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Extreme Weather: Tornado Terror; China Earthquake Survivors Start from Scratch; Barack Obama "Pinch Hits" for Ted Kennedy in Wesleyan University; McCain Looks Over Possible Running Mates; Modern Day Pirates

Aired May 25, 2008 - 14:00   ET

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

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The most impressive tornado I think I've ever seen.

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FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And he would know. He was flying right in the middle of all of that, a string of tornadoes, and one helicopter pilot's unique vantage point. Straight ahead in the CNN "NEWSROOM."

Plus, the latest story of survival out of China. A man trapped for 11 days is finally free.

Then the history and high drama behind the latest mission to Mars. It's just hours away.

You're in the CNN "NEWSROOM." where the news unfolds live this Saturday -- Sunday, actually, May 25. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

In Oklahoma, they still don't know how many tornadoes hit yesterday, but it could break some one-day records. The slow-moving storm provides ample opportunity to capture tornadoes at work.

This video shows just one of the many tornadoes to strike rural Oklahoma. It tore through a hog farm, damaging several buildings there, as you see happening. Hard to believe but on the ground, under the turned-up rubble, the hogs, right there, piglets and all, survived. No workers or nearby residents were hurt either.

Well, Mason Dunn is a helicopter pilot with our Oklahoma affiliate KWTV. He was the one in the chopper watching as the tornado slammed into that hog farm near Hennessey, Oklahoma, and all the other tornadoes that took place, too. He joins us now on the phone. Mason, can you believe even a day later exactly what it is that you saw yesterday?

MASON DUNN, HELICOPTER PILOT, KWTV: No, not really. Of course, I slept very well last night. I was pretty tired after chasing all those.

WHITFIELD: I'm sure you were. I mean, it was really something else. Here you were in the chopper, piloting this chopper, and then witnessing it all unfold. When you were heading to that region, did you know that this wall cloud had this kind of potential? You were expecting to see something?

DUNN: We were expecting to see something, but not that. We've been doing this about 20-some-odd years. I think the first time we shot a tornado live from a helicopter was in about 1980.

This is nothing new to us. We used a helicopter to advise people on the ground, you know, we can see exactly which way it's moving. But yesterday was an unordinary day. I've never seen one storm produce that many tornadoes.

WHITFIELD: It was remarkable. In fact, we carried it live here on CNN as it was happening. So we were seeing exactly what you were seeing, simply because you were where you were.

So did you lose count? Because I seem to have lost count as to how many twisters actually touched down, how many formed and then how many actually made contact with the ground. What was your count?

DUNN: Actually, we lost count at 12.

WHITFIELD: Wow.

DUNN: You know, a tornado would come down, our meteorologist would ask us, what number is that? And I would just have to say, I don't know, I lost count. We were busy up there.

I'm glad you guys got to watch that. But the good thing was that nobody got hurt. These tornadoes pretty much came through rural areas except for the hog farm that got destroyed.

WHITFIELD: Right. But remarkably we understand that all of those hogs survived that hit from that tornado.

So talk to me about safety. How you managed to make sure that your chopper and everyone involved doesn't get sucked into that pressure that usually comes with a tornado. I've covered a lot of tornadoes, and the aftereffects, and people always say, if they were in their homes, they felt the suctioning of their doors, and of the windows, and just the tightness that would come with the tornado approaching. So I imagine you could potentially feel that, too, in a chopper?

DUNN: Oh, there's no doubt about it. When the tornado gets bigger, one thing I like to do is, you know, when you point the helicopter in one way, and it's flying another way, we'll try to gain some altitude. So when we get about two miles from it, which we were about two miles from a lot of these tornadoes that you saw.

Of course, we have a good camera that can zoom in on them and give you the pictures that you saw. But when it starts doing that, if you're watching the coverage yesterday, you would see me turning and running, not really running, we were never in a dangerous situation, you know. And there's just a time where even though you see a tornado on the ground, there's a time to get away from it. We'll just do that, even though they keep the picture up. You'll see the skids of the helicopter and this and that.

WHITFIELD: We did see all of that. That's true.

DUNN: I can look down on the ground and I can see the wheat and the grass, I can tell when the inflow is picking up. And we're just prepared for that. When you've done this for as many years as we have, you have to prepare for that stuff. We're well prepared of what's going to happen when a tornado happens.

WHITFIELD: Mason, we're glad you had that kind of experience and you were able to show everybody the force, the fury of a tornado. I should say tornadoes, plural, as it happened. I'm glad you're safe.

Thanks again for bringing us some incredible images yesterday of the destruction and potential destruction that would come from one major cell. Mason Dunn out of Oklahoma, Tulsa in particular, thanks so much.

Well, Jacqui Jeras was here, along for the ride, so to speak and in the Severe Weather Center. Jacqui, it was an extraordinary thing to see. I don't think you can see too much of it, just to see, you know, the power of a tornado, because a lot of folks who haven't experienced it firsthand really don't understand the potential calamity that come with it.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST, SEVERE WEATHER CENTER: Absolutely. You know, I've seen a lot of tornadoes. I've seen a lot of tornado video, Fredricka, and I've never seen anything like what we had yesterday, to see so many tornadoes come out of one main parent cell. Just how fickle it was.

It would be a funnel, it would be on the ground and it would lift right back up. The next thing you knew, if you turned away for a second or you blinked, there was another one. Just incredible pictures that we saw yesterday. And it's just really amazing that nobody was injured with this.

One other thing that was really unique about this tornado was the slow movement of it. It was only moving about ten miles per hour. And that actually gave a lot of that advance warning. They shut down I-35 for a while to allow the super cell to cross.

They evacuated people from Lake Carl at Blackwell, a big recreation area there. They were able to get all those people who were out boating or camping or whatever it was that they were doing, and get them to safety before this thing ever got into that area. So what an incredible event and how privileged we were to witness that yesterday right here at CNN.

Now, today, you can see more pictures just like that. We've got some showers and thunderstorms across parts of Missouri, Illinois; some stronger stuff going on in the St. Louis metro area right now. This is not severe. But look at all the lightning strikes which have been popping up with these storms. You certainly want to be inside and wait 30 minutes until you don't hear it, or see it before it's safe to go back out. We also have some development just to the west of the Chicago land area, moving in towards Aurora, Illinois. So be aware, Chicago, you're maybe 30 to 60 minutes away from seeing some thunder and lightning as well.

Now, the severe weather threat, a little more extensive today. We can see things pop anywhere from the panhandle of Texas on up to the U.S./Canadian border. And the darker red areas that you see here is where we have a moderate risk of thunderstorms. Yesterday was just a slight risk day.

So we're really enhancing that threat down here in the parts of Kansas, into the Kansas City area, and to southwestern Iowa, and then up here in Minnesota, northwestern Wisconsin. It includes you in the twin cities area. Tornadoes and some strong wind gusts will be a good likelihood later on this afternoon and tonight.

The rainfall will be very heavy at times. In fact, over the next 48 hours, our computer model picking up two to three inches where you start to see these yellows and these golds, and some locally heavier amounts will be possible spotty through the area, maybe a half a foot. Yes, six inches of rain possible.

Flood watches have been posted in the green areas. Be aware of that if you're going to be out traveling today and tomorrow. Of course, the big holiday tomorrow, more severe storms possible across the Ohio Valley, into the Corn Belt State and down into parts of the plains. This is a slow moving weather system, Fredricka. Today's day four. Tomorrow's day five.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Slow moving, but we can see what can come from a slow mover. Just as badly as a fast moving one. Jacqui, thank you so much.

In China, state television reports, rescue crews have pulled an 80- year-old paraplegic man out from under the rubble of his house. Eleven days after the earthquake, by the way. His wife had brought him food until he was rescued.

A massive 5.8 magnitude aftershock today in Sechuan Province left one person dead and injured more than 400 people. Some 70,000 more homes in the region were damaged. China says, the number of dead now stands at 62,664. More than 23,000 are still missing. Hugh Rimington reports on some of the hardships faced by survivors trying to rebuild their lives with nothing.

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HUGH RIMINGTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: China's premier says in three months earthquake survivors will be living as normal. But that doesn't help much in the village of (inaudible). In his life, Wei Ran Kui has seen war and revolution, but nothing like this.

"What worries us is our life," he says. "We don't have enough food. This is a disaster." They're living, he says, just on what they've picked from the roads. DON SHUN RONG, VILLAGE (through translator): My daughter is hungry. She cries for food. But we have nothing to eat. The adults are eating less to give more to the children.

RIMINGTON: Her 4-year-old has become sick, and there is no medicine to be had.

RONG: We are all really worried.

RIMINGTON: Not one house here is safe to live in. Anything not already destroyed looks ready to fall. Yet the aid trucks that find their way along this mountain road drive straight on through. This doesn't count as a priority town.

"Our village death toll is not as high as other places," says Lee Dong (ph), "but the other damage is just the same."

There are no neat rows of donated tents here. All the villagers now crowd into makeshift shelters of bamboo matting and cardboard.

JIN XIN EN, VILLAGER: We need waterproof cloth. Right now, even light drizzle gets through. The lack of food and tents really has us worried.

RIMINGTON: Wei Ran Kui was sleeping when the quake hit. "I was so scared, I didn't know what was going on," he said. "I heard this sound." The roof caved in beside him. The front of the house is gone.

It says much about the scale of this disaster, the destruction like this simply doesn't merit any priority with the authorities at this time. The 500-odd people in this village though are indicative of the enormity of the problem that faces Chinese authorities across a huge swathe of the country. They must deal with not only those in acute need, but those who will need help for years to come.

Wei Ran Kui claims his family history in this town dates back more than 700 years. At 70 years old, he's starting again now, from scratch.

Hugh Rimington, Yang Jiao Yan (ph), China.

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WHITFIELD: Here in this country, too, political battles, two very different politicians. Barack Obama pinch hits for Ted Kennedy at Wesleyan University.

And Bob Barr reaches out to conservatives dissatisfied with John McCain. We talk politics when we return to the "NEWSROOM."

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is my brother, Sergeant Phillip Anderson. He grew into a wonderful man. He was a dedicated soldier. He loved his job and the men he worked with. I remember so many happy times when we were growing up. How 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.

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WHITFIELD: We're paying homage to soldiers all weekend long.

To politics now, the Democrats are looking ahead to next Sunday's primary in Puerto Rico. Both Senators Clinton and Obama campaigned there yesterday.

Well, today Obama is pinch-hitting for Senator Ted Kennedy at the commencement of Wesleyan University. Our Jim Acosta is in Middletown, Connecticut as well.

Jim, ceremony over. How was the speech?

JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi Fredricka. Well, it was not a stump speech. His aides say that this was more of a commencement address. And at the beginning of that address, Barack Obama talked about how Ted Kennedy called him up and said, "Well, you know, for obvious health reasons, I can't do this. Do you mind pitching in for me?" And Senator Obama was glad to.

He said during the speech that he had a message from Ted Kennedy. I'll read it to you very briefly. "To all those praying for my return to good health, I offer my heart-felt thanks and to many who would have a different result, I say, don't get your hopes up just yet." So some humor there from Ted Kennedy passed along by Barack Obama.

Again, this was not a stump speech. So Senator Obama's mission today was not to get out the vote, but instead as is the case with most commencement addresses, to inspire the young people out here to get out in the world and shake things up.

Barack Obama talked a lot about the Kennedy legacy of service to the country. Talked about the Peace Corps and other programs of national service passed by the Kennedy administration back in the '60s.

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SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D-IL) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Each of you will have the chance to make your own discovery in the years to come. I say chance, because as President (inaudible) indicated, you won't have to take it. There's no community service requirement in the outside world. No one's forcing you to care.

You can take your diploma, walk off this stage, and chase only after the big house and the nice suits and other things that our money culture says you should buy. You can choose to narrow your concerns and live life in a way that tries to keep your story separate from America's. But I hope you don't.

Not because you have an obligation to those who are less fortunate, although I believe you do have that obligation. Not because you have a debt to all those who helped you get to where you are today, although I do believe you have that debt to pay.

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WHITFIELD: So once again, Senator Barack Obama there at Wesleyan College there, the university there in Connecticut. We lost our shot with Jim Acosta.

Meantime, while he focused mostly on the inspiration to those college graduates and less of presidential politics, now it's back to the business of presidential politics for Senator Obama.

Fifty-five delegates are at stake in next Sunday's Puerto Rican Democratic primary. And Senator Hillary Clinton plans to dig in her heels despite calls for her to quit the race.

In an op ed in today's "New York Daily News," Clinton lists the reasons why she won't give up. Among them, Clinton said her parents didn't raise her to be a quitter. She said her campaign is winning the popular vote along with the swing states needed to win the electoral votes and take back the White House.

Clinton calls herself the best candidate to unite the party. And writes, if all democrats have the chance to make their voices heard, in the end everyone will be more likely to rally around the nominee. Clinton is spending three days campaigning in Puerto Rico. Last night she spoke to supporters in Aguadilla.

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SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D-NY) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Right now your economy is dependent on imported oil, right? So everything we can do to break our addiction to foreign oil, or imported energy, will help the economy of Puerto Rico. And I want to work with your universities and with your political leaders, and your business leaders and your labor leaders to make sure we help you become energy independent.

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WHITFIELD: Senator Clinton is expected to win the Puerto Rican primary.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain, meantime, is holding court this weekend looking over possible V.P. candidates. Mary Snow is watching developments in Sedona, Arizona, where that has kind of been the focus. His social gathering, but at the same time maybe fielding, or questioning those potential running mates?

MARY SNOW: Sure is, Fred. You know, we've been saying for the past couple of days, because of the guest list, there had been a lot of talk about whether or not this is a vetting process, so to speak.

Yesterday we just saw a glimpse of some of those guests, Mitt Romney, Bobby Jindal, the Louisiana governor, and Charlie Crist, the governor of Florida. Not much though coming out of the McCain campaign although they keep saying this is really just a social gathering, and a way for these Republicans to kind of get together and relax.

WHITFIELD: All right. Meantime, while the focus there is in Arizona as it pertains to John McCain, not far from you in the mile-high city of Denver, the libertarian convention is taking place. And we make that segue because there really is a push among the libertarians to appeal to what should be McCain supporters, but perhaps are not. What's taking place at that convention?

SNOW: Yes, you know, they're getting a lot of attention because former Republican Congressman Bob Barr of Georgia announced about two weeks ago that he was going to seek the libertarian nomination. And right now the convention taking place. We do -- we could see a candidate emerging later this afternoon, as the party's nominee. There are 14 candidates in all.

Bob Barr, though, the most visible. He's also been known as the Republican who was really behind the move to impeach President Clinton. He has been a strong critic of the war. Some of the people, though, in the Libertarian Party say they're critical of him, because they think he might be too conservative. He doesn't see eye to eye on some of the same issues. But he's seen as the best known name among the candidates there.

WHITFIELD: Is there a way in which to gauge whether this will in any way impact John McCain?

SNOW: Yes, because the question is, will he be able to garner the protest vote with Republicans who are really unhappy with John McCain. And we've seen even in Oregon, recently in the primary there, that even though John McCain is the nominee, Ron Paul got about 15 percent of the vote in that primary.

Ron Paul has libertarian views. He ran on the Republican ticket. He garnered a lot of enthusiasm. The big question is, you know, can he really, if Bob Barr is the libertarian candidate, can he have an impact on John McCain?

A couple of factors. One, depends on how many states put him on the ballot. Number two, it depends on how close the race is. And that will determine whether or not he'll be the Ralph Nader, so to speak, of this election. Could he be a spoiler and taking away votes from John McCain if the race is pretty close with McCain and the Democratic nominee?

WHITFIELD: There you are and you mentioned Ron Paul. Yes, indeed, people, he's still in it. Mary Snow, thanks so much from Sedona, Arizona.

And of course, you don't want to miss your chance to hear from the candidates themselves in their own words. Politics unfiltered, it's "Ballot Bowl" today at 4:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN, your home for politics.

Pirates in 2008? We'll show you some of the most dangerous waters in the world when we come right back.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My brother, Byron Norwood, was a sergeant with the United States Marine Corps. He was so funny. He made all of us laugh. He had the greatest sense of humor. He loved America, his family and his Marines more than anything else in the world. He was killed in action in Felujah (ph) on November 13th, 2004, during a rescue mission to help save the lives of seven wounded Marines trapped in a house. Byron, I love you, and I miss you every moment of every day.

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WHITFIELD: On this Memorial Day weekend, we're honoring American service men and women and asking that you share your personal stories of loved ones lost in war. Share your memories at I-report.com. Send us the stories, photos and letters just like the one you saw and we'll share some of them today and tomorrow. Just go to ireport.com to get started.

Here now is some of what we're working on in the CNN "NEWSROOM." We're keeping an eye on the nation's midsection where severe storms are possible again. The storm that crossed Oklahoma yesterday produced several tornadoes, like this one that you're about to see in Garfield County.

Three barns on a farm in Kingfisher County were damaged, but there are no reports of injuries. Not even to the animals.

And an aborted takeoff in Belgium. This cargo jet skidded past the end of the runway at Brussels Airport and then broke apart. Four of the five crew members suffered minor injuries.

They approach heavily armed in small speedboats, hijacking yachts, cargo ships, even oil tankers. Somali pirates have turned a major shipping route off the lawless country into one of the most dangerous waterways in the world. David McKenzie reports from a U.S. Navy ship that is helping to patrol the waters off Somalia.

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DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm here on the (inaudible) of USS Shoup. This is a guided missile destroyer. We're just over 15 miles off the Somalia Coast.

Now the Somalia Coast is one of the most dangerous coast lines in the world. There are pirates in these waters. Just this year there have been over a dozen attacks. And in the past few weeks, three attacks and even today there was a report of an attack about 400 miles from the destroyer.

Now, these destroyers were originally used for very traditional naval warfare. This is a five-inch gun that would have been used for attacks. This destroyer can work either on its own or part of a carrier group. But right now these destroyers are part of the coalition forces, are taking more of a military policing role. They're essentially almost beat cops in this area, patrolling the seas to see if there are pirates in the region, protecting this vital oil route that connects the red sea to the rest of the eastern hemisphere.

The USS Shoup is here with other coalition forces, they are patrolling these waters the whole time. But the problem that they have is this is such a vast ocean. Pirates go in, they come out from remote ships, they attack vessels and take them back into territorial waters. Vessels like the USS Shoup will be taking on the pirates and other problems in international waters.

David McKenzie, CNN, on the USS Shoup.

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WHITFIELD: Well, the rising cost of gas has a lot of people looking for cheaper alternatives here at home. Put together a commuter competition of sorts.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to beat these two boys by taking the metro to the bureau. A little bit of a walk and one straight shot.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm driving. And I fully expect to be thwarted by Washington rush hour traffic.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going on a bicycle.

WHITFIELD: They are three of our correspondents, setting out, who are all in search of the best and quickest ways to work. Find out who won next in the "NEWSROOM."

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Dave and on behalf of my four brothers and sister, I want to salute our brother, Corporal Richard J. 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)

WHITFIELD: And of course, on this Memorial Day weekend, we're honoring American service men and women and asking that you share your personal stories, just like that, of loved ones lost in war. So share your memories at iReport.com. Send us your stories, your photos, videos, letters, and we'll share them today and tomorrow. Just go to iReport.com to get you started.

With the price of gasoline at an all-time high, many folks are rethinking the way to get around. In Washington, D.C., CNN's Zain Verjee and Tom Foreman and Jamie McIntyre decided to put their morning commutes to the test. They set out by car, train and bike to see just who would get to work first.

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ZAIN VERJEE, CNN ANCHOR: I'm going to beat these two boys by taking the metro to the bureau. A little bit of a walk and one straight shot.

JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SR. PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: I'm driving. And I fully expect to be thwarted by Washington rush hour traffic.

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm going on a bicycle.

MCINTYRE: Zain, it's that way.

VERJEE: Bye, darling.

MCINTYRE: Get off the road, buddy! Eat my dust! We're in Bethesda, Maryland and we're way out ahead at the moment.

FOREMAN: First thing, take advantage of a little short cut.

VERJEE: OK. We're at the Bethesda station. It's 8:46 in the morning. It's going to cost me $2.90.

MCINTYRE: Connecticut Avenue is moving well. We've got a shot at this.

FOREMAN: Right now I'm cutting underneath some of the heaviest traffic that's above this tunnel that I'm in.

MCINTYRE: So we're back here stuck at a light again.

VERJEE: It is 9:05. Not too crowded. I wonder how Foreman is.

FOREMAN: This is where you love it. Everybody's caught in traffic and you just go smoking right past them.

MCINTYRE: We're really in the home stretch now, if this car would just go. Go, buddy, come on. We're in a race here for crying out loud.

VERJEE: I think we're in good shape.

MCINTYRE: We are two blocks away now. We're in really good shape.

VERJEE: Here we are, Union Station and it's 9:15.

MCINTYRE: Here's CNN. You haven't seen Tom Foreman or Zain Verjee, have you? All right. I'm not sure where we're supposed to go. So we'll just go to the main desk.

VERJEE: 9:21.

FOREMAN: We're getting killed on time here. MCINTYRE: Thank you. Thank you. Once again, fossil fuels win out.

VERJEE: Whoa! I won.

MCINTYRE: No, I was here first.

VERJEE: Were you really? No, he was not. He was not here first.

MCINTYRE: I was getting my coffee.

FOREMANN: I fear we have lost. When did you get here, like five minutes ago?

VERJEE: He beat me by eight minutes.

FOREMAN: Really? How did you beat her?

MCINTYRE: Took the back way.

FOREMAN: We had a lot of technical challenges that you don't have in a car and you don't have on a train.

VERJEE: Like?

FOREMAN: Well, like having a second bicycle and a camera and stopping and starting and gear that you had to stop and reload and stuff. It was a little more complex. We probably had in soccer terms, we probably had at least 30 minutes of stoppage time.

MCINTYRE: All right, so we should subtract that.

FOREMAN: At least 30, maybe 40.

MCINTYRE: And you'd still lose.

FOREMANN: How much did we spend on our commute today? Let me start the bidding at zero, nothing.

VERJEE: $2.90.

MCINTYRE: It only took me about $4, maybe a gallon of gas to get here. You know what the best thing is? Options. Jamie McIntyre.

VERJEE: Zain Verjee.

FOREMAN: Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: OK, well if you're not paying $4 a gallon for gas just yet, get ready. Take a look at this map. According to AAA, motorists in 11 states, plus the District of Columbia are already paying $4 or more. Highest prices, Alaska, where they are already paying close to $4.20. And in five states, gas prices have risen to over $4.10 -- very painful commute. Of course, it is "Issue #1" that we're focusing on all next week. Noontime right here on CNN. You don't want to miss it. "Issue #1," the economy.

All right, a mission to Mars. If all goes according to plan, NASA's Phoenix Mars lander will touch down on the martian surface at 7:53 Eastern time tonight. The probe is scheduled to make a first-ever landing near the martian north pole and look for signs of life. Here now is CNN's chief technology and environment correspondent Miles O'Brien.

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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. It's a risky mission indeed. The last time NASA arrived on Mars four years ago, the two rover Spirit and Opportunity landed successfully, but they landed in an entirely different way, inside giant air bags.

This spacecraft is much too big to land that way, so they'll land using a parachute and series of rocket thrusters. 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. And 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, and they believe that 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 the tundra. It has a shovel that will go out and dig into 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.

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WHITFIELD: And of course, you can see it all right here on CNN. Miles O'Brien hosts a one-hour special tonight from mission control in Pasadena, starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. The landing is set for 7:53 Eastern. We take it live with guests and special coverage leading up to what hopefully will be a successful landing.

A note of appreciation for actor Gary Sinise. It's always Memorial Day.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Staff sergeant Roger Staats. He was a family man, served in Vietnam. But he -- that was his hero's sendoff when we said good-bye. We know you're our hero and we have an angel on each older. He was my best friend. I love you and I miss you so much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: I-Reports of vets all weekend long. Memorial Day is a time to honor members of the U.S. military. But for actor Gary Sinise, honoring the military is a way of life. More now from senior Pentagon correspondent Jamie McIntyre.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MCINTYRE (voice-over): Actor Gary Sinise is in a groove, getting down in the center courtyard of the Pentagon, strumming his faith and ripping with the real heroes he's come to honor.

GARY SINISE, ACTOR: our troops are deployed in dangerous places. I think it's important for them to know that they're appreciated. You're our defenders, our volunteer defenders and we never take that for granted.

MCINTYRE: Sinise is probably best known as Detective Mac Taylor on the crime drama "CSI New York," but he named his pickup band after Lieutenant Dan, the disabled Vietnam vet he portrayed in the 1994 blockbuster movie "Forrest Gump."

The band may never be a chart buster, but it's a big hit with its target audience, America's warriors.

SINISE: I've been to Iraq three times. I'm going back this summer again. Purple haze at the Pentagon. That was for you, all the Vietnam veterans. It took you back, didn't it?

MCINTYRE: At 53-years-old, Gary Sinise was just young enough to miss the Vietnam War. But plenty old enough to witness how its soldiers were treated.

SINISE: It was a difficult time, difficult war for them. And then it was difficult to come home. We just don't want our service members to go through that ever again.

MCINTYRE: Gary Sinise is a rock star in the Pentagon book not just because he's famous and entertained U.S. troops at more than 75 bases around the world, but because he does so much more.

Visits the wounded at Fisher House and is behind OperationIraqiChildren.org, which collects school supplies for U.S. troops to give out in both Iraq and Afghanistan. From marine lance corporal Jeremy Stengel, who lost a leg and a few internal organs in Iraq, the support is gratifying. LANCE CPL. JEREMY STENGEL, U.S. MARINES: Because when we're over there, we're down on our luck, and for somebody like Gary Sinise or anyone to come over, that's a big morale booster for us.

SINISE: If I can do something by patting somebody on the back or shaking their hand or signing an autograph or playing some music, to show my appreciation to them, I think it's a good thing. It's a way I can help them out.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's hear it for Gary Sinise and the Lieutenant Dan Band.

MCINTYRE: Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And this Memorial Day weekend, we've had a lot of crazy weather across the country, to put it lightly. Jacqui Jeras is in the Severe Weather Center. Crazy, would that be an understatement?

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Indeed, it is a place where every day is Memorial Day. We'll take you to one of the nation's newest national cemeteries.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is Jim McGovern (ph) and this is my mother, Marilyn (ph). We'd like to send out a happy Memorial Day tribute to my two uncles, Uncle Bob and Uncle Jim, one of whom unfortunately passed away, both of whom served honorably in World War II. And we'd like to say thanks to all the troops for all your efforts. Keep it up. We're right behind you. Take care. Happy Memorial Day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: We encourage you to send in your i-reports of fallen heroes throughout the weekend, CNN.com/ireport.

The television show "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" ended the same way every week. Straight man Dan Rowan would turn to partner Dick Martin and tell him "Say good night, Dick." Dick Martin would look at the camera and respond, "Good night, Dick." Well Martin died of respiratory complications last night at the age of 86.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (voice-over): The 1960s were a time of change. A new generation was questioning authority. Boundaries were being tested and attention spans seemed to be getting shorter. Drawing its name from the student sit-ins of the era, "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" was in tune with the times. It was a counter-culture television revolution. Fast-paced, nonstop, irreverent and often risque. Dan Rowan and Dick Martin were relatively little-known nightclub comedians when the show went on the air in 1968. Along with an ensemble cast of young sketch comics that included such future stars as Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin. They quickly became a national phenomenon, popularizing nonsense phrases like "sock it to me," and "you bet your sweet bippie" and.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look that up in your Funk and Wagnalls.

WHITFIELD: The show was so popular, even a presidential candidate showed up one night.

RICHARD NIXON, FORMER PREISDENT: Sock it to me?

WHITFIELD: Nixon's opponent it in that race, Hubert Humphrey, refused to appear on "Laugh-In," because it might appear undignified. Humphrey lost, Nixon won. But as Rowan and Martin themselves put it, fate has a fickle finger. NBC canceled "Laugh-In" in 1973. Rowan and Martin toured for a few years, then parted amicably in 1977.

Dan Rowan died in 1987. Martin went on to a successful career behind the camera, directing TV sitcoms like "Newhart," "Archie Bunker's Place" and "Family Ties."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I guess you're looking forward to a good season.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You bet your sweet bippie I am.

WHITFIELD: In 2002, he was honored with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: History through Hollywood's lens. A new HBO movie looks at events surrounding the 2000 presidential recount in Florida. CNN's Kareen Wynter reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A bare knuckle battle for ballots. The 2000 presidential race between former vice president Al Gore and then Texas Governor George W. Bush tested Americans. And America's democracy in the controversial Florida recount. We all know how this election ended. Now, eight years later.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think the networks have the wrong numbers.

WYNTER: Film makers behind the new HBO movie "Recount" are taking viewers beyond the headlines and inside the human drama that became history.

KEVIN SPACEY, ACTOR: What are the real numbers?

WYNTER: The film documents the 36 day fight over votes in Florida. The legal slug fest between Democrats and Republicans that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin who wrote the book "Too Close To Call" about the 2000 election was consulted on the film.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: The Republicans wanted this so badly. And they were willing to fight harder. The Democrats had all this ambivalence, should they file lawsuits, should they seem too aggressive. That difference in temperament between the Democrats and the Republicans, I thought was true in Florida and accurately reflected in the movie.

WYNTER: Actor Kevin Spacey plays Ron Clane, a Gore aide who was demoted and rehired to lead the recount charge.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hell, no. Why do we need a recount? We already won.

WYNTER: James Baker, Bush's then chief legal adviser and Catherine Harris who as secretary of state was Florida's chief election official are profiled in the film.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's going to take a lot more than David Letterman making fun of my hair and makeup to knock me down.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: George Bush is the winner.

TOOBIN: James Baker recognized from day one this wasn't just a legal fight, it was a political fight and he had a complete strategy. The Democrats saw this as a narrow legal battle. Baker, history proves, was rite.

WYNTER: History isn't exactly repeating itself. Florida is in the political spotlight again this year along with Michigan. Both states violated party rules by moving up their primaries.

TOOBIN: Here we are eight years later, Florida Democratic primary, they're not counting the vote. Different facts, but still same crazy state.

WYNTER: Kareen Wynter, CNN, Hollywood.

(END VIDEOTAPE)