire season on record. And it's also having an impact on the national elections there, if you can believe it. They have actually called for a halt in campaigning in deference to the victims of the fires. So, we'll be watching this story very closely.
HOLMES: Well, another story we're watching here and you viewers have been watching, as well. You all opened up your hearts for a little Iraqi boy. And Veronica de la Cruz here now with a quick look at that -- good morning to you, Veronica.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you T.J. And Alina.
You know, Arwa Damon just brought us the story of little 5-year- old Youssif. And our viewers have really stepped up to the plate to help him and his family.
I'm going to show you how next, from the Dot-Com Desk.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SCHNEIDER: I'm CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider with a look at your Allergy Report for Saturday.
Well, looking across the country in terms of pollen, we're doing pretty good. A lot of rain coming through the area across the Ohio Valley and the Northeast will clear things outs there. But you will have poor air quality in cities like Boston due to ozone. A lot of heat out there today and we actually have heat advisories in place for Boston and Philadelphia.
Now, across the country, though, we are seeing some higher counts of air pollution and pollen in areas along the Rockies and parts of the Midwest.
Otherwise, you are looking at better conditions across the Northern Plains. A cold front came through and that's cleared things out nicely.
That's a look at your Allergy Report for Saturday.
I'm meteorologist Bonnie Schneider.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, this is about that time of the morning we take the pulse of the scene and Web site to see what's...
CHO: It's about that time.
HOLMES: Yes, it is about that time.
CHO: OK.
Well, one story in particular has eclipsed all others over the past few days.
Veronica de la Cruz here with us to talk to us about that.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes.
CHO: Little Youssif, five years old. DE LA CRUZ: Yes, little Youssif. And, you know, so many people have written in on this story. It's has been incredible. There haven't been many stories out there that have touched CNN's audience like this one of little 5-year-old Youssif.
Youssif is the little Iraqi boy who was attacked outside his home in January, set on fire for reasons no one can fathom.
After our Arwa Damon brought Youssif's story to the world, we heard a loud chorus of outrage. Millions of people flocked to CNN.com to read Youssif's story. But it went beyond the anger. Brian Quinn wrote to us: "CNN, if you put this on for us to read, then you should allow us to donate."
And, Brian, I'm here to tell you that we have heard you.
CNN.com has put up for a link for people to make donations to help Youssif, who will soon come to the U.S. for treatment.
All you have to do is go to CNN.com/impact, look for the link that reads "Iraq burn victim" and there you will see the Children's Burn Foundation in Sherman Oaks, California. They have agreed to treat Youssif and take care of his family during his stay. Plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman is donating his medical services to the boy.
All you have to do, again, is click on the Children's Burn Foundation. That's going to bring up this donation form. You're going to want to scroll down until you see general donation and then select "Youssif's Fund" from that dropdown menu.
I also want to remind you guys of another Iraqi child who came to the U.S. for medical treatment. Baby Noor was found by U.S. troops who were on patrol near Baghdad in 2005. You guys remember this.
The infant girl had severe spina bifida, a potentially life- threatening condition.
And in early 2006, Baby Noor received surgery and treatment here in Atlanta. After her recuperation, the family returned home to Iraq in June, 2006.
So a lot that you can do out there. All you have to do is log onto CNN.com/impact.
And I want to remind you, it's not just these children. It's not just what's going on in Iraq. It's also the flood victims. So, I mean, head to CNN.com/impactyourworld.
There are so many ways that you can get involved.
CHO: Well, certainly we saw that after Katrina, too.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes.
HOLLEY: A lot of our viewers answered that call.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes. And the tsunami.
CHO: That's right, the tsunami, as well.
Thanks for watching that for us, Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: All right.
HOLMES: Veronica, thank you.
CHO: All right.
See you later.
HOLMES: We'll see you again here soon.
And still ahead here, we're going to be talking about religion and power -- faith by numbers.
CHO: Plus, get a load of this story -- a treehouse fit for a family.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, COURTESY WSVN)
S. CHASSER: This is where my six foot iguanas hang out with us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Living with the lizards. I'm not sure if we want do that, T.J. .
HOLMES: No, no.
CHO: One woman's alternative lifestyle has her heading for the treetops. We'll have her story later this hour.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: A 9-year-old girl kidnapped from her bedroom, raped and buried alive. Now, the man responsible for Jessica Lunsford's death will pay with his own life. A Florida judge yesterday sentenced John Couey to death for Jessica's murder.
Her family members were in court for the sentencing and after the hearing, Jessica's father called on lawmakers to do more to protect children from sexual predators.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK LUNSFORD, JESSICA LUNSFORD'S FATHER: Justice was served for this little girl.
But what about the rest of them?
What about the ones that survive? To kill a child is -- is the worst.
But who has it the worst, the child that dies or the child that survives?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Hundreds of volunteers helped search for Jessica after she disappeared. Authorities say she was apparently held for several days before she was killed.
CHO: "God's Warriors" -- this week, CNN took an unprecedented look at how religion shapes our world. Everyday we hear about international tensions and violence involving religious groups.
So, just how big a force are there?
Surprising numbers are out this morning and CNN's Joshua Levs is here with us to take a look at that -- hey, good morning.
JOSHUA LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning to you.
Great to have you down here.
CHO: Thank you.
LEVS: I'm glad you're here.
CHO: It's nice to be here.
LEVS: You know, it's really interesting. I mean throughout the week there was a lot of talk about religion, obviously. And a lot of people were thinking about it, largely due to "God's Warriors".
And it really got me thinking about what a massive force in our society these religions are. Then, on top of that, we've got this video that has now come in, I want to show you, of a brand new Hindu temple opening up this weekend. It's actually down here near Atlanta.
This is 160 -- people in 160 countries are watching the opening of this. This is the largest Swaminarayan Hindu temple in the country.
So there's a lot that's going on this week and...
CHO: It's beautiful.
LEVS: Isn't it amazing?
CHO: Oh, that's wonderful.
LEVS: It's stunning.
One of our producers said she nearly drove off the road when she saw it. So, anyway...
CHO: (INAUDIBLE). LEVS: Yes, I know, it's incredible. I mean and apparently it lights up at night.
CHO: Oh, man.
LEVS: So, you know, these are huge forces in the world. But when I started to look into the numbers, I discovered that literally nobody I knew they were. And everybody was surprised when I started to pass them on.
So here you go now. You'll be among the few who actually know this.
This is the world's religious breakdown.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
LEVS (voice-over): In recent years, the size of one major religious group has been getting a lot of attention.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are well over a billion Muslims in the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Almost a billion-and-a-half Muslims.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's 1.2 billion Muslims.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 1.6 billion Muslims in the world.
LEVS: There are only estimates. The population is spread across the world, including some countries where it's especially tough to get solid, up to date numbers.
But we do know the biggest religions stack up numbers wise.
The world's total population is at 6.6 billion. According to the "World Book" put out by the CIA. Thirty-three percent -- one third of humanity -- identifies as Christian. That's well over two billion people.
The Muslim population is second biggest, at more than a billion. Then Hindus, at about 900 million; Buddhists at about 400 million; Sikhs at about 26 million; and Jews at about 15 million.
This chart shows how big a chunk of the world's population each of those groups takes up. About 13 percent of people follow other religions, 2 percent are atheists and 12 percent are not affiliated with any group.
Figures on religion come with an important caveat. Parts of the world don't have religious freedom. For example, Saudi Arabia reports that 100 percent of its population is Muslim. The U.S. State Department notes that Saudi law requires that all citizens be Muslims.
(END VIDEO TAPE) LEVS: And Islam is actually one of the faster growing religions in the world. And you're going hear that assertion some time. But I also want to help you understand how you determine if a religion is growing quickly. You know, the biggest reason that Islam is one of the fastest growing is actually, well, you know, because there are some high birth rates in Muslim nations.
CHO: (INAUDIBLE).
LEVS: Therefore, more are born into the faith, raised in the faith.
CHO: All right, so you've looked at the world breakup.
What about in the U.S.?
LEVS: Yes, we've got that here. Obviously, it's pretty different from what the world is.
Let's show you -- I think we have -- the control room can put up a screen here. There you go. I mean basically the -- the nation is three quarters Christian. That's about a half Protestant, about a quarter Roman Catholic, 2 percent Mormon. Jews and Muslims each just make up about 1 percent. And then when you see that 10 percent "other" figure, it's because there's no single group out there that even reaches 1 percent. And then about one in 10 Americans say they do not identify with any religion at all.
There you go.
CHO: And you've got the atheists.
LEVS: Yes, exactly. They're among others.
CHO: All right, Josh Levs, thank you very much.
LEVS: Thank you.
CHO: We'll check back with you later.
LEVS: You've got it.
CHO: And this weekend, a special only encore presentation of "God's Warriors". Christian Amanpour will take to you the frontlines, where religion and politics collide. "God's Christian Warriors" -- that's tonight and tomorrow night at 9:00 Eastern time, only on CNN.
HOLMES: Alina, we've got to get out of here because we've got to get lottery tickets.
CHO: No kidding!
HOLMES: There are some big bucks at stake. This weekend, Powerball fever striking as the pot tops $300 million. We will have a live report coming up in the next hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, COURTESY WSVN)
S. CHASSER: I dreamed it. I also didn't have a tree house when I was growing up. All the little boys did. So, I wanted the most magnificent of all and I got it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: So she's living there.
HOLMES: Yes.
CHO: Living the high life. One woman's dream takes her -- well, to the treetops. We'll have her story right after the break.
HOLMES: Wow!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back, everybody.
You hear lots of talk these days about alternative lifestyles...
HOLMES: Yes?
CHO: ...people trying to escape the daily grind and regain their sanity, so to speak.
HOLMES: Yes. I don't know how sane this woman's idea was. She's in Miami. And for her, the world looks a whole lot better from a tree house.
Luanne Sorrell of affiliate WSVN has this story.
Check it out.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
S. CHASSER: I love that squirrels visit me and that butterflies come up there.
LUANNE SORRELL, WSVN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Call it a piece of paradise smack dab in the middle of a city.
S. CHASSER: It's actually the favoritist place I've ever lived.
SORRELL: For 16 years, Shawnee Chasser has been living in this three story tree house in Miami.
S. CHASSER: This is where my six foot iguanas hang out with us.
SORRELL: The four room house, that has an open air kitchen in the back, sits on one-and-a-half acres of land.
S. CHASSER: And these are my veina de la note (ph).
SORRELL: It's surrounded by lush trees and dozens of animals, most of which she rescued. For this self-proclaimed hippie, it's a childhood dream come true.
S. CHASSER: I dreamed it. I also didn't have a treehouse when I was growing up. All the little boys did. So I wanted the most magnificent of all and I got it.
SORRELL: Shawnee's 11-year-old daughter Lantana also thinks it's cool living in a tree, but what kid wouldn't?
LANTANA CHASSER, DAUGHTER: And I get to climb trees and it's fun.
SORRELL (on camera): And if hanging out in treetops and waking up to emus sounds appealing to you, you can have your own little piece of paradise. That's because Shawnee has two spare bedrooms here that she rents out for $360 a month.
S. CHASSER: I get a lot of responses. I actually got an overnight money order from Barcelona, Spain once.
SORRELL (voice-over): But even a child of the '60s can't avoid the new millennium entirely.
S. CHASSER: Wow!
SORRELL: Air-conditioning, hot water and, yes...
S. CHASSER: Wireless Internet.
SORRELL: But don't worry, Shawnee, we won't tell anyone.
In Miami, Luanne Sorrell, 7 News.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
TJ HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR, SATURDAY MORNING: From the CNN center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING." I'm TJ Holmes. Welcome to you all.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR, SATURDAY MORNING: Good morning, TJ. Good morning, everybody. I'm Alina Cho. Betty is on assignment.
We're following another police raid on a home with pit bulls.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you have 12 pit bulls, you never know, do you?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: We're going to take you live to one rapper's compound in just a couple of minutes. So stay tuned for that.
HOLMES: Also, take a peek at this. Can you imagine being pulled over by this police helicopter? Can you imagine seeing that in your rearview mirror? That story is coming up for you in the water cooler.
First, flooding still the major story across the Midwest this morning. Watches and warnings in effect in many areas right now, some of the worst of it in northern Illinois near Chicago. Tens of thousands there without power. The Des Plaines River flooding its banks near some of the Chicago suburbs and CNN's Jim Acosta joining us live this morning in Antioch, Illinois. Good morning, Jim.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, TJ and yes, we're beside one of those swollen rivers here in northern Illinois. This is the Fox River. And just yesterday we were up in southern Wisconsin, just across the border up there, where those communities were just flooded out by this river. And what has essentially happened is those floodwaters receded or started to recede yesterday and all of that floodwater has started to come this way. Let me show you what we have behind us here. We're in this community as you mentioned in Antioch, Illinois, and you can see these sandbags as residents have tried to line this wall of sandbags in front of their homes to try to keep this water from going into this community and really wreaking havoc. At this point, it's having some effect, but this is a wall of sandbags we're talking about here.
And just to show you what we're standing in front of, this is actually a road behind these sandbags. This is a road that takes you back into these homes. And unfortunately for these folks, this swollen Fox River is breaching this wall of sandbags and is making its way into these homes. As I mentioned earlier, residents have told us that just overnight that river has gone up. The floodwaters have risen even more than they were just a few moments ago. You can see this water coming on top of us right now. It's actually not raining. This is just this tree that we're standing underneath catching a little wind and dropping some rain on top of us. There was a little bit of rain overnight, a half inch to an inch of rain across the Chicago area. That has created a lot of anxiety for a lot of people living next to these swollen rivers.
The governor of Illinois has toured many of these communities. He's planning to assess whether or not five northern Illinois counties around Chicago will need Federal disaster relief. That has already started to occur up in Wisconsin after that state has dealt with a lot of rain, record amounts in some parts of Wisconsin, over the last month and as you mentioned, just before we got started here, tens of thousands of people without power. That's making the situation very difficult.
And let me just show you one other aspect here that we have our eye on in this spot in Antioch. Just across the Fox River, you have a mobile home community that is right on the banks of this river. It must be a pretty sight when the river is down and it's at normal levels. But as you can see just across the river here, you have mobile homes that are on the verge of becoming house boats this morning, TJ. So a lot of anxiety here in Antioch, Illinois. A little bit of rain overnight, which is causing some anxiety here. And as we mentioned, those floodwaters that were receding in southern Wisconsin are now starting to make their way and have made their way into northern Illinois in the Chicago area and that has got people worrying big time here in these suburbs of Chicago throughout this weekend. TJ?
HOLMES: And just real quick, Jim, you said the power is out to a lot of folks. Of course, the water is threatening the homes. Are people hanging tight in their homes? Are they fortifying to get out of there or are they sticking around in their homes out there?
ACOSTA: We understand that a few hundred homes have been evacuated in certain communities like this one right here. And we can report, according to the "Chicago Tribune," there was one death that may be attributed to this storm because there was a gentleman, a former Cook County government official, who was in his basement trying to pump the water out of his basement, who may have been electrocuted as a result of trying to pump that water out of his basement. So that is one of the major risks for people in this area. As they go into their basements and with the power off, people trying to pump the water out of their basements. When that power comes on and they're standing in inches of water, that can be enough to kill somebody. And so people have to be very careful with these kinds of conditions right now.
HOLMES: Yes. Some tough conditions folks are dealing with. As you put it, Jim, homes threatened to become house boats possibly. That's one way to put it. Jim Acosta for us there in Antioch. Thank you so much.
And more states dealing with the flooding and storm damage this morning as well. Heavy rain backed up the sewer system in one Iowa town, threatening the water supply to about 25,000 residents. Families in Ottawa, Ohio, are hoping to return to their home after the Blanchard River flooded two thirds of that town. People across Minnesota still cleaning up from flooding nearly a week after thunderstorms hit there. And a tornado touched down in Fenton, Michigan, damaging homes and leaving thousands without power.
CHO: Incredible pictures. So is the worst of it over? Meteorologist Bonnie Schneider at the CNN weather center with a look at that. Hey, Bonnie, good morning.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning Alina and TJ. We're watching more rain, that's actually not where our reporter in Illinois right now, but it did slide across the suburbs of Chicago earlier today moving across Lake Michigan, in fact into Michigan. Any more rain certainly is not good news for the flood stricken areas that we see right now. We do have some of the rivers that are still under flood warnings. That does include the Des Plaines River in Illinois. We're watching that closely.
We're also watching the heat build across a good portion of the east states. Actually it's going to be a very dangerous situation for places like Philadelphia, an excessive heat warning is in effect starting at noon today. So not right now, but eventually high temperatures will climb into the upper 90s, but it will feel like it's 104 degrees. And not just in Philadelphia, but across New Jersey, Washington, DC, down through Richmond and Virginia Beach. And one city that's been getting a taste of some cooler weather will now be facing very hot conditions again. Heat advisories in place for Boston all the way out towards Springfield, Mass, and down through Hartford, Connecticut, and Providence.
So definitely oppressive heat through this region and unfortunately, the flooding problems will continue for the Midwest, but looking towards the next 48 hours, we're seeing some heavier rain through central Illinois and Ohio, but luckily the suburbs of Chicago only seeing another inch of rain. The problem, TJ and Alina, is that it takes a while for those rivers to recede, depending on the topography of the river. It can take a while for the flood stage to come down.
CHO: That's right. So even if it doesn't rain that much, it's piling on as we mentioned earlier.
SCHNEIDER: And slow to drain.
CHO: All right, Bonnie. Thank you very much. We'll check back with you later.
Authorities in Arizona seize a dozen dogs from the home of rapper DMX. They say they received a tip that the dogs were being treated inhumanely. CNN's Kara Finnstrom joins us live from Cave Creek, Arizona, with the details. Hey Kara, good morning.
KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning. This is the home that was raided right behind me of rapper DMX. All quiet at this hour, but sheriff's deputies say they expect to be out here throughout the coming weeks collecting evidence. At this point, they say, it's not clear what, if any, charges will be filed against rapper DMX. They also say it's not clear whether any dog fighting actually took place here, which has been one of the big questions in this small community. Here's what we do know.
Sheriff's deputies were acting on a tip that some animal neglect took place at this residence. So they came out here, They found 12 dogs, which were a mix of English mastiff and pit bull, that they say were dehydrated and appeared to be poorly fed. So they took those dogs. They're keeping them now at a jail, an old jail that's been converted to an animal shelter. They say they also found three dogs' bodies on the property. At least one of them appears to have been burned. And they say they found some drugs, drugs paraphernalia and some weapons. Right now they're checking to see whether those weapons were legally obtained.
They have spoken with the attorney for DMX, who says DMX has been in New York. He has a care taker that he believed was taking care of these dogs and that DMX was deeply disturbed to learn about their condition. He says he considers these dogs to be almost like family. DMX's real name, Earl Simmons. He is an actor and musician, 36 years old. A couple of his titles include, "It's Dark and Hell is Hot" and "Year of the Dog Again." So, again, at this point the investigation continuing and throughout the coming week, we do expect to see deputies out here continuing to collect evidence and see exactly what took place here.
Kara Finnstrom live from Cave Creek, Arizona this morning. Kara, thank you. TJ. HOLMES: Well, suspension and admission for NFL star Michael Vick. In a written statement, Vick has admitted to operating and funding a dog fighting ring. Vick also admitted he was involved in the killing of six to eight dogs that did not perform well in test fights. The NFL has suspended Vick indefinitely without pay. His plea will be heard Monday in Federal court in Richmond, Virginia.
CHO: Frantic calls for help. Dispatchers trying to grasp what was happening in the moments after the Minneapolis bridge collapse. Newly released 911 tapes reveal how the magnitude of the disaster unfolded.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
911 OPERATOR: Do you have an emergency or can you hold?
CALLER: Yes, I need everything you got. The whole bridge over the river fell down. There's cars all over the place.
911 OPERATOR: OK, where sir?
CALLER: I want to say 35W over the Mississippi down by the (INAUDIBLE). There's hundreds of cars. I'm over the river. Bring everything you got.
911 OPERATOR: OK, sir, we're getting them started, OK.
CALLER: Oh, oh, hurry up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: The Minneapolis emergency communications center released tapes and transcripts from about 40 calls. Thirteen people died in the collapse.
HOLMES: And showing you some new video we have here coming in to us. Keeping an eye on the situation in southern Greece where fires there, forest fires have killed some 37 people. You can see from these pictures the high winds certainly not helping the situation here, fanning these flames. They have had extreme heat conditions there in Greece, in southern Greece for quite some time and that's been blamed for starting these fires. And those winds, as you see there, fanning these flames with 37 people dead. Several homes destroyed, other buildings and structures damaged as well. We're keeping an eye on the situation there right now not under control, according to fire officials there. They are throwing everything they have at these fires. All the resources they have but have not been able to get these things under control. Some of the newest pictures we're showing, sharing those with you, keeping an eye on the situation there.
CHO: Watching that closely.
HOLMES: Campers catch what they say is a peeping Tom and you won't believe what they did to him.
CHO: And could you be America's next millionaire? TJ and I want to be.
HOLMES: Yes, we do.
CHO: CNN's Gary Nurenberg here with a quick look at it. Hey Gary. Good morning.
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is not anchor money we're talking about, but it is $300 million, lots of people buying tickets this morning. We will bring you an update in just a moment.
Plus how do you feel now that Michael Vick has been suspended from the NFL indefinitely? You can weigh in with your thoughts at weekends@cnn.com and I'm going to be reading some of those e-mails when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Get rich quick, that, my personal goal in life but also the idea behind the lottery. And tonight somebody's going to really get rich possibly.
CHO: Well, we hope so. That's right, tonight's power ball jackpot now at $300 million. It's the fourth largest ever for the multi-state game played in 29 states plus Washington, DC and the Virgin Islands. CNN's Gary Nurenberg live in Washington this morning. Gary, good morning. A lot of people there buying tickets?
NURENBERG: There are. Let me tell you why I'm here. This is a mega millions ticket from yesterday. No winners, which explains my presence here today. This is not a winner. We just talked to a lot of people in line here this morning. The store opened early. They sell thousands every hour. Lois just agreed to help us out. Come on in here a second. How many power ball tickets did you buy and why?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Four.
NURENBERG: What are you going to do if you win?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Buy a house.
NURENBERG: Buy a house?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
NURENBERG: Have you ever won anything in lottery?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No.
NURENBERG: Then why do you keep coming back?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The chance of winning, I guess.
NURENBERG: Thanks very much, good luck to you. The man who really knows about the numbers when it comes to power ball is Bob Hainey from the DC lottery. Mr. Hainey is joining us this morning. Mr. Hainey, why is power ball such a good thing? Why do people get so excite about it?
BOB HAINEY, DC LOTTERY: Power all is a jackpot driven game. Right now we've got a $300 million jackpot. You were asking about the odds. We're also running our DC millionaire raffle right now where the jackpot is $1 million and the odds are much greater of winning and that draw is on Tuesday. But that $300 million, that attracts a lot of people and that's why they keep coming back.
NURENBERG: How many tickets do you sell?
HAINEY: Well, on Thursday when this latest stretch of the run started, we were clocking about 600 tickets per minute.
NURENBERG: When the winnings get this big, what kind of revenue does that mean to the governments that help sponsor it? What will it mean for DC in the course of a year, for example?
HAINEY: Over the course of the year, it will contribute greatly to the $64 to $85 million a year that we give to the city government. We turn in about 30 percent of everything we make and about 50 percent goes to the players. So power ball gives us a big lift.
NURENBERG: Mr. Hainey, thanks very very much. Bottom line, you're not going to win, but lots of people buy the tickets anyway. We'll be here throughout the day to talk to them about why.
CHO: You have better chances of being struck by lightning, I understand.
HOLMES: Gary, give us a fighting chance. Saying you're not going to win. Give us a chance here, Gary, please.
CHO: I'm going to buy a ticket.
HOLMES: I'm going to buy a ticket. Mega millions is here in Georgia, I believe, not the power ball.
CHO: 12:01, we'll be heading out to the store.
HOLMES: Yes, we will. And we may or may not be back to work tomorrow.
We will continue here now. We need to keep talking about this weather. It's just a mess really, Midwest getting hit real hard, tornadoes and flooding. We're keeping an eye on all that severe weather that's hitting in the heartland.
CHO: Plus Dr. Sanjay Gupta here with a preview of this morning's "House Call." Sanjay.
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, guys. We've told you so much about childhood obesity and how schools are trying to combat the problem. Now we're going to do a check-up. From school lunches to phys ed classes, are things getting healthier?
Then unexplainable pain. It's hard to diagnose, sometimes even harder to treat. We got some solutions coming up this morning. All that and your medical headlines coming up on "House Call" at 8:30.
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HOLMES: Well, we do have a bit of breaking news we want to bring to you now, which is coming to us out of Pakistan. The Associated Press reporting now that Pakistan has test fired a nuclear -- a missile that is capable of carrying a nuclear weapon. Again, this is coming to us from the Associated Press that there has been a test fire of a missile that is capable of carrying a nuclear weapon. This is word we're just getting now.
Of course, Pakistan is believed to be one of the states that is in possession of nuclear weapons, one of just a handful of countries around the world that do possess nuclear weapons. But Saturday successfully test-fired an air launch cruise missile that is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. That's according to the military, and this information coming to us now from the Associated Press. This missile has a range of some 220 miles, according to an army statement coming out of Pakistan. But again, this word coming to us from the Associated Press that Pakistan has, in fact, successfully test-fired a new air launch cruise missile that is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. So a development on this front this morning coming out of Pakistan. We are checking our sources.
As we get more information on this, we will certainly pass it along to you. But a significant development that will certainly have a lot more to say, a lot more information on this as we get it and what this could mean down the road. We are checking our sources, but AP reporting it right now. We're going to take a quick break here and be right back with you on the other side.
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HOLMES: No real relief this morning for people in the flooded Midwest. Floodwaters may still rise today, putting more homes in jeopardy. Hundreds already forced out and that's definitely been the case in Ohio. Joining us now live from Ohio is Jennifer Jarrell of affiliate WTVG. Good morning to you Jennifer.
JENNIFER JARRELL. WTVG: Good morning TJ. The story today in Findlay is the massive cleanup. We're standing here on Main Street, which is one of the hardest hit areas in town. You can take a look over my shoulder. You can see all of the garbage outside all of these businesses. We showed up this morning around 5:00 a.m. and I was surprised that people were already out here in their businesses cleaning things out. So it's evident that these people just want to get everything cleaned out as soon as possible and resume life as normal.
HOLMES: All right, Jennifer Jarrell with the update for us from Findlay, Ohio. Just one of several spots we've been checking in with this morning, hit hard in the Midwest just going through all kinds of struggles right now with the flooding and the weather there. Bonnie Schneider is in our weather center. She's keeping an eye on things for us this morning. We will continue to check in with her throughout the morning, so stay right here with us. CHO: A dozen states affected, so watching that very closely across the Midwest.
Meanwhile, a peeping Tom caught. Wait and see just how he was punished. That's next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
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CHO: Looking at some stories in today's water cooler. Is public humiliation an effective punishment for certain crimes? Well, a judge in Florida certainly thinks so. This is what happens when someone is caught shoplifting. How embarrassing.
HOLMES: She's trying to cover her face. The woman had to walk back and forth in front of the courthouse for two hours holding a sign that says, as you see here, "I stole from a local store." The woman also had to pay a fine and was put on probation. We have to find out what she stole, curious to know.
CHO: Probably a good idea to cover her face.
Meanwhile, an accused peeping Tom got more than he bargained for when he allegedly spied on a group of campers in Oregon.
HOLMES: A 63-year-old man tied to a tree and he was waiting for the police. The campers say he was hiding in an area woman use as an open latrine and two the men tackled the man and tied him up. The campers say they recognized him from a similar incident at the campground last year.
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JASON DUGAN, CAUGHT SUSPECTED PEEPER: Oh, infuriated. I mean, I just can't even imagine, just looking at that guy. I remember asking him, do you remember me?
VICKI DUGAN, CAMPER: US women pretty much -- I don't know if we necessarily felt violated or grossed out. I mean, we just kind of couldn't believe that somebody would enjoy watching us go to the bathroom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Grossed out is probably appropriate. The suspect, by the way, is charged with private indecency.
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