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American Morning

Airport Death: Woman Dies in Police Custody; Meat Recall Expanded to 22 Million Pounds; Fixing the Swastika

Aired October 01, 2007 - 07:59   ET

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

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: And a bizarre and sad story of a woman who died in police custody at an airport. It was in Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.
Carol Anne Gotbaum of New York was taken into custody. Police say she became enraged when she was late to her flight and not permitted to board. They say that she fought with security officials before being wrestled to the ground and handcuffed.

Police say they had her in a holding room where she was going to be cited for misdemeanor disorderly conduct. They say that when they came back to check on her five to 10 minutes later, she was dead.

So the question this morning is what exactly happened?

Alina Cho joins us now with more details on this story.

Hi, Alina.

ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Kiran. Good morning.

You know, a lot that we still don't know this morning. We can tell you that an autopsy will be performed later today on the body of Carol Anne Gotbaum, but it could be up to 90 days before we get the results.

Now, all of this started on Friday afternoon at Phoenix airport. Gotbaum was not allowed on her US Airways flight to Tucson because she apparently got to the gate too late.

Now, according to several witnesses, the 45-year-old then started yelling and screaming and running around the terminal. Witnesses told "The New York Daily News" she screamed, "I'm not a terrorist! I'm a sick mom!"

Now, police eventually arrested for her disorderly conduct, they handcuffed her from behind, and put her alone in a holding room. Now, when they didn't hear her voice anymore, police say they went back to check on her about five to 10 minutes later at found her unconscious and not breathing.

In a statement, police say it appears Gotbaum may have tried to escape from the handcuffs, got tangled in the process, and accidentally strangled herself. Now, many people have asked, how is that possible? Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, a police sergeant told Kiran that any police officer will tell you there that it actually happens quite often and it is possible.

We are also learning some new details about the victim. Carol Anne Gotbaum lived in New York City. She was married and had three young children.

Her family, Kiran, is pleading for privacy during this difficult time.

CHETRY: Is there any word about a surveillance tape that may have captured this incident at the airport?

CHO: Well, no. The short answer is no. But we can tell you, Kiran, that police say there was no surveillance camera inside that holding room. That would have been critical evidence, but no camera inside the holding room.

There may have been some surveillance video of the larger terminal. But, to date, if that tape exists, Kiran, it has not been released to the media.

CHETRY: All right. Thanks, Alina.

(NEWSBREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

CHETRY: Also just in, one of America's largest banks says that the mortgage and credit crisis has cost billions of dollars.

Ali Velshi is at our Business Update Desk.

Are you surprised by that?

ALI VELSHI, CNN SR. BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: No, I'm not. But, you know, we were just talking, Kiran, about how we were at the end of the third quarter on Friday, we're beginning the fourth quarter today, and hopefully things are going to look good. And, in fact, the third quarter wasn't as bad as most people thought the last three months, but now we're hearing from Citibank, which is set to report its third quarter results in a couple of weeks, that it was particularly bad for Citibank.

In fact, it looks like Citibank is writing off $3 billion worth of loans and other credit, some of it directly tied to the mortgage industry, some of it more largely tied to the whole credit crunch that's been going on. Three billion dollars. Its net income for the quarter is going to be down 60 percent versus the same time last year.

We just heard from UBS, the Swiss bank, writing off $3.4 billion in loans.

So what you might see this as, Kiran, is the worst of it coming out. You know, sort of everything coming out in the wash and being able to move forward from here. But these numbers still are quite staggering, even for banks of this size. So, a little bit more of a cloud around the fourth quarter horizon starting today. Citigroup is a Dow component, so you can expect stocks to be a little lower at the open as a result of this.

CHETRY: All right, Ali. Thank you -- John.

ROBERTS: There is growing concern this morning over potentially contaminated beef. Topps Meats has expanded its frozen hamburger patty recall to include now nearly 22 million pounds of beef that could contain a dangerous strain of E. coli. It's one of the biggest recalls ever.

The USDA says there may be as many as 25 cases of infection across the United States, with the first case coming in six weeks ago. Why did a recall take so long? I asked the undersecretary for the USDA earlier on AMERICAN MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

As you know, E. coli can be caused by ground beef, but it could also be caused by drinking water and other products and produce. So, it sometimes takes a series of cases to actually get to the product, and then from the product to get to the plant that produced it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: CNN's Jim Acosta has been looking into the fallout of the expanding recall. He's live at a grocery store here in New York where they just recalled some meat off of the shelves there because Jim alerted them to it.

Good morning, Jim.

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, John. Just doing my part, that's right.

Most supermarkets didn't know about this recall and didn't start pulling this meat from their shelves until this past weekend, but Topps may have known about this potential contamination for weeks.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA (voice over): Samantha Suffranek (ph) contracted E. coli and was hospitalized after eating a Topps frozen patty bought at this Wal-Mart a month and a half ago.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In the back of my mind I had that question if I was going to make it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It just wasn't fair that, you know, a kid eats a hamburger and ends up almost dying.

ACOSTA: After Samantha's mother contacted health officials in Florida, Wall-Mart pulled the patties on August 30th. But that was nearly a month before Topps issued its recall, then expanded it over the weekend. All the while, supermarkets were still selling potentially tainted products.

Samantha's family is now suing Wal-Mart.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If the food is not safe and the companies that are selling us, the consumers, the food know it's not safe, they need to tell us.

ACOSTA: Federal and state food safety investigators are now trying to pinpoint the contamination source, saying it could be anywhere from the slaughter house to the Topps processing plant. The USDA has ordered Topps to suspend operations, citing "inadequate raw ground process controls."

Public health advocates say the government needs more inspectors.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There have been six recalls since April of contaminated ground beef. This is the worst summer we've had in a number of years for these outbreaks and recalls.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ACOSTA: And we have some video to show you now. As a matter of fact, the supermarket we're standing in this morning actually was still carrying these Topps frozen beef patties this morning. We notified the manager, who then quickly pulled the product from the shelves.

And we can tell you right now, if you look behind me, the shelf that was carrying that product just a few hours ago is now empty -- John.

ROBERTS: You know, you've got to wonder, Jim, if they hadn't gotten the word there at the grocery store where you're doing this report live from, where else hasn't it gotten to? You know?

ACOSTA: Exactly. This was -- and this was just a random sampling, a stab in the dark coming to this supermarket this morning.

You would have to think logically that there would be other supermarkets across the country. I think people are just waking up to this this morning, and there will be other supermarkets saying, hey, I don't want to be that guy. I have got to get this stuff out of here.

ROBERTS: All right. Well, maybe we've woken a few people up this morning.

Jim Acosta.

Jim, good to see you. Thanks -- Kiran.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Sixteen minutes now after the hour.

We've seen a lot of things up trees -- bears, cats, some people too. But how about this, a plane that would not come down?

A pilot and passenger were rescued after their small plane crashed into a tree. Police say they were stuck 50 feet up in the air above a creek for some six hours. It happened as they were practicing approaches to landing near the airport in Franklin, Virginia, when the engine gave out. Both people on board are said to be doing OK this morning, but what a story they've got to tell -- Kiran.

CHETRY: Sure. No doubt. John, thanks.

Well, they look fine from the ground. We're talking about these Navy barracks. But if you take a look at them either from the air or from Google Earth, you can clearly see they're in the shape of a swastika.

We first told you about this last week, but then we found out that they're going to spend more than $500,000 to fix it.

We sent Chris Lawrence to take a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): These Navy barracks have been standing in San Diego for 40 years, but aerial photographs from Google Earth's Web site revealed a starting image -- the symbol of Nazi Germany.

MORRIS CASUTO, SAN DIEGO ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE: I don't know how anyone could take a look at that shape and say it's only four L- shaped buildings.

LAWRENCE: Morris Casuto saw a swastika, and so did the people who complained to the Anti-Defamation League. The Navy agreed to camouflage the barracks, saying, "It has received approval to spend up to $600,000 for the best coast-effective solution to modify the building."

CASUTO: We asked the Navy to try to do it at the least possible cost. In my naivete -- I'm no engineer -- I thought some paint on the sidewalk might break up the shape. The Navy tried that. It didn't work.

LAWRENCE: The head of a California watchdog group says the military shouldn't spend taxpayer money on what it calls a manufacturing issue and asks, "If someone saw a random crop formation in that shape, would they demand the farmer change it?"

The thing is, you can't even see it from the ground. They look like any other military buildings -- brown, blocky, boring.

(on camera): And since there's no commercial landing pattern that flies directly over the base, you're not going to see it from the air either.

(voice over): The Navy has authorized well over $500,000 to essentially change a Google Earth image that may not be updated for years.

DOUG SUISMAN, SUISMAN URBAN DESIGN: Six hundred thousand seems like a lot of money just for camouflage.

LAWRENCE: Architect Dough Suisman says if the Navy is going to spend that much, he suggests planting a garden to absorb pollution and turning the rooftop into a sustainable energy project.

SUISMAN: I think it would be unfortunate if that much money was spent for the architectural equivalent of a comb-over.

LAWRENCE: Bottom line, the swastika shape will disappear. And the Navy may end up putting a positive spin on a negative symbol.

Chris Lawrence, CNN, San Diego.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: All right. Well, the Navy says that nothing has been finalized, but they are considering whether to take the advice of that architect and install a solar panel, which would alter the configuration of the buildings when seen from above -- John.

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Coming up now to 23 minutes after the hour.

"Uncovering America" this morning. Our special focus this week on Hispanics in America.

Forty-four million strong, they could provide the swing vote in the presidential election. So what are the issues that are most important to the Hispanic community? And are politicians giving them what they want?

Joining us now from Miami is Andres Oppenheimer. He is the author of the book "Saving the Americas," also a columnist for "The Miami Herald".

And with us here in the studio is Ines Ferre, who is a correspondent for CNN en Espanol.

Welcome to you both.

Andres, let me go to you first.

Univision had to cancel the Republican version or at least episode of their debate series, because so few Republican candidates agreed to show up. Now, in 2004, George Bush got 44 percent of the Hispanic vote, 11 percent of that peeled away to the Democrats in 2006.

Is the GOP at risk really of throwing the Hispanic vote away here? ANDRES OPPENHEIMER, AUTHOR, "SAVING THE AMERICAS": I really think so. I think they're shooting themselves in the foot, because as you said, Bush got almost 40 percent of the Hispanic vote in the 2000 election. And this time, the main Republican candidates, people like Rudy Giuliani, people like Mitt Romney, they're pandering to the extreme right wing, the most conservative, anti-immigration sector of their party because they need that vote to win the primaries, but they're forgetting they'll need the Hispanic vote to win the general election.

ROBERTS: Right.

OPPENHEIMER: And if they don't change that, I don't think they'll be able to win the Hispanic vote by putting a sombrero, a Mexican sombrero at the last minute before the -- before the general election. I think they are very mistaken and they're playing a very dangerous game for themselves.

ROBERTS: Well, hopefully, nobody is going to put on a sombrero just to win votes.

Ines, what is it that the Republicans are doing wrong here?

INES FERRE, CORRESPONDENT, CNN EN ESPANOL: Well, I think that what they're doing is basically avoiding the immigration issue. And at this point, it might be strategically what they want to do because they don't want to push that hot button for the Latino community.

So, the thing is, is that these elections -- or the campaigns are so early on, that people have a lot of time to think about this and to talk about this. So, the more they don't talk, the more that Hispanics are saying to themselves, well, what are you going to do for us later on?

ROBERTS: Now, the Democratic edition of the Univision debate did go ahead. It wasn't without some controversy because they weren't allowed to answer in Spanish, even those who could speak Spanish, Bill Richardson and Chris Dodd of Connecticut. But they at least addressed the issues.

Here is what Bill Richardson had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D-NM), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Latinos care about civil rights and immigration. But we care about all issues. We care about health care, about the war in Iraq. We're mainstream.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: So, it's not all just about immigration, Andres. In fact, recent surveys have found that 34 percent of Hispanics in America lack health care.

Are Democrats speaking the language that they want to hear? OPPENHEIMER: Well, at least they're speaking the language that Hispanics can understand, because Republicans, as we said earlier, they're turning, you know, their backs against the Hispanic community as -- you know, as of now. They may change in the last minute. But Democrats, at least they are addressing immigration, education, health care, the things that most Hispanics care about, and the economy, of course, and Iraq, of course.

ROBERTS: Right.

So, Ines, the way that the U.S. media is covering these Hispanic issues, what's missing in there?

FERRE: I think...

OPPENHEIMER: Everything.

FERRE: Yes, Andres.

I think that basically they're focusing a lot on immigration, but as Bill Richardson said, actually, Hispanics care a lot about especially the economy and the war in Iraq. The economy, I mean, Hispanics are known to be hard workers, want to prosper in this country. So, they really want to make sure that the jobs are secure, that they have health care, that they have education for their kids. And those are the issues that really should be covered a little bit more.

ROBERTS: So, more than just immigration.

Andres, you said everything is wrong with how they're being covered. You want to elaborate on that?

OPPENHEIMER: Absolutely everything. Because especially in mainstream cable television, we're creating sort of hysteria about immigrants invading this country and taking away jobs, instead of focusing on the opposite. As I say in my book, the only way to stop the flow of immigration to the U.S. will be increasing economic integration with Mexico, with Central America, because a rising tide lifts all boats.

ROBERTS: Right.

OPPENHEIMER: Europe has shown that. And unless we help Central America and Mexico and South America and we grow with them, not against them, we're never going to stop that tide no matter how tall a fence we build. If we build a 10-foot fence, they're going to build an 11-foot ladder.

ROBERTS: Of course, there's no shortage of people who hold a contrary opinion to that, though.

Andres Oppenheimer for us this morning from Miami.

And Ines Ferre, good to see you.

FERRE: Thank you.

ROBERTS: Kiran.

OPPENHEIMER: Thank you.

ROBERTS: Oh, actually, sorry.

Check out CNN.com's special online report, "The Hispanic Experience Today". Read about the real issues facing the Latino community and some significant moments in Hispanic history. You can also share your stories and photos through an I-Report.

That and more at cnn.com/uncoveringamerica.

CHETRY: All right.

Well, coming up, a story that you can't miss. Let's show a picture telling -- would you date one of these guys?

These are self-proclaimed nerds from Washington State University's computer club. And they're doing something very creative. In fact, they are holding an auction on the block themselves.

ROBERTS: Yes, hoping that some sorority girls may just decide that they're worth dating. Well, maybe if they could fix the computer. What do you think?

CHETRY: How about it?

We're going to talk about whether they've had any luck and what it's really about coming up when AMERICAN MORNING comes right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back. It's 8:30 on the nose, Eastern time on this Monday, October 1st. Thanks for being with us on AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Kiran Chetry.

ROBERTS: And good morning to you. I'm John Roberts. Obviously, we're getting ready for the ballot jackpot here. Just a couple of minutes away.

First, new this morning, a student at the University of Memphis was shot and killed late last night on campus. The Associated Press is reporting that he was shot in his chest. He tried to get back into his car, but crashed into a tree. Police say he was pronounced dead a short time later. Local television reports say the victim was Taylor Bradford, a member of the university's football team. We're also hearing that the dorms were locked down after the shooting took place. Campus police say today's classes have been canceled.

This morning at least two people have died after a volcanic eruption on the small island, off the coast of Yemen overnight. The island is about 70 miles from Yemen, out in the Red Sea. It's used by the military for naval control and observation. Witnesses described the eruption as catastrophic. The Yemeni coast guard rescued 21 of the 29 military personnel who were stationed on the island. A NATO fleet nearby came to help in the search for survivors. Earlier on AMERICAN MORNING, we spoke with Ken Allen (ph). He was onboard the Canadian Navy's HMCS Toronto.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEN ALLEN, HMCS TORONTO: As we left the shores about five miles off, that's when we ran into our first survivor. We managed to pluck him out of the water after he had been in there for quite a long time. And moments later, my ship, the HMCS Toronto, picked up another survivor who is currently down in our sick bay right now, receiving medical care from our doctor aboard. We are still in this area, searching, about five miles north of the island. And, unfortunately, we also had to pick up two who did not survive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Four Yemeni soldiers are still missing after that eruption.

CHETRY: Well, Phoenix police are investigating the death of a woman who died in police custody at Sky Harbor International Airport. Carol Anne Gotbaum missed her flight and witnesses say she became enraged even though she was booked on a later flight. She ended up being handcuffed and placed in a holding cell when police checked on her five to ten minutes later, they say she was dead. Police say they think she accidentally strangled herself when trying to get out of the handcuffs. I spoke with Sergeant Andy Hill of the Phoenix Police Department in our last hour of AMERICAN MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SERGEANT ANDY HILLS, PHOENIX POLICE DEPARTMENT: Any police officer will tell you that there are many people that are able to get handcuffs out from behind their back. They can get it up and around. That can happen. And how they got placed on the neck area that will really be determined by what her condition was, mentally, physiologically. And the medical examiner will have to make a determination if there was any substance involved.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHETRY: They are going to be performing an autopsy later on today.

Well, the nine Supreme Court justices returned to the bench today. It's the first Monday in October. And their new session gets under way. The docket for the new term is full of cases, ranging from the constitutionality of lethal injection to the rights of detainees at Guantanamo Bay to the question of photo I.D. cards for voters.

ROBERTS: A lovely picture of the Supreme Court there this morning.

CHETRY: It is. It's a beautiful shot today. Well, it's time now to take a look at today's political hot topics. We call it our ballot jackpot because no one knows what we'll pull out of there. I just saw you stuffing in the ballot.

ROBERTS: Yes. We have put one hot topic on each ballot, topics like can Rudy beat Hillary. We draw them out one at a time and let our guests have at it.

CHETRY: Right and joining us today from Washington, Democratic strategist, Jenny Bachus, and Republican strategist, Terry Holt. Thanks for being with us, both of you. Good to see you.

ROBERTS: You want to go ahead.

CHETRY: So, let's get started. What do we have? Campaign cash. Here is a good one, guys. We're talking about the third quarter fund- raising. They made some announcements about who is doing what. Actually, some campaigns decided not to quite announce yet how much they raked in. I believe Rudy Giuliani as well as Mitt Romney not releasing those numbers yet.

ROBERTS: And it looked pretty good for Bill Richardson, he got $7 million in the third quarter.

CHETRY: It should. So, what are some of the numbers tell us? We'll start with Jenny, about how the candidates are doing.

JENNY BACHUS, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: What we're looking for is how much money they have leftover? We're sort of at that period in the campaign where it's less about how much you raised and it's more about where you're spending it, how much you have to spend. We're almost -- we're less than three months away from the Iowa caucuses. That's going to be really interesting. I think two people's money numbers; Terry and I will both be looking at John McCain. Can he like forge this comeback campaign with no money and John Edwards? We got a little bit of hint that John Edwards may not have as much money.

CHETRY: $7 million for the third quarter. John McCain $5 million for the third quarter. That's in contrast to let's say Hillary with $17 million to $20 million and Barack Obama with $18 to $19 million. And as we said, we haven't heard from the GOP frontrunners how much they made.

BACHUS: Exactly. I think the other question's going to be on the Republican side, how much money is Mitt Romney lending himself? He's a businessman. He is investing his own money to try to produce results and so far he has been lucky. But the question is, can he invest enough to hold off Rudi who's making a surge in some of these early primary states?

ROBERTS: So, how do you see the money issue, Terry?

TERRY HOLT, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Well, I'm not sure that the landscape has changed significantly by the numbers we've seen so far. You know, typically, the third quarter of the year, the off year, it's easier to raise the dead than it is to raise money in August. I don't think these numbers will dramatically change anything. I think Hillary is still the prohibitive front runner for the democratic, for the race for the nomination. And with the Republicans, they're in a real battle royale. I don't think anybody has really launched ahead one of the others. And we'll have to see how they use their money. As Jenny said, it's much more important how much money you got leftover than it is how much money you've spent or raised.

ROBERTS: All right. Let's move on to another topic and see how we are doing on this one. McCain prefers Christian president, saying he believes that the United States was founded as a Christian nation. And that he would prefer to see a Christian president although he would vote for a Muslim, if a Muslim were to ever run.

CHETRY: I think we have these words. If you would hear him real quick.

ROBERTS: Yes, take a quick listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN MCCAIN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Will this person carry on in the Judeo-Christian principle tradition that has made this nation the greatest experiment in the history of mankind?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: So, Terry Holt, is he still trying to make amends when he turned off Christian conservatives back in the 2000 election?

HOLT: I think this is still about the '08 race. I mean, you know, there's an argument among Republicans that there hasn't really been someone to take up the conservative mantle in the race for the nomination. There may be room for John McCain over on the right. People have been somewhat disappointed by Fred Thompson's showing. He used to be regarded as the darling of the conservatives. John McCain, by going to a niche publication like this and talking about religiosity in campaigns may be an effort on their part to get legs underneath their campaign. It's an important effort.

CHETRY: But it's interesting Jenny if people are taken aback by this, everyone that's running, newsflash, is Christian.

BACHUS: They are and you know, I would argue so is Romney. But there's going to be a fight inside the Republican primary on that front because there are some conservative Christians who don't agree that Mormonism is Christianity. I think that argument personally is wrong but I think you're going to see that inside. I think that was a sort of hit it at Romney. I also think, I totally agree with what John led with. I remember in 2000 when I was working at the DNC and my job was to track all these Republican candidates. When John McCain went down to Virginia Beach and gave a very famous speech attacking Christian conservatives, I think this comment is deliberately an attempt by McCain to try to make up that ground. And I think Terry is right, he's looking for room on the right. I'm not sure he's going to find it. But, I think, that's what his tactic is. ROBERTS: Well, Christian conservatives like James Dobson, not very impressed with either Rudy Giuliani or Fred Thompson perhaps there's a hole up the middle through which John McCain can run.

HOLT: That's right.

ROBERTS: Terry Holt and Jenny Bachus, good to see you again. Thank for being with us on this Monday morning ballot jackpot.

HOLT: Thanks very much.

ROBERTS: We'll see you again soon.

HOLT: All right.

BACHUS: Thanks again.

ROBERTS: Managing your money, you've heard it before. It's never too early to start thinking about retirement but we're breaking it down with exactly what you need to be doing now to make sure that you could enjoy your golden years. That's ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

CHETRY: Welcome back to the most news in the morning, President Bush could use his veto pen for just the fourth time of his presidency on an expansion of children's health insurance. The bill is headed to his desk this week. President Bush says the $35 billion expansion is a step toward government-controlled care. He says it covers too many families who can afford private insurance on their own.

People on a low-carb diet may not be getting enough brain food. That's in a new study out of Australia that says people on more traditional low fat diets are able to think faster. I don't think French fries can really be included in either of the diets. Sorry, well, doctors came to the result after eight weeks of tests. They're still not exactly sure how it will affect people in the long run.

New guidelines for toddlers and television. A study in the "Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics" says parents should limit their kids' time in front of the tube by age 5. Doctors say it could reduce the risk of a child suffering behavioral or social problems. The general guideline is less than two hours a day for kids. They also say it helps if you do not put a TV in their bedroom.

42 minutes past the hour now. Jacqui Jeras tracking severe weather for us in south Florida. Hi, Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Hey, Kiran. Yes, some incredible rainfall. It's just been pouring here all morning long. We've got low pressure way down here over Cuba and a warm front and that is bringing in the heavy rainfall. In fact, into parts of Monroe County, we've already seen three to five inches. Now, the strong winds from that low and high pressure which by the way was brought you the gorgeous weather all the way up and down the eastern seaboard all weekend long, is bringing in strong northeasterly winds.

So, coastal flooding expected today along with a high risk of rip currents and a wind advisory in effect for the coastal areas where winds will be 20 to 30 miles per hour sustained and gusts to 40 miles per hour. So, if it's garbage day on your block, you might want to watch out for the garbage can to be rolling down the street once it's been emptied.

You can see the rain that's mostly been in southern parts of Miami, Dave County and then into Monroe County. The rainfall still coming down pretty heavy here. But it will be lightening up a bit in the next two hours or so. We're also watching the tropics. We've got the leftovers of what was tropical storm Melissa right here, what was tropical storm Karen right there. They're just both remnant lows right now, but some regeneration of Karen is going to be possible. And as we turn that calendar page now from September into October, we've got a big difference of where tropical storms develop. Look at this. It's Cape Verde season in September and now as we head into October, everything develops a little closer to home. And that's why we're watching that Florida system much more closely. John.

ROBERTS: All right. Jacqui Jeras for us this morning. Jacqui, Thanks.

We've all heard the warnings. It's never too early to start worrying about your retirement but knowing what to do about it is a different story. Lucky for us, we've got Gerri Willis. She's breaking it down for us in our segment dedicated to "Life in your 30s, 40s and 50s."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GERRI WILLIS, CNN FINANCIAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Josh Brown looks forward to retiring and doing more of what he loves most, duck hunting.

JOSH BROWN: American (ph). Fine table fare.

WILLIS: Retiring takes careful planning. Financial consultant, Doug Flynn says don't wait.

DOUG FLYNN, PERSONAL FINANCIAL PLANNER: Well, your 30s are really a good time to get started. That's the time to start putting as much as you can away, but even as little as $50 a month. If you do that during your 30s and even if you don't add beyond that, you'll have accumulated over $100,000. That's money you wouldn't have if you wait until your 40s to get started.

WILLIS: OK. Let's talk about the 40s. What are the essential steps to take there?

FLYNN: Well, the 40s is really the time to get yourself. That's where you say, OK, do I have my wills intact, is my insurance set up? It's the god forbid time of life. And you make sure if you have young children that you get (ph) squared away. And you want to make sure that you have your house in order. That's a time to take a good, hard look at that and get yourself set up for education planning and that area.

WILLIS: And in your 50s, I think this is critical crunch time for so many people. What do you recommend doing?

FLYNN: Well that, we call the time you get serious because at that point, you're looking at retirement at some point, early 60s or mid to late 60s. And you want to know how am I going to be if I continue on as I am, and if I'm not doing as much as I should, it's really the time to be a little selfish and put as much away as you possibly can for yourself. So that one day you can walk away and live a comfortable retirement.

WILLIS: As comfortable as a pair of old hunting boots. Gerri Willis, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: And CNN NEWSROOM just minutes away. Heidi Collins is at the CNN Center with a look at what's ahead. Good morning, Heidi.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN, ANCHOR: Good morning there. That's right. The urgent search for a child rape suspect on the NEWSROOM rundown this morning. Nevada police say Chester Stiles molested a 3-year-old girl on videotape. You'll see CNN's interview with his former girlfriend.

And a hamburger patty recall expanding to almost 22 million pounds of beef, the meat may be contaminated with E.coli.

So, heading to the airport this morning. Well, starting today, you will need your passport for travel to Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Any one of those places sounds good to me about now. Breaking news when it happens. Join me at the top of the hour right here on CNN. Kiran.

CHETRY: You're right. It suddenly got cold. It's October. You now have to bring out the sweaters.

COLLINS: Yes, that's true.

CHETRY: Thanks, Heidi.

COLLINS: You bet.

CHETRY: Well, a home coming queen topping our "Quick Hits" now but he is a she. Aaron Zaggy was crowned homecoming queen at St. Louis High School this weekend. He ran as a prank, and then ended up winning, that happens in high school. Well, some school officials, as you might imagine, are not happy and they think he is making a mockery of the tradition.

Well, what about the Avon rep with a mustache? His name is Bobby McKinney. He is a construction worker in Winterhaven, Florida, but he also helps his wife sell Avon products. The former pro-wrestler says perfume and lingerie are his top sellers. The couple says they did about $800,000 in sales last year. How about that?

Trading homework for a date. Sounds like a win-win situation. Well, that is the goal of the nerd auction. That's one of the goals at Washington State. These are two of the fine fellows up for bid, ladies. So get ready this morning, we're going to talk to them coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.

ROBERTS: Coming up at nine minutes to the top of the hour now. Welcome back to the most news in the morning. A look at the week's and weekend's box office tops your "Quick Hits." A solid opening this weekend for The Rock's new movie, "The Game Plan." It took in nearly $23 million. "The Kingdom" with Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner was in second place. "Resident Evil Extinction," "Good Luck Chuck," and (ph) round up the top five.

CHETRY: Well, how about this movie. We all remember the classic 80s movie, "Revenge of the Nerds," where the nerds in the end defeated the jocks and got the girls, even Lewis, in the end, got the girl. Well, some self-proclaimed nerds at Washington State University are looking, perhaps, to write a similar script. They plan to hold a nerd auction where they can get sorority girls' help with homework and maybe they can get a makeover and even a date at the same time. Joining us from Washington State University are two of the students that came up with the idea, Ben Ford and Ben Waldher. Thanks so much for being with us this morning, guys.

BEN FORD, PARTICIPATING IN "NERD AUCTION": Good morning, Kiran.

BEN WALDHER, PARTICIPATING IN "NERD AUCTION": Thank you.

CHETRY: All right. Tell us a little bit, Ben Ford, why don't you start off. Tell us a little bit about how you guys came up with this idea. It's part of your computer club, right? You guys are the ones holding the nerd auction.

FORD: That is correct. We had a public relations class over the summer, and decided to do a study on it. And they suggested that we develop some relations with clubs on campus that had high female involvement. We initially sort of laughed at the idea and then we decided to run with it and this is what we came up with.

CHETRY: All right. We're going to put up a couple of the vital stats of the various "nerds." That's your term, not ours, that's up for auction. There, we see Brandon "Danger" Williams, a senior, computer science major. Hobbies include music, movies and traveling. Now, Brandon Waldher, how will the action work?

WALDHER: So, what we're going to do is we're going to give the nerds to a sorority. They'll spend the day making the nerds over. They're going to take them out to various shops, buy new clothes, give them a hair cut, whatever they see fit. And then towards the end of the day, we're going to have a dinner. And so at the dinner, what we're going to do is we're going to sell the nerds off. And then the ladies are free to have the nerds; you know, fix their computer, do their homework or you know, take them on a date, whatever they want to do.

CHETRY: It is a cute idea. The end result is that you're hoping to get more membership and involvement in your computer club, right? Maybe attract some of the ladies? FORD: That is correct. The primary goal of this has evolved into an actual endowment for a scholarship for women in computer science. We're using all the proceeds to fund this endowment.

CHETRY: That's pretty neat. Now, first of all, let me ask this. Are the guys willing to let the sorority girls do anything to them when it comes to makeovers, haircuts, maybe getting a couple of highlights, waxing? I thought I read that in the fine print here.

WALDHER: We've told them do expect anything.

CHETRY: All right. What do the guys think they'll get out of it as well? Possibly some date, possibly a couple of love matches?

FORD: We can't really speak for the individual motivations of the guys. I'm sure that some of them might have that in their minds. I think they just think it's a lot of good fun. That's what we're all out here doing.

CHETRY: So, you were eager to take part?

FORD: Yes.

CHETRY: Ben Waldher, what about the campus reaction? Or is the computer club getting a little bit of notice now that this has gone public?

WALDHER: We're not getting nervous. Everybody is really excited and we've had a tremendous amount of support from everybody at the university -- all of our professors, you know, the department head, everybody is very enthusiastic about the whole thing.

CHETRY: No. I said are you guys getting more notice? Or people sitting up and paying more attention?

FORD: Oh, more notice.

WALDHER: Oh, absolutely. Yes. It's kind of strange being noticed.

CHETRY: You said you saw people that's kind of saying, those are the guys we saw on TV. So, good for you. I hope that you do get a lot of participation. Let us know how it goes. We'll see if love is in the air or if there's a lot of virus-free computer or what happens if you get more ladies in your computer club. Thanks for being with us.

FORD: Thank you.

WALDHER: Thanks a lot.

ROBERTS: There you go. Good luck to you, guys.

A quick look now with CNN NEWSROOM is working on for the top of the hour. COLLINS: See these stories in the CNN NEWSROOM. The search for the suspect in the Nevada child sex case. CNN's interview with Chester Stiles' former girlfriend.

Millions of pounds of hamburger patties under recall this morning. New passport rules starting today. You need yours to travel to Canada and Mexico.

And a spectacular eruption off the Arabian Peninsula. NEWSROOM at the top of the hour on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Just in this morning for some of the best shots of the morning. It's a hot dog eating contest, but the hot dog on a stick. People were pigging out at the Texas state fair during the annual corny dog competition. They got 10 minutes to stuff their faces. Two men tied with 12 corn dogs a piece. You can only eat like about a third as many corn dogs as you can hot dogs.

CHETRY: And then have to split the trophy.

Well, no Charlie Brown around but a few great pumpkins on display. This is the time of year when we see these gargantuan pumpkins. They're way off. It's one of the highlights of the country's oldest agricultural fair in Massachusetts. Last year, it took a forklift to haul in the winner, which weighed in at more than 1,300 pounds.

ROBERTS: And a man who lost his class ring at the bottom of the ocean while scuba diving got it back four years later. The man who found the ring tracked Steve Brown down through the Ohio State University. Steve got the ring when he played lacrosse at OSU back in the 1980s.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEVE BROWN, REUNITED WITH CLASS RING: It was all those memories and it was hopefully something I would have a lifetime to remind me of athletics and academics at Ohio State. And to go through the effort to track me down and to get the ring back to me, there just aren't words. Don't tell my wife this, but my wedding ring would come off before this thing does.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Guess what. She heard that.

CHETRY: Yes.

ROBERTS: The ring was pretty crusted up when it was found, but now good as new back on Steve's finger.

CHETRY: See that, he's a loyal buckeye. All right. He's so proud; he has got the memorabilia everywhere. The ring was more important than his wedding ring. ROBERTS: Can you imagine?

CHETRY: Well, that's going to do it for us today. Thanks so much for joining us on AMERICAN MORNING. We'll see you back here tomorrow.

ROBERTS: CNN NEWSROOM with Tony Harris and Heidi Collins begins right now.

COLLINS: Good morning everybody, you are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Heidi Collins.

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