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Obama Visits Joplin; Path of Destruction; Joplin Still Reeling from Tornado, Tuscaloosa Starts to Rebuild After Tornado; NBA Battle Shaping Up

Aired May 29, 2011 - 18:00   ET

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

DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: It is the first Sunday since the Sunday it struck. And today, in Joplin, Missouri, the president arrives, paying tribute to those who lost their lives and those who survived this killer tornado.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is bad. Oh, my gosh! This is awful.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: In this hour, at exactly 6:41 Eastern, the town of Joplin will observe a moment of silence for their own tribute. We'll have those pictures.

Also, across the world, incredible pictures from Yemen as troops opened fire from the rooftops. People have been marched to demand the release of political prisoners and the bullets rained down.

And Sarah Palin thundering into D.C. today, but is she ready to roll into the presidential race? "The Best Political Team on Television" is weighing in.

I'm Drew Griffin. The news starts now.

In the headlines tonight, President Obama went to Joplin, Missouri, today. It was his first chance to see the unimaginable damage caused by last Sunday's F-5 tornado. He spoke at a memorial service for the 142 known victims. A live report on the president's visit and what he told the people of Joplin is just ahead.

Sarah Palin drew a lot of attention, rolling into Washington, D.C. on the back of a Harley Davidson, part of Rolling Thunder, a ride that pays and vowing never to forget prisoners of war and soldiers still missing.

Despite all the symbolism of the moment, the former Alaska governor insists she is just riding, not running, at least not yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm an American. I have no title. I have no office. And to be an American citizen with the freedom to come out here and assemble and thank our veterans, I can't tell you how honored I am to be invited.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: Lockheed-Martin says its information system network has been attacked, but no customer data was compromised. The company is one of the world's largest defense contractors. It said its security team quickly detected the attack last weekend. It says President Obama and government officials were briefed on the incident.

(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)

GRIFFIN: This is that heavy gunfire ringing out in southern Yemen today. Security forces and gunmen in civilian clothing opening fire on protestors. This is in the city of Taiz.

The demonstrators were demanding the release of political prisoners. At least people were killed, 90 others injured. There were also reports of explosions near the capital Sanaa.

Demonstrators demanding President Ali Abdullah Saleh step down have rocked Yemen for months now.

Serbian police clashed with ultra-nationalist protestors -- this in Belgrade today. The demonstrators protesting Thursday's arrest of war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic. Much of the march was peaceful. People threw rocks at police who responded by beating and kicking them. It ended up with nearly 20 people injured.

Mladic is accused of ordering the massacre of Bosnians Muslims in the 1990's civil war.

Well, President Obama is due back at the White House this hour after spending several hours in Joplin, Missouri. It was exactly one week ago that an F-5 tornado ripped through the city, killing at least 142 people in minutes. A moment of silence will happen at 6:41 Eastern, 35 minutes from now. It will mark the precise instant that tornado hit.

Our Dan Lothian is traveling with the president. Dan, people were happy the president came? Or was it a distraction?

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, no, they certainly were pleased that the president did make the visit. As you know, he was overseas for a number of days and was not able to come here any sooner than now, but according to White House aides, throughout the time of his journeys across Europe, he did get briefed by his top aides. He also received a briefing this morning.

The president flying in here and they circled around the area where it was most heavily impacted by that tornado -- the president getting an aerial view and then landing on the ground along with some local state officials. The president had a chance to see the damage and devastation up close. He also met with some of the people who survived the storm, the tornado.

And then the president attended the memorial service where he spoke for about 15 minutes talking about some of the touching emotional stories that occurred throughout this tragedy, where complete strangers helped each other, where one individual nearly gave his life in order to help others survive the killer tornado. And then the president said that the U.S., the federal government, would stand by Joplin -- the people of Joplin and would not desert them, even after the cameras have gone.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will be with you every step of the way. We are not going anywhere. The cameras may leave. The spotlight may shift. But we will be with you every step of the way until Joplin is restored and this community is back on its feet. We're not going anywhere!

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LOTHIAN: So, the president also had a message for all Americans, encouraging them to support the various organizations that are busy providing food and shelter for the hundreds of people who have been displaced by the tornado, Drew.

GRIFFIN: Dan Lothian in Joplin -- thanks, Dan.

Last Sunday's twister left a mangled path of death and debris, initially said to be five or six miles long. But our Casey Wian checked it out for himself and found it was twice that length.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CASEY WIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Show us the initial damage from the tornado.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Initially, the little trees started through there and then it went over here, that's the trailer, the working trailer.

WIAN: So this is ground zero of the Joplin tornado. And we're going to drive its entire length from west to east to get a good picture of just how widespread the damage was.

Here's the first downed power lines, major electrical transmission lines -- one reason much of Joplin is without electrical power.

So, less than a mile into our journey, you see the first homes that have lost part of their roofs. You can see over on this house a sign warning, 'looters will be shot."

You can see some of the power company crews who are working on repairing these downed electrical lines. That will be vital to this area's recovery.

We are now about three miles into our journey, and you see behind me that by the time the tornado got here, it destroyed almost everything in its path, including one of the iconic images of the disaster, St. John's Hospital. Now about four miles into the path of the tornado, this is where we first came just hours after it hit. We spoke with a family who was trying to salvage what they could despite the driving rain and hailstorm.

JAMES BLACKWOOD, JOPLIN RESIDENT: It was normally starting off in hail, I'm used to that. And then it just went insane afterwards.

WIAN: Here's the collapsed Home Depot where we met 17-year-old Aundrea Osborn who is desperately searching for her dad.

AUNDREA OSBORN, TORNADO VICTIM: My dad and my uncle are in there. And I'm just -- I'm hoping and praying to God they are OK.

WIAN: It turned out they were buried in the rubble.

So, we are now about seven miles to the east of where the tornado first touched down. As you can see, there's still lots of damage here. So, those original estimates of six miles on the ground are way too conservative.

This is where Jim and Stacy Richards live. Stacy survived the tornado by hanging on to two dog crates as her home collapsed around and on top of her.

STACY RICHARDS, TORNADO VICTIM: That was awful. Laying there, screaming and screaming and screaming -- and it was horrible.

WIAN: This week, they got their insurance settlement so they can rebuild.

How far east did it go?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not sure, there's damage over in the next mile section.

WIAN: We are now 12 miles due east of where we started this journey and where the tornado first touched down. This is the area where locals say the tornado actually lifted off the ground, meaning its path is twice as long as first estimated.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: And Casey Wian joins us live from Joplin.

Very interesting report, not only in the length of the damage, but the trail of agony all along the way, Casey. What stood out most about this?

WIAN: What stood out most to me was just the scope, the magnitude of this. We've been hearing all week that this tornado went for six miles on the ground. It seemed to us that maybe it was longer than that. So, we thought we'd check it out for ourselves.

Now, I want to point out that the National Weather Service today has updated their estimate of the path of this tornado. They used aerial reconnaissance photographs and look at the tree tops, to see where leaves and branches were gone. And they came up with 13 miles, they came up with a path that sort of went like this and then like this.

Ours was a straight line, 12 miles. So, pretty close.

All we know is this tornado was on the ground for a lot longer than a lot of people first thought, Drew.

(CROSSTALK)

WIAN: I also want to mention one more thing.

GRIFFIN: Yes.

WIAN: Over my left shoulder, you mentioned that moment of silence ceremony that is about to happen, that -- those are the folks that are gathering for that. They are expecting several hundred people here at this site just south side of St. John's Medical Center. There are several other sites around the city where they are hoping folks will gather and observe that moment of silence, which is expected to come in a half hour or so, Drew.

GRIFFIN: All right. Casey, we will join the people there and observe that with them, hopefully, within the next half hour or so.

Casey Wian reporting from Joplin, Missouri.

And as we stand by for that moment of silence, we want to also bring you some other others. Why are we seeing so many of these powerful tornadoes this year? We're going to show you the science behind how they are formed. That's next.

And Sarah Palin rolling into the nation's capital with bikers. We're going to tell you why and what she had to say today to our cameras. That's just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: We have just gotten some new information that may increase the death toll in Joplin, Missouri. The deputy director of Missouri's Department of Public Safety held a news conference saying that there are now 146 sets of human remains. If that holds, that would be up four new bodies found -- just releasing that information this afternoon. We will continue to follow that as we continue to follow the aftermath of this storm.

You know, the signature of last Sunday's tornado in Joplin, Missouri, was its size and power. And earlier this week, I asked CNN meteorologist Chad Myers how a tornado of such veracity can form. As you'll see, it's a volatile mixture of heat and moisture.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Humidity on the ground, it starts to rise. Like a hot air balloon. When the sun comes out, it heats the ground, the ground warms up and the air wants to rise. As the air rises into space, it goes up higher and higher and higher, and gets into colder and colder air.

So, all the particles start to congeal out here. All the humidity comes in and then it goes straight up in the air. You see these towering cumulus clouds -- a lot like everything in the northern hemisphere that spins to the right and everything in the southern hemisphere that spins to the left.

Eventually, if you move this stuff long enough on the way up, literally 60,000 feet in the sky, 12 miles from the surface to the top, you will get this spin. And, eventually, the whole storm spins into the back half, we call it the mesocyclone. It's the conservation of angular momentum.

It's like an ice skater. Bringing her arms in, she skates and skates faster, the more closer her arms were in. And at the bottom of this mesocyclone, a tornado falls out, comes out of this storm.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: We're going to have much more on the science of tornadoes and why this year has been so deadly, coming up in our one-hour special, "A Twister's Fury." That's at 8:00 p.m. Eastern here on CNN.

There are still 44 people unaccounted for after the tornado in Joplin, and our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras met a woman who didn't know if her grandmother was alive or dead for days. Jacqui helped track down an answer.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TABITHA FREEMAN, SEARCHING FOR GRANDMOTHER: Before, I was told there was no body found in the rubble and that they had seen an elderly woman digging through the rubble, but they don't know where she went. You know, I can't locate her anywhere.

JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST (voice-over): Tabitha Freeman has been trying for days to locate her 67-year-old grandmother, Ellen. She lived here on Pitcher (ph) Street, where the homes are so demolished, they have to be identified with spray paint on the sidewalk.

FREEMAN: That's the bathroom. And that's -- they always say the safest place to be is in the bathroom. And, look, it's just -- even if she would have been in there, she wouldn't have made it, because it has collapsed on itself.

JERAS: Tabitha drove to Joplin from Oklahoma, hoping to get answers after not being able to contact nearby relatives and trying online services.

FREEMAN: I still have a lot of friends and family here in Joplin. Just the not knowing, you know? I mean, I know a lot of people are missing loved ones.

JERAS: Earlier I met neighbor Aaron Cole, who said he knows almost everyone on the block. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, she is -- she is alive. Ms. Cook, she got stuck in her basement door, the entryway there. She's all right, too. And I didn't know that, Ms. Freeman, you know, she did make it, too. She's in the hospital somewhere.

FREEMAN: OK. Well, that will make it's easier.

JERAS: We called Freeman Hospital in Joplin to see if she was there. She wasn't. In the confusion immediately following the tornado, the records show that she was transferred to three different hospitals. We were ready to try them all.

(on camera): Yes, I'm looking for a possible patient. Ellen Freeman. I do. Thank you very much.

She's in room 612 in Arkansas.

(voice-over): Grandma Ellen Freeman was found OK and resting in an Arkansas hospital.

FREEMAN: Is Ellen Freeman in this room? OK. Well, this is her granddaughter. And I just now figured out where she's at. OK. No. That's fine, as long as I know where she's at now. JERAS: Tabitha said she plans to get to know her grandmother better now.

FREEMAN: Kind of sad to say it takes this to, you know, make you realize, you know, you don't really have all that long, because you never know when it's going to end, you know? I mean, for all I know -- you know, she could have been crushed or, you know, died or something.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: Wow, what a story, Jacqui. It's so interesting that must have been played out hundreds of times across Joplin, people just not knowing where to find her. How is her grandmother?

JERAS: She's doing better. She's still in the hospital right now. She's had a couple of surgeries since that time. She's not critical but she's still fragile enough that Tabitha has not been able to speak with her. She's just too weak to talk, still.

GRIFFIN: I was impressed by you on the block and the neighbor was saying, oh, this one is there, this one is there, this one is OK -- was that the story of Joplin, just multiple people searching and searching for their loved ones?

JERAS: Oh, yes. It's such a small tight-knit community. People wanted to try to help each other as much as they could. Aaron Cole in that story knew everybody in that block. His grandparents lived there. He mowed the grass of Ms. Freeman, and that's how he knew.

So, we were lucky that we were able to help connect. But it gives you an idea of just -- you know, the chaos of the moments after the tornado and even the days after, there was no communication. Tabitha wasn't able to reach her relatives who live in the town because their cell phones were out of service. And she tried online services as well and none of that worked for her. So, she got in her truck and she drove to Oklahoma. She's like, I'm going to do everything I can to find these answers.

GRIFFIN: All right. Jacqui, thanks so much. A positive story at least on this long week.

JERAS: Yes, nice to get a couple.

GRIFFIN: OK, thanks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PALIN: I'm an American. I have no title. I have no office. And to be --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: No title, no office, but Sarah Palin making a lot of noise. Thousands of bikers joined her to honor the nation's veterans. You'll hear what she had to say to our cameras, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PALIN: Oh, I'm here to support our vets. I'm thankful Rolling Thunder keeps the mission (ph) alive! We're making sure that Americans don't forget our vets whom we owed a debt of gratitude.

SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) this event at all?

PALIN: (INAUDIBLE) like I am? No, no.

I'm an American. I have no title. I have no office. And to be an American citizen with the freedom to come out here and assemble and thank our veterans, I can't tell you how honored I am to be invited to participate.

ENDO: What about the bus tour?

PALIN: The bus tour is to get out there and remind that Americans about our foundation and our Constitution and the historical sites that should be a reminder every day to every American by how important it is to stand strong on our foundation, and build upon what made us the greatest country on earth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GRIFFIN: That, of course, is the one and only Sarah Palin hanging out with her family and thousands of bikers. They gather every Memorial Day weekend in D.C. to honor America's vets. Palin's appearance at Rolling Thunder caused a bit of a sensation.

CNN political reporter Peter Hamby is here with more.

And, Peter, you know Sarah Palin. You covered her during the 2008 campaign. She said it is just a citizen. A lot of people think today's event is a much bigger deal.

Is this a calculated move to get back in the spotlight?

PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: The short answer is yes. This is absolutely a calculated move.

If you recall just earlier this week, pundits in D.C., Republican insiders, have declared the Republican presidential field to be a done deal. Sarah Palin enjoys the spotlight, she was lying low for several months and then, all of a sudden, you saw a flurry of news about her political and public activities coming out. And the short answer is, as people in Washington sort of decide on their own what the presidential field is going to be like, that is exactly what Sarah Palin wants. She is always thriving on being unpredictable. She has always been underestimated.

So, that's why you are seeing all of a sudden she is coming out of hiding. And here we are in D.C. and the entire political press corps is covering it. And we're going to be chasing her up the East Coast this week, Drew.

GRIFFIN: Yes, she likes to be unpredictable. And that's one thing that I felt in the 2008 campaign she couldn't be. She was so controlled by the McCain camp. Now, we are seeing her potentially buying a house in Arizona. She's got this big bus tour.

What's happening next and when -- if she does announce, when will that happen?

HAMBY: Exactly. Well, the Palin team, her advisers believe -- in my conversations with them -- that she can wait longer to jump into the presidential race than anyone else in the field because of her mega- watt celebrity, because of her about ability to raise money online from small donors. She has her core group of supporters that like her.

So, she doesn't really need to go into these early presidential debates, the Ames straw poll in Iowa, to really introduce herself to voters. She will at some point have to campaign in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina to get some of the momentum earlier in the Republican presidential race. But you're seeing right now, this is just a reminder that she's still a player and that she will not be -- she does not want to be written off as a player.

You might see her just kind of play this game until the fall. And we kind of have to pay attention to it because the power she does command in the Republican primary.

GRIFFIN: You know, where is the bus going next? Is that a big secret or does it have a posted schedule?

HAMBY: It is a big secret. They were supposed to post the schedule on Sarah Palin's Web site. They haven't done that yet. They are keeping this very hush-hush and away from reporters.

Obviously, Sarah Palin is no fan of the mainstream media. We are trying our best to figure that out. But they're still keeping it very mum.

Things have trickled out, like she said in the interview with Sandra Endo. They're going to stop at these places of historical significance up and down the East Coast. We are expecting her in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, tomorrow, later at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.

And eventually, she's going to make her way up to New Hampshire, which is, of course, the fist in the nation primary states. She hasn't visited there since 2008. But that's the state that plays a huge role in the presidential nominating process. So, we are surely going to be paying attention.

But we are just going to be following her and the bus up I-95 starting tomorrow. And it's going to be playing it by ear the whole time, Drew. It will be interesting to say the least.

GRIFFIN: Well, she may not like the so-called mainstream media, but she knows how to play them, doesn't she? Thanks, Peter. Appreciate that.

Well, the president tours tornado damage in Joplin, Missouri. That and more of our top stories is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: In our headlines tonight, we are waiting for a moment of silence to happen in Joplin, Missouri. There are live pictures of the scene there as people are waiting to commemorate the exact moment, 6:41 p.m. Eastern Time. That is when the tornado struck.

President Obama went to Joplin, Missouri, today. It was his first chance to see the unimaginable damage caused by last Sunday's F-5 tornado. He also spoke to a memorial service for the 142 known victims. The president promised continued federal assistance as that city now rebuilds.

Much more on this disaster coming up in our one-hour special, "A Twister's Fury," at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

Sarah Palin is on the move, riding with bikers of Rolling Thunder today in the nation's capital. She told our Sarah Endo that her appearance is just an opportunity to support veterans. But Palin is also launching a multi-city bus tour that will visit historic sites along the East Coast. She has also rehired two top political advisers, renewing speculation that she may be running for the White House.

An icon of healthy eating is being cleared off the dinner table. The Obama administration plans to replace the much-maligned food pyramid with a round plate. The plate will be divided into wedges to represent different food groups. While millions of us instantly recognize the two-decades old pyramid, critics say it is too confusing.

And Lockheed Martin's says its information systems network has been attacked but no customer data has been compromised. The company is one of the largest defense contractors in the U.S. It says, "Security team quickly detected the attacked," which happened last weekend. "The president and government agencies have been briefed on the incident."

It has been a month since tornadoes ravaged Alabama. Are they getting the help they need? We are going to look at recovery efforts next.

And again, waiting for this moment of silence to happen in Joplin, Missouri, as we are looking at live pictures of some children waiting to commemorate the moment. 6:41, 10 minutes from now, when that tornado struck. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Joplin, Missouri, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, are two American cities united now by travesties. Massive tornadoes devastated wide sections of both areas just weeks part. People in Joplin, of course, still reeling from their disaster. In Tuscaloosa, already it has been a month and recovery has begun. As our David Mattingly reports, it is slow going.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): One month since a monster tornado killed 41 people here, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, offers little hope for a quick recovery to the victims of more recent tornadoes in places like Joplin, Missouri.

(on camera): What's this over here?

GAYLE HARDIN, TUSCALOOSA RESIDENT: That's my grandson's tent.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): On the outskirts of Tuscaloosa, I find Gayle Hardin in a moment of despair.

HARDIN: Today, it just hit me that I'm never going to be able to go home again.

MATTINGLY: After living in tents for weeks with her family, almost everything Hardin had still sits in a massive pile next to the road. Letting go of the life she knew has been the hardest thing of all.

HARDIN: I don't know how to start over with everything because everything is just dirt and debris. But I've got my family and we'll make it.

MATTINGLY: A thought echoed daily as small signs of hope slowly emerge. The streets are finally cleared. Water is back on. Electricity returns to more homes by the day.

(on camera): But one thing hasn't changed. So many neighborhoods like this remain in pieces, abandoned, lifeless ghost towns. In fact, if you look around and look at all this destruction that's still all around us here, it looks like the storm that hit yesterday.

(voice-over): And it feels like it to survivors whose lives were broken, bent and battered.

(on camera): What was it that went in here?

STEVEN BROWN (ph), TUSCALOOSA RESIDENT: That was a 2 X 4 four went through there.

MATTINGLY: It went right through the house?

BROWN: Right through the house.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): In one of the hardest-hit areas, Steven Brown is trying to rebuild. His house, the only one on the street still standing, but shredded inside and out by debris.

BROWN: That was a piece of paneling that came through and just wedged inside of that right there, just wedged inside of that wall there.

MATTINGLY (on camera): If someone was hiding in that closet, that wouldn't have been safe, either. Look at that.

BROWN: No. No. Yes, it went straight through.

MATTINGLY: Oh, look, it came all the way through.

BROWN: Yes.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): His family survived huddling and praying in the hallway floor. Three next-door neighbors died.

A Google street view of Brown Street shows a wooded neighborhood that was full of life. This is what it looks like now.

(on camera): After everything that's happened, what made you decide to come back?

BROWN: This is home.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): And like so many hit by this tornado, Brown is getting help from volunteers offering food, sweat and comfort. Brown tells me he's learned something, and wants to tell the people of Joplin don't turn down help and don't give up.

BROWN: If you can't go anywhere, you can always go home, so.

MATTINGLY (on camera): Would it have been easier for you just to pack it in and say, I'm not going back and start over somewhere?

BROWN: Yes, it would have been a whole lot easier. It definitely would have been a whole lot easier, but I won't let this get me down.

MATTINGLY (voice-over): A full month after a deadly tornado and so many still so slow to turn the corner from surviving to recovery. David Mattingly, CNN, Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GRIFFIN: We are bringing you the stories beyond the destruction later this evening, a special "CNN Presents: A Twister's Fury, in the Path of Destruction." That's tonight at 8:00 eastern.

Just moments from now, we'll observe the moment of silence about to take place in Joplin, Missouri, as you are looking live at the people gathering.

We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Welcome back. You are looking at live pictures from Joplin, Missouri. The people there are gathering to mark the exact moment one week ago when an EF-5 tornado struck, killing 142 people.

I'm joined by Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras here in the Atlanta studio.

And we're watching Mark Rohr, the city manager of Joplin, begin to make a presentation where the people will observe a moment of silence.

Jacqui, it is so interesting that a week ago, at this moment, before the actual moment, the storm was brewing.

JERAS: Yes, the storm touched down in Kansas and so it was -- let's listen in.

(MOMENT OF SILENCE)

(SINGING)

GRIFFIN: The name of the song, "Sing Again," as the people of Joplin first observed a moment of silence. Hopefully, a song which will not only help them to remember but to help them get started on getting back to their lives.

JERAS: You can see the closeness of this community. And it is a very faith-based community. They're leaning a lot on prayer and a lot on each other. Only about 50,000 people live in Joplin. Each person knowing somebody certainly impacted by this disaster.

GRIFFIN: And unlike the --

MARK ROHR, CITY MANAGER, JOPLIN, MISSOURI: We'll have a more appropriate and lengthy service when the time is right. We don't think that is, at this point in time, but at some point in the future. We will invite you to that. What a wonderful turnout. We thank you very much for coming out here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you!

(APPLAUSE) ROHR: We will rebuild Joplin. You have my word on it. Go out, do not forget the miracle of the human spirit, as you go from here today. Remember the miracle of the human spirit. We can do anything. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

GRIFFIN: That's the city manager, Mark Rohr. Obviously, this was an organic-kind of gathering for those in Joplin, not as carefully crafted or staged as the president's visit earlier. But it seemed like the community just wanted to get together, Jacque, amongst themselves.

JERAS: Yes, absolutely. Mark Rohr's there affected by the tornado himself. His house was damaged. He rescued people from the rubble afterwards and he said nothing I learned in college will help prepare you for a moment like this, in that disaster of this magnitude.

GRIFFIN: And that moment changed so many lives in Joplin, Missouri, forever. As we continue to watch the pictures, we remember them, the 142 victims.

And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Rookie driver, J.R. Hildebrand, made it to the final turn today in his attempt to win the 100th Indianapolis 500 on his very first try, but it wasn't enough. Hildebrand was leading the race on the last lap when this happened. He slams into the wall. Dan Wheldon sped past him to take the checked flag. Hildebrand crashed when he moved to the outside to pass another driver on the final turn. He slid across the division line, finishing second. And check out the reaction of the crash. The National Guard soldiers watching in Iraq. Oh, no. Their look says it all. Hildebrand's car, by the way, is sponsored by the National Guard. These guys were hoping for a big win there.

Well, the NBA finals between Miami and Dallas start Tuesday night. It's shaping up to be a battle of superstars.

And "Sports Illustrated's" Pablo Torre joins us now.

The new "Sports Illustrated" has LeBron James on the cover. That couldn't be good at some point in time.

But, Pablo, it almost feels like Miami and LeBron must win this or the highly titled Miami Heat superstars will have failed.

PABLO TORRE, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Drew, it really does feel like that. That's the exact bargain that LeBron James made with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade this past summer in a decision that, as predicted, has overshadowed every second of the NBA season.

Now, this is a team that LeBron said would win not one, not two, not three and on and on and on, six, seven, eight championships. To their credit, they are, so far, putting their money where their mouth is. They are exactly on the brink of their first title. But if they don't come away with the trophy at the end of the finals, it will be a public that will be very, very happy to see the most reviled team in recent finals memory loss.

GRIFFIN: What are the sports writers predicting on this one? Are they predicting an even match-up in these two teams?

TORRE: Yes. It's looking like it's going to be a very close competitive finals. The Mavericks, to their credit, are no slouch. They have Dirk Lavitski (ph), the best European playing in NBA history, a guy who's warranted comparisons most recently to Larry Bird, that's been very efficient, almost unguardable player. But I see the Heat in seven games liking this one because LeBron James has been so unstoppable both offensively and defensively. He shut down Derrick Rose, the MVP in the last year. He's absolutely destroyed him. I don't see who can guard him. If not LeBron James, who will stop Dwyane Wade.

GRIFFIN: Yes. While we're talking about the NBA, I want to talk about this dirt, this historical dirt being flung between two old members of the Bulls. Scotty Pippin, one of the league greats, said that -- this week he said LeBron James may be better than his old Bulls teammate, Michael Jordan. How is that sitting with Jordan?

TORRE: Well, with Michael, he's never happy to lose a game of Tiddly Winks, so I don't think his legacy being besmirched by his old running partner will sit too well. But in Scotty's defense -- and Scotty is a smart guy. At age 26 both LeBron and Michael had zero championships. LeBron James is 26 now. A long, long way to go to six titles, but he certainly has all of the athletic ability in the world, as much athletic ability as anyone has ever seen in pro sports maybe. But the bottom line, also, when it comes to Jordon versus LeBron, legacy argument is that Jordan has the status of unquestioned alpha dog, which LeBron ceded to join up with the aforementioned Wade and Bosh this season.

GRIFFIN: Crazy. Turning to baseball, the Mets so helpless. Now they are hurting for cash. Their owner, Fred Wilpon, has agreed to sell a minority interest in the club for $200 million. Then Wilpons starts taking pot shots at his own players. It seems like he is hitting his own investment.

TORRE: It is all around a mess right now for the New York Mets. But it is really -- the bigger threat is this financial trouble looming because of the Bernie Madoff scandal. Bernie Madoff is Fred Wilpon's old friend and they put so much money into Wilpon -- into the Madoff -- with Bernie Madoff that, at this point, they are facing down a $1 billion lawsuit by the trustee for Madoff's victims. And they're claiming that the Wilpons new more than they led on. It was not in good faith, their investments. The Wilpons obviously deny that. They will need to fight it out in court, otherwise the future of the entire team under the Wilpons is at stake.

GRIFFIN: All right, well, it's good fodder for the New York tabloid papers. That is for sure. (LAUGHTER)

TORRE: As always.

Pablo, thanks a lot. We appreciate that.

When we return, a preview of some stories making news next week. But first --

This is a story sure to make you feel good, a restaurant owner in Charlotte, North Carolina, giving all of his profits to programs that help the poor. Tom Foreman shows us he is building up his community one meal at a time.

(BUILDING UP AMERICA)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: In our top stories tonight, live pictures from Joplin as we await the city's moment of silence. It came at 6:41 earlier this evening, as the whole town, kind of, taking a moment to remember the people who died there a week ago tonight.

President Obama did go to Joplin today. It was his first chance to see the unimaginable damage caused by last Sunday's EF5 tornado. He also spoke at the service for the 142 victims. The president promised continuing assistance as the city rebuilds.

Much more on this disaster coming up tonight, in an hour-long special, "A Twister's Fury," at 8:00 eastern.

There's Sarah Palin. She is on the back of a motorcycle riding into Washington, D.C., part of Rolling Thunder. She told our Sandra Endo that her appearance is just an opportunity to support the vets, but Palin is also launching a multi-city bus tour today that will visit historic sites along the east coast. She's also hired top political advisors. That is renewing speculation she could be running for the White House.

The next hour of NEWSROOM begins right now.