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CNN Saturday Morning News
About 100 Tornadoes Recorded in Central Plains States; Central California Residents Flee Wildfire; Memorial Day Weekend: Remembering the Nation's Heroes; Ban Ki-moon Visits Myanmar and China; Hillary Clinton Explains Her Robert Kennedy Remarks
Aired May 24, 2008 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY MARTINEZ, DAY CARE TEACHER: We didn't have like two minutes before our director quickly said -- get everybody into the gym. We could hear the cracks. The kids were screaming by this point.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: A terrifying scene at daycare -- in the path of a tornado and more than 100 children are inside as the sky goes black.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: And the extreme weather strikes again. tornadoes are touching down overnight. Just a few hours ago, reports of widespread damage to homes and businesses.
HOLMES: Also, while you are sleeping and possibly having nightmares about gas prices, the price of gas went up again, a new high, $3.91 now. That is the average and that is just in time for your Memorial weekend road trip.
DE LA CRUZ: A vacation for a lot of people, you know.
HOLMES: Yes, it will be. Sorry that we have to start the morning off with that. But hey, good morning. It's Saturday, May 24th. I'm T.J. Holmes, glad you could be here.
DE LA CRUZ: And good morning. I'm Veronica De La Cruz, Betty has the weekend off. Nice to be here.
HOLMES: All right. Glad to have you as always, down from New York.
And we do need to start this morning with some more severe weather, more tornadoes to talk about. There some new damage overnight in western Kansas.
DE LA CRUZ: That's right. And the line of fire for a second straight night as day breaks (ph), and we are hoping to get a better look at the path of destruction. This is the damage as left behind from Thursday's tornadoes. Take a look at this. Friday -- even worse, more than a dozen homes there destroyed. HOLMES: Emergency officials have been working through the night to assess the damage. Despite the severe weather, only one injury has been reported. Hopefully, we will know, again, more this morning.
Here now more video from Thursday, showing the power of the storms. We will have new pictures as soon as we get them. We'll bring them to you but some of these areas that were hit were in remote parts of Kansas rural areas. It's tough to get a lot of that video in and out into this - some of the places to get it out to you. So, as soon as we get it, we will pass it along.
Also, we need to show you what it looked like in Fort Supply, Oklahoma. It was in the path of severe weather as well. Some damage to report but look at that, no injuries to report after this. This is what the storms left behind. We can show you, at least, some damage. At least one home destroyed -- this one here.
Northern Oklahoma was already cleaning up from Thursday's storms. One teenager was killed when the car he was in dropped some 40 feet through a "watch out" road.
DE LA CRUZ: So, let's go and see where the storm is headed. Right now, Reynolds Wolf is tracking it from the severe weather center.
Reynolds, what can you tell us right now?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's just been a mess. I mean, these storms are just been a giant battering ram on parts of the central plains. They continue to march eastward. As they do, they have begun to weaken considerably. That's the best news of all, that we don't have any watches or warnings in effect right now.
This is the tail end of that system, now moving to places like Tulsa, back to Bartlesville. Some of these, again, some fairly heavy, some damaging winds possible with these storms, they roll eastward. We'll get ahead a little bit farther to the north, up Kansas City.
We've a live image for you in Kansas City at this time. Let's go to that if we can. Show you the cloudy skies and with that, the raindrops.
Although, I'll tell you, as we go back to the weather maps, you've had one strong line go through downtown Kansas City. And on the other side, we still have some residual showers. However, the worst has passed, as we make our way to the midday hours, the situation will get significantly better.
Now, as we look ahead into the rest of the Memorial Day, for the weekend, (INAUDIBLE) it's going to be, more of the shower activity restricted mainly to the northern half of the U.S., so you're going to have bit warmer, it makes sunshine and clouds in places like Atlanta. And now in Florida, if you're heading, say, to Tampa or Miami, you can expect a few scattered showers today but tomorrow, we're going to see improvements. Temperatures mainly to the 80s, as we make our way back over to the Texas coast line. Texas coast line is going to be looking fairly good with the mix of sunshine and clouds. And notice your temperatures, say, from Brownsville back to Corpus Christi, Galveston, mainly into the 80s and 90s.
Now, what about California? A lot of folks are heading out there to the Golden State, we still have those fires to contend with. We've got some video to show you there, near Santa Cruz.
Santa Cruz fires -- wow, just raging out of control, though, things are going to be better today. They're expecting the winds to die down, a chance of rain to move in to the region which will certainly help those brave firefighters battle the flames.
That is the latest we've got for you. Busy day, always is. Let's send it back to you.
HOLMES: They've all been busy, it seems like, every weekend, something severe to talk about.
Reynolds, we appreciate you. We know you've been at it for the last couple of days, and working hard. We appreciate you're being here for us this morning. Thanks, buddy.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, if you are hitting the road this Memorial Day weekend, get ready to take another big hit at the gas pump.
HOLMES: We have more new numbers, more bad news from AAA. A gallon of regular gas is now at $3.91 as an average -- another record high there. So, more than 68 cents higher than it was at this time a year ago. And in several places, of course, as we know, it is already above $4. As you see there.
DE LA CRUZ: $4 a gallon. You know, these record gas prices are putting the brakes on some travel plans. AAA is saying more than 31 million Americans are expected to be on the road during the holiday weekend and, T.J., get this -- it really is only down slightly from a year ago, surprisingly enough. With those high fuel prices, are also making it more expensive to fly. Several airlines are raising fares by $30 to $60 per a roundtrip ticket.
HOLMES: Can't fly, can't drive, just stay at home.
DE LA CRUZ: You're stuck at home.
HOLMES: Yes. And this could be saving up to be a big summer of discontent over these prices.
DE LA CRUZ: That's right. So, how are drivers coping so far?
Nicole Collins is at a rest stop in Queen Anne's County in Maryland. Nicole, what are people saying there?
NICOLE COLLINS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know what, Veronica? People here don't seem to be making many changes. We're here at this rest stop, right off of 301 here. This is a very popular road for Memorial Day weekend. People from D.C., Virginia and Maryland, they travel up this road to go to the Eastern.
Sure, we've seen a lot of RV, a lot of boats in tow. People, obviously, are trying to get their vacations started but you can see at this rest top, not a lot of people here. Maybe that's indicative of these new reports that show that travel is down about 1 percent this Memorial Day weekend. (INAUDIBLE) it shows how a survey out, that there's 1/4 of Americans have changed their plans because of gas prices.
I talked to one man who said he's putting the blinders on. He's not going to change his plans. He's jut going for it. He's going to go and have a great vacation.
Another woman I spoke to said she would have change her plans but she'd already made hotel reservations in Virginia and I told her, "Hey, as you're driving back that way, gas prices are only getting worse."
Also, we spoke to a couple of people earlier about their general summer travel plans. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN CAHAYLA, DRIVING TO FLORIDA: This is a very tough situation. And truthfully, I'm concern about it because this is really, it's like the worst scenario that I've seen in my life time and I've seen a lot.
JOHN TISCHNER, TRAVELING TO FLORIDA: We'll just have to wait and see what the airline prices are going to be, whether I'm going to make these trips or not. You know, how high the prices are going to be for flights. We know they're going up, so, everybody is going to be hurting. Everybody is going to be hurting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: And guys, you know what's really interesting about Memorial Day is that it's a very good gauge for what we can expect for the rest of the summer. I heard one AAA spokesman say, Memorial Day is to gas stations like Black Friday is to shopping malls.
So, after we get through Memorial Day weekend, analyst will look at what happened this weekend and we'll get to see what we can expect for the rest of the summer. But this is (ph) the analysts say -- don't expect the gas prices to be going down soon.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, we are actually hearing those analysts say that it could be $4 a gallon next week. We're trying to kind of get a feel as to what prices are looking like across the country. So, what is the average there? We know that AAA is saying $3.91 today across the country, but what about there on the east coast?
COLLINS: Right, well, starting in D.C. this morning, we saw $3.91. In Virginia, where I live, it was $3.91. And as we move out here, it went down and down, we saw $3.89, $3.86, the last that I saw was $3.76. So, definitely, a better idea for people to fill up before they get into the major cities, Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: All right. Nicole Collins, thanks so much for that report.
And we want to know how gas prices are affecting you. What last stop (ph) changes you've made, if any, as a result of all of this? Go ahead and log onto iReport.com. You can send us photos, videos of those gas prices in your neighborhood. What are they looking like, $3.91, $4 in some cases?
How much is it costing you to fill up your tank? Log on iReport.com, share your stories. Share your stories of pain at the pump.
HOLMES: Or if you have a happy story, we'll take that as well.
And Atlanta people, unfortunately, it's not much a president, one man can really do to do anything to change the prices at the pump but still, voters are asking what can a presidential candidates do -- how are you going to try to give me a break from these gas prices? So, John McCain, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, what are they saying about the issue?
DE LA CRUZ: Well, McCain was the first to support a so-called gas tax holiday. The presumptive Republican nominee would lift federal gas taxes just over 18 cents a gallon during peak summer travel months.
HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE), Hillary Clinton, she also favors that tax holiday. However, she says she would make up the revenue with a windfall of profit's tax on oil companies. Clinton would close gas and oil loopholes worth about $7.5 billion.
DE LA CRUZ: But Barack Obama does not support a gas tax break, but favors a windfall profit's tax on oil companies to help low income families pay their energy bills, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Well, speaking with some politics here, Senator Hillary Clinton says she is sorry about comments she made that have caused a bit of controversy while campaigning in South Dakota. She was asked whether her candidacy is jeopardizing party unity. She told the editorial board of the Sioux Falls newspaper that Democratic presidential nominating races have gone into the summer and to back that claim up, she mentioned the campaign of Robert F. Kennedy. He, of course, was assassinated during a primary in June of 1968.
Later, Senator Clinton clarified her statement and she apologized.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, my husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. You know, I just -- I don't understand it. (END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CLINTON: I, you know, regret that if my referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation and for particularly to the Kennedy family, was in any way offensive. I certainly had no intention of that whatsoever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, Senator Obama's campaign responded by saying the statement was, quote, "unfortunate and has no place in this campaign."
Our senior political producer, Sasha Johnson, joins me now from Washington.
Sasha, good morning, always good to see you. Is this much to do about what?
SASHA JOHNSON, CNN SR. POLITICAL PRODUCER: Well, you know, it's sort of it was an unfortunate reference. And originally, Hillary Clinton's campaign came out and said that any indication that she was talking about anything other than a historical political timeline was inaccurate and outrageous.
I mean, I think, if you sort of take a step back and look at it, you know, Hillary Clinton came out right now and apologized. Barack Obama did not mention it at all in his campaign stops yesterday. So, it's probably much to do about nothing.
However, it has gotten quite a bit of pick up in papers on the Internet. People are talking about it. You know, calling it an unfortunate reference. And it's probably something that superdelegates who have sat on the sideline up until this point are kind of looking at and wondering -- you know, we don't want the tenor of the race to get ugly and they're hoping that it doesn't get that way.
HOLMES: All right. And also, a Kennedy spokesperson, someone whom from the Kennedy family, actually came out and said that they understand how highly charged the atmosphere is.
JOHNSON: Right.
HOLMES: But it is a mistake for people to take offense from the comment. But you are right. Politically charged season (ph) and everything gets a lot of attention that stirs a little controversy.
Let's turn to Barack Obama now. Is this happening or is this not happening? Reports out there that the two sides, Obama and Clinton camp, are actually talking to each other about her possibly getting out of the race and accepting a V.P. spot? Both sides denying that, but we know he, at least, searching for V.P.
JOHNSON: He is. He has brought on Jim Johnson who is a very powerful Democrat, you know, behind the scenes. There is very little video of him, very few people see who see him out there, but he's a very powerful Democrat. He led John Kerry's V.P. search in 2004.
And yes, Barack Obama, supposedly, has brought him onboard and asked him to start, very quietly, vetting vice presidential candidates.
You know, why is he doing this when the race isn't over? If you look at the timeline, the Democratic convention isn't that far away and it takes a while to vet a V.P. candidate. We're talking financial records of different (ph) politicians, votes that they've cast, people that they've associated with.
So, Barack Obama is looking at a finite amount of time and probably has no choice but to get it started at this point. And yes, you said, as far as we know, there really are no talks between these campaigns about Hillary Clinton getting out.
HOLMES: All right. We have a lot more to get in with you in this Saturday. We have you here on Sundays. Well, good to have you. You're going to be here all morning with us. We got McCain to talk about, some tax returns, more about Hillary Clinton and the what-not.
So, we'll see you again here shortly.
JOHNSON: Great, thanks.
HOLMES: Well, John McCain's weekend get-together has people talking about his possible picks for vice president -- more on that in the next hour. We'll have details about the Democrats courting voters in Puerto Rico today.
And later and get the latest from the candidate trail when BALLOT BOWL comes your way, 3:00 Eastern today only here on CNN.
DE LA CRUZ: Seen the devastation first hand, the U.N. chief gets a up-close look at destruction from the China earthquake. He visits a town where the ground is still shaking.
Also ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADM. MICHAEL MULLEN, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: It's a time of stark reality of this price that we're paying. And it is most importantly to pay my respects to those, personally, who sacrificed so much.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The nation's military commander on the visit to hallowed ground. His tribute to the fallen and his vision for helping wounded warriors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello, I'm Crystal Gail Taylor (ph), here at Camp Liberty. We are based out of Fort Sill, Oklahoma. I want to give a shout out to my mom. (INAUDIBLE) Taylor (ph). She's in (INAUDIBLE), Oklahoma. Mom, I love you and thank you for everything. If it wasn't for you, I don't know where I'd be at this moment. I love you mom.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is a picture of my brother, Sgt. Jason Vaughn. The thing that I most admired about my brother was his kindness and compassion for others. We always said that he should had been a politician because he could really work (INAUDIBLE). He was killed May the 10th, 2007 in (INAUDIBLE), Iraq. And we will always miss him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: Remembering our nation's fallen heroes, all weekend long.
HOLMES: What about tributes we'll be doing at this Memorial Day weekend. iReports, people sending those and talking about the people they have serving, family members, loved ones and also those who have been killed as you've just heard about Sgt. Vaughn.
So, we'll bring those to you all morning long.
We want to turn to what's happening, just couple of disaster zones.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, is touring an area near the epicenter of China's devastating earthquake which happened about two weeks ago.
DE LA CRUZ: And the death toll there is still growing. More than 60,000 people killed. That is the latest official count but it's expected to jump even higher.
Our Kyung Lah for these latest developments now from Chengdu.
Kyung, I understand it is a very busy time for Secretary Ban who has been on the region, also, visiting victims of the cyclone in Myanmar.
KYUNG LAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: He went from Myanmar, Veronica, right here to China because he wanted to get a first-hand look at exactly the devastation, the impact of what happened here in this Sichuan Province.
But those numbers that you are referring to, the 60,000 dead, 45 million have been affected by this earthquake and it's very difficult to wrap your mind around it but the best way to see it is from the air. From the air, you can see how town after town is affected. We flew with the secretary general to a town called Yingxiu. And in that town, 10,000 people used to live there, 2/3 of them died in the quake. Every single building of this town has been destroyed.
This was the back drop as the secretary general took his tour to try to get a sense of what's happening. He met with China's premiere, he promised that the international community is behind China, but he's hoping for a full and complete assessment of the lives lost and the buildings lost, that he also says that the international community is behind China.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BAN KI-MOON, U.N. SECRETARY GENERAL: The whole world's United Nations stand behind you and support you. I'm here to demonstrate such a support to you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAH: And despite China's own humanitarian crisis, the premiere did say that the country is donating $10 million to Myanmar, saying that even though China has its own problems, has its hands full, that the entire region needs to be helping both countries -- Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: All right. Kyung Lah there in Chengdu, China. Kyung, we do appreciate the update.
You know, we know that you watch all of this and you're probably sitting at home. You may want to help. At CNN.com, we have a special page on the devastation in China, also, the destruction in Myanmar. There are links to aid agencies offering help for the region. It's a chance for you to Impact Your World, let us be your guide. You can always log on to CNN.com/impact.
Well, surviving the storm, children in harm's way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY MARTINEZ, DAY CARE TEACHER: We started singing, we started reading a story, we kept them calm. We, literally, all the teachers laid on the kids in order to protect them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: A daycare center hit by a tornado. We'll hear more from one of the teachers, that's ahead on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nathan was a true all-American boy. He was very respected, very kind-hearted. He was always full of adventure and very enthusiastic. Unfortunately, November 9th, 2004 he was killed. You know, it was heartbreaking for us. We know that we're going to miss him a lot. (END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: Welcome back.
Moving on this morning, we want to tell you about a reunion for parents of a polygamist sect in west Texas. It happened just after an appeals court decision.
HOLMES: And a court said, yes, they should not have taken the more than 400 kids out of that compound. Three families now back together this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: What are you looking forward to?
JOSEPH STEED JESSOP, SR., SECT MEMBER: My children are coming home.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How frustrating is this delay?
JESSOP: You can only hang out (ph) with it. So, hopefully we'll get through this door, they'll be there. They'll better be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: Child Protective Services has appealed the court decision. So, the reunited families can't go back to their compound until the state Supreme Court rules -- T.J.
HOLMES: And a Colorado community ripped apart by a tornado.
DE LA CRUZ: Hundreds of resident are still not allowed back to their homes this morning. The streets there littered with broken glass and then there's danger of gas leaks.
HOLMES: Yes, dozens of buildings damage, including a day care center that was filled with children. We get more now from Adam Chodak of affiliate KUSA in Windsor, Colorado.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ADAM CHODAK, KUSA CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's odd how some of the most chaotic days can start with such calm.
BETTY MARTINEZ, DAY CARE TEACHER: We went out. It was a little gray.
CHODAK: Betty Martinez and her daycare class had just stepped outside.
MARTINEZ: We didn't even have like two minutes before our director quickly said -- get everybody into the gym. We could hear the cracks. The children were just screaming by this point.
We started singing, we started doing a story, we kept them calm. And we, literally, all the teachers laid on the kids in order to protect them.
There were trees and debris that's coming inside the gym. You know, I said (ph) I promise, I won't let go. I have you, I won't let go. And that's pretty what all the teachers were talking and telling children in order to keep them calm.
CHODAK: And then, it was over. The storm not the danger, filling the broken building was the smell of gas. That's when Martinez and the other teachers started to direct kids outside, past what minutes before had been a playground and over to the bank.
MARTINEZ: As I was leaving in there, I slipped on the glass that was all there. It kind of opened (ph).
CHODAK: She says she'll be OK.
And thanks to Martinez and all the other teachers, so, will all the children.
MARTINEZ: But the building held together pretty good. I think that was the work of God. I really do and you know, those kids were there.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DE LA CRUZ: That was Adam Chodak there with that report, talking about folks there cleaning up after that tornado in Colorado.
In the meantime, severe weather is it hitting the Midwest? Reynolds Wolf joins us now. He's been keeping an eye on it -- Reynolds?
WOLF: Yes, it's the same one, the storm that drifted to parts of central plains, is now moving into portions of the Midwest. It's (INAUDIBLE) currently places like Missouri back into Iowa on its actually, in it's sight (ph), but in its wake, it left quite a bit of damage that you are talking about.
Take a look at this video that we have for you in Kansas just yesterday. This big funnel cloud, one of many, nearly 100 reported over the last 24 to 48 hours. The full story is coming up in just a few moments.
HOLMES: All right, Josh Levs, a special Memorial Day Reality Check. Good morning to you, Mr. Reality.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning to you, guys. So, we're going to look, coming up, on how you can learn about the thousands of troops who have given their lives for the nation in recent years and also how you can send messages to the families.
That's right here, CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) Camp Liberty Iraq, from Fort Sill, Oklahoma. I'd just want to say a shoutout to my mom. Brenda Heismith (ph) of Livermore (ph), Kansas. I love you mom. Take care. We are taking care out here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is Jeff Lucas. He decided to be in the Navy SEAL at age nine. He went onto become the top Navy SEAL on the east coast in 2004. He just loved his Lord, his family, and his country more than anything. He was very special. The family grieves to this day, but we are so proud of him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: You know, T.J., all these iReports that we've received, it really, it makes us think that the way we think of Memorial Day sometimes is -- what -- family, friends, backyard barbecues.
HOLMES: Just out traveling, that a lot of people are doing but different meaning, much deeper meaning for a lot of families. We're going to be hearing from them throughout the morning, sending us their iReports about their loved ones.
We're going to hear them as we've been hearing this morning, having killed in action, like Jeffrey Lucas, we just that, a Navy SEAL. So, you'll be hearing a lot more -- the true meaning of Memorial Day.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, the reason for the holiday is to honor those who have given their lives for the country. So, we want to go ahead and take a look at a story now about Admiral Michael Mullen, you know, we're going to go and move on to Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr. She's been talking about the nation's wounded warriors and the families of those killed. She has this report.
Go ahead and take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen has a Memorial Day message -- more needs to be done for wounded troops and families of those who have died in Afghanistan.
ADM. MICHAEL MULLEN, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: I believe, we, as a country owe them a debt that almost can't be repaid. It's so significant.
STARR: Mullen has a vision. One he will tell the next president -- a public and private partnership of life time support for the wounded, their families, and families of those who have died. MULLEN: I don't think we are there yet. I mean, we've improved dramatically the medical care, the after care, which a great deal of which surfaced out of this out of the Walter Reed exposure last year but still, in many ways, I think, here in the nation stages of this.
STARR: It's a commitment Mullen knows will cost billions. His personal commitment is unshaken.
This is Section 60 at Arlington National Cemetery, where those who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried and their families and friends mourn. Mullen now makes private visits here alone, wearing civilian clothes.
MULLEN: It's the time of stark reality for this price that we're paying and it is most importantly, to pay my respects to those, personally, who sacrificed so much and to those families who also have sacrificed because of its loss.
STARR: How hard is it for you to do that?
MULLEN: It's emotionally. It's very difficult to do that. But it is not hard for me to go. I feel it a part of who I am, of who I am personally, as well as my responsibility as a senior member of the military.
STARR: You're almost saying that's something you have to do.
MULLEN: I certainly personally feel I have to do it.
STARR: Barbara Starr, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: An explosion in Iraq to tell you about. Seven U.S. Marines and two Iraqi police officers were hurt when a road-side bomb went off at their checkpoint in Falluja yesterday.
DE LA CRUZ: U.S. military says a civilian interpreter, T.J., was killed in that blast. In a separate incident yesterday in Falluja, four Iraqi police officers were wounded in the bombing. Which brings us to this, we've heard about casualties in Iraq, not so much about troops killed in Afghanistan.
HOLMES: And to the point that some even have called Afghanistan "the forgotten war." CNN's Josh Levs is with us now. He has a Reality Check on Operation: Enduring Freedom.
Good morning to you, Josh.
LEVS: Good morning to you, guys. Look, if that is true, I think we want to correct that right now because we do want to show you, I'm right here at the Atlanta international desk. We do follow the war in Afghanistan very closely as well.
What I want to do is use this board right now to show you the casualties' toll (ph) in Afghanistan because the truth is, we hear about decreasing violence in Iraq, U.S. military toll in Afghanistan has been going up.
I want to start off over there, this is directly from the U.S. military and these are the latest figures right here. Since the war began, about 500 U.S. troops killed in Iraq, and you can see the breakdown here, about 300 killed in action. They're saying close to 200 in non-hostile situations.
Now, there's a very popular Web site called Icasualties.org and they've brought together the figures. I confirmed this with the military. You can see that the numbers have gone up each year.
Look at this, 2003, we had a death toll of 48 and up to 52, to 99, 2006 was similar, 2007 was the biggest year yet, 117 U.S. military killed there and more from other countries as well. And guys, you can see the figure for so far in 2008, so far this year, 31 U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan. That is more than for this same time last year. So, in that sense, numbers are still escalating.
But it's also Memorial Day, I want to take you behind the numbers now. And show you something we have here at CNN.com. This is who they are. This right here is a lay out showing you who the U.S. troops are that had been killed in Iraq. And also, other coalition troops.
For example here, we've got Sergeant Kevin Atkins (ph), we've got his age, 29 years old, he was in 391st engineer battalion. We have his home town in Burton (ph), North Carolina. And we talked about what happened. He was one of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated here their humvee during combat operations. And as you scroll through, you can see the stories of so many more U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan.
Now, we have a similar page as well for Iraq. I want to show you this, in honor of Memorial Day, obviously, an opportunity to stop and think who are these people? They'd gave their lives for the country. Wherever they from, what do we know about them, what happened -- all at CNN.com. But also, we're interactive here. And you have the opportunity to send us a message yourself, or just send the message to their families.
I'm going to show something really interesting here. This we've got up today, an opportunity to sound off and write us a message or write a message for their families. Look at what we've been hearing from so far -- a lot of veterans.
This is from Carly: "To my fellow veterans and their families, thank you for all you have done." As you scroll through you're going to see a lot more messages from family members and from other veterans.
Guys, we're going to keep on this all day. And I'll update you as we get more messages. Just go to CNN.com. iReport, you can't miss it -- T.J. and Veronica.
HOLMES: All right. Josh, we appreciate you this morning. We'll see you again here shortly. And for a second straight night, we will turn to weather now and for a second straight night, western Kansas being battered by tornadoes.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, take a look at this. New damage to show you now as they day breaks there. We are hoping to get a better look at the path of the destruction. But this damage, this was left behind by Thursday's tornadoes. Friday, even worse, more than dozen homes destroyed. Emergency officials have been working through the night to assess all of the damage there.
HOLMES: Well, despite all this damage we're seeing, all the severe weather, one injury to report in Greensburg, Kansas which was destroy, you remember, by a tornado last year, was right in the line of last night's tornadoes. An emergency manager says the funnel cloud went right over the top of the town, however, we understand, that not much damage was done to their town, which, of course, is still rebuilding. We'll have new pictures as soon as we get them into us.
DE LA CRUZ: So, let's go ahead and see where the storms that hit Kansas and Oklahoma are moving now. Reynolds Wolf is tracking the system from the severe weather center.
And really lucky, Reynolds, when you think about a town that was leveled just a year ago.
WOLF: I'd go one better (ph) than that, guys. It happened last night. We were here covering it. And the tornado at the time was actually on the ground. Of course, it did pass over as a funnel cloud, but it was right here Greenburg, nearly a year to the day and not only that, when the tornado originally hit, it was around 9:47 when it first hit Greenburg; the one last night around 9:45. So, very, very similar scenario, thankfully, the outcome was much better.
Today, we're getting a very interesting situation. We have that big line of storms now moving in parts of Oklahoma and to Kansas. It looks like Missouri is up next. In fact, if you happen to be tuning in from Springfield, get ready. If you can look out your windows, and look westward, what you're going to be seeing is a lot of darkness, a lot of cloud cover and lightning is going to be coming on through.
In Kansas City, you've already dealt with the worse this morning but out west for you, you've got a little bit of drier air coming through with much lighter rainfall. So, you will be getting a welcome break. Some scattered showers are still in effect and we are seeing those back up into the northern plains.
Up in Florida, so many people are heading again to the coast. For Saturday, it's going to be lovely day there. Rain early but then sure to get drier especially by Monday and into Sunday with high temperatures mainly into the 80s.
Now, for Texas though, bit more of a mixed bag with highs mainly into the 80s and 90s. And we've been talking about this 90 degree heat. Let's talk about a little bit of cold. Snow, snow in Flagstaff, Arizona. Do we have that video? Yes, we do. Of course, we do. There it is, the video of KNXV, Flagstaff, Arizona on Friday. Get this, you could see more snow today in the central Rockies, perhaps in to the better routes (ph) of Montana. A little bit of something for everyone when it comes to today's weather.
Now, it's time for you, guys, to take it away.
DE LA CRUZ: You know, Reynolds, when you think of Arizona you don't really ever think of snow.
WOLF: Well, when you get to the high elevations, everything changes.
DE LA CRUZ: But still, not this time of year, right?
HOLMES: No, in May, that's insane, in Arizona that doesn't right.
Reynolds, we appreciate you, buddy.
DE LA CRUZ: Thanks.
Residents along the central California coast now forced to flee a wildfire. Nearly 2,000 residents have evacuated the area. There are at least that many firefighters battling the fire, scram (ph) up blaze. The fire has destroyed more than two dozen buildings and there are around 500 more still in danger this morning.
HOLMES: Up next, it's time to go racing. Two major events jockeying for position.
DE LA CRUZ: The Indy 500 is one of them. Now, running on -- take a look, it's running on girl power. Danica Patrick making her mark on and off the track.
Our buddy, Rick Horrow, straight ahead. There he is.
HOLMES: We'll get him some lighting and trust us, he's here.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was a very warm-hearted person and you could see the caring in his eyes when he would talk about his family and he talked about his children and his wife, and how he was worried about them, but that he was very upbeat about preparing to go to Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: All weekend long we are honoring our nation's fallen heroes. And we're doing that through your iReports.
HOLMES: And as we just saw there, another one this morning. Many are talking about their loved ones lost in the war zones. But they're reminding us all what the holiday weekend is really about.
DE LA CRUZ: That's right.
HOLMES: We will turn to another Memorial Day tradition. The Indianapolis 500, but however, that great spectacle of racing maybe the greatest, lost a bit of it's luster for the past few years.
Well, our Rick Horrow, sports business analyst, he's here to talk about that and much more. He is here, people, nice to have you in the building.
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Are you really -- that was much too cynical. That was much too cynical. Yes, you crossed all your fingers and toes if that still possible.
HOLMES: No, it is. No, it's good to have you here. Nice to have you here with us.
HORROW: Thank you.
HOLMES: But that Indy 500, biggest spectacle in racing, right about it (ph), but still everybody thinks racing sometimes, they think about NASCAR. The Indy 500, when you think about (ph) racing, that's the only one people really talk about. Who's doing better right now, Indy or NASCAR?
HORROW: Hey, but the good thing is, they're both going in the right direction. You know, NASCAR's got the fuel crisis, television ratings are down, 5 percent to 6 percent. But Indy is up 35 percent. Danica Patrick, as we'll talk about, has a significant effect.
Indy has further to go. Seventy-five million admitted, avid NASCAR fans, 38 million avid Indy car fans. By the way, they do it differently. NASCAR, there is a proposal request on the back of Carl Edward's car last week, "will you marry me." OK? Now, the other deal is the "Indiana Jones" movie on Andretti's car this week. So, even promote in different ways.
HOLMES: Now, are they, you said Indy is moving in the right direction. How much of that can be directly attributed to Danica Patrick?
HORROW: A lot. One hundred thirty percent increase in sales for the Kansas race, a week after she won. And by the way, she's OK, $5 million in sponsorship, Honda, Procter and Gamble, and the like, even Airtran. Airtran has a plane for her.
And by the way, the reason is because corporations love women's sports. Women survey say make about 85 percent of the buying decision. In my house, it's over 135 percent of the buying decisions. That's why $1 billion in sponsorship, State Farm, Nike, and others, women -- Danica, front and center, so as race.
HOLMES: Real quick, are they going to lose here once she gets a certain amount of popularity, everybody wants to jump to NASCAR. Are they going to steal her at some point? HORROW: Well, it depends on how quickly she moves this forward to the point where it's economically competitive in NASCAR. You know, last year, Franchitti won $4 million, first prize for winning the whole racing series. And that was only, where number 22 in NASCAR drivers were in winning. So, more money, she stays. Clearly, anybody, more money, they stay.
HOLMES: Indianapolis, a lot of stuff going on -- Indy 500, but few other things happening in Indianapolis. Indiana, big weekend for it.
HORROW: Big weekend for the state. Last week, NFL decided to award the 2012 Super Bowl to the new Lucas Oil Stadium which is opening this year, home of the Colts.
Yes, naming rights there. We don't have enough time to get into naming rights stuff, we'll do that other time. But Indianapolis, 250,000 people at that -- big deal for the state.
HOLMES: Big deal for the state.]
HORROW: Right.
HOLMES: And where you're going to be this weekend?
HORROW: Yes, sir, thank you very much for the shameless plug. Pop Warner Little Scholars has a major awards dinner tonight, 2,000 people in Orlando at Disney World. They are recognizing off field accomplishments for fifth to eighth graders and, I don't know, they made a mistake, but they're giving me the Gold Football Award.
HOLMES: The Gold Football -- what does that mean, the Gold Football?
HORROW: We renovated some fields in Philadelphia. There is a program called "Operation: Field rescue" where we're getting some money for Pop Warner fields all over the country. And they're recognizing people who made a difference and I'm honored and pleased to be part of it, to be serious about it.
HOLMES: And in all seriousness, we wanted to say congratulations to you. And again, that's a big deal to be honored and certainly, Pop Warner does a lot around the country, a lot of kids involved in that.
HORROW: And in all seriousness, I can't think of a better way to start my Memorial Day weekend with the two of you and I guess you'd just to be part of that. How is that sound? Does that sound pretty good, you like that?
HOLMES: OK. Let's end on nice note. OK, good to see you, Pretty Ricky.
DE LA CRUZ: Nice to see you, congratulations by the way.
HORROW: Thank you very much. DE LA CRUZ: NASA's moment of truth -- counting down the hour. It's the high risk mission to the red planet but the payoff could be huge.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: David, we're proud of you. We miss you everyday with (INAUDIBLE). I love him and I'm proud of him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: All right, T.J., so, I have a question for you. Think back to the last time that you filled up your tank, how much did you spend?
HOLMES: Well, you know what I drive. So, it's around by about $80.
DE LA CRUZ: And so, you're going to get a hybrid, right?
HOLMES: No, I'm not.
DE LA CRUZ: Not trading in your SUV.
HOLMES: I'm too vain.
DE LA CRUZ: No?
HOLMES: No, I'm kidding. They say it's not worth it to trade your SUV right now.
DE LA CRUZ: This might make you think because the average gas price shot up overnight to $3.91 a gallon. That's according to AAA, we're what -- how many cents away from the $4 mark? It is unbelievable.
HOLMES: Yes, as an average, folks.
DE LA CRUZ: And T.J.'s got a SUV over here.
HOLMES: Yes, do you have to keep putting that out there? OK.
DE LA CRUZ: I'm going to stop picking on you then.
HOLMES: All right. But these are drivers, the lines you are seeing just in the end of the video here from South Carolina. The gas there was $2.99 a gallon. The reason being, it was part of publicity from a car dealership.
Our affiliate WIS says lines were about three miles long by noon yesterday. Some people were probably running out of gas to get the cheaper gas in that long line.
DE LA CRUZ: I can't even remember the last time gas was $2.99 a gallon.
All right. Are you grilling this holiday weekend? Because Memorial Day traditionally kicks off that cook out season, but you know what? Because of those gas prices it is your wallet that might be feeling the burn.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics track national food price averages. So, let's go ahead.
For a moment, let's take a look now at what you're paying for some of popular staples of the backyard barbecue. T.J., ground beef for hamburgers, almost even with one year ago, averaging just two cents higher for a pound from last year. But steak is a downright bargain. It's a bargain from this last Memorial Day. Sirloin is actually 11 percent cheaper, to $5.69 a pound but you aren't thinking that is going to be the case, right?
But check this out, extras like cheese are going to cost you because cheddar is up more than 15 percent to $4.59 a gallon or pound, and then, half gallon of ice cream is expected to be about what -- $4.20. That's a lot. That's up 8.5 percent. And then, unless you grow your own, a pound of fresh tomatoes are going to cost at least 5 percent more this Memorial Day, about $1.70 a pound. So, I guess, skip the veggies.
HOLMES: I'm pretty sure that most nutritionists would not recommend that you skip the veggies.
DE LA CRUZ: Well just have, we'll grill some steak, I guess.
HOLMES: It's cheaper. Who knows?
DE LA CRUZ: It's cheaper.
HOLMES: You can stay with us here. Reynolds Wolf is standing by in the severe weather center.
Reynolds, I don't know if you're grilling out this weekend, but apparently, steak is the way to go.
WOLF: That's right here, in for the record, Veronica, it's a minivan. He drives a minivan.
DE LA CRUZ: It's a minivan.
WOLF: That's exactly what I'm talking about.
DE LA CRUZ: OK. All right.
WOLF: You know, a lot of moms and dads are going to be dealing with (INAUDIBLE) getting into the minivans and driving across the country. They may be driving through something like this -- some heavy rain that continues to move right through parts of Kansas and into Missouri. Last night, this was causing all kinds of tornadoes.
Take a look at this video. Big funnel cloud that we have, one of many. In fact, nearly 100 of these recorded just over the last two days. We'll have the complete story coming up in a few moments on CNN SATURDAY.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is my brother, David Kirkpatrick. What I miss about him mostly is, you know, humor. He was such a funny kid and, you know, he is quiet. But anything that he said, anything that came out of his mouth was always funny. He always had something to tell you and he was only 20. And we miss him so much. And we miss him more and more every day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: A sister there, remembering her brother this Memorial Day weekend. We're going to be paying close attention to your iReports on Memorial Day weekend.
HOLMES: All right. Well, we will turn to a little space here. Tomorrow night, mankind will stand on the threshold of a new era in planetary discovery.
DE LA CRUZ: That's right. NASA's Phoenix probe is due to land in the Martian surface and possibly find out whether there is any life there.
HOLMES: If -- and we stress -- if the thing doesn't crash.
Here now CNN's chief technology and environment correspondent, Miles O'Brien.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CHIEF TECHNOLOGY AND ENVIRONMENT CORRESPONDENT: This is an engineering model of the Phoenix Mars Lander here at the University of Arizona where the science team is headquartered. The real spacecraft is knocking on Mars doorstep. And it's a risky mission indeed.
The last time NASA arrived on Mars four years ago, the rovers, Spirit and Opportunity landed successfully but they landed in an entirely different way inside giant airbags. This spacecraft is much too big to land that way. And so, it will land using the parachute and a series of rocket thrust. It's a lot more complicated landing that way.
As a matter of fact, nearly 10 years ago, in 1999, the sister spacecraft of this, the Mars Polar Lander as it arrived on Mars was lost. There were a series of problems with that spacecraft. It was determined later but the bottom line was -- they all led to a lack of funding. NASA now says, that program was horribly underfunded.
This spacecraft was delayed and has been tested and retested, according to the engineers. They believe the whole experience of Mars Polar Lander has in fact, made it one of the safest Landers ever to arrive on Mars.
But statistically, the averages aren't good. Less than half of the missions that go to Mars are successful. If this spacecraft makes it, it will land just shy of the Martian North Pole. It will be in tundra.
It has a shovel that will go out and dig in to the sidewalk concrete hard tundra, scoop up some dirt, scoop up some ice, put it into some sensors and see if they can find some clues to the question of life on Mars, past or perhaps even present.
If they do that, and they fill in a few blanks, that would be pay dirt, indeed.
Miles O'Brien, CNN, Tucson, Arizona.
(END VIDEOCLIP)
HOLMES: All right. A lot of ifs, a lot of nerves (ph) as a scientist, with the launching (ph) set for 7:53 tomorrow night, CNN will be taking that live along with our Miles O'Brien, whom we depend on, on such things. That mission tomorrow is live, again, starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
But right now, the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING starts right now.
Good morning to you all from the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING, May 24th, Memorial Day weekend. I'm T.J. Holmes.
DE LA CRUZ: And I'm Veronica de la Cruz. It is nice -- I guess Betty drew the short straw because she's got the weekend off.
HOLMES: I got the short straw because I'm here. She got the longest straw that we have. Betty is off this weekend doing (ph) her Memorial Day.
We do need to start with more severe weather. It seems like we've starting with that a lot, so over the weekends, but tornadoes once again ripping through western Kansas overnight.
DE LA CRUZ: A second straight day of damaging weather there, believe it or not. This is what's left from Thursday's storms. Take a look. We are waiting for day to break to get a better look at the damage from last night's storms. We already know at this point that several homes have been destroyed.
So far, we have only heard reports of one injury, however we are keeping a close eye on the story. As soon as we get that new video in, any information on this story, we'll go ahead and bring that immediately to you.
HOLMES: And we will turn to our Reynolds Wolf who's been covering these storms the past couple of days and back to back night certain places in the plains under the gun.
WOLF: Possibly up to 100 tornadoes, this is definitely a historic event, certainly not the biggest all time outbreak, which was in 1974 on Palm Sunday, but still, this is certainly significant.
We've got some video for you from -- let's see, this is Fort Supply, Fort Supply, Kansas. Take a look at this, not just a funnel cloud, but indeed a tornado. You see it is the funnel, but once it makes contact with the earth's surface, then it is classified as a tornado, one of many that we had on Friday, certainly a messy time, pardon me, Fort Supply, Oklahoma, to our viewers who are tuning in from Fort Supply, my sincere apologies, but a rough day for you. Certainly better news for you today as conditions will improve. Let's go right to the weather computer.
If you are going to be in Fort Supply or any other spot in the central plains, today should be better. Here's why. That storm system is finally going to be begin to move a little bit back into places like Kansas City, eventually into Springfield. Springfield, you don't have the heavy rainfall just yet, but just a few miles to your west, near Billings (INAUDIBLE) there's a big wall of rain and wind and maybe even some hail that's going to come through.
Not so much a tornadic threat for today, because we really don't have those mid-level winds that are going to be caused, many of these storms or could cause these storms to rotate. So that is not going to be the biggest threat, although it is possible. We don't see warnings at this point.
What we are going to be dealing with is a little bit of cooler air coming in behind this system, a stabilizing effect on the atmosphere which is going to be wonderful. As we jump ahead for your Memorial Day weekend, we are going to see a lot of that shower activity move into portions of the Midwest and into the great lakes.
Into the southeast, rain showers possible, but we are going to be seeing a mix of sun and clouds for Atlanta as we get into Memorial Day, the same story for much of Texas and for much of southern and central California and the same story. However, keep in mind for the central and northern Rockies, maybe even into parts of the Cascades, we could be dealing with some snowfall on your Memorial Day, a little bit of everything.
Let's send it back to you in the news desk.
DE LA CRUZ: A weather potpourri, a little bit of everything.
HOLMES: That's what Reynolds offers to us. Reynolds thank you as always.
DE LA CRUZ: Thank you, Reynolds.
In the meantime, residents along the central California coast forced to flee a wildfire. Nearly 2,000 residents have evacuated the area. There are at least that many fire fighters in the meantime battling the five-square mile blaze. The fire has destroyed more than two dozen buildings and there are around 500 more still in danger this morning.
All right, got some shocking news for you now, the price of gas up again.
HOLMES: Why don't we have the breaking news thing across the bottom?
DE LA CRUZ: Up again, one more time, $3.91 now.
HOLMES: That's the average, people.
DE LA CRUZ: $3.91.
HOLMES: Certainly, plenty of places are seeing it above $4 right now. And a lot of you are putting the brakes on your holiday travel plans because of this. AAA says more than 31 million Americans expected to be on the road this Memorial Day weekend. That's down just a bit from a year ago. The fuel prices also making it more expensive to fly. Airlines raising fares by $30 to $60 for a round trip ticket. We'll have a live report for you.
DE LA CRUZ: I think Josh Levs is going to be talk about vacations as well.
HOLMES: People not going anywhere.
DE LA CRUZ: People staying right here.
HOLMES: It is a holiday weekend, but you can't take a holiday if you're running for president, can you? The candidates have a lot of stuff going on including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, both courting voters in Puerto Rico ahead of the territory's June 1st primary, also John McCain hosting a big bash at his home in his home state of Arizona. Senior political producer Sasha Johnson watching it all.
Good morning to you again. You're in Washington today for us. Wouldn't you like to be in Puerto Rico?
JOHNSON: I have to actually in full disclosure, was given the option of going and I decided to come and talk to you guys instead.
HOLMES: OK, well, that makes us question some of your decision making, so we hope we can still rely on your political expertise. Can you believe, here we are, Puerto Rico and the candidates are actually campaigning there.
JOHNSON: It is pretty remarkable. Clinton is actually spending several days there. She is starting today on the western coast of the island. Then she's moving to San Juan tomorrow. Barack Obama will be doing a veterans' event today in San Juan and then leading a parade through old San Juan, which probably will be some great pictures.
With 55-plus delegates at stake, eight super delegates, we've talked endless about this is a race for delegates, so it is not surprising that they are there, but it is remarkable that they're campaigning in Puerto Rico. Also important to note that, as the senator from New York, Hillary Clinton has a large Puerto Rican constituency in New York City and when she was in Florida this week, she said sometimes she felt like she was the senator from Puerto Rico, so she's obviously heavily favored in Puerto Rico.
HOLMES: And I have just a follow up here, are you seriously turned down a chance to go to Puerto Rico?
JOHNSON: We did have a chance to go to Puerto Rico this weekend, but it's my mother's 60th birthday and I wanted to be here for her party.
HOLMES: Mom would not mind, OK?
Let's turn to Senator McCain, he's having a backyard barbecue this weekend, but he might not just be handing out a couple of burgers and some ribs. He might be handing out a VP ticket.
JOHNSON: The campaign says that even though people like Mitt Romney, Louisiana Governor Bob Gindell (ph) and Florida Governor Charlie Crist (ph), all of whom have been on the speculative list of people who might be McCain's VP choice. Even though they are coming, it is still a casual weekend, a kind of get-to-know you weekend on a social level just kind of coming together, relaxing after a very long campaign.
But one thing that we know about John McCain is that he really does like being around people that he's comfortable with. So even though they might not be talking about whether or not these guys want to be vice president, I would argue that he's probably kind of taking the temperature, seeing how he feels with these guys on a personal level and that would I think certainly factor into his decision about his number two.
HOLMES: Our CNN political producer Sasha Johnson, we appreciate you as always and I will pass along a happy birthday to your mother. Enjoy the party.
JOHNSON: Thanks.
HOLMES: Know what you gave up to be there. We are going to be checking in with Sasha again throughout the morning and we're going to be bringing you the very latest live from the campaign trail with our "BALLOT BOWL," comes your way this afternoon 3:00 Eastern only right here on CNN.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, Memorial Day marks the start of the summer travel season and it is shaping up to be a costly one, $3.91 now the national average. Nicole Collins is at a rest stop in Queen Anne's County, Maryland. She's finding out how drivers are coping there this morning.
Good morning to you, Nicole.
COLLINS: Good morning, Veronica. We are here in Maryland right off the 301, that's that road behind me, that empty road behind me. We have seen a number of RVs and trucks and cars and boats in tow. Overall, travel this weekend is expected to be down. AAA predicts only 12 percent of D.C. area residents will travel by road more than 50 miles this weekend. That's a one percent decrease.
People are just staying home for the most part or maybe traveling closer to home, but the people we've talked to here are obviously making the trip, and they complain about the gas prices saying they are absolutely ridiculous, but they can't do anything about it, so they are just going to go ahead and take their vacation.
I spoke to one woman heading up to Dover. She says she's going up to play the slots, didn't affect her this weekend, but she says she likes to do that but has stopped doing it as much as she would like.
Now, we also spoke to some people just about their general summer travel plans. You can hear some people are definitely reconsidering doing anything by road or by air because of sky high jet fuel prices. Some people are just not going to let gas prices get in the way.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB WHITAKER, DRIVING TO NEW YORK: Here we go to again sit down and seriously look at our budget and think about whether or not we really want to go and adjust.
VICKI LAVANGA, TRAVELING TO VIRGINIA: As far as vacationing, if I can get away, I don't care how much it is going to cost, really. If I can do it, I'm going to do it. I don't think that's going to really stop me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The average gas price nationally one year ago was $3.22 a gallon. That sounds pretty good to all of us at this point I'm sure and it is interesting to point out that typically gas prices peak for the summer driving season at Memorial Day. That's what happened in 2007, but it doesn't look like that's what's going to happen in 2008 with that 17th straight record high that we saw overnight -- Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: Wow, it really is an unfortunate thing. Nicole Collins, live for us this morning in Queen Anne's County, Maryland. Nicole, we do appreciate it. It does look like the word of the day though is going to be staycation.
HOLMES: We're going to talk about that a little later, people staying put, not going anywhere.
We will turn back to some weather, in Colorado, hit pretty good by a tornado. Take a look at the funnel cloud. This was an amazing video we got it in a couple days ago.
DE LA CRUZ: Look at that! Look at the size of that thing!
HOLMES: What is left of their homes, what's in this path of destruction so we'll get into this video a little more certainly with our Reynolds Wolf.
DE LA CRUZ: But first, T.J., Dr. Sanjay Gupta has a sneak peak of what's ahead on "HOUSE CALL."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, guys.
This Memorial Day weekend, we have a very special "HOUSE CALL" for you reporting from Phoenix, Arizona, about two political powerhouses, Senators John McCain and Senators Ted Kennedy, lots of exclusive health details on the both of them coming straight up.
Also, fascinating new treatments helping the hundreds of amputees returning home for more. You're going to want to see these to believe them, plus, the disorder some experts are looking to mobile phone use.
Their stories and the medical headlines all on "HOUSE CALL" 8:30.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My brother Daniel was in the military for a combined total of eight years. He was a sergeant with the U.S. Army. My brother was a very loyal person to his friends, to his family, to other soldiers; everybody trusted him. I know that he's in a better place because God only takes the best. I totally believe that because my brother was the best.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: We have been taking some parts of the morning to listen to a lot of these iReports that we have been receiving, remembering our nation's fallen heroes.
HOLMES: Some of those, they're tough to kind of hear, because you just like you heard there, her talking about him and you hear voices kind of breaking up (INAUDIBLE) iReports. We appreciate them.
DE LA CRUZ: It is important to do, for sure.
HOLMES: Memorial Day, teaching us or reminding us what it's truly about.
DE LA CRUZ: What the holiday is all about. That's right.
We are going to go head in and talk about some weather right now, talk about some storm damage coming out of Kansas overnight, the result of a second day T.J., a second day of tornadoes.
HOLMES: We'll also update you on what's happening in Colorado hit earlier this week, still reeling however, the town of Windsor in the middle of a 35-mile long path of destruction. And this morning, hundreds of residents of Windsor still can't go back home and that is why. National Guard troops had to be deployed to keep them out because of gas leaks. Look at this video earlier, just a couple days ago, earlier in the week. That's amazing to see.
DE LA CRUZ: Unbelievable.
HOLMES: It could be another day or two until those residents are allowed back in but that is why.
DE LA CRUZ: The size of that cloud is unbelievable.
He was working the fields when the skies turned black. A farmer tells (INAUDIBLE) reporter Thanh Truong how he ditched his tractor and dived right into a ditch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TROY MESBERGEN, DAIRY FARMER: Am I going to die? Is this my time to die?
THANH TRUONG, 9NEWS REPORTER: Those are the questions that ran through Troy Mesbergen's mind as the tornado moved over brown cow (ph) dairy. He was feeding cows and riding in a tractor when he noticed the wind kicking up.
MESBERGEN: Always of a sudden, it just got really dark. I looked up to the south and I saw a big wall of black clouds spinning.
TRUONG: He ditched the tractor and headed for a ditch.
MESBERGEN: I ran for a ditch, the closest ditch I could find and covered up and just prayed for my life.
TRUONG: He thinks he got pelted by hail. These are the marks. The tornado's imprints are all over the dairy.
RICK HERTZKE, DAIRY FARMER: It is something you just never think would ever happen to you, but as you can see, there's nothing left.
TRUONG: As you can see, the tornado absolutely punished the inside and outside of this house. A few of the dairy workers heard the tornado coming and ran down stairs to the basement. They got out alive. A camper staying at this park just north of the dairy did not survive.
The tornado's power leveled the buildings at the park and pummeled this tree. Whatever shelter the camper had was no match for the storm. Back at the dairy, after all the surviving cows were moved, they move ahead with demolition.
HERTZKE: We moved in here, built it from scratch, two homes and this 400-cow dairy in 1977 and it is over, so kind of hard to explain.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DE LA CRUZ: That was Than Truong KUSA reporting there, but really just lucky to be alive when you look at (INAUDIBLE).
HOLMES: He got beat up pretty good by the hail. A lot of stories coming out like that, survival stories certainly and amazing we didn't have more injuries to report because of what we've been seeing.
We will turn to U.S. troops. It is Memorial Day weekend. We'll be talking about helping wounded U.S. troops get around.
DE LA CRUZ: .That's right, Segway is helping make the disability disappear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER: I'm Sergeant Robert Klein (ph). I'm from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I'm here at Camp Liberty, Iraq. I'm stationed out of Fort Sill, Oklahoma. I just want to say hi to my mother, Tammy Koon (ph). I love you mom very much. I'll see you soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Dave and on behalf of my four brothers and sister, I want to salute our brother, Corporal Richard Jay Nelson who died in a roadside bombing on April 14th, 2008. I salute Rick for his courage to join the military and become a Marine in time of war. I salute him for his honorable life that he lived, the respect he showed people. We love you, Rick. We think about you every day and we'll see you again some day.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: While we honor fallen troops this Memorial Day, it is worth noting that medical science can now prevent many combat wounds from being fatal.
HOLMES: And technology also playing a huge role in rehabilitation. CNN's senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre has an update on one device particular that is being adapted just for that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DALE BEATTY, DISABLED IRAQ WAR VETERAN: I think the hardest part for a guy like me, amputees, is getting on and off. Once you're on, it's really very easy.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Staff Sgt. Dale Beatty lost both legs in Iraq when a pair of anti-tank mines ripped through the bottom of his unarmored Humvee. He learned to walk on two prosthetic legs and still uses a wheel chair, but he's now the proud owner of a new set of wheels, the gyro-stabilized human locomotor known as a Segway.
BEATTY: I would use this if I was going to the zoo or an amusement park, to keep from having to walk so much.
MCINTYRE: Sgt. Beatty is the beneficiary of a charity called Seg for Vets which over the past few years, has donated about 150 Segways that retail for about $6,000 to wounded war veterans, mostly amputees. Jerry Kerr partially paralyzed after a diving accident, is the charity's founder and driving force. (INAUDIBLE) quadriplegic, I think it's somebody who can hardly move at all.
JERRY KERR, DISABILITY RIGHTS ADVOCATES FOR TECHNOLOGY: Quadriplegia refers to our level of injury (INAUDIBLE) level, not necessarily your ability to move around.
MCINTYRE: Now you have a Segway that has a seat.
KERR: I do. Because of my injury, I can't stand for very long.
MCINTYRE: But you can pull yourself up?
KERR: I can. I can get myself up and you notice my hands don't work well. When I'm standing here, I look a lot different than when I'm standing on my Segway. When I'm trying to walk, I'm not nearly as eleqant as I am when I'm on my Segway.
MCINTYRE: But on his Segway, Kerr looks just like any other upstanding citizen.
KERR: And that's for me, one of the great things about it is that it really causes my disability to disappear.
MCINTYRE: The best part about a Segway says Sgt. Beatty is that no one looks down on him, literally or figuratively.
BEATTY: When I was confined to a wheelchair for long periods of time, that everybody is looking down on you. It is kind of -- I know nobody means anything by it,
MCINTYRE: (INAUDIBLE) confined to a wheelchair. It doesn't feel liberating? Does this feel liberating?
BEATTY: Yes, it does. I could outrun you easy. Let's go.
MCINTYRE: On your mark, get set, go.
BEATTY: He got me on takeoff.
MCINTYRE: Jamie McIntyre, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DE LA CRUZ: Jamie is almost out of breath there.
HOLMES: That's nice to see they're adapting some of those things for veterans.
We want to turn back to the rising gas prices and airline fares. A lot of people are staying home, Josh.
DE LA CRUZ: Hey, Josh.
LEVS: Good morning to you, guys. A lot of people are giving up those vacations, but coming up, we're going to show you how you can take a great vacation almost for free.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is my brother, Sergeant Phillip Anderson. He grew into a wonderful man and he was a very dedicated soldier. He loved his job and the men he worked with. I remember so many happy times when we were growing up when we used to get in trouble together. I remember all the laughter and the hugs. I'll miss his phone calls. He never ended a conversation without saying I love you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, AAA says for the first time in six years, many of you will be driving less this holiday season than last year.
DE LA CRUZ: It is a pattern that will probably continue through the summer. And you can blame those skyrocketing gas prices. What's the average now, $3.91.
HOLMES: $3.91 is what we're seeing and that is causing more and more people to choose a staycation to save money. Our Josh Levs looking into the staycation.
DE LA CRUZ: What is this all about Josh, staycation?
LEVS: This is a new trend, given the sense (ph) of the economy. Are you guys taking many big trips this summer?
DE LA CRUZ: No, I'm taking a staycation.
LEVS: I know, me too (INAUDIBLE) staycation will be a full night's sleep. Take a look at this. This is the new trend right now. People are -- instead of traveling, given the price of gasoline and food and some other expenses, they're making the decision that they're going to stay home, have a vacation right there. At ireport.com we are hearing from some who are doing this.
I want to share up (ph) with these pictures. This stuff is stunning. This is this guy's house. His name is David Mitchell. He wrote us about his own staycation. He says he's taken all the money over the last few years that he could have put into a vacation and invested it here. I made my backyard a place to camp, swim, (INAUDIBLE) horseshoes, gardening, volleyball and other crafts and then he says, over the years he realized how much money it has saved him. If I had this house, I would take a staycation, too. In fact, I want to take a vacation at that house.
Here's another one, not everyone has that kind of a mansion to hang out in. So look at this. This is another iReporter we heard from, Greg Simion, who tells us that he decided to hang out in Houston, instead of taking a vacation this summer. So what did he do? He went to the zoo. He went to the museum of natural science. He even took a trip over to Galveston.
You guys are going to love these shots coming up here. There was an art car parade where he snapped some shots of himself and he says this is better than taking a vacation another way. He got to stay at home. He had all the comforts of home, so went out and had fun, spent barely any money and took the time off work. Pretty cool stuff.
There's another trend going on that involves a staycation, that is some people choosing to do volunteer work in their communities. One of the most popular sites we found about this is right here. It's called volunteermatch.org. You go here and give it your zip code or the city you live in and you are able to get set up with the kind of volunteer project you might like. I know it is not everybody's idea of a vacation, but it is some people's idea of a vacation, especially these days, volunteermatch.org, very popular.
Now, what we want to do is we want to hear from you. You can write us at ireport.com or write us at weekends, our e-mail, weekends@cnn.com and let us know what you are doing differently this year that is going to help you save some money on your vacation. We want to hear your ideas. We're going to start to bring some in tomorrow.
Tell us how you are saving money by not taking the traditional vacation this year, weekends@cnn.com or if you want to send photos and videos, just go over to ireport.com. If you got a house like this guy, why won't you take a staycation? How do you like that guys?
DE LA CRUZ: I think the party is at his house.
LEVS: I think they're going to descend on him now. He did give his full name and the town. It's there on ireport.com. So if I were him, I'd expect some door bell ringing.
HOLMES: Where's the house again?
LEVS: South Windsor, Connecticut. Watch out, David Mitchell. We are coming.
HOLMES: All right, David Mitchell thank you and thank you, too, Josh. We'll see you again here shortly.
We are talking about weather all morning. We'll continue to talk about it. Pounded again, another round of severe storms and tornadoes hitting Kansas and Oklahoma. We'll have an update on the latest damage.
DE LA CRUZ: First, we want to check in with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and "HOUSE CALL" which begins right now.
