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American Morning
Serial Stabber Caught; Red Alert for Obama; Childhood Personality Hint of Adult Personality; Archaeologists Search For Remains of World War II Marines; Tiger Woods Recent Performances Raise Questions About Future As Golfer; A Tiger Tamed; Suspected Serial Stabber Caught
Aired August 12, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good Thursday morning. Thanks so much for joining us on the Most News in the Morning. It's the 12th of August. I'm John Roberts.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Kiran Chetry. Glad you're with us. We have a lot to talk about this morning. We're following some developing stories for you right now.
First, a serial killer captured, at least according to police. They say they have the man responsible for stabbings and hammer attacks in three different states. A total of 20 victims, five murders. We're going to get a live update from police in just a few minutes.
ROBERTS: A sure bet for citizenship. Women visiting the United States to give birth here so that child can come back later on legally. An up-close look at the birth tourism movement.
CHETRY: You are who you are. You've probably been that way since you were a kid. There is a fascinating study suggesting that our personalities take shape at a very early age and that's just sort of how you are. We're going to talk to the study's lead author what some of the signals of your kids may mean for their future.
ROBERTS: And, of course, the amFIX blog is up and running. Join the live conversation going on right now. Just go to cnn.com/amfix.
CHETRY: First, we're following breaking news this morning. We now are confirming that an accused serial killer, when he started his killing spree according to police in May, is in custody this morning.
ROBERTS: Police in Atlanta arrested him yesterday. He's accused of 20 brutal attacks and five murders. Authorities say he appeared to be targeting African-Americans and lured victims with the plea for help.
CHETRY: Joining us on the phone is Officer Chris Jones, public information officer for the Leesburg, Virginia, police. That's where the last of the attacks took place.
I understand you had three -- attack victims in your area. Thanks for being with us this morning.
OFC. CHRIS JONES, LEESBURG, VA. POLICE DEPARTMENT (via telephone): You're welcome. Thank you for having me on.
CHETRY: We are hearing that this was a joint task force between Michigan, you guys and the FBI. Can you tell us any details about how that arrest happened?
JONES: Well, the information is, you know, very fluid and we're updating it regularly as we obtained it.
But, late in the evening last night, the detectives from the Michigan task force working with our Leesburg police detectives, FBI, and all the tips and information from the Ohio authority -- a group effort combined with all the citizen information as well led them, (INAUDIBLE) particular person of interest. And from that, they were able to attract this individual to Atlanta area, in fact, to the Atlanta airport. And at that point, the federal authorities were able to make an arrest and catch him at that time.
So, again, this information is still fluid and we're trying to work on it. But, you know, he is being held on unrelated charges at this point and we're developing exactly what they are.
ROBERTS: Chris, what do we know about this fellow, where he came from, where he works? In particular, suspected ties that he has between both Flint, Michigan, and Leesburg?
JONES: Yes, we do know that there are some ties. And, again, we are developing that further. But, apparently, he had lived here in this area in Leesburg, Virginia, for some time. And we are trying to pin down -- you know, apparently, what the relationship exactly is with Flint, Michigan. We know, obviously, he's been up in that area, staying with someone -- but I believe there is (INAUDIBLE). Clearly, there is connection in Leesburg, Virginia, as well. And --
CHETRY: Right. And -- Officer Jones, we are also get something information as you mentioned. It's very fluid at this point. But a federal law enforcement official is telling our Susan Candiotti that, as you say, was arrested at the Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, but that he was in possession of an expired Israeli passport. When they discovered, he was at the airport, they called the TSA, a ground stop of all flights then happened. And that's where they arrested him.
You mentioned he was on -- being held on unrelated charges to this spree of attacks. Is it -- how do you do with the passport or what more do you know about that situation?
JONES: Yes. I really don't know. You know, it's real fluid and that's what I need to develop as well on that story and add to that of what you said.
ROBERTS: Hey, Officer Jones, if you would, hang on the phone with us here. We are going to bring in our Susan Candiotti, who's been working his sources in this case.
JONES: OK.
ROBERTS: She's been learning some new information.
Susan, what do you have to tell us this morning?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Good morning, John.
Well, pretty much what Chris -- I mean, I'm sorry -- what you have been reporting just now. This is additional information coming from a federal law enforcement source whose agency is deeply involved in this investigation as well. And that involves some of the details surrounding his arrest.
Again, no one is rushing to judgment as police have said so far, as to whether this was definitely the individual, the person who was arrested who was suspected in all of this was picked up and stopped at the airport in Atlanta. Like you said, he was carrying an expired Israeli passport. And that the Michigan state police, FBI, discovering that he was at the airport. They got the TSA to pull a ground stop of all the flights, searched the airport, located him. And, now, as you heard, they're trying to pin down whether this is the individual that they believe he may be the suspected serial killer, John.
CHETRY: And, Susan, you were telling us more about that situation right now, about being held on unrelated charges. Do we know what those other charges may be if they're not linked to this alleged spree of attacks?
CANDIOTTI: I would think -- although I don't know this for fact -- being that he was picked up with this passport that evidently didn't belong to him or expired, passport, it may have something to do with that, I would suspect.
ROBERTS: Let's go back to Chris -- Officer Jones is still with us.
And it's suspected, Chris, that these attacks and killings in some cases were racially motivated. Have you developed any more information on that?
JONES: You know, we said all along that, you know, the basis (INAUDIBLE) based on the fact that all three of our victims were either (INAUDIBLE) African-American and Hispanic, you know, with very dark sin. And so we based that on that. And when you look at the other attacks, majority were -- black, African-Americans. That was the basis.
At this point going, beyond that, we haven't developed that beyond, you know, just (INAUDIBLE) tracking the victims. That's something we're going to continue to work on.
ROBERTS: Yes. Just a little bit more information from our Jeanne Meserve -- apparently, this guy was trying to get on a flight to an overseas destination when he was -- when he was detained.
CHETRY: And -- and that leads us back to how all of this went down. I mean, as we understand it, you had video of the attack footage, right, of at least perhaps one of the attacks.
JONES: Yes.
CHETRY: A short video clip of the vehicle as well. And as I understand it, this was a vehicle that was seen leaving many of the crime scenes.
Is that -- is that what gave you guys a good tip to go on in the beginning?
JONES: Absolutely. That was critical information, along with that great video and the eyewitness accounts of the vehicle description that they worked with, where we were able to obtain information with the Michigan authorities that really identify that, yes, this is similar vehicles. (INAUDIBLE) So, yes, that was critical information for us.
ROBERTS: Officer Jones, it would appear that you got a name to go along with the suspect. According to our Jeanne Meserve, the National Targeting Center looked at the passenger list for this particular flight to an overseas destination -- saw this fellow's name on the manifest.
Do you have his name? Can you share it with us?
JONES: No, I don't t have that information. But we plan to -- we're going to, at 2:00 p.m., the conference time for the Leesburg Police Department in Leesburg, Virginia, where at that point in time, we may be able to do that. At this point in time, I don't have that information.
CHETRY: Right. We are going to be, of course, bringing our viewers live any of the press conferences or news conferences that take place as we get more information. As you can tell, this is sort of unfolding in front of us with our reporters getting as much information as they can.
But I want to ask you about the Leesburg connection, Officer Jones. Is there relief? I mean, I understand how scary it must have been for people in Leesburg, as well as in Flint, Michigan, and the areas in between, not knowing whether or not this suspected attacker would strike again.
What's it like knowing -- you guys had said, this person is very desperate and very dangerous. Is there a lot of relief at this point, knowing that perhaps they have their man and he is indeed detained?
JONES: Well, I think, there's going to be a tremendous sense of relief when everything is confirmed. You know, (INAUDIBLE) caught and we know that this is the individual. It will be a tremendous sense of relief in the community, absolutely.
ROBERTS: Chris, one last question if you could. Are you treating the suspect as a serial killer or as a spree killer? In other words, is this just something that's happened over the last couple of weeks or could there potentially be other killings linked to this fellow that go back months, if not years?
JONES: No. We are open-minded. We look at this, you know, literally as a brutal killer. And so, we investigate thoroughly. And we will consider what his past is, critical information to look at. That's a good point you make, not just getting focus only on these events, but looking at his entire past and his movements over the couple of years. It will be very important.
CHETRY: Officer Chris Jones with the Leesburg Police Department -- thanks so much for your time this morning.
As we've have said, we're just getting new details, moment by moment. But, again, the arrest of this suspected serial killer taking place at the Atlanta Hartsfield Airport after apparently the suspect tried to use an Israeli passport, an expired Israeli passport, to board an international flight.
ROBERTS: Yes, our thanks to Susan Candiotti and Jeanne Meserve for the new information as well.
More breaking news to tell you about this morning as well: a powerful blast of possible car bomb in Bogota, Colombia, near the headquarters of a Colombian radio station. It is not clear if that was the target or if it might have been a nearby bank -- debris scattered all over the cordoned off streets, windows of all of the buildings blown out.
CNN's Karl Penhaul who is in Bogota heard the blast. He says it's just a few blocks away from the financial center of the country. No reports of any casualties so far. And we'll keep you updated.
CHETRY: Ten minutes past the hour.
Severe thunderstorms slamming the Washington, D.C., metro area right now. Rob Marciano is tracking the system from the weather center.
I checked in with mom and dad who live right outside of D.C. My mom wrote, "Never seen so much rain, wind and lightning. Roads are bad and lots of trees down." This is in Maryland.
So, you can see right where it went over the Rockville area.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Wow. Really, that's coming from an experienced weather reporter. So, that tells you something right there.
Take a look -- I'm not kidding. Your mom has chimed in once before.
Rolling down the Potomac and across the Chesapeake right now, line of thunderstorms, severe thunderstorms from D.C. across the Beltway, up through Baltimore. Heavy, heavy rain, as Kiran mentioned. And frequent lightning and certainly some gusty winds and enough to take down small trees and maybe some power lines as well. And that purple blob you see northeast of the District of Columbia, that likely some hail as well.
So, severe thunderstorm warning in effect for the next 20 minutes, until 8:30. And then it will likely extended eastward as this line moves southeast at about 30 miles an hour. It doesn't go much further north than Philadelphia. So, Philly to Baltimore, that corridor is in for some rough weather for the next couple of hours.
Rough weather across the southeast and part of Louisiana -- hazy, hot, and humid again. Dangerous heat once again across parts of the central part of the country with triple digit, high temperatures -- 101 expected in Kansas City, a bit of a cool-down as we get towards the weekend. But rough, rough start to your day across the Delmarva and the Beltway and Baltimore and Philadelphia as well.
Stay indoors for the next at least 20 minutes, maybe even an hour.
CHETRY: Yes. Good advice. Rob Marciano for us -- thanks.
MARCIANO: Thanks, guys.
ROBERTS: Coming up on 12 minutes after the hour -- is your personality fixed at a very early age, the way you are at 1 or 2? Is that the way you are for the rest of your life? We'll be talking about that coming right up. It might scare you.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: We are continuing to follow new details on the arrest in the serial slasher story, the case of this man, artist rendering there, a three-state spree that led to several attacks, five murders, 20 incidents in all -- 20 victims in all and concerns by authorities that he appeared to be targeting African-American victims.
We are learning right now from our Jeanne Meserve, as well as Susan Candiotti, that an arrest happened -- happened at the airport in Atlanta as this suspect, according to police, was attempting to board an international flight using an expired Israeli passport.
We'll continue to follow this. We'll check in with Jeanne and Susan when they get more details.
Meantime, down arrows and bad vibes, a general feeling we are going in the wrong direction this morning after another terrible day on Wall Street.
ROBERTS: The Dow is going to try to bounce back in about 90 minutes, when it opens, after a 265-point plunge on Wednesday. A sell-off that put Wall Street in the red for 2010. And the numbers are sinking President Obama's approval rating. Ed Henry live for us at the White House this morning. Are they a little worried there today, Ed?
ED HENRY, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, John. They insist that they have known for months that this was going to be an uphill battle heading into these midterm elections. The unemployment picture has been bad, consumer confidence is still obviously pretty shaky. But when you look at these new poll numbers, from the NBC/"Wall Street Journal" poll, you get a sense of just how stark it is for this White House. For example, President's approval rating at 47 percent, disapproval at 48 percent. Pretty close to where the CNN polling has been in recent weeks and months.
But when you dig a little deeper, more worrisome for the White House is 6 in 10 Americans now saying that they are either somewhat or not confident that the President and his policies will improve the economic situation, particularly worrisome that 83 percent of independents are saying that, that they are only somewhat or not confident in the President's policies and that's why even yesterday as he was talking about trying to create jobs as he signed a manufacturing bill into law, the President was still a bit on the defensive.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We knew from the beginning that reversing the damage done by the worst financial crisis and the deepest recession in generations would take some time. More time than anyone would like.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENRY: Tempering expectations, obviously, because another bid in this poll is basically saying that two-thirds of Americans believe that we have not just hit bottom in this economic crisis yet. And obviously that runs counter to what the White House wanted to be talking about the summer calling it the Recovery Summer. Treasury Secretary Geithner had an op-ed piece saying welcome to the recovery. This is not what they wanted to see. Basically, the American people basically saying that even if a recovery has started, they are just not feeling it yet. John and Kiran.
CHETRY: All right. Long way to go, as we all know. See what happens today when the Dow opens, when the markets open in about 90 minutes. Thanks, Ed.
HENRY: Thanks, Kiran.
CHETRY: So does your personality actually stick for life the way you are, let's say, in first grade? Does that determine how you are going to be as an adult? Well, there is a new study that suggests that is the case. So, what happens if your child is impulsive or perhaps humble and don't speak up? What does it mean for their future? We are going to talk about with one of the researchers coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Twenty minutes past the hour. Welcome back to the Most News of the Morning.
Who knew that a school report card or maybe what your teacher wrote in the comment section in grade school could be a crystal ball of sorts. Hints of what your child's adult personality may become. Well, some 2,000 elementary school students in Hawaii had their personalities assessed by their teachers in the 1960s.
And 50 years later, they were studied again to find out exactly how they turned out. Joining us now from Riverside, California the study's lead author, Christopher Nave. Thanks for being with us this morning.
CHRISTOPHER NAVE, LEAD AUTHOR ON CHILD PERSONALITY STUDY: Pleasure to be here.
CHETRY: So we are really fascinated by this study. Let's just start off briefly explaining what it was, as we said, back in the '60s, and then you went and checked back in with them 50 years later. How did it work?
NAVE: Sure. So -- initially in the '60s, one of the collaborators on the study, Jack Digman (ph), came into the elementary schools in Hawaii and he instructed teachers to rate students in their classroom on a bunch of personality traits. So they rated their students, who was the most talkative, all the way down to the least talkative. And then he retired to the Oregon Research Institute and kind of over lunch with colleagues over there, and said boy, wouldn't it be interesting to track these children down layer in life and see how they are.
So, what they did was they wrote up a grant that got funded by the National Institute on Aging and it allowed us to try to track down these students, bring them back to Hawaii, do a full all-day assessment about their health and personality and there is a personality interview that was videotaped that came to us over here at U.C. Riverside and what we did is we looked at the behaviors that these children all grown up years later, what they -- how they behaved in the interview. And we made the match between how they behaved 40 years later to, you know, the personality ratings given by teachers 40 years prior.
CHETRY: And so the upshot is for the most part, not a whole heck of a lot changed. Right? A lot of your personality is shaped at those very young ages?
NAVE: Yes, absolutely. It is not so much that our personality is set for life by first grade. So, what it really is telling us is that there are indicators and clues that we can pick up on as early as first grade that can predict behavior later in life.
CHETRY: Yes. Let's go through some of them. It is really fascinating. You talked about those attributes that were assigned to the children and rated from most to least. One of them is verbally fluent. If the child is able in first grade to be very fluent verbally. What happens in the adult -- in the adult life, interesting intellectual matters being able to speak fluently, a little controlling, perhaps and intelligent. So, tell us about the verbally fluent kids and where that led in adulthood.
NAVE: Yes. So absolutely. If you spoke a lot as a child, and the teachers kind of picked up on that, later in life, and this -- behavior interview, you tended to display interest in intellectual and cognitive matters. You were verbally affluent. You did tend to control the situation a bit. You were demonstrating talkativeness really.
CHETRY: What about the children who were less talkative? Perhaps they were considered well-behaved in class, but what did that mean down the road?
NAVE: Yes. Absolutely. You know, maybe, very well-behaved in class but they didn't seem to be as interested in intellectual cognitive matters later in life in this behavior interview. They didn't have that ambitious commanding the situation that those high and verbal fluency had.
CHETRY: And here's something that you know as a parent you certainly want your children to be because you think it is just better for them to be able to be adaptable. So, if a child appeared to be easily adaptable, very comfortable in many situations, comfortable in transitions, what did that bode for in adulthood?
NAVE: Yes. So if teachers saw you as adaptable later in life, in this behavior interview, you tended to be cheerful. You tended to display social skills, you were very socially adept. You seemed to be enjoying the situation, the personality interview that was being conducted.
CHETRY: And for those who had low adaptability as kids, what happened in adulthood?
NAVE: It kind of flipped the other way. They seemed to be much more tentative. They didn't have the enthusiasm. They didn't seem to speak as fluently as those that were highly adaptable in this interview later on.
CHETRY: Here is an interesting one. Impulsive. Because sometimes we view this as a negative in the kids. At least in behavior issues. Your child's impulsive. They act out or appear to act out. Cause for concern sometimes for parents and teachers. What did you find for children that were labeled the most impulsive in their classes?
NAVE: Yes, absolutely, so those labeled as impulsive in this interview, they spoke in a loud voice. They showed interest in lots of matters. They wanted to talk about lots of different things. They seem to be showing, you know, positive behavior within this personality interview.
CHETRY: And then the self-minimizers, as you guys refer to them, or people that might be described as humble as children.
NAVE: Yes. Correct, so those that were seen as humble, actually -- they displayed some negative behaviors later on, they said negative things about themselves, self pity victimization on themselves. So, you know, some negative behaviors.
CHETRY: Bottom line, what is the take-away for parents and for educators about -- I mean -- because everybody wants their children to be happy, well-adjusted, knowledgeable, be able to speak well. How do you sort of nurture that? Is there anything you can do? Or is your personality your personality?
NAVE: I mean, your personality is certainly able to be changed. I think one of the bottom lines is, maybe it is a bit harder than what we once thought. You know, that we have this kind of range of personality that maybe biologically was given to us. And if we work really hard at it, we can change it to an extent. But also, it is the kind of appreciated -- the personality that we have. How people see us and find a good fit for activities and behaviors later in life that match up with our personality.
CHETRY: Well, certainly, certainly fascinating research. I want to thank you for your time. Getting up early for us. Christopher Nave, the lead author of this study, from Riverside, California. Thanks.
NAVE: Thank you.
CHETRY: John.
ROBERTS: The last major of the golf season kicks off today. Tiger Woods coming off of the worst round of his professional career last week. Trying to not only do something at the PGA but also make it on to the Ryder Cup Team. But does he have it going on where it really counts? Is it in his swing or is it in his head?
Amy Alcott, Hall of Fame golfer, coming up in about 15 minutes time to tell us what it is like to be out there on the links under a tremendous amount of pressure. And of course, we are following the developing story this morning, an arrest of a suspect in connection with that spree killing that stretched from Flint, Michigan, to Leesburg, Virginia. Suspect arrested at the Atlanta airport as he attempted to get on an international flight. We have got the very latest coming up for you. It's 27 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROBERTS: Coming up to the half hour now. And our top stories this morning.
Major development overnight. We can now confirm that an accused serial killer, one who started his killing and slashing spree back in May, is in custody this morning. The suspect is accused of 20 brutal attacks and five murders, possibly racially motivated crimes. In just a few moments, our Homeland Security Correspondent Jeanne Meserve will have new details about his arrest at the airport in Atlanta. CHETRY: Also, developing this half hour, a powerful blast, possible car bomb in Bogota, Colombia, near the headquarters of a Colombian radio station. It is not clear whether the station was the actual target. There was debris scattered all over the cordoned off streets, twisted metal, a burned-out engine visible, windows of nearby buildings blown out. No reports of any deaths.
Karl Penhaul reporting that a few people were injured. We are going to keep you updated on the latest.
ROBERTS: And that stormy weather will delay work on BP's relief well in the Gulf of Mexico by about four days. Even though a tropical depression didn't strengthen as expected into a tropical storm, it will bring strong winds and several inches of rain into the area overnight tonight. That means in 96-hour delay before that relief well is finished and BP's ruptured well is permanently sealed is just 50 agonizing feet away now.
CHETRY: More than six decades ago on a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, hundreds of U.S. marines were slaughtered in the battle of Tarawa. They never had a change.
ROBERTS: To this day their remains are still there in unmarked graves, World War II heroes who were never brought home. We take you now to Tarawa where present day marines are determined to make good on a promise that went un-kept. Our Ted Rowlands with a CNN exclusive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GREGORY FOX, ARCHAEOLOGIST: This seems to be an intact, undisturbed zone.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Archaeologist Gregory Fox analyzes dirt as military servicemen dig, searching for the remains of U.S. marines who died in the World War II battle of Tarawa more than 65 years ago. This is the first of six sites to be excavated. Historic researchers believe more than 100 marines could be found during this mission.
FOX: If we run into a row of missing individuals that were buried, that's fantastic. We have additional anthropologists on standby in Hawaii.
ROWLANDS: This is the U.S. military unit that specializes in finding the remains of missing Americans around the world killed in battle. The team is made up of members from every branch of the military, but on this mission, it is almost all marines.
CAPT. TODD NORDMAN, JPAC MARINE: It is important we bring a large Marine Corps contingency here.
ROWLANDS: Tarawa was one of the bloodiest battles in Marine Corps history. More than 1,000 men were killed in roughly 72 hours of fighting with the Japanese, many of them gunned down in the water before they could make it to shore. ROWLANDS (on camera): When you come here to Tarawa, you really understand why there were so many casualties. It was low tide when the marines came onshore like it is now, meaning they had to walk on to the beach. Waiting for them were huge Japanese guns and these bunkers which were so fortified it gave the Japanese an opportunity to just sit inside and fire at point blank range at the marines who were coming on to the beach.
CAPT. TODD NORDMAN, JPAC MARINE: They were waiting ashore for the most part. I can't imagine.
ROWLANDS (voice-over): Clay Bonnieman Evans grandfather Alexander Bonnieman was one of the marines killed on Tarawa. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroics, which is included leading a charge on this massive sand-covered bunker. It is now called Bonnieman's bunker.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is where the Japanese were.
ROWLANDS: More than 100 Japanese soldiers were crammed inside what's now a storage facility. Outside the sand is gone, revealing the cement fortress. We climbed with Clay to the top where his grandfather was killed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Frankly, most of my life I knew vaguely of the story. I didn't know much detail. And I feel like I know a lot more now.
ROWLANDS: As the photographs show, Bonnieman and the other marines killed in the campaign were originally buried in graves all around Tarawa. But because there were so many bodies, including about 4,000 Japanese, Tarawa was bulldozed by the Navy.
Years later the U.S. government came back to get the bodies but couldn't find them all. It's estimated the total number of marines still buried here could be as high as 500.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And for the record exchange of U.S. remains on 11 August, 2010.
ROWLANDS: On Wednesday, local officials turned over remains to the U.S. military. Over the years, sets of remains like this have been found, something we experienced firsthand while at Bonnieman's bunker which is located next to a local police station.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Here at the police station they told us they have remains. They are now opening them up to show us.
ROWLANDS: Police day the bones were dropped off about a month ago.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know where it comes from, but we just keep it in our storage.
ROWLANDS: The military is planning to spend more than a month on Tarawa collecting bones that have been found and digging for the rest of the marines left behind.
FOX: It's basically a promise to the United States governor that they will do everything in their power to bring their fallen warriors home. And that's the way we roll.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROWLANDS: And the group from J-Pac, that's the name of the military operation here on the island, has finished the first of six dig sites. They will be at the second site at first flight. They did find any marines at the first site. They are hoping to find some as they progress through this month-long mission.
We should also say the bones we were shown at the police station, we did inform the folks at J-Pac about those bones and they will investigate. John, Kiran?
CHETRY: Ted Rowlands for us this morning. Thanks so much.
ROBERTS: We are getting more information about the suspected killer in that series of spree killings between Flint, Michigan and Leesburg, Virginia. Chalk another one up to customs and border protection. They got their man just as he was boarding a flight for Tel-Aviv. The latest information on that coming up.
And the PGA championship tees off today. Can Tiger Woods break out of the worst slump of his career? LPGA hall of famer Amy Alcott, no stranger to pressure on the links, joins us to talk about Tiger's chances this week and going forward. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIGER WOODS, PROFESSIONAL GOLFER: Life in general the last nine months has been very difficult. But just like my dad always says, just keep living.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: A humble Tiger Woods ready to tee off this morning at the season's final major, the PGA championship. His world number one ranking on the line again this weekend in Wisconsin. Woods is coming off the worst performance of his professional career. He actually said this week he was surprised that it didn't happen sooner.
Here to help us break down Tiger's breakdown, Amy Allcot. She's the winner of five major tournaments herself and a member of the World Golf and LPGA's halls of fame, also the author of "The Leader Board, conversations on Golf and Life." She is in Los Angeles this morning.
Amy, it's great to see you. You know, a question that a lot of people are asking with all of Tiger's troubles this year is he ever going to win another tournament or is he -- you know, stick a fork in him and he's done? (LAUGHTER)
AMY ALCOTT, MEMBER OF WORLD GOLF AND LPGA HALLS OF FAME: Well, you don't have that kind of greatness in a career and have it all be over with. I ultimately think if this whole fiasco and what's going on with his life will be a blip on the radar looking back on it in a while, I think he's just going through a period where he is having to, you know, reinvent himself.
Being at the top, everybody wants to, you know, knock you over and, you know, this is a tough period in his life. And as we all know in golf, you know, it ebbs and flows. It is all about riding through these tough slumps and coming out on the other side of it.
ROBERTS: Well, if he is going to reinvent himself he may considered coming back as a golfer, because of last week he didn't look so much like one. And on Tuesday, at the pre-PGA championship press conference tiger admitted yes, all of my personal problems are beginning to weigh on my game. Let's listen to what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOODS: To be honest with you, I thought I would have been here a little bit sooner with all of what's going on. But somehow I have been able to play a little better than I thought for a stretch. and it caught up with me last week.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTS: Amy, golf has been said to be a game of inches, the six inches between your ears, through the center of your head there. It is so easy because the mental aspect of it is such a huge part of the game that, you know, you lose focus and the wheels come off. Your swing doesn't work like it has before.
Somebody who has been out there under the pressure of the major tours, having won major championships yourself, what's going on in Tiger's head right now and how's that connected to his arms and legs?
ALCOTT: Well, you know, he has this tremendous expectation on him whenever he shows up, whenever he tees off to play. And, you know, his slump in his life and his career right now has opened up the floodgates for, you know, all of these other guys to step up and step up their games.
And, you know, he's probably wondering, you know, grasping at things trying to figure out, you know, where I can find my game, where can I find this consistently, because that's what greatness is really all about. It's not about, you know, winning every tournament. That shows you how phenomenal he has been to be in contention the way he has been in the past.
It's -- he's grasping for consistency. which is the key to golf. Of being in contention every week is really what it is all about, and that's -- he's even grasping to make cuts and play well and try to make the Ryder Cup team and all these things that he's trying to do. And he is grasping at straws, and, you know, the conversation about trying to find a new teacher, and just get it together.
ROBERTS: When you look at his performance last week at the Bridgestone, he was 18 over par, 30 shots off the lead. He tied for 78 in a field of 80. You talk about leaking oil all over the golf course, this guy was setting a new definition of it.
What does he need to do to get his game back on track? One of the things he said working with his new coach this week was that his head was moving around all over the place. But it has to be more than just one thing.
ALCOTT: Well, you know, golf is such a fickle sport. It's like you could be out practicing and find something you are doing with your hands and with your -- that your head is moving, that you are not moving through the ball properly.
It could be one little thing that you find that you can to -- it is all about, you know, a mind-body game. You can think boy, this feels good, and really trust that one thing that you find, and it can turn your whole game around and in a split second. Whether you get hands ahead, or you take it back slower.
When I say he's grasping at straws, that's what he needs to do is find, go back to his core values and really find -- you know, as she had, he's trying to go back and find -- reconnect with his dad and what his dad told him.
And I think -- for Tiger, it really is a mind-body type of thing. He has to reconnect with what makes him -- what makes him tick. Right now it is -- you know, he has to shoot some good rounds and that's what will bring it back.
ROBERTS: One final quick question. There's some question as to whether or not he deserve a spot on the Ryder Cup. The team leader said I haven't guaranteed him anything. Tiger said I don't even know if I deserve to be on the team. Do you think he deserves to be on the team?
ALCOTT: It is really hard to say, you know. I think Corey will go for it and I think he'll give everybody a fair shot. But it is really hard not to go with Tiger Woods. The guy has been the dominant player of the modern era.
ROBERTS: Yes.
ALCOTT: He's just -- he knows how to get it done. But, you know, you have to be fair. There are other guys out there now --
ROBERTS: Yes.
ALCOTT: -- that are playing well.
And the Europeans are going to put up, you know, it's not -- not just the U.S. team walks into it anymore and wins every year. These guys really know how to play the golf course.
ROBERTS: Yes.
ALCOTT: They're playing in Wales (ph). You've got to know to know how to hit a lot of different shots, to go with experience. I think Tiger would be a great choice. But there's other people that are --
ROBERTS: Sure.
ALCOTT: -- playing better than he is.
ROBERTS: Right.
ALCOTT: So it's hard to really say that.
ROBERTS: Well, we'll see how he does. Maybe a good performance at the PG --
ALCOTT: I think he should -- I think -- I think he should pick him because I think that he knows how to get it done and he's a great partner for Steve Stricker (ph).
ROBERTS: Well, perhaps a good performance at the PGA Championship this week will put him back in contention.
Amy it's great to see you this morning. Thanks for getting up early. And look forward to teeing it up with you real soon.
ALCOTT: I hope so, John.
ROBERTS: All right.
ALCOTT: You're the best. Thanks.
ROBERTS: Thanks -- Kiran.
CHETRY: All right, well it's 46 minutes past the hour right now.
D.C. is getting slammed with severe weather, the D.C. area as well and another system now clobbering New Orleans. Rob Marciano checks in with the extreme weather coming up.
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MARCIANO: Welcome back to "The Most News in the Morning". I'm Rob Marciano on the CNN Severe Weather Center.
And we have just that, moving through the D.C. and Baltimore area. We've been showing you this line of thunderstorms which has been severe, rumbling through the nation's capital with heavy rains and frequent lightning and some gusty winds. And even some small hail being reported with this.
And now this just in to the CNN's Severe Weather Center, South Central Queen Anne's County and in Northeast Maryland, that's between Easton and Cambridge there. We have a tornado warning, a radar indicated tornado. It's not reported on the ground yet but nonetheless heading across the Chesapeake into fairly populated areas over here.
So if you live in St. Anne's County in northeast Maryland, you'll certainly want to take cover until this storm passes. This entire cluster including this cell is rolling southeast at about 30 miles an hour. And again, there could be a tornado embedded within that.
And it most likely is rain wrapped. Meaning you won't be able to see it. So just stay inside and get into center part of your home and take cover, if you live in northeastern parts of Maryland.
And here is the entire cluster of thunderstorms. Less intense but nonetheless a rough morning to start your day in Philadelphia and then up to New York, we're looking at less in the way of showers and thunderstorms.
So the Delmarva and Chesapeake Bay area, and the mid-Atlantic getting clobbered, this morning and because of that, D.C. and Philly will likely see upwards over an hour airport delays.
Atlanta, Charlotte, Tampa afternoon thunderstorms there, 30 to 60 minutes delays. In San Francisco and LA, well, they've got cool clouds in the morning keeping their numbers down as well.
97 was the high temperature in Washington, D.C. yesterday. That certainly helped the leftover heat. It certainly helped to fuel the fire for these thunderstorms rolling through there right now.
Remember TD number five? Now check this out and here's how it looks like in the satellite and not very impressive. Even less impressive here, but it's bringing a lot of heavy rain to southeast Louisiana. And we've had flash flood warnings all morning long because of this.
This has the shut down the drilling operations at least for the time being. Big waves out there, not a whole lot of wind but certainly some big waves.
And then big heat again across the nation's heartland, century mark or better -- these are some of the numbers yesterday. I think we'll see more of this today, 103 yesterday on Tulsa, Oklahoma. So try to stay cool.
That's a quick weather check. AMERICAN MORNING is coming right back.
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CHETRY: I want to go back to our breaking news story this morning. It's six minutes to the top of the hour.
The arrest of an accused serial slasher wanted for 20 attacks in three states; five of them in Michigan, ended up being murders.
ROBERTS: Police tell us that he was nabbed at the airport in Atlanta while trying to board an international flight.
Our Jeanne Meserve is standing by for us in Washington. Jeanne, where was this fellow heading? How did they get a line on him?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: The Customs and Border Protection -- he was headed to Tel Aviv. Customs and Border Protection has put out a release now saying that they were working with the FBI and Atlanta police department to apprehend this individual, who was identified after his name was on a passenger manifest which went through the National Targeting Center.
That's the -- that's the Virginia operation that has the list of all passengers flying on international flights. So that's how this guy was -- was picked up; he was attempting to board a Delta flight, Delta flight 152 bound for Tel Aviv.
You'll remember this is exactly the same way Faizal Shahzad was picked up a couple of months ago. He had boarded that Emirates flight on his way to Dubai. And the National Targeting Center went over that passenger manifest and they discovered Shahzad's name on the no-fly list and discovered he just boarded and that's how he was apprehended.
So, some similarity there in the way that it came down -- back to you.
CHETRY: But it's interesting though because no identity has been released at least publicly at this point. We spoke to Leesburg police earlier in the show, they had talked about the -- importance of the description of the vehicle. Obviously somebody knew who this person was.
MESERVE: The release from Customs and Border Protection says the suspect had been recently identified and so, yes, somehow along the way, they have come up with a name. We don't have it yet.
ROBERTS: Yes. It's interesting that typically you might release the name in a case like this but kept this one under wraps. Perhaps they had some idea of where he was going. Do they know much more about him? Why he chose Tel Aviv? He was traveling, it was said, on an expired Israeli passport. Was he an Israeli citizen?
MESERVE: That detail we don't have at this point in time. We are still working on getting it -- John.
ROBERTS: All right. Jeanne Meserve, for us with the very latest on that. Jeanne thanks so much. We'll let you keep working your sources. And of course, Jeanne will be reporting on this all throughout the day here on CNN.
CHETRY: Meantime a tremendous relief for those communities to know that perhaps -- they finally have this person in custody.
ROBERTS: Yes. It would be a relief.
CHETRY: We are going to take a quick break. When we come back -- 4 minutes after (SIC) the hour, we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHETRY: Well, just in to CNN, coming off a down day on Wall Street, this is more news that we did not need to hear about the economy but number of new jobless claims now hitting a five-month high last week -- the number now 484,000. That's the highest number of new-time filers since last February actually.
Some economists that talked to the CNN Money team actually expected new claims to fall this past week and instead they saw this actually rise. Nationally by the way, the unemployment rate stands at 9.5 percent.
ROBERTS: We'll see how that affects the markets coming up in about a half hour time.
Updating you on our other breaking news story right now, suspected serial stabber wanted for five murders in Michigan, a total of 20 attacks in three states; he is in police custody this morning. Customs officials tell us that they got him trying to board a flight for Tel Aviv in Atlanta Hartsfield airport. And he's under arrest right now.
Our Jeanne Meserve tracking the story for us and more information coming up very shortly.
CHETRY: All right. And meantime, that's going to wrap it up for us. Thanks so much for being with us this morning. We will see you right back here tomorrow.
