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CNN Sunday Morning
Intentional Flooding Under Way; IMF Chief Under Arrest; FBI: Imams Funded Terrorism; Humble Legends
Aired May 15, 2011 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning.
What an agonizing wait right now for people in southern Louisiana, after the Army Corps of Engineers makes the difficult decision to open floodgates. That means some cities will be saved, however, others will not. And more floodgates will be opened today.
Plus this morning, a Grammy winner, an Oscar winner, a Hall of Famer, and me. Who doesn't belong in this room? I get Carlos Santana, Morgan Freeman, Ernie Banks all in the same room and try to get them to stop selling themselves short.
Plus, documenting a terrorist takedown. Those SEALs who went in after Osama bin Laden, they had some high-tech cameras. We've got some new details for you.
And welcome to you all to this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes. Thank you for spending part of your weekend here with us.
Also, as always, a special good morning to our military men and women watching us right now on the Armed Forces Network. Thank you for being here and thank you for what you do.
We do need to start with what's happening in Louisiana -- an intentional flooding that's taking place. Take a look at this here -- one floodgate is opened now at the Morganza Spillway. More gates could be opened later today.
Now, the whole point is to try to relieve some pressure on the swollen Mississippi River. The Army Corps of Engineers opened the spillway, potentially flooding hundreds of homes in order to protect larger cities like Baton Rouge and New Orleans down river.
Take a listen now to our Ed Lavandera.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The first gate of the Morganza Spillway has been opened. You can see the water gushing out through that first gate, half down this Morganza flood control structure. There are 125 gates. For now, only one has been opened. Officials here say that they will continue to open up more in the coming days. But, right now, they're trying to slow down the process.
You can already see the water making its way into this area that was just a big grassy area. The reason they're doing it very slowly is to give the wildlife and animals a chance to adjust here to the vast amount of water that will be soon be pouring through here. But you can see, just through the one gate the amount of water that is already gushing through it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Wow!
So, exactly how much water are we talking about here? Well, by the end of this hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING, some 269 million gallons will have flown through that spillway, all heading down the floodplain in central Louisiana, towards some evacuated communities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right here in the boat land (ph), for the last four days in and out, you have people coming, going to their camps getting everything they own out of the camp because they probably won't have a camp left.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We took a chance. We purchased the property because we love the river. The river has always been a part of our lives. And if the river destroys property, then that's what has to be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, keep in mind here, not all of the communities along the floodplain are going to be washed away here. A lot are protected by a system of levees to keep the high water from coming in. However, these are levees that have never really been tested by this much water.
As our Rachel Frost from our affiliate WBRZ reports, this is certainly leading to some anxious moments.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You'll probably have on the order of a couple feet of water.
RACHEL FROST, WBRZ REPORTER (voice-over): It's not expected to go near Mary Robillard's home, but she's not taking chances.
MARY ROBILLARD, MORGANZA, LOUISIANA RESIDENT: I have to have a flashlight, the mirror (ph), the -- a life jacket, water, my pets, and a pistol.
FROST: So, she'll take those things with her into the attic if the water rises.
ROBILLARD: I live in the house across the road. It's the oldest house in Morganza. It was built in about 1860. So, it survived the '27 flood. GEN. MICHAEL WALSH, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: If you look at the history from 1927, if these levees and reservoirs and floodways had not been in there, there was an 80-mile width of water covering five states.
FROST: That's why the Army Corps of Engineers will monitor the levees and spillways for days to come.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. Well, at four minutes past the hour, let's say good morning to our buddy, Reynolds Wolf, this morning. We talk about this stuff on the way, the water on the way.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Right.
HOLMES: But, still, it's going to take a few days to get to some of these communities. That's got to be a tough wait. You know it's coming.
WOLF: It's ridiculous. It's absolutely. You know, it's funny is when we saw the images Ed Lavandera was showing with us. It's interesting just a little bit of water coming through, that was a torrent that was coming through there. They haven't even opened up all the gates.
HOLMES: That's one gate.
WOLF: One gate and we're talking -- I think you said 280 million gallons?
HOLMES: Two hundred and sixty-nine million gallons.
WOLF: Unbelievable.
HOLMES: By the end of this hour, that's how much?
WOLF: And by the end of three days, some places, T.J., are going to be under about 20, 25 feet of water.
And take a look at this -- even though we have all that water, it's going to take today, tomorrow, Tuesday, roughly three days for the water to make its all the way down towards Morgan City. So, it's going to be a long haul.
But, remember, it's preventative measure to make the water go between the levee system, that's going to be flooding an area of about 3,000 square miles. But it's -- we're going that measure, the Corps of Engineers is diverting water in that direction, so it will not flood parts of the Mississippi River, including places like Baton Rouge, where we have a couple of iReports for you, one of the best ways to share the story, to show you the viewer contributions that come in.
The first one is from Jason Prell in Baton Rouge. See the people lining to the water, historic flooding there, and that's even with this diversionary measure.
Another great iReport that we have is sent in by Edwin G. Robinson. He's never seen anything like this. He's been to Baton Rouge for years and years. You can see the water beginning to pile up, just a never-ending stream. This is all due to the heavy snowmelt, over 600 percent the amount of rainfall we're normally used to in this part of the river system, all streaming down the Mississippi River and, of course, with that passage moving in between that area with all the levees, it is going to be moving right towards places like Morgan City in just the coming days.
Let's talk about the record flooding and the feet above flood stage. We check out this map on the screen here. Vicksburg, major flooding, believe it or not, even though most of the water is now moving downstream. Vicksburg is still expected to reach this point of 14.5 feet above major flood stage.
So, yes, this is going to be just insane. Also, May 22nd, Red River Landing, 16.5 above flood stage, not just 15.5 on May 21st. It makes it seem Baton Rouge at 10 feet again, not quite as high as we've expected because of the divisionary measure. And, of course, same story in New Orleans, minor flooding.
Now, we're going to be talking about something else, and that, of course, is your national forecast. We're going to handle the rivers first. We're going to check on the national forecast coming up in just a few moments. We're going to get to that very soon.
T.J., back to you.
HOLMES: Reynolds, appreciate you. We'll check in with you shortly.
Meanwhile, President Obama -- he's heading to Memphis tomorrow. He's going to see some of the flooding firsthand. And he's also scheduled to give the commencement address at a local high school there that won the White House race to the top competition. While there, though, the president is planning to meet with families affected by the flooding, Shelby County. That is the county where Memphis is located. It's just one of many Tennessee counties declared federal disaster areas, making them eligible for aid from the government.
Another story from overnight, a story with maybe some international implications here -- the arrest of the head of the International Monetary Fund. Dominique Strauss-Kahn was pulled off of a plane from New York to Paris, pulled off there just moments before takeoff. Right now, he is charged with a criminal sexual act and attempted rape of a maid at a luxury hotel where he was staying. More about him and IMF in just a second.
But our Susan Candiotti sets the stage on this story for us.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was a Saturday afternoon at the Hotel Sofitel in the Times Square area of Manhattan. And the chambermaid had just come into the room of this head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Khan. She said that he was completely naked when she walked in and the police said that he attempted to force himself on her sexually. She was able to break away. She ran to the hotel staff. They in turn tried to find him.
When the police arrived on the scene, Mr. Khan had already left the hotel. So, police quickly good word out to JFK Airport, where he was set to leave on an afternoon flight from New York to Paris. And just before they closed the door, police were able to hold the plane, they went on board, they said he was seated in the first class section of the flight, of the plane. He did not offer any resistance, but they did lead him off the plane and turn him over to the New York Police Department.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. You might not be familiar with his name, Kahn. You might not be that familiar with the IMF.
So, let me explain here. He is the head of the IMF. It's like the world savings and loan, if you will. They got about $360 billion to lend, gathered from nearly 200 member countries. The U.S., a member contributes around $70 billion to that fund.
Now, Strauss-Kahn, he is the head of the IMF and he's been there that spot since 2007. He's also considered a contender for the French presidency in next year's election. That, however, was certainly before this incident. We'll see how this plays out.
Let's turn to Egypt now where there's been more violence in the particular neighborhood of Cairo involving Coptic Christians. Egyptian state TV reporting at least two people dead, 60 more hurt. You see these clashes here happening on the streets. The violence erupted during a pro-Coptic sit-in demonstration at the state TV building. The group is demanding greater rights for the religious minority when they were attacked by several men in plain cloths.
Also, he's a man who has been at the top of some of the early polls as far as who Republicans favor as their choice for president next year, Mike Huckabee. Well, last night, he was making the announcement on whether or not he was going to get in the race. And the former Arkansas governor is going to take a pass.
This is what he said last night on his FOX News show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: All the factors say go; but my heart says no. And that's the decision that I've made. And in it, I finally found some resolution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That's some of the factors say no, once some people say it's the fact that he's actually making some money, doing pretty well. So, why even jump into the race.
But here, we have the poll up for you. This is how he's doing in the recent CNN/Opinion Research poll. Also found that a majority of Huckabee supporters would turn to Mitt Romney or maybe even Donald Trump as the replacement candidate.
Also, new developments not going to be helping relations between the U.S. and Pakistan after yesterday's arrest of two Muslim clerics in south Florida. It appears they may have lived modestly. But the feds say they funneled thousands and thousands of dollars to help terrorists abroad.
I'm back in one minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, 12 minutes past the hour now.
Follow the money. That's what federal investigators said they did prior to the arrest of yesterday's arrest of two Muslim clerics in south Florida -- both now accused of funneling cash to Pakistan Taliban for terrorist activities.
CNN Susan Candiotti tell us how this all went down.
(BEGIN VIDEOATAPE)
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Miami FBI agents swooped in right after morning prayers to arrest an imam at his mosque. They say he spearheaded a conspiracy to support terrorists in Pakistan. Hafiz Muhammed Khan is the 76-year-old religious leader of this mosque, accused of sending $53,000 to the Pakistani Taliban. Prosecutors call it the tip of the iceberg.
WILFREDO FERRER, U.S. ATTORNEY, SOUTHERN DIST. OF FLORIDA: We will show as the case proceeds that they transferred a lot more than $53,000 to Pakistan for the specific purpose that is reaches the Pakistani Taliban.
CANDIOTTI: Also arrested, two of Khan's son, including a young imam at a mosque in Margate, a city near Fort Lauderdale.
Three more people are charged in Pakistan, two of them are Khan's relatives.
The FBI and prosecutors say some of the money was sent to help buy guns for the Taliban and funding in Islamic schools that the elder imam founded in Pakistan, allegedly used to shelter terrorists and to teach children to join the movement.
JOHN GILLIES, FBI SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE: It's important to note that we disrupted a funding source for terrorist activities overseas.
CANDIOTTI: The FBI says the case started three years ago. Agents began tracking suspicious money transfers from bank accounts in Miami to Pakistan, transactions averaging from $1,000 to $10,000 each. Authorities say the mosques themselves are not targeted.
The president of one of the mosques says he's surprised by the allegations and condemned any possible wrongdoing.
PRES. YAZID ALI, MASJID JAMAAT AL-MU'MINEEN: We'd like everyone to know that Masjid Jamaat Al-Mu'mineen does not support terrorism, for this is a forbidden act in Islam.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): A key question as the case unfolds, who are the donors? For now, investigators won't say.
Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, what is it that can bring together an Oscar winner, a Grammy winner, and a Hall of Famer all in the same room? Well, we had them in all the same room last night, including that man, Mr. Ernie Banks -- a candid conversation with him, Morgan Freeman and Carlos Santana.
You will hear from them in just 90 seconds.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, Major League Baseball is celebrating this weekend. They're having their annual civil rights game here in Atlanta when they take a time to honor past legends and also look ahead. There have been several special events this weekend.
A youth summit took place yesterday and today. The actual game takes place. The Braves taking on the Phillies, and they will be decked out in uniforms from 1974. That's the year Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record.
Also as a part of this weekend's celebrations, Major League Baseball hands out what they call their Beacon Awards. These are for special achievements. And some of their honorees this weekend, Morgan Freeman, Carlos Santana and Ernie Banks, the Hall of Famer. All three got awards.
And I got to sit down with all three in the same room at the same time. And of all, they've accomplished in their careers, it was hard to get them to admit that they've done anything.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: I'll start with you Mr. Banks. I heard -- we were just sitting here, I heard you talking, everybody was kind of laughing here and you say, "You've done nothing. You've done nothing."
ERNIE BANKS, BASEBALL HALL OF FAMER: What am I doing here?
HOLMES: What do you mean?
BANKS: I've done nothing. HOLMES: You've done nothing. What are you talking about?
BANKS: I've been chasing my footstep to find out what can I do. And I --
MORGAN FREEMAN, OSCAR-WINNING ACTOR: I know what you mean.
(CROSSTALK)
FREEMAN: Wait a minute. Service to who?
HOLMES: We know you're all getting Beacon Awards this weekend, part of the Civil Rights Weekend here at Major League Baseball. But I've got an Oscar winner, I've got a Grammy winner and I've got a Hall of Famer here.
Now, surely, you all don't believe what you're saying.
BANKS: Yes.
HOLMES: OK. Let me ask you, do you believe that is what -- do you feel that same sentiment?
CARLOS SANTANA, MUSICIAN: They're nothing, to everybody it's everything. You know, because most people who are from aerial view, they don't necessarily trip on what they do. If they just do it just by breathing. People around them, we understand that just by them being alive, they have made -- they have brought a change -- very vital, significant, most meaningful change.
FREEMAN: We're going to have to write this down. Carlos is a philosopher.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Let me go to you, Mr. Banks, here. A lot of people look at you as a trailblazer in baseball. But for you at the time, did you not see it that way? Were you simply a guy who wanted to play baseball and the other stuff just came?
BANKS: That's right. And I played the game as if nobody was there but me. It's amazing, isn't it?
HOLMES: It is.
BANKS: Amazing. People went to the park. I didn't know that. I walked out of the park. I walked past my kids, I didn't recognize them. I was so enticed and focused on that game, huh?
FREEMAN: Focused.
BANKS: Focused on that game. It's amazing how it controlled my life.
HOLMES: When you look back at it now, do you understand why some might view you as that trailblazer? Do you understand it better as you got out of it and got older that wow! You were doing something special at the time and may not realize what you were in the midst of?
BANKS: I didn't know that. I didn't realize what I was in the midst of. Somebody said, you did this and you did that? And I said, what? You hit a home run there, you did this and this. I didn't even realize nothing I was doing while I was doing it.
HOLMES: I'm sure you're aware the numbers of African-American players has been going down in Major League Baseball. We're at 8.5 percent right now this year. It was 10 percent last year. In the '90s, it was hovered around 16 percent, 17 percent, 18 percent.
Where is Major League Baseball failing in that regard? How do we get young African-American kids at a young age to be into baseball?
BANKS: It's difficult. Now, they feel that baseball is a white man's game. They really do. So, they change to basketball and football if they're big enough. So, it's a long, hard road to get more black kids playing baseball.
And I was talking to Hank the other night about the Atlanta Braves. They only have one black player and he said he had to talk to the commissioner to see what can be done about this. We're all thinking about it and we're all working on it, but we're just kind of dumbfounded by where we go with this, who we go, to the commissioner, we go to Major League Baseball, or who do we go to, to get some support to get more black kids playing baseball.
HOLMES: I see you kind of shaking your head? How does Major League Baseball suffer? How does the black community -- how does the country suffer if we see fewer and fewer black players in baseball?
FREEMAN: I don't know. What I was thinking when I was shaking my head, I'm thinking about the cyclic nature of things. You said they're moving into other sports. They're not disappearing. You know, basketball is a big draw. You look at any national league, NBA team -- what do you see? Who dominates?
So it's not like there's a loss. It's just a shift.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Now, we are just getting started this morning with these three. You will be hearing a whole lot more from them coming up next hour, including -- and they didn't mince words here -- talking about who was directly responsible for President Obama being president of the United States. You don't want to miss that.
Also, take a look at this picture, do you remember this one? We saw this after we heard that Osama bin Laden had been killed. See everybody frozen there, staring at the screen. We're getting a better idea now of exactly what they all were staring at. I've got that for you in three minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK0
HOLMES: All right. Twenty-five minutes past the hour now. That mission to get bin Laden in real time. We heard the president, his staff watch the whole thing as it all went down. Well, here's one way they got to see it. Some of the Navy SEALs that raided the compound were wearing helmet-mounted digital cameras that recorded the mission.
Our Pentagon correspondent Chris Lawrence reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Take a look at this Army training video, and the view from a helmet cam. Now, imagine it's pitch-black in a confined space and you've got some idea of what the Navy SEALs' cameras were recording.
As this animation of the assault on bin Laden's compound shows, the SEALs are in constant motion. A U.S. official says the digital video is fast and violent. The SEALs are moving their heads constantly, so any glimpses of bin Laden would be quick.
The source said it's not like the SEALs would be staring at any one thing for long. It's likely no one at the compound even knew they were being recorded.
CHRIS HEBEN, FORMER NAVY SEAL: If that housing wasn't there, you wouldn't even see that camera. It would look like a pin dot on a piece of paper.
LAWRENCE: Chris Heben was a Navy SEAL for 10 years. He's worn a version of a helmet cam and says it started out as a training tool.
HEBEN: The feedback we got and could give to each other was immensely valuable. So, we said we're going to look into putting these on real situations and, of course, an operation like this, being as huge as it is, certainly warranted these types of systems to be on the operators' bodies.
LAWRENCE: Whether the public will see actual video from helmets like this is up in the air, especially considering the need to protect how the SEALs operate and their identities.
ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: When I met with the team last Thursday, they expressed a concern about that and particularly with respect to their families.
LAWRENCE (on camera): In fact, Defense Secretary Robert Gates says there's an effort under way to increase that layer of security around the SEALs' identities and their families.
As for the footage, a military official says it helps the SEALs remember what they saw in the heat of the moment. And currently, military officials are reviewing it as part of the post-mission analysis.
Chris Lawrence, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: The hunt for Osama bin Laden spanned three terms, or the terms, rather, of three presidents. Why was the U.S. finally able to track him down? CNN is investigating how the plan was conceived, planned and carried out. Who were the architects of such the resounding success? Find out when CNN takes you inside the mission of "Getting Bin Laden," CNN tonight, 7:00 Eastern Time.
Meanwhile, at the top of the hour, we were telling you about the head of the IMF who was plucked off of a plane in New York as he was trying to leave for Paris, now under arrest and charged with sexual assault.
We'll head live to Paris in three minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well at the bottom of the hour here on this Sunday morning. Welcome back. I'm T.J. Holmes. Thank you for spending part of your weekend here with us.
We've been telling you about this story at the top of the hour that the Head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss- Kahn is under arrest on charges, including attempted rape after a housekeeper claims she was attacked at a hotel in Times Square. You may not be familiar with the IMF or his name in particular. We're going to give you some perspective now. And we get that from CNN's Jim Bittermann live in Paris.
Jim, hello to you. He was plucked off a plane in New York headed for Paris. Give our viewers perspective. This is the man many thought could or would be the next President of France.
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, T.J. he was certainly the front-runner in the run-up to the elections that are going to take place in May of 2012. And if fact, here he is, walked off of a plane ten minutes to take off last night from JFK and now sitting so we're told in the slammer in New York City.
He's a very important person not only from the domestic political standpoint, he was also the Director of the International Monetary Fund. He was supposed to meeting this afternoon for example with Chas Rangel of Germany and he had big meetings in Brussels this week over the Greek debt crisis.
Who knows what happens with that. As one person said they'll find out in the next few days, the police agenda doesn't move at the same speed as the political agenda.
HOLMES: Do tell us as well how is this being received, the news there in Paris, around France?
BITTERMANN: Well, on the political side it's just a bombshell, nothing short of, there's very little to compare it to because there's never been anything quite like that happen on the political front. He was the front-runner by far and able to in the opinion polls beat President Sarkozy in a run-up to the 2012 elections. Some of his colleagues, but also competitors on the left are saying that they're going to withhold judgment but the head of the Socialist Party was astounded at this and that it was a thunder bolt out of the blue.
One of his opponents or competitors back in 2007 Segoline Royal said she was staggered by all of this. Of course, there are some people who want to withhold judgement until the facts are all in but one person who didn't was the Leader of the far right party, Marine Lapenne and she said quite clearly she wasn't that surprised because of the rumors that surrounded Mr. Strauss-Kahn for many years now, including back in 2008 it was more than just a rumor when he was accused of sexual harassment for his affair with one of his subordinates at the International Monetary Fund. He was later cleared but he had to apologize to the IMF and was on a kind of a probation. So we'll see how that works out.
HOLMES: You talked about his personal life, his issues and what about his personal life now. Is he married right now?
BITTERMANN: He is married, has four children and his wife, Ann Sinclair is a high profile person, on television and after the 2008 affair she was sticking by him and they had turned the page and moved on. As an open question as to whether she'll have the same attitude this time around.
HOLMES: Jim Bittermann with some important information on a story with international implications. Jim, thanks so much.
Well, country music superstars are rallying for storm victims in the south. Our very own Robin Meade co-hosted a concert and telethon to raise funds for disaster relief. We'll check in, in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Thirty five minutes past the hour. We bring Reynolds Wolf back in, keeping an eye on the flood water. The gates are now open but more flood gates could be opened. We're not dealing with a weather situation that could exacerbate things down in Louisiana. No more rain to deal with, right?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEORLOGIST: You're right. It's the opposite. A dry spell for much of the gulf coast which is exactly what they need. Something else to keep in mind is this is a slow-moving process. It's not like a quick strike like a tornado, it will take a while, three days to get to Morgan City?
HOLMES: Is there an upside or downside? It gives them more time to get ready or is there a downside to do it this way and all it picks up along the way.
WOLF: It's like a slow moving avalanche. It's like standing at the bottom of a mountain and looking at a high peak and seeing everything in slow motion. This will sound very crude, this area is supposed to be dealing with flooding. Thousands upon thousands they've been flooding in this part of the world, however, now you've got people living there, you've got homes and 25,000 people call that area home, it will be under possibly 20 feet of water in some places.
But we need good weather T.J. and it looks like it will cooperate today at least. The bad thing you've got the flood waters moving through that part of the world. But lets look at what could have happened. We've got some heavy rain across the world in parts of South Florida. Strong thunderstorms, heavy rain fall on parts of I-75 and I- 4. Two parts of the Northeast, heavy rain from Pittsburgh, back over to New York, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. To the West, combination of rain in the San Joaquin Valley, up to a foot of snow to the 8,000 foot level of Sierra Nevada. So quite a mix for you.
In terms of temperatures across the nation really depends on where you happen to be. In Denver your high is going to be around 58 degrees, in Portland going to 52 and Los Angeles to 63 as a high. Going up to about 81 degrees for Houston later this afternoon, Atlanta 68 degrees, New York with 70 degrees and Miami with 87, so as far as the flood zone is concerned, awful news in terms of what's coming but we're not adding to it with more rainfall. T.J.
HOLMES: That's something at least. Reynolds we appreciate it. We will be back with you again soon.
As many as seven States still in limbo after deadly tornado slammed the south last month, left behind the path of destruction. They need help, so country music's finest came together to raise money for the disaster relief efforts, the event co-hosted by HLN anchor Robin Meade.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBIN MEADE, CNN REPORTER: Well, by the time you're watching, this the stage is coming down at the Grand Ole Opry House for the special, the telethon that ran on CMT. It's hard to imagine this entire special for all of your fellow viewers who were affected by the recent storms and the flooding came together in seven days. Hank Williams Jr. Had a huge part in that, apparently he made the first call and here's what he said about it.
HANK WILLIAMS JR., SINGER: I said I've got to do something but don't want to do a benefit in a football stadium. We need to raise a lot of money. I never knew it was going to turn into this and people had really helped this happen. This happened in seven days.
MEADE: Seven days so that was some of the reasoning that Hank Williams made the call. It's interesting to listen to Sarah Evans who now lives in Alabama and she walked through some of the devastation.
SARA EVANS, SINGER: It's one thing to see it on television, but it's an entirely different thing to go and witness it all in person. It's heart stopping and you just oh my gosh, I can't believe this actually happened but it really did happen to Alabama and like I said just being there and living there it's truly devastating. I feel so bad for the people and praying day and night for comfort for them in any way. MEADE: We're going to be running on HLN, we're going to re-air the telethon Sunday night 9.00pm eastern. You know why, because the need doesn't go away. You know, when the need is still there the Red Cross is still manning the phones because they need so much to help all the people who are at a loss of what to do now because of storms and flooding. So that's at 9:00 p.m. eastern. I'm going to take you behind the scenes so you can see how the telethon came together. That's going to be after the telethon on Sunday night. The bottom line it's all about helping your fellow viewers. Even now if you want to call 1-800-RED-CROSS you can.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Thanks to our Robin Meade and also a lot of people saying thanks to a woman out in Alabama. She's helping out in our own way and using social media to do so. Her name is Patty Boullian. She started a Facebook page and tries to connect lost items from the storm with their owners. We asked her about it and you will hear what she has to say in just a bit.
But first, President Obama, people questioning where he was born. Some say he was born in Kenya, that's not true. He was born in Hawaii. But now you throw this into the mix. He's an Irish man? That's according to a small village that has been in the spot light ever since the President admitted he had some Irish roots. He is reportedly planning a visit later this month. The village has gone wild!
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Forty three minutes past the hour. I bring in Nadia Bilchik for this mornings Passport. Don't start a new controversy. We just got past this with the President and the birth certificate and Donald Trump and he was born in Hawaii. Now you're going to throw Ireland into the mix?
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN ANCHOR: Well this is what he said, let's hear from the President himself about his Irish ancestry.
HOLMES: Okay.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I have ancestors in Ireland where my great, great, great, great, grandfather came from so I'm looking forward to going there and having a pint.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BILCHIK: His great, great, great, great, grandfather came from Ireland and on the 17th of March this year, which was St. Patrick's Day, the day they say everybody's Irish on St. Paddy's day. President Obama said to the Prime Minister of Ireland, Enda Kenny, I am coming to Ireland before I go to England next week on the Group of Eight Summit. So, apparently on Monday 23rd he's going to be visiting Ireland. But most excited are the people from the village of Moneygall where apparently the great, great, great, great grandfather, who's name was Paul O'Hara are so excited they wrote a song for him and you have to hear this T.J., it will put you in a great morning mood. Let's hear "Tipoff" with their Obama song for his visit to Ireland next week.
UNIDENTIFIED SINGER: Come on Barack Obama, in Washington and New York and California, too now you are the President and the White House --
BILCHIK: Now you are the President in the White House you are resident. Don't you love it? There is Cornelius, in the White House you are resident. It's called "Tipoff." And it's so exciting because yesterday I spoke to Cornelius Ryan and he said, "I was watching the video of Obama's Grandmother in Kenya and I said why aren't they celebrating is African ancestry. We need to celebrate his Irish ancestry. And so they wrote the song and what's beautiful is if you go to tipoff.com the money from the song on Obama goes to an orphanage in Kenya.
HOLMES: Did they know this before or was it when he made that admission?
BILCHIK: Only when he made the admission and they discussed it, they were so delighted that he came from Moneygall. They were so proud, they have Obama shirts called Obama's. There's Obama memorabilia. There are Obama busts in the bars in Moneygall and I'm so hoping on Monday 23rd when he goes to Ireland to visit Enda Kenny, the Prime Minister that he does take the half an hour helicopter ride to Donegal. I hope so because they want him to hear their song.
HOLMES: I wonder if he's heard it already. Nadia Bilchik, always a pleasure. Thank you so much.
We'll take a turn now to some politics. Mike Huckabee is out before he even got in. Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul said they are in, talking about the Republican Presidential field for 2012 may be starting to take shape. Other GOP contenders visiting key states in the coming week. Our Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser has that and more.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Good morning T.J. Rahm Emanuel starts his new job tomorrow. The former White House Chief of Staff and Congressman is sworn in as Chicago's new Mayor.
Monday, Newt Gingrich kicks off a 17 city and town tour of Iowa. The former House Speaker just announced a few days ago that he's running for the Republican Presidential nomination and Iowa is to go first in his road to the White House.
It's a week of raising money for Presidential contenders. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney mans the phonebank at an event in Las Vegas while former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is the main attraction at a fundraiser in Minneapolis. And the man they want to beat, President Barack Obama heads a fundraiser in Boston for his re- election campaign.
Former Utah Governor, Jon Huntsman who just stepped down as Ambassador to China looks more and more like a Presidential candidate this week, he meets and greets voters in New Hampshire Thursday and Friday. The state holds the first primary on the Presidential calendar. Also Thursday Donald Trump is in South Carolina which is the first Southern state to vote in the primaries. The billionaire business man and real estate mogul and reality TV star says he'll decide by June if he'll run for the White House. T.J.?
HOLMES: Thanks to our Paul Steinhauser. We're 12 minutes to the top of the hour.
This weekend Major League Baseball is celebrating baseball's pioneers. Among them, Hammerin' Hank, got a chance to sit down with him, the one time home run king, some will tell you is still home run king. Talking about the game's future and why he's not so optimistic.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Major League Baseball having its fifth annual civil rights game today and it's happening in our backyard and the backyard of one of baseball's greatest stars, Hank Aaron. Got a chance to sit down with him this weekend, certainly had to talk a little baseball but there is so much more to him and to his legacy than just baseball. Talked to him about the change from his day to today.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
HOLMES: The election of a black President in this country. Compare that if you can, if you will to Jackie Robinson breaking into Major League Baseball and what you did in Major League Baseball as far as your chase history. How do they compare when it comes to those types of events being catalysts for change in this country? We might not know until later what the election of Barack Obama did for the country but as far as catalysts for change how would you compare the two?
HANK AARON, FORMER BASEBALL PLAYER: Well, it's a whole lot different than what President Obama is up against now. You know, the change in fact him being President of the United States, I don't know how I could compare that to anything other than to say that if Dr. King were living today he would have said well done, son, we've made a tremendous change, moved in the right direction.
HOLMES: You said riding on the shoulders of the giants, of Dr. King, of Jackie Robinson. A lot of people would put you in that same vein of Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King, Ambassador Young and others. You still hold those guys to a higher esteem.
AARON: I do. I hold them much higher than I do. They were great in more ways than one. Not only because of what they stood for but what they stood for to bring to the civil rights table for other blacks to chew on and ride on.
HOLMES: What is the state of baseball these days? How is it doing today? Is it's popularity waning at all?
AARON: It could be a lot better. We don't have as many African- Americans playing baseball as we used to have. Any time we have an economic struggle in this country, we, we, the blacks, are going to feel the pinch quicker than anybody and baseball is a very expensive game.
HOLMES: Kids can turn on TV and see that immediate, instant fame or whatnot from basketball or football.
AARON: I don't believe baseball has sold itself as much in the black area as it should have. Somehow football was done a terrific job and basketball another terrific job and selling its sports in the areas.
You look at it deep enough is if that young kid who is seven, ten, twelve years old, playing baseball, growing up, wants to play baseball and by the time he gets it to 18 where he can get to college, here comes the football coach. The football coach says we have a four- year scholarship and looking somewhere else because we have not made the progress in baseball that we needed to make, where that black kid can look up and say Hank Aaron is part owner of a ball club. We haven't done that, basketball has done that. Basketball has owners and this black kid and the black mother, father can look out and see that that kid, if he makes it, he's got a chance to go on to greater things.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HOLMES: You're going to be hearing more from my conversation with Hank Aaron ahead and at 8.00am, find out who he thinks helped him achieve his success. It was a surprising answer here.
Also a reminder, you heard from them earlier in this newscast, you'll hear from them again. Also sat down, as part of Civil Rights Weekend, Morgan Freeman, Carlos Santana, and Hall of Fame Ernie Banks also being honored this weekend. I had a chance to sit down with him last night. You'll hear from them throughout the morning as well.
Coming up a single mother fighting to keep her home. She got so desperate she even asked the President for help. In two and a half minutes, find out what she's doing next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Owing more on a home than it's actually worth. Unfortunately that has been a reoccurring nightmare for homeowners the past few years, not ending any time soon but as CNN's Sandra Endo reports, there are a few reasons to be optimistic.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
SANDRA ENDO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This is what Nancy Logan is fighting for, a big backyard and a room to read in with her daughter, Carly. The place in Northern Virginia they've called home for 12 years. NANCY LOGAN, TROUBLED HOMEOWNER: I owe more on the house than it's worth so that's my situation. It's kind of scary and stressful to have the financial pressure.
ENDO: Logan found out her job is being eliminated and mortgage is going up $1,000 a month in January after her loan modification terms expire. Three years ago she had to be inventive just to get her lender to hear her out.
LOGAN: I sent a picture of my daughter and I to the mortgage company in front of the house and said we're not just a loan number. Please help me because I wasn't getting any response.
ENDO: This time around she took her plight to President Obama asking for his help at a CBS News Town Hall forum.
LOGAN: My question to you, Mr. President, is do you have any plans to help improve the housing market so hard working Americans like myself don't lose our homes.
OBAMA: We've got more work to do, so, we are trying to expand the loan modification program to reach more people.
ENDO: Millions of home owners like Logan are underwater in their properties. A new nationwide survey from the home value website, zillo.com shows first quarter home prices declined three percent. The sharpest drop since 2008. The Housing and Urban Development Secretary says so far the Administration helped grant nearly 4 million loan modifications for struggling homeowners, but admits the market remains fragile.
SHAUN DONOVAN, HUD SECRETARY: I would say there are encouraging signs. There are also signs of caution. We've got accelerating job growth and that should help the housing market lift. The issue is that there was so much damage done in the crisis.
ENDO: Some housing experts are trying to look at the silver lining.
LAWRENCE YUN, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS: The decline that is occurring at the moment is in the single digits. So, this is not a major decline and in some markets, based upon their local economy, the prices are actually firming up.
ENDO: Optimism Logan is hanging on to.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm hopeful. I am a survivor.
ENDO: Sandra Endo, CNN, Centreville, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Good morning.
They have made the difficult decision to open the floodgates. This was yesterday, the Army Corps of Engineers making that decision. More floodgates could be opened today. That means that some cities now will be saved but others won't.
Also, a Grammy winner, an Oscar winner and Hall of Famer and me. Who doesn't belong in this picture? Yes, Morgan Freeman, Ernie Banks, Carlos Santana spending some time with this weekend.
You'll hear from them and hear who they say is directly responsible for President Obama being in the White House.
Welcome to you all, top of the hour here on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes. Glad you could be here with us.
We do have to start with what is intentional flooding in Louisiana. One flood gate is opened now on that Morganza Spillway. More gates expected to be opened later today. The whole purpose here is to try to relieve pressure on that swollen Mississippi River.
Army Corps of Engineers opened that spillway. And what they did here to try to save Baton Rouge and New Orleans by diverting a lot of the water. In doing, though, it's going to head towards other low- lying areas in Louisiana, and possibility flood hundreds and hundreds of homes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COL. ED FLEMING, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: When you have an evacuation order from a local elected official or local law enforcement official, you need to understand what's important to you, pack up a few important things, get your family and heed their advice.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. So, those pictures we were showing of that water gushing out, exactly -- I mean, it's hard to get a good idea of how much water we're talking about here. But listen to this -- by the end of this hour, 269 million gallons will flow through there. Now, exactly how much is that? Yes, it sounds like a lot.
But here's some perspective for you. The water flowing out of that one gate, that one gate, is half of what's flowing over Niagara Falls right now. If they opened all the gates, that spillway will generate about the same flow in one hour that Niagara Falls does all day long. You get that?
All of this now heading down the flood plain in central Louisiana, towards evacuated communities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right here in the boat (ph), for the last four days in and out, you have people coming, going to their camps, getting everything they own out of the camp because they probably won't have a camp left.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We took a chance. We purchased the property because we love the river. The river has always been a part of our lives. And if the river destroys property, then that's what has to be.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: This is heartbreaking Reynolds and the decision they have to make, the Army Corps of Engineers. You know, it's a tough one. But I understand as well, folks who have lived in those areas where that water is headed now, they kind of get a heads up every near. They know this is a possibility every single year.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: They always know it's a possibility. But you're right, this is a very difficult decision to make.
T.J., this is essentially cutting off your thumb to save your hand.
HOLMES: Wow.
WOLF: It's that kind of a situation. There are no winners in this at all. There are some that are going to be a little more fortunate than others. But long term, with an event like, everyone is going to lose.
HOLMES: Yes.
WOLF: Yes. Let's go right to the map and show you what we have. It's a very frightening thing to see, but despite all the water that we're talking about, moving out of the Morganza floodgates, it is still amazing how long it's going to take to get down to Morgan City.
This area you see surrounded by the blue. The blue represents your levee system and it's a big one. The only things that's crazy about this is it's going to take it quite a while to get through here by late Sunday, then about midway by Monday. Then by Tuesday, the water should be approaching Morgan City.
Another frightening concept is when you have these level systems, many of these levees have been untested. So, they're really going to be tested with their fortitude over the next several days -- no question about it. But although you're going to have massive flooding, some 3,000 square miles homes, and 25,000 people, over 11,000 structures, a lot of that could be under as much as 20 feet of water, perhaps as much as 25 feet of water in some spots, you'll have lower flood issues along parts of the Mississippi River, including Baton Rouge.
Let's take a look at some of the numbers that we have for you in terms of the record flooding. The feet above flood stage, Vicksburg, as of May 19th, you're going to be 14.5 feet above major flood stage. Take a look at the Red River Landing, again, above flood stage. They are 16.5 feet. In Natchez, May 21st, 15.5. Baton Rouge, only 10 feet above flood stage, and that is due in part to the rerouting, the diversion, if you will, of the water moving a little bit further off to the west. And in New Orleans, only minor flooding. And again, that's because of the measure that is being made today. Certainly a frustrating thing, no question about it. One thing we have in our favors if the weather is going to cooperate, not expecting any heavy precipitation at all in parts of the Mississippi Delta.
T.J., back to you.
HOLMES: All right. Reynolds, we appreciate you as always. Of course, we will check in with Reynolds again plenty throughout the morning.
Now, five past the hour here now. President Obama headed to Memphis tomorrow. He's going to see some of that flooding firsthand, scheduled to also give the commencement address at a local high school that won the White House Race to Top competition. He will meet with families affected by that flooding in Shelby County, where Memphis is located. It's just one of many Tennessee counties declared federal disaster areas, making them eligible for aid from the government.
Also, new details we are getting in this morning about the arrest of the head of the International Monetary Fund. You might not be that familiar with the organization and you might not know his name. But this is significant.
His name is Dominique Strauss-Kahn. You see him there. But he was in New York City in his hotel room and apparently, he's accused of attempting to rape a maid who was there to clean his Times Square hotel room.
Now, he was then pulled off of a plane. He was headed from New York to Paris. Just moments before it took off, they did get him off that plane. He's under arrest.
Now, the other thing you need to know about him is that in France, he is considered the front-runner or at least was considered the front-runner for next year's French presidential election. Also, on his schedule today, he was supposed to meet with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, as well.
This man is married, has four children, was investigated by the IMF for an alleged affair with a subordinate back in 2008, called that an error in judgment at the time.
We'll have much more on this. We'll be checking in live in Paris with our Jim Bittermann in the next hour.
Also, more violence in Egyptian neighborhood in Cairo, in particular. This is involving Coptic Christians. Egyptian state television reporting that at least two people are dead, 60 more hurt. The violence erupted during a pro-Coptic sit-in demonstration at the state TV building. The group was demanding greater rights for the religious minority when they were attacked by several men in plain clothes.
Potential Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is no longer a potential presidential candidate, says he is not running despite the fact that he is at the top of the number of polls. He made the announcement last night on his FOX News show.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE HUCKABEE (R), FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: All the factors say go; but my heart says no. And that's the decision that I've made. And in it, I finally found some resolution.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Also, this morning, got some new photos of pop star Michael Jackson to show you. These are from 33 years ago. Michael Jackson was 19 years old at the time. The pictures were taken by Reginald Garcia. Reginald happened to be an inventor. He is now selling the 130 previously unpublished photos to try to help launch an electric motor he claims generates more electricity than it uses.
Also, one of the worst things about devastating southern tornadoes that people lost so much, including, they lost a lot of family photos, things you can't replaced. But one woman in Alabama, she came out with an idea, started a Facebook page for people to reclaim photos and other keepsakes founds hundreds of miles away. We are checking in with her after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Twelve minutes past the hour now.
After the devastating Southern tornadoes, an Alabama woman found photos that had blown into her yard from hundreds of miles away. She said she just had to track down the owners and get all that stuff back to them. Her name is Patty Bullion and she started a Facebook page to connect lost items from the storms with their owners. And so far, it has been an overwhelming success.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATTY BULLION, CREATOR, FACEBOOK LOST AND FOUND: We're very fortunate in our home. It went over, but we didn't have any damage. But when I went outside, there was an ultrasound picture laying in the yard. And my children and a husband and I got out and we found six or seven pictures laying in our yard. And we just couldn't imagine holding on to the precious ultrasound picture and not finding a way to get it back to its owner?
HOLMES: Now, were you able to get that one back to its owner?
BULLION: We have possibly made an identification on it. Of course, right now, a lot of the storm survivors don't have permanent homes. They're spotty getting on the Internet. So, I have had a lady contact me to say it's hers, but she hasn't written back to make complete contact there.
HOLMES: Well, we'll see if it ends up being the right person. And you'd get that back to her. We'd love to follow up about that. But, also, what else stands out to you? I know you found a lot of items. But I guess, what are ones -- or one or two you could tell me about that really jumped out at you?
BULLION: Well, actually one that really jumped out at me belonged to a church in Smithfield, Mississippi, which is a little over 150 miles away from us. It was a deacons' slip, where it had all the current serving deacons listed on it and it had a place to write in where you wanted to nominate.
And we posted it on the Facebook page, and within just minutes, we started getting comments that it was from the Smithfield Baptist Church. And I actually spoke with the preacher down there and it's going back to their church. It's just a little bit of history that they didn't have.
HOLMES: And I know there's another -- I think you were able to return one. It was a prom picture? Do I have that right?
BULLION: Yes, there was a prom picture. Actually, a friend of mine returned that one. It was the first one posted on the Facebook page that I didn't personally post. But I guess that she is a friend of mine that lives right down the road from us, and that has a strange twist.
My uncle actually found a child's work book page that was writing about a hat. And that actually ended up belonging to the same little girl. She's a sophomore in college now, but had done this page when she was in the third grade.
HOLMES: How many items -- do you have an estimate of how many you have been able to return?
BULLION: We're estimating right around the 1,000 mark. A couple days ago, it was a little over 500. It's amazing how fast they've been claimed. I posted a picture the other night and it was claimed within 60 seconds.
People are on -- they're looking, they're wanting just a little piece of their history back. These are memories that can't be replaced. And when they're finding out about it, they're just searching it. I had people on two or three times a day looking for new pictures that might be theirs.
HOLMES: OK. What is the name of the site? We're looking at it. But I'm sure people want to check it out. What is the actual name of it? How can they find it?
BULLION: It is just simply named "Pictures and documents found after the April 27th, 2011 tornadoes." I wanted to name it exactly what it was, so that it wasn't hard to find.
HOLMES: How many items -- I guess, how far away? You described one from a church that was a little ways away. But how many items are you finding that were not just from up the street or around the block or even across the town, but from a way away somewhere? BULLION: The majority of items that are being claimed are from over 100 miles away.
HOLMES: Wow.
BULLION: I actually had one lady the other day that she claimed a picture from a little over 300 miles away. That's just amazing to think about.
HOLMES: Ma'am, that is great work. You decided to take it upon yourself to do this and I'm sure people really, really appreciate it.
But, again, Patty Bullion, again, the creator of that webpage. I'm going to post it out here and send it to our folks who are on Twitter and Facebook. And we're going to continue to get the message out. But, congratulations on the work you're doing. Good to see you this morning.
BULLION: Well, thank you very much.
(END VIDEOTAE)
HOLMES: All right. Sixteen minutes past the hour now.
You might remember a couple weeks ago, I told you that commercial airline pilots have the most stressful job out there. Newscasters number five, but I'm cool this morning.
Now, CareerCast just come out with a list of the least stressful jobs. Would you believe those folks that are cleaning your teeth? Dental hygienist coming number five. Number four, computer programmers. And then at number three, software engineers.
But, the two jobs we all need to be applying for, I'll have those for you right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Eighteen minutes past the hour now.
CareerCast with their list of least stressful jobs. You have dental hygienist. You have computer programmer, software engineers fairing pretty well this morning, not worried about work.
The top two if you want to avoid stress in your world -- number two, think about those dietitians not stressed. This is a list from CareerCast. And number one on the list, audiologists. These are the people who diagnose and treat hearing problems. You can expect an income around $63,000 a year.
Well, listen to this, a $2 million research project focusing on student nutrition coming under fire in Texas. This is called a calorie camera. What it does is it snaps a picture of a lunch tray and then the computer analyzes what the student eats.
Critics say the money would be better spent on improving teacher salaries. The school board is going to vote on the calorie cam later this month.
And, of course, we all want the best for our kids, but parents can't be everywhere at all times. That's why it's a good idea to teach children more than just how to dial 911. Here now, our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: If there were an emergency in your house, would your child know how to jump into action? We don't think of kids as being EMTs, but, really, they can learn how to handle emergencies even when they're quite young.
For example, Tristan Sagan (ph). Tristan Sagan was outside with his 2-year-old sister Brooke when she fell into the pool. Well, the adults got her out of the poll and then ran to go call 911. And Tristan, on his own, started doing CPR and got her breathing again.
How did he know CPR? His parents had taught him.
You can teach your child what to do in these five emergencies.
For example, let's look at choking. You can teach your child about blows to the back and abdominal thrusts. In case of bleeding, you can teach your child to apply pressure.
And what about a fire? Teach them stop, drop and roll.
If someone is drowning, you can tell your child what to throw them to help keeps them afloat.
And, finally, if someone isn't breathing, you can teach them the basics of hands-only CPR.
For instructions on how to teach these techniques to your kids, go to CNN.com/EmpoweredPatient. There are videos there you can watch with your child.
For "Empowered Patient," I'm Elizabeth Cohen.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Twenty-three minutes past the hour.
Major League Baseball celebrating this weekend, celebrating civil rights, doing it right here in Atlanta, honoring the past legends and also looking ahead to the future. There have been special events this weekend -- a youth summit yesterday. Today, they're actually playing the fifth annual civil rights game between the Atlanta Braves and the Philadelphia Phillies. They're going to be wearing their uniforms from 1974. That is the year that Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record.
And as part of this weekend's celebrations, Major League Baseball celebrations are handing out the Beacon Awards for special achievements. Among the recipients: Morgan Freeman, Carlos Santana and baseball Hall of Famer Ernie Banks.
I was able to get all three of these guys in the same room. Listen to them now as we talk about a pair of historic firsts.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Mr. Banks, could you even imagine -- I guess, there was a time you couldn't imagine there being a black player in Major League Baseball. But now, there's a black president. What was your thought?
ERNIE BANKS, BASEBALL HALL OF FAMER: It was, you know, very unique. You know, I didn't ever think it was going to be a black manager or black general manager. And Jackie said this, you know, 1972, he said he felt that baseball had to reach this pinnacle, unless you se a black man standing on that third base coaching.
So, it begins with him, you know, back with him. Jackie was really a pioneer. I think he is responsible for Barack Obama being the president of the United States, going way back then. It was before the civil rights movement. Jackie was a person who lived up to all of that and helped change that superiority and inferiority to --
MORGAN FREEMAN, OSCAR-WINNING ACTOR: More of an equality.
BANKS: What? More of an equality.
HOLMES: That was a profound statement right there. Jackie Robinson is responsible for Barack Obama being in the White House? You think people forget that sometimes and sometimes just put it in the category because it was sports?
FREEMAN: It's a long string, but every now and then, somebody comes along connects both ends so that they can see it clearly again. I don't know if we forget it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Yes. We're not done with these legends this morning. A lot more of my conversation with them next hour, talking about civil rights struggle, immigration as well, and what the "word" minority really means in this country. You will hear that next hour.
Also, yesterday, he was a well-respected financier in line for the French presidency. Today, he's behind bars in New York. Details ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: The head of the International Monetary Fund under arrest on charges, including attempting or attempted rape. Sixty-two-year- old Dominique Strauss-Kahn was pulled of an Air France flight just before he left JFK yesterday after a hotel maid claims he sexually assaulted her. The IMF is acknowledging Kahn's arrest but reserving comment at this point. Also, let's try this again -- NASA giving a thumbs-up for the launch tomorrow morning of the shuttle Endeavour. The shuttle's original April 29th date launch was scrubbed because of a faulty heater. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, of course, she is the wife of mission commander, Mark Kelly, is among the thousands of spectators expected to watch the shuttle's last flight from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Well, I'll be back with you at the top of the hour with more live news. But we're going to hand it over to "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." and he'll have a special report on "Saving Gabrielle Giffords." That starts right now.
