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CNN Sunday Morning
Memorial Held in Norway; New York's Same-Sex Marriage Law Takes Effect; Singer Amy Winehouse Dead at 27
Aired July 24, 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. We're at the top of the hour and good morning, New York. A big day for New York in particular. A lot of same-sex couples, this is the day they have been waiting for, for years. A new law in effect today that allows same- sex couples to say "I do" on this Sunday, July 24th. Welcome to this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
I'm T.J. Holmes. And good morning, as always, to the men and women of our Armed Forces who are watching us right now on the American Forces Network. Thank you for being here. Thank you for what you do. We'll certainly have plenty of coverage throughout the morning on what's happening in New York today including these historic ceremonies. Many of them taking starting at 8:30 of this morning. So, a lot to tell you about on that this morning.
But we need to start with Norway. The suspect in those horrific attacks says, he did it and he did it all by himself. That's what police say they are hearing from the suspect in that Norway massacre.
A memorial that you're seeing here and hearing is under way for the victims that's going on right now in Norway. At least 92 people died in two attacks, but there's still some young people missing on Utoya Island. That is where most of the killings took place. Now, the suspect, Anders Behring Breivik, now he says, actually he did it on his own, he's expected to be in court tomorrow for the first time. His attorney says, his client described the attacks as horrible, but necessary. He says, Breivik will explain what that means when he appears in court.
Now, even though, he said he acted alone, police say, they aren't done looking for possible suspects, anyone who may have helped him plan or carry out the attacks. They say the investigation will take time because they're going to look into every possible angle.
Now, check out this picture. Do you seeing this? That's the suspect. That's him in a uniform holding a rifle. It's part of a 1,500 page online manifesto supposedly written by the suspect. Police say, it was released Friday, the same day of the attack. And here is some of what we know about the suspect. Breivik is a right wing Christian fundamentalist and he is against immigration. He has a form. A one store owner says, Breivik bought six tons of fertilizer in May. He has no military background or police record until now.
Our Diana Magnay has more about this manifesto. DIANA MAGNAY CNN, CORRESPONDENT: A document has appeared which was sent to a politician which really details the workings of this man's mind who is charged with both attacks. It's a document that apparently took him nine years to write, really detailing his far right anti-immigrant views. It contains photos of him that haven't been published over the last few days. It contains details as to his plans for Friday's attacks and it ends with a very chilling entry where he says I believe this will be my last entry. It is now Friday July 22nd, 12:51. And, of course, it was only a few hours later that that first blast occurred -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Thanks, as always to our Diana Magnay.
And it's three minutes past the hour now. Today is wedding day for many gay and lesbian couples in the New York. You remember the law allowing same sex marriage in the state was past six weeks ago. But today is the day when couples are actually allowed to apply for marriage licenses. Now, some lucky couples are getting to waive the standard 24-hour waiting period to get married after you get that marriage license. So, they are able to get married today. I talked to one of the couples that's getting married, I talked to them yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FREDDY ZAMBRANO, GETTING MARRIED TODAY: We did have the idea of getting married already in our heads. We couldn't think of a better time than to do it at the most historical moment.
MARCOS CHALJUB, GETTING MARRIED TODAY: We've been living together as a married couple for a while now, but it's more about something that we dreamed about. We pushed so hard for it. We told our friends on Facebook to call their congressman tell him to pass this law. You know, we pushed really hard, we rallied for it. So, it's just going be like a dream come true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, they're not the only ones, of course. Some weddings actually took place just after midnight last night. We'll introduce you to another couple getting married today in our next hour. And late, 8:30, Eastern Time, we'll take you live to New York to a ceremony, again, a big day for New York. A lot of those couples able to get married today.
Now, meanwhile, Texas governor and potential republican presidential candidate Rick Perry, he weighed in on his own opinion on the same-sex marriage issue saying the federal government has enough to deal with already saying, quote, "Our friends in New York six weeks ago passed a statute that said marriage can be between two people of the same sex. If you believe in the 10th amendment, stay out of their business. If you live in some other state or particularly if you're the federal government."
Well, speaking of the federal government, still no deal. Congressional leaders followed up their meetings with the president with more meetings of their own last night. But still, nothing to announce just yet, time as you know, is running out. The federal government is said to start defaulting on loans, possibly, at least running out of money to pay all the bills starting on August 2nd. Now, Speaker John Boehner says, a deal has to be reached by tomorrow in order to get it voted on in time.
But as our Kate Bolduan now reports, the leaders actually want a deal even sooner than that for a very specific reason.
KATE BOLDUAN, CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Following that dramatic breakdown of negotiations to raise the debt ceiling between President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, Congressional leaders met here on Capitol Hill late Saturday evening. They tried to broke her a deal on themselves. The House Speaker John Boehner is proposing a $3 to $4 trillion package of cuts that would raise the debt ceiling in a two-part process, this according to democratic and republican sources. That that two-part process we're told by a democratic Congressional aide was seen as a big impact as democratic leaders in the room in this meeting rejected that idea as democratic leaders and President Obama, quite frankly, opposed the idea of any short-term extension. So, the negotiations continue. No agreement yet has been reached. But we're told one point of agreement of Congressional leaders in the room was that they wanted to reach an agreement amongst themselves before Asian markets opened Sunday. Kate Bolduan, CNN, Capitol Hill.
HOLMES: You need to stick around for the "State of the Union" this morning at 9:00 Eastern Time. Candy Crowley's guest, the Treasury Secretary himself, Timothy Geithner. He has been at the sooner of the talks from the very beginning.
Seven minutes past the hour now. We turn to Grand Prairie, Texas. This is in Dallas. And police believe that a man celebrating his own birthday at a roller skating rink opened fire on his party guests. Six people are dead, including the shooter and police think he shot himself. Four others were injured. Some of the victims may have been teenagers. Police believe this incident started with a domestic dispute between a husband and wife.
Also another horrific story to tell you about in Kent, Washington. Twelve people injured there when a fight led the gunshots. Police say, it started with words, escalated to shots. Witnesses described the chaos after those first shots rang out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were pointing at people and kids and kids were following and they were running and everything and it was crazy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First shot, everybody dropped and everybody started dragging their kids on the floor, you know, for them not to get hit.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: And police haven't said if any of the suspects are among the injured. Also in London, a story that is just a shame. There's still no official calls of death for the 27-year-old soul singer Amy Winehouse.
("REHAB" SONG PLAYING)
This song you're hearing is probably one you're familiar with and maybe the one she's certainly most famous for at least in this country. Talking about rehab and it seems her battle with drugs and alcohol and addiction, a lot of people speculating may have gotten the best of her here. Her body was discovered yesterday in her apartment in London. She was in a constant battle with drug abuse during her career. Now, a lot of celebrities have been commenting. Take a listen to what some of them are saying.
Rihanna tweeted, quote, "She is genuinely heartbroken by the news." Also, singer song writer Moby who was with Winehouse at her disastrous last performance in Belgrade a few weeks ago, tweeted, "After our show in Serbia, I wish I'd been able to help. I'm sorry." Also another one from Kelly Osbourne saying, "I can't even breathe right now, I'm crying so hard. I just lost one of my best friends. I love you forever, Amy, and will never forget the real you." An autopsy on Winehouse is expected today or tomorrow. But again, Amy Winehouse dead at the age of 27.
We turn to New York now, nearly a decade after the 9/11 terror attacks. Crews move the iconic World Trade Center cross to its new home. The cross is made of two intersecting steel beams that's revived the collapsed of the twin towers. It will now be a permanent part of the 9/11 memorial and museum. Yesterday, recovery workers and families were invited to a ceremonial blessing of that cross.
Now, severe weather hitting Chicago. Look at this. A lot of motorists ended up stuck, needed to be helped out. Nearly seven inches of rain did all this yesterday. The flooding closed down parts of expressways, temporarily suspended rail service and even caused flight delays at O'Hare Airport. Yesterday was the wettest day in the city's history. And with that, let us say good morning to Reynolds Wolf. Reynolds, we've talking about so much heat and I guess this one kind of went right over my head at least. I wasn't paying attention to what was happening in Chicago.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. This was the left hook while we were at the right basically from Mother Nature. While the right hook was really be heavy heat, extreme heat, again parts of the northeast, I can tell you that today, it is over. That doesn't mean we're done with the heat for the summer but at least we're going to get a break in parts of the northeast at temperatures pull away from the triple digits. However, there's still much of the nation that will be dealing with the extreme heat, the high humidity and of course possibly more scattered showers and storms. All that is coming up in just a few moments -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Reynolds, I appreciate you, as always. We'll see you shortly. And to our viewers now, three days after NFL team owners approved a new labor agreement, still no word on whether the players are on board. So, we're talking to one of the players this morning. To say, hey, we don't do raise a sign on that dotted line and give us some football. It's ten minutes past the hour on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WOLF: Good morning to Atlanta, Georgia. Gorgeous shot this morning in Atlanta. Look at that. What have we got going on in Atlanta today?
HOLMES: Basically, a bunch of buildings and skies. Weather wise.
WOLF: Oh, weather wise, oh, OK, OK, yes, that puts a whole new paint job on things. I just like listening to these tunes, man. It's kind of relax me a little bit. And the highs going up to the 90s again in Atlanta today. It's going to be a typical summer heat. But it's not going to be the oh, my gosh, my face is melting kind of heat.
HOLMES: OK.
WOLF: In part of the northeast.
HOLMES: OK.
WOLF: A break is coming today.
HOLMES: All right.
WOLF: A break is coming today. That means, unfortunately, though, more heat for others, but less for people in parts of the northeast. So, a little bit of (INAUDIBLE).
HOLMES: OK.
WOLF: Let me show you what is happening here, T.J. We got the heat dome. We have the area of high pressure that's been affecting millions of Americans. What we're going to be seeing is this big massive heat dome drifting a bit more to the southeast. When that happens, that's going to be bad for people say, especially Carolinas and parts of the Midwest. However, it opens the door for the opportunity for cooler air to move into parts of the northeast. It's not a bad arrangement. I'm telling you, if you happen to be in Boston, New York, maybe Buffalo, perhaps even say, Detroit or Cleveland, you're going to be getting the scattered showers and with that, possibly some cooler temperatures.
But also, you can't rule out the chances of some stronger storms. Eighty three degrees will be your high in Boston, 91 in New York. If you have some showers that pop up in some places, going to cool you down a bit. Eighty nine degrees in Chicago, 90 over in Denver along the front range, 67 in San Francisco, 84 in Seattle. Plenty of sunshine in the northwest, 86 in New Orleans and 92 in Tampa. Very quickly, some of the record heat we had yesterday, see you later, there you go. Atlantic City, 105, Norfolk with103. I have Washington, D.C. 102, Philadelphia and Central Park, you see the highs and triple digits. And as I mentioned, cooler weather is expected for today.
All right. T.J., you are up to speed. Let's pitch it right back to you. Again, the cool down coming and we're all happy and we're better people for it.
HOLMES: Did you hear this? One of the biggest stars in the NFL just got married.
WOLF: My gosh.
HOLMES: Look at this. Look who we're talking about, folks. Ben Roethlisberger. Yes, there he is, wedding bells for the two-time Super Bowl winning Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback. Now, this is the guy a lot of people know, unfortunately, has been -- he's had some issues off the field before, including some accusations of assaults with women. Still never charged with anything, never convicted of anything, but still, this is his wedding time. There he is with his beautiful bride. But the honeymoon might get cut short because of what's happening with the NFL labor dispute. They might be voting soon. You know, the owners approved the deal on Thursday, but yesterday I spoke with the Atlanta Falcons player rep Coy Wire on the proposal and why the players haven't signed off on it yet and the public's misperception about what's really going on right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COY WIRE, ATLANTA FALCONS: You know, the owners allowed it to be thought by the general public that a vote would be made Thursday and that we could get this thing settled Thursday and that just wasn't the case. We had not even seen the proposal that they had ratified. The last we saw the proposal was when we had our meeting in D.C. And there were still issues that remained opened. There are certain things that need to be ironed out. And we went ahead and sent that back to the owners and we were supposed to collectively bargain to iron out those issues and they knew that we haven't seen the final proposal that they had ratified, so how can we vote on something that we didn't even know if it was acceptable to us yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: They haven't seen it.
WOLF: Interesting.
HOLMES: It's tougher and, again, it's easier for 32 owners to get together and stay on the same page versus 1,900 NFL players to get all the information out, to make sure everybody has a copy of it and can read it. So, there was a little confusion.
WOLF: Do you think we're getting to the point there for one of the fans, they don't listen to either side, they just want a solution.
HOLMES: Tired of hearing about it. Tired of hearing the coverage. Tired of hearing all this. Just let me know when the games started.
WOLF: Absolutely.
HOLMES: And we haven't lost games yet. So, the fans are probably not paying that close of attention to this. There will be football. Don't worry about it. There's also going to be basketball. I am putting in my bid right now to go cover this story.
This is the coolest thing I've heard in some time. College basketball being played on a ship. The U.S. Navy has agreed to host the North Carolina Tar Heels and the Michigan State Spartans a aboard the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson on November the 11th. This was in the works and they finally have finalized this deal that appears. They're going to call it the carrier classic, the ESPN's first televised game of the college basketball season. The ship will be the first ever warship to host in NCAA game. This is the same ship that handled the Osama Bin Laden burial at sea in May.
WOLF: That's pretty impressive.
HOLMES: I don't know how they're going to get this work out, but that is going to be a heck of a scene.
WOLF: Well, there's a reason why they chose San Diego. Because the weather is pretty calm but I hope they don't have one of those rain showers that pops-up. I mean, you put challenge in Arkansas, I can't imagine playing in a rainstorm. You try to across over -- in 443 (ph), the rainstorm, is now one of those easy endeavors. Whatever happened on that ship will be conquered.
HOLMES: But it's old school guys go outside and play in parks all the time.
WOLF: Returning to our roots.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: I appreciate you. We'll see Reynolds plenty throughout this morning, of course. But to our viewers, it's 17 minutes past the hour now. Same-sex marriage, now legal in New York. And hundreds of couples planned to tie the knot today. Coming up, we'll talk to one of the New York politicians who worked so long and so hard to get this thing passed. And for her, yes, this is definitely personal. Stay with me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Nineteen minutes past the hour on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. A live gorgeous look at New York City Central Park. And what a day it is for a lot of people in New York City and New York State. Today is the day. And it actually took place about six hours ago at actually 12:01, it became officials. Same-sex marriage now legal in the state of New York. This comes after a long battle in the New York State legislature. New York City Michael Bloomberg supported the legislation and so did the New York City Council Speaker, Christine Quinn who is one of the nation's most prominent openly gay officials.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (I), NEW YORK: We know that same-sex couples all over the city, all over the country and even all over the world wanted to tie the knot in New York City.
CHRISTINE QUINN, SPEAKER, NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL: That's what happens when you pass laws that expand human rights. You unite people. You make our city stronger, you deepen our community and you have people step forward to help other New Yorkers they have never met in their lives. So, Sunday is going to be a great, great day. Where we reaffirm yet again why moving human rights forward is always a good thing for all people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And Miss Quinn joins us live this morning. And Miss Quinn, I was kind of noticing you all to the side, of course listening to that, you were listening to it as long with our viewers. And you seem to be touched by the passion with which you spoke at that moment. What was going through your mind just listening to yourself there?
QUINN: You know, it's really remarkable as today is here now. I'm a little bit overwhelmed by it, you know. And every couple hours over the past few days, I've heard another amazing story about a couple who's waited a lifetime for this or about judges who are going out to different counties to help couples they've never met. It really is just a most amazing outpouring of support and love. Sometimes for people, people don't even know. And it's just really very overwhelming.
HOLMES: Well, Miss Quinn, put this in perspective for me. Some historical perspective for the country, for the city of New York and also for the gay rights movement.
QUINN: Well, you know, New York will now be the sixth state. But more important than that, New York is place the entire world looks to. And it's the place where the LGBT civil rights movement was really born. And to have this to date and this city, which -- I don't mean to sound arrogant -- is the center of the world do this will mean all eyes are upon it and I believe it is going to help propel this movement forward faster than any of the others states have.
HOLMES: I don't mean to be arrogant, New York is the center of the universe, right?
(LAUGHTER)
Center of the universe.
QUINN: You know, the truth is the truth, you know.
HOLMES: Well, tell me, ma'am, this is also very personal for you. You have been with your partner at least a decade. Do I have that right? QUINN: Yes. It will be ten years in September.
HOLMES: It will be ten years in September. Do you plan to get married?
QUINN: Not today.
HOLMES: Not today, though.
QUINN: But in the springtime, yes.
HOLMES: Why not today for you? Because I talked to a couple of couples, at least one couple yesterday, they said, you know what? We could have waited, we could have planned out a ceremony, but we wanted to be part of this historic day. You could have done that, as well.
QUINN: Well, you know, as the City Council speaker, I have the opportunity in a different way to be part of today. We weren't sure how many people would get to go today so I didn't want to take a spot away from anybody else. And I also kind of want to have that party that I've been thinking about and waiting for, for a long time. But you know, getting this bill passed this year was critical. Because we lost in 2009. And God knows how many parents or friends or siblings now won't get to be at people's weddings.
So getting it passed as quickly as we did was really important to make sure families like folks, like my dad and my partner's dad, who were 84 and 85, get to be there at their children's weddings. And that's the really amazing thing of what's happening here. We're going to have families, have an opportunity in their hometown and state to stand up and have their lives affirmed and to plan parties and to plan celebrations and to have their children see their parents' unions held up by the state they live in. It's a powerful message that all people are equal and that all families matter just the way God made them.
HOLMES: Ma'am, last thing to you, are we -- I think we'll never get to a point where everybody agrees on same-sex marriage. There will be protests today and might be court challenges down the road. But are we hoping the country gets to a place where you understand or you're resigned to the fact that not everybody, and maybe even a majority, wide majority will agree with same-sex marriage, but is the goal really to just make sure we respect each other? Disagree with us, fine, but at least be respectful.
QUINN: You know, I believe -- look, first and foremost, you have to respect everybody, whether you agree or disagree, no matter what the issue is, that's what America is based on a place where you're free to think and believe whatever you want. That said, if you look at all of the polls, everything is moving in the direction of marriage equality being not just accepted, but embraced by America. And I really do believe we are in a place certainly in New York but eventually very quickly in the rest of the country where it is the extreme minority of the opinion holders who are against marriage equality. Because what happened today? The sun rose in New York. The world kept spinning on its axis. Everything moved forward and people stood up and said they loved each other and they wanted to help people affirm their love. That's good. There's nothing bad in that.
HOLMES: Well, Miss Quinn, I know this has been a long fight for you. Congratulations. I know there's certainly another side to this story for a lot of folks, but today, for you and for a lot of others, it is a celebration. So, I just, congratulations on your efforts and thank you for taking the time-out and we'll see you down the road, all right?
QUINN: Absolutely. Take care.
HOLMES: All right. We're at 25 minutes past the hour now, you know we told you about that partial FAA shutdown. Well, would you believe there is an upside to it? Some air travelers getting a break on fares. We'll explain how that works. Stay with me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We're coming up on the bottom of the hour on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. As you may know, the Federal Aviation Administration, the FAA has partially shut down because Congress failed to pass the key piece of legislation. It's not supposed to affect operations or safety, but the shutdown has resulted in some lower fares on some airlines. Now, how is that possible? The FAA has actually stopped collecting taxes on airline tickets. So some airlines are getting those savings and they're passing them on to customers. Isn't that nice of them? It's about $40 on a $300 round-trip ticket, just to give you an example. Passengers, as you can imagine, say every little bit helps.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEAN TOKISHI, PASSENGER: All that adds up. Now in the economy we're in, you know, my wife and I are state workers and that really helps us. It's always taking from somewhere else and there's pros and cons to all of that, but as far as the immediate impact that it has on me and my family, I think it's a great thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, so far, Alaska Airlines and Virgin America are the only airlines offering the lower fares, but maybe some others could jump on board.
Well, the debt debate is dominating all the talk in Washington, D.C., but what's driving the discussion? Of course, politics. We're at the bottom of the hour on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Stay with me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: And we're just past the bottom of the hour on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes. Welcome back everybody.
In Norway, they are remembering the victims of that massacre, there, at a pair of memorial services today;
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) (ORGAN MUSIC, SINGING)
HOLMES: As you may know, 92 people died in those two attacks, a bombing in Oslo and a shooting at a nearby island where a youth camp that was going on. Some of the young people from that island are still missing. CNN's Diana Magnay had a chance to talk with some of the survivors.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Young survivors sob in each others arms. The prime minister tries to console the inconsolable. As police and the Red Cross continue their search for the dead, those who survived tell about the horror they witnessed. A killing spree where a lone gunman was able to fire for 90 minutes unchecked
OTTAR FAGERHEIM, SURVIVOR: He was calm. And he seemed like he was just taking photos when he was shooting people.
MAGNAY (On camera): What was he wearing?
EDWARD FORNES, SURVIVOR: He was wearing a police uniform. And he had something it looked like a saloon rifle.
MAGNAY: And his expression, it was blank?
FORNES: Completely blank.
MAGNAY: But he was shouting?
FORNES: Yeah, come back.
MAGNAY (voice over): Come back to those swimming for their lives as he fired in their wake. Many were hit. Boats now troll the water for their bodies. For others, the water was the only place to hide.
ERIC KURSETGJERDE, SURVIVOR: I started swimming onto the fjords. I got halfway and then I got cramps because I had been laying so long in the water. So I got some of the locals saved my life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, you kind of hide in the water?
KURSETGJERDE: Yes. It was the only place to hide, because all of the other places were filled with people.
MAGNAY: Hundreds of young people had gathered here for a political summer camp, a tradition of the ruling Labour Party, which the prime minister attended in his youth.
JENS STOLTENBERG, NORWEGIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): What was my youth paradise has been turned into a hell for all of the people that were involved yesterday. It has made a major impression in the meetings to meet the people that survived and the people that got ashore.
MAGNAY: Young people determined not to let this nightmare break them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's important that we stay together and keep strong. You can't let a coward like that stop us. Because going on to an island with only youth, and securing them, and they have no way to escape, that's a cowardice act.
MAGNAY: Diana Magnay, CNN, new Utoya Island, Norway.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: I want to give you a look at some other stories making headlines this morning.
Authorities in Los Angeles say hey, maybe we have the wrong guy here. They have now dropped charges against this man, Giovanni Ramirez. He was the first suspect arrested in the beating of Brian Stowe, a San Francisco Giants fan who was attending a Dodgers game. Police have now arrested two other men and charged them in connection with that attack. Both men are expected to be arraigned tomorrow on felony charges of mayhem and assault.
Also, three weeks after Texas Rangers baseball fan fell to his death at the ballpark in Arlington, the team has announced it will raise the height of the guard safety rails. You'll remember, it was earlier this month that firefighter Shannon Stone died when he fell from the left field railing, while trying to catch a ball.
Also Retired Army General John Shalikashvili has died of complications from a stroke. He was born in Poland. Shalikashvili was the first foreign-born chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. He came to the U.S. as teenager and reportedly learned English from watching John Wayne movies. President Obama called him a genuine soldier statesman whose extraordinary life represented the promise of America. The general was 75 years old.
Also, listen to this, Command Sergeant Major Jeff Mellinger's impending retirement from the U.S. Army is going to mean the end of an era. He is believed to be the last soldier drafted into military service. Mellinger was answering his draft notice, answered the call back in 1972. The 39 (sic) year old (sic) Army veteran not only served during the Vietnam conflict, but also as recently as the Iraq war.
More meetings in raising the debt ceiling have brought the same results, nothing. Congressional leaders met with President Obama yesterday, then got together again, without the president, last night. On the table, though, right now-maybe I shouldn't say nothing is being done. Maybe they are starting to get somewhere.
On the table is a Republican plan to raise the debt ceiling for the rest of this year, then handle next year, later. But Democrats and the president say they want any deal to carry through 2012. You know, past the election. That's an important timetable, you know? CNN's John King has more now on the politics of the deficit debate.
(BEGIN CLIPS, CAMPAIGN ADS) JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR, JOHN KING USA: We often say elections have consequences. And this debt and spending debate is proof positive. If you're surprised or mad at the House Republicans for advancing their plan, well, frankly, you shouldn't be. Remember we had an election in November and the Republicans won big time. And they won promises like this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Spending out of control. Foreign debt threatens our economic and national security.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have to close the floodgates of government spending that threatens your future with a burdensome debt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stop wasteful spending by requiring a balanced budget, by law.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The federal government is spending way too much money.
(END CLIPS, CAMPAIGN ADS)
KING: So as you watch this showdown now, remember, this is what they promised to do. Aren't we supposed to be impressed when the politicians keep their promises?
Let's look at it this way. This is the map, all the red, of the House districts won by Republicans in 2010, when they took back the majority. Watch all that red. The other night, the House voted on what they call Cut, Cap and Balance. It is their plan. It gives the president his debt ceiling increase, but cuts a lot of spending, cap spending. Look at this. That is how the election went. That's the vote, on Cut, Cap and Balance. Remember the red? You vote for this, you get this. That's how it turns out.
So what's happening in Washington is exactly what you voted for last November, except here is the problem. Those Republicans, and here is a big question for the Republicans going forward, the problem is this, some of you have changed your mind. In January, nearly half of Americans said congressional Republicans would move the country in the right direction. Meaning they're doing the right thing. Now, just 37 percent say that. Plus, controlling the House does not translate into controlling Washington. And the question now is whether the anti-spending freshman class is really to accept that obvious, but perhaps painful civics lesson.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. Thanks as always to our John King.
We're at 40 minutes past the hour now. What we've been waiting to hear Reynolds Wolf say: Relief from the massive heat wave is on the way. Reynolds is up next. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. 41 minutes past the hour. Reynolds, tell them what they want to hear.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It's going to end.
HOLMES: OK.
WOLF: We're going to see a little bit of relief. I want to turn the tables on you. I know you're a fan of warm climates.
HOLMES: Yes.
WOLF: You love the heat. You love to go to the islands, you love that stuff.
HOLMES: That's me.
WOLF: Is this a little bit too extreme for you? Are you done with this?
HOLMES: You see, I can't complain because I haven't been in some of the areas where it's worst. We're in Atlanta. We're used to getting hot. We are used to humidity. But what, 108 in New Jersey?
WOLF: New jersey, we've had extreme heat in D.C. and New York, places where you don't normally get it. That is really the key. The key component because when you travel to warm places, you expected it, but this has been ridiculous. T.J., though, we are going to see some breaks in the action.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: To our viewers, take a look at the screen. What does this look like to you? It looks like an Apple store. And it works like an Apple store. But it's not really. We're going to take you to China to show you how knockoff artists have taken their trade to a whole new level.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. It's a quarter to the top of the hour. Nadia Bilchik joining me. We're going to be talking about the "Morning Passport".
There is a picture I want to share with you , and to our viewers. Because I got into this with Fredricka Whitfield yesterday, that this looked a little creepy. Do you know what this is, folks? This is one of the most anticipated wedding dresses of the year. And it's now on display. Yes, that is Catherine Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge, this is the dress she wore when she got married to Prince William. It's now the centerpiece to the Buckingham Palace's annual summer opening. But there are some, and I guess I was one of them, it looks like a ghost or something levitating. And even the queen was too not happy that it looked like just a headless woman there, or just.
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITOR: There is something surreal about it. They rather should have gone to Madam Tussauds and got them to create something beautiful in wax.
HOLMES: Maybe, but, yes, it just looks a little-it threw me off.
BILCHIK: Maybe it was the lighting or something.
HOLMES: Yes?
BILCHIK: But now the question, is it the real dress, or is it what they call in China -shon-zhu, which means a fake.
HOLMES: A fake. And this is a big fake, going on right now?
BILCHIK: So, we know this is the real dress?
HOLMES: That is the real dress, that's what we're told.
BILCHIK: Yes.
HOLMES: But we know what is happening, it is called what again?
BILCHIK: Shon-zhu.
HOLMES: Oh, we are going to shon-zhu for our "Morning Passport". They have the knock off of all knock offs over there?
BILCHIK: Well, actually the word shon-zhu means it's a fake. So if you're in China and someone says to you, this is a Rolex, it is the real thing, only $10. Then your buddy will say to you, it is shon- zhu, it's fake.
HOLMES: OK.
BILCHIK: What we're seeing today is there is an American blogger. She's goes by the name of Bird Abroad. And she in this remote area in southwestern China and she comes across this store. And she goes, an Apple store in this place? And it looks like an Apple store, it feels like an Apple store. It even smells like an Apple store, except it is not an Apple store.
Except it is not an Apple store. And how she knows is that Apple stores just have an Apple outside. But this has Apple Stoer. And you're seeing the inside. But it's Apple Stoer spelled S-T-O-E-R. So, she writes about what a brilliant rip off store this is. That is so perfect, they even have a genius location, like they do in the stores. The staff are even dressed in the t-shirts the same that they are in the Apple store. The staff thinks they're working at a legitimate Apple store, but they are not.
HOLMES: OK, what is the point of this then? They really are trying to fool people into thinking they are buying authentic
BILCHIK: Absolutely.
HOLMES: So are these Apple products?
BILCHIK: This is where the catch comes in. The products are or appear to be authentic. It's just that the store is not listed as a real Apple store. And some of the commercials inside of the store are very dated. So it is, as you said, the ultimate shon-zhu, the ultimate knockoff. We know about Louis Vuitton and Rolex watches, and sunglasses.
HOLMES: I've never seen a fake Louis Vuitton store, though.
BILCHIK: Exactly. This has taken fake to a whole new level.
HOLMES: How soon before they get sued?
BILCHIK: It's interesting. Maybe they won't be. Because we spoke to Apple. And they said no comment on the store, because it is still-now this is where the interesting part is, selling their products. But in China, you can get shon-zhu, fake MacBox iPuds, HiPhones and A-Pads.
HOLMES: What is an iPud? What is that?
BILCHIK: An iPud? It is your shon-zhu, your fake iPad. I don't think that is what they are selling in the store, itself. But you can get anything in China. But we love that, it's an iPud.
HOLMES: An iPud.
BILCHIK: Works as well as an iPod.
HOLMES: But it does the same thing, but it goes by a different name. That is interesting.
BILCHIK: Apple does say they are going to be creating more legitimate Apple stores in China.
HOLMES: All right. Nadia Bilchik, another good "Morning Passport". Have you got another one for us at 8:00?
BILCHIK: Oh, yes. We're going to gold.
HOLMES: We are going to gold. All right. Stick around. Nadia, thank you, as always.
We're about 10 minutes to the top of the hour now.
Do you remember this little guy? Of course you do. There he is. This guy was a hit around Super Bowl time. The little Darth Vader. You remember him from that Volkswagen commercial? Well, this pint- sized dark lord is using his power for more serious things these days.
Wait for it. This is great. There it is. But he's using his power for good. He's talking to Sanjay Gupta about it. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We're about seven minutes to the top of the hour now.
Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers may have been the star of the game. He was the MVP of the Super Bowl. But it was this commercial kid that really captured all of our attention.
(COMMERCIAL CLIP)
HOLMES: That never gets old. So after this commercial, that kid was all over the place. We interviewed him here on CNN. He was a huge star, still is. What's next for him? Actually, a pretty serious role. Our Doctor Sanjay Gupta has a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Next week, Washington is going to feel "The Force", so to speak. He's a little guy with a big mission. Take a look at who I met when I was out in LA.
MAX PAGE, CARDIOLOGY PATIENT, ACTOR: Hey, Doctor Gupta?
GUPTA (on camera): Yes, sir.
PAGE: You're it.
GUPTA: I'm it?
(Voice over): Max Page only knows one speed, full steam ahead.
(On camera): I don't know if I can keep up with this kid.
(Voice over): Now, you have probably have seen Max before, even though you may not know it. Remember this Volkswagen ad from Super Bowl XLV? Darth Vader? No, just Max.
Within mere seconds of meeting him, Max was asking about my daughters.
GUPTA: Three girls.
PAGE: Let me guess, four year-old?
GUPTA: Yep.
PAGE: Two-year-old?
GUPTA: Yep.
PAGE: Six-year old.
GUPTA: You got it. How did you know?
PAGE: Because.
GUPTA (voice over): We are at the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles with Max, and his brother Ells (ph), to see Doctor Michael Silka.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you get your pacemaker checked?
MAX: Uh-huh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good.
GUPTA: That is right. Max has a pacemaker. Actually, it is his third, and he's only six years old. For parents Jennifer and Buck, the first sign of trouble came before Max was even born.
JENNIFER PAGE, MAX'S MOM: My 38-week appointment, we found out that Max had structural damage to his heart. They didn't know-they could not get a good heartbeat. They took him emergency C-section, born in a whirlwind.
BUCK PAGE, MAX'S DAD: The last feeling I remember is it is almost hopelessness, because it is out of my hands as a dad. As a dad, that is not something you are used to.
J. PAGE: I just said please just save my son. That is all we are here for. I don't know what you said. I don't understand anything you are going to do. I just-I need you to save my son. I need a chance to know this kid.
GUPTA: It is hard to imagine, but for mom and dad, it was all a blur. Max was born with a heart condition known as Tetralogy of Fallot. It is rare. It includes four separate problems in the heart which leads to a lack of oxygen in the blood. Without a pacemaker and eight major operations, so far, Max probably would not be here.
(On camera): Can you feel it, Max? Can you feel the pacemaker?
MAX PAGE: If you like touch it or like something hits hit, that is kind of like when I ever feel it.
MICHAEL SILKA, CARDIOLOGIST, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF LA: It is like the movie "Cars." You know they show the pistons, and the engines going around. You want them working together, right? You don't want them going like this and the other one going at a different rate. You have to have them working together.
GUPTA: Something like this, for Max, or for any child like Max, should be cared for in a Children's Hospital? I mean, could any hospital-
SILKA: Oh, no. This is a fairly sophisticated and fairly sub- specialized area of medicine. I'm a pediatric electro-physiologist doctor. There are probably slightly over 100 of us in the country. There are not that many people who really do what we do.
GUPTA: It is that kind of skill that Max needs. I mean, T.J., there are only 56 of these specialized children's hospitals in the whole country. As Washington talks about budget cuts, the program that train these types of doctors are on the chopping block. So little Max is headed to Capitol Hill next week to lobby for that program, and also to argue against cuts to Medicaid which helps 10 of millions of other kids. We'll see how it goes, T.J.
(END VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: Thanks to our Sanjay Gupta. You can see the rest of Sanjay's report on that little Darth Vader, Max Page, on this weekend's "SANJAY GUPTA MD". Washington feels the Force. That is coming your way in about 30 minutes.
Right now, same-sex marriage is legal in New York. Many couples have wanted to tie the not and they will today. Actually, they literally won the lottery. Coming up, talking to a couple that hit big. Look at those smiles. Why wouldn't they be smiling on their wedding day? I'm talking to them after the break. Stay with me on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: The top of the hour here on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
A gorgeous look at New York City, Central Park and the eyes of the country and maybe even the world on New York City, New York state, because this is the day a lot of people have been waiting for for years. Same-sex couples can now legally get married in the state of New York.
We will talk to a couple in just a moment and they are just maybe a couple hours away from their wedding.
Also, there's a new worry about a deadline for the debt talks. The House speaker wants a deal done soon. You know how soon? Actually, in a matter of hours before the Asian markets open for trading.
Congressional leaders working round the clock on this Sunday, July 24th.
Good morning to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes. Thank you so much for spending part of your day here with us.
For more than 20 years, Jo-Ann Shain and Dr. Mary Jo Kennedy have lived as a married couple years. Today, they get to make it official. Shain and Dr. Kennedy won a lottery for the first day of legalize same sex marriage in New York. That means they get to skip the 24-hour waiting period that's normally required after couples get marriage licenses. It also means they are getting married today.
And, yes, we called them to take some time-out on their wedding day to come and do an interview on national television.
Jo-Ann Dr. Kennedy, it's here. Thank you for being with us.
How many years, actually? I think I might have been a little off. How many years have you al been together?
JO-ANN SHAIN, MARRYING PARTNER FOR 29 YEARS: Twenty-nine. Twenty-nine years.
HOLMES: Twenty-nine years. So, after being together 29 years, essentially living as a married couple, you get married today. You wake up tomorrow, what's going to -- what's going to even feel different? Do you imagine anything?
SHAIN: I don't think it will feel too different, but we at least get the legal recognition of being married. And it's a wonderful thing.
HOLMES: Now, why this day? You could have waited to put together a ceremony and put together all the planning and all that stuff. I think you're going to have a reception later for the family and friends.
But why was it important to be a part of this day?
SHAIN: You know, this is a really historic day. And we have fought for this day. We've hoped for this day. And this is the first days of history in New York City. Gay and lesbian couples can get married. And this is just a wonderful, phenomenal day and we would not miss it.
HOLMES: Now, what may
DR. MARY JO KENNEDY, MARRYING PARTNER OF 29 YEARS: And the engagement of 29 years is too long. An engagement of 29 years is too long.
SHAIN: Yes.
HOLMES: A 29-year engagement. Yes. Were you guys -- like you say, 29 years, a lot of people can't imagine that. But, I guess, can you all even trying to wrap your heads around and put into some kind of historical perspective what this day means? I mean, we've seen several states, the sixth state now, New York, to make same-sex marriage legal.
But, I guess, where does this fall in line as far as historical perspective for the country and also for the gay rights movement?
SHAIN: Well, this is huge and it's huge because this is the sixth state and the largest state that recognizes same-sex marriage. And from this point we want to call it marriage, actually. That recognizes same sex marriage.
And it's huge. It really is huge. And we hope that as New York goes, that so goes the country.
HOLMES: When did you all kind of make the transition from just hoping, wishing for it, maybe it will happen one day, to actually being advocates? What happened to make you all kind of take that turn and kind of get involved in the fight?
KENNEDY: Back in 2004, we saw people getting married in San Francisco, in Nyack, we started getting very excited about the idea. But we still we were scared.
But our daughter, Alia, who was 15 at the time, really put it into perspective for us, saying, this is a civil rights movement. This is your opportunity to be part of history. You guys have a great relationship, better than many of the parents of her friends and you should just go for it. So she convinced us. And since then, we've been avid advocates.
HOLMES: How is your daughter doing today? And I guess, what are some of her thoughts on what's happening today?
KENNEDY: Oh, she's very excited. She knows this is such an important day and she knows that she played a big part for us to be here today. So, we're very grateful to her, as well.
Why was it important, also, to wait on New York to do this? I believe you could have gone do another state and done this if you wanted to, but you wanted to wait for New York. Why?
SHAIN: We're New Yorkers. Yes, we could have gone to Connecticut. We could have gone to Massachusetts. But we're New Yorkers, and we really held out and wanted to -- to have our marriage legal here in New York and have our relationship recognized here.
HOLMES: Well, ladies, you all tell me how is this going to go today? You're going down to the courthouse. They say you can start showing up at 8:30. I think you're going down there maybe right after this interview. You're going to go down.
But, I guess, what is the plan for the day? Who will be there? I guess -- are you wearing your wedding outfits now? Is there a party later?
Tell me how this is going to go.
KENNEDY: This is it.
SHAIN: This is it. These are our wedding outfits. And we expect there to be a huge crowd and with -- friends will there, I'm sure, and just hundreds of other couples and we're just so excited.
KENNEDY: Also, our friend, the judge, is going to marry us. And afterwards, we're going to go back to our house for a small reception.
HOLMES: Well, and I assume your daughter will be there.
SHAIN: Oh, yes, absolutely.
HOLMES: Is she standing in there right now with you guys?
SHAIN: No, she's not. She is here, but --
KENNEDY: She's in the studio.
SHAIN: She's in the studio.
KENNEDY: She'll be one of our witnesses, yes.
HOLMES: OK. Well, ladies, thank you for taking the time-out. I know it's a huge day for you and a lot of other people there in the state of New York. Even though this is a debate in this country that will continue for sometime -- today is your day. Your special day. So, congratulations on that and I hope to see you down the road, all right?
KENNEDY: Thank you so much.
SHAIN: Thank you, T.J. Bye-bye.
KENNEDY: Bye-bye.
HOLMES: All right. We're at seven minutes past the hour now. And you all remember, it was one month ago, it was June 24th that New York became the sixth and the largest state to legalize same-sex marriage, couples can also get married.
You hear them mentioned Connecticut and Massachusetts. But also in Iowa, New Hampshire, as well as Vermont.
We turn to London now and what is just a tragic story and an absolute shame. There is still no official cause of death for 27- year-old soul singer Amy Winehouse.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
HOLMES: Now, this is the song you'll likely recognize and the one she's probably best known for here in this country. It's a song about rehab, not wanting to go to rehab.
And this was certainly a young lady who struggled with alcohol and addiction throughout her life. Well, she was discovered in her apartment, her London apartment yesterday. Again, it seems that many are now speculating that she lost her battle with drug abuse.
A lot of people in the entertainment community, a lot of singers are commenting about her death, including R&B singer Rihanna sending out a tweet saying that she was genuinely heart broken by the news.
Also singer/songwriter Moby, who was with Winehouse at her disastrous last performance in Belgrade a few weeks ago, sent this message out saying, quote, "After our show in Serbia, I wish I'd been able to help. I'm sorry."
And then another from Kelly Osbourne who tweeted, "I can't even breath, I'm crying so hard. I just lost one of my friends. I love you forever, Amy, and we'll never forget the real you."
An autopsy on Winehouse is expected today or tomorrow.
At eight minutes past the hour now, we turn back here to United States, at the Washington, D.C., where there's still no deal. Congressional leaders followed up their meetings with President Obama with more meetings of their own last night. Still, we've got nothing officially to report. Time, as you know, is running out.
The federal government is running out of money and set to start defaulting possibly on loans in just over a week on August 2nd. House Speaker John Boehner says a deal has to be reached, though, by tomorrow. It needs to have it done by tomorrow in order to have enough time to get it voted on by August 2nd.
But as our Kate Bolduan reports, the leaders want a deal sooner than that for a very specific reason.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Following that dramatic breakdown of negotiations to raise the debt ceiling between President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, congressional leaders met here on Capitol Hill late Saturday evening to try to broker a deal amongst themselves.
The House speaker, John Boehner, is proposing a $3 trillion to $4 trillion package of cuts that would raise the debt ceiling in a two- part process, this according to Democratic and Republican sources. But that two-part process we're told by a Democratic congressional aide was seen as a big impasse as Democratic leaders in the room in this meeting rejected that idea as Democratic leaders and President Obama, quite frankly, opposed the idea of any short-term extension.
So the negotiations continue. No agreement yet has been reached. But we're told one point of agreement of congressional leaders in the room was that they wanted to reach an agreement amongst themselves before Asian markets opened on Sunday.
Kate Bolduan, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, at 10 minutes past the hour now.
Don't you hate it when people tell you what you want to hear? Well, Reynolds is about to do it and you will appreciate it.
Reynolds, good morning to you, buddy.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning. Good morning.
Unless you're a fan of the heat in the Northeast, you're going to be miserable because we've got a little bit a of cool-down for you which is great news for people in New York, for Boston, even in Buffalo. Cool is weather is ahead. But still, the heat wave is going to remain intense for people in the Carolinas and in parts of the Midwest.
It's also going to be muggy in Miami where we have a live image for you this morning. Take a look. From Miami all the way down to Key Biscayne, into Key Largo and Key West, a mix of sunshine and clouds and possible showers by late afternoon.
You're watching CNN SUNDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)\
HOLMES: Police in Norway releasing more information and an official toll of the people wounded in Friday's twin terror attacks. (VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
HOLMES: This is a memorial service here you're seeing for the victims today. Ninety-seven people were wounded, 92 died. Several others are still missing.
And police have arrested now 32-year-old Anders Behring Breivik. They say he has confessed to the shooting and will appear in court today.
Diana Magnay has been covering this story for us from the very beginning. She's joining me live with the latest.
Good morning to you once again. What is the latest on this?
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, T.J.
Well, we've just been to a memorial or a church service just 10 minutes away from the hotel where all the families who lost loved ones on that island or are still waiting for news about the last four missing people are gathered. Right now, the crown prince and princess of Norway and the foreign minister have come to talk to those families to try and express their condolences.
Also, today, obviously, we're finding out new and horrifying details in a huge 1,500 pages document about this man who is supposed to have done both attacks. He's confessed to police, he says -- but he's pleaded not guilty.
And this manifesto, which appeared online and which was actually sent to a politician really details his far-right thinking -- the fact that he envisions a Europe in the future without any Muslims, that multiculturalism is really the thing that he despises most. It details, for example, how to create bombs from fertilizer without being detected, why it's important to have a farm, which he did -- really horrifying details.
And also, what is emerging is the fact that in his mind, it appears as though this is just the beginning. He wants to be given a chance through a trial to sort of explain his philosophy, his far- right thinking, so that he can set the ball rolling on what his grand plan is.
And that is, perhaps, why he is not going to plead guilty in this trial, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Diana Magnay for us with the very latest, some scary details starting to emerge -- Diana, we appreciate you once again.
It's a quarter past the hour now on this morning CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Quick break and I'm going to be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: It's 17 minutes past the hour now on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
Take a look at this. We've been talking so much about heat -- but, man, Chicago is dealing with some rain and a lot of it. They needed some help out there.
You saw some of the motorists getting stranded out there.
Seven inches of rain yesterday, Reynolds?
WOLF: Yes. It was amazing stuff. You know, what happened is we've been talking about this area of high pressure, this extreme heat that we've been dealing with in parts of the country. And whenever you have the different air mass that comes in, you have the two air masses that butt up against each other. And this is a frontal boundary, you have a front, often times just some heavy rain. That was the case yesterday, T.J.
HOLMES: You're so smart.
WOLF: I don't know if it's smarter or not. I mean, it's just some stuff that jogs around here my head.
HOLMES: Oh, really? That's good stuff.
WOLF: Well, here's the good stuff we've got today. I don't know how good it's going to be. We've got possibly more rain for Chicago. You see a couple of scattered showers.
Rockford this morning, you're tuning in for Kenosha. You're going to look outside. You're going to look out towards the west. You can see plenty of cloud cover.
All of that is moving in your direction. And within just mere moments, you're going to have the pitter patter of rain drops up on the roof, possibly a boom of thunder. And it may last for maybe a half hour. Most back in places like Madison, we've already had the rain. Now, that's beginning to go lift out.
What we're going to see for a good part of the day is scattered showers popping up around parts of the Great Lakes. But the heat is going to push its way into the Eastern Seaboard, a little farther south. The Mid-Atlantic States to be more specific. In parts of the Midwest, even into the Ohio Valley, but colder, cooler air is moving in across much of the Great Lakes, into the Northeast.
What difference is that going to make for your temperatures? Well, it's going to mean that New York, your highs is going to be in the low 90s. I have a feeling into 100, but it will be cooler for you.
Chicago, 89 degrees is your expected high. Boston with 83, 94 still in Memphis, 104 in Dallas, 90 in Denver, along a string of 90s in El Paso, in Albuquerque, even into Billings and Salt Lake City. Along much of the California coastline, along Highway 101 and along the coast to Highway 1, 67 degrees in San Francisco, a little bit cooler in Monterrey, 71 in Los Angeles, 84 in Seattle. That's a quick snapshot of the forecast and the wrap.
T.J., let's pitch it right back to you.
HOLMES: Reynie, appreciate you, buddy. We'll talk to Reynolds plenty throughout the morning, of course.
We're at 19 minutes past the hour now.
Somalia is suffering from a devastating famine. And now, some are banning international relief agencies from getting in to help the people. We're talking to an international aide worker about this problem.
Also, we're going to let you know how you can help.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: It's 22 minutes past the hour now.
They are hungry, sick and dying. Hundreds of thousands of people in Somalia are struggling to survive. And a lot of them are on the move. They're trying to escape severe drought and famine. Some are headed to the capital of Mogadishu and others are walking miles and miles and miles to reach refugee camps in nearby Kenya and Ethiopia.
I spoke to Kellie Leeson. She is with International Rescue Committee working in Nairobi, Kenya.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KELLIE LEESON, INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE: What we're trying to focus on is not just the food crisis. We do want to get additional resources into Somalia, but also, where I'm working in the Dadaab refugee camp, making sure that when people cross that border, they're able to get the services that they need.
But also in addition to the need for food, it's also really important that is coupled with the need for health care, as well. We do find when, you know, even big words like famine are thrown about, people are typically dying more of disease more actually starvation. So, it's important that those two things typically go together.
HOLMES: Ma'am, is money drying up as well? The U.K., some leaders there were complaining that other countries needed to step up. But, also, you have a lot of countries that are in dire economic straits themselves. Is money becoming an issue
LEESON: Actually, I just want to highlight the fact that this is a situation that has -- I mean, the refugee situation, this drought was upcoming. We knew about this for the last number of months, and we've been preparing ourselves for it. And with the refugee influx, we've had 30,000 people come into Kenya over the last, you know, each year for the last couple of years.
And so, in terms of money, I have to say, all this media attention is at least getting people to pay attention to it, more governments to pay attention to it. So, we need more resources, but more resources are starting to come in now. But we do ask more of governments to step up.
I know it is a dire circumstance in a number of countries with economic situations, but nothing compares to what you see on the ground in Dadaab refugee camp with people literally starving as they enter the camp.
And so, we have to be very aware of the need to give more funding for that so we can address the needs going forward.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And you can make a difference -- help the starving people of Somalia. Go to the "Impact Your World" page CNN.com. You will find links to aid groups and in-depth information about the famine in Somalia.
Also, 25 minutes past the hour. We have a milestone to tell you about. He was one of the last soldiers drafted into the U.S. Army. Now, he's preparing for civilian life. That's next.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Some of the stories making headlines this morning.
You see that guy? That is the wrong guy, according to Los Angeles police now. They have now dropped the charges against this man. His name is Giovanni Ramirez. He was the first suspect arrested in the beating of Bryan Stow. You remember him as a San Francisco Giants fan who was attending a Dodgers game.
Police have arrested two men in connection with that attack. Both men are expected to be arraigned tomorrow on felony charges of mayhem and assault.
Also, nearly three weeks after a Texas Rangers baseball fan fell to his death at the ballpark in Arlington, the team has announced it will raise the height of guard safety rails. Early this month, firefighter Shannon Stone died when he fell from the stand while trying to catch a ball.
And Command Sergeant Major Jeff Mellinger's retirement of the U.S. Army means the end of an era. Mellinger is believed to be the last soldier drafted into military service. He answered the call -- well, answered his draft notice back in 1972. The 39-year Army veteran not only served during the Vietnam conflict, but also as recently as the Iraq war.
Well, forget the lockout. NFL is facing a lawsuit from former players who are still feeling the effect of their playing days. I'll be back with you at the top of the hour with more live news. But, right now, it's time for the good doctor.
