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Search for Predator in Phoenix; Seized by Iran; Poking Fun at Politics; Pentagon Must Juggle Funds to Pay for Iraq War
Aired March 31, 2007 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, hello, everybody. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. And it is Saturday, March 31st. It is 10:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, where thousands of people are in town -- for what, Betty?
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: The Final Four.
HOLMES: The Final Four, happening here in Atlanta today.
NGUYEN: March madness.
HOLMES: Good morning.
Yes, it is absolute madness over there at the Georgia Dome. And here in the NEWSROOM as well.
I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen.
We want to thank you for starting your day with us.
Home alone. Teenaged girls targeted by a predator. Now police in Arizona are targeting him before he strikes again.
HOLMES: Also, you need to hear this. Before you feed your cat or dog this morning, some important information for you, because more pet food is being pulled off the shelves.
NGUYEN: A 6-year-old is arrested. Yes, you heard me right. Six years old, in kindergarten. We're going to get to the bottom of that story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He needs to go. He should have went about a month ago. He's horrible.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's not a good singer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of people think it would be funny to vote for him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Oh.
HOLMES: Yes, hilarious. You know that face, that name, and maybe that voice -- Sanjaya.
NGUYEN: Sanjaya.
HOLMES: Yes. OK, I got it right now.
NGUYEN: Look at the hair, though.
HOLMES: Oh my goodness.
The "American Idol" contestant capturing all the buzz, and not all good buzz. Got wild hair, some questionable talent. Why, why is he still around?
NGUYEN: Well, we're going to start with this, because there are new fears for working parents in a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona. A serial rapist is at work there. His target, teenaged girls left at home alone after their parents leave for work. And so far he has struck three times.
Drawings of the suspect are being posted. Here's a look at that.
Reporter Cara Liu of CNN affiliate KPHO in Phoenix reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CARA LIU, REPORTER, KPHO (voice over): Derek Litten and Khirstin Lewis felt so strongly, they went door to door themselves, making sure their neighbors were aware a sexual predator was targeting their neighborhood.
DEREK LITTEN, CONCERNED NEIGHBOR: And this guy going around and staking out the neighborhoods and watching these kids, it's just very eerie and it's very, very sick.
KHIRSTIN LEWIS, CONCERNED NEIGHBOR: When it gets so close to where you live and where your loved ones are, you want them to, you know, understand that this is serious.
LIU: Police did much the same, passing out more than 1,200 flyers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, actually, I was very impressed.
LIU: Investigators released new information in an attack in January. Police tell us the suspect wore a brown work coat and faded blue jeans. He also had tan work boots with fresh blue and white paint drops on them. His cell phone had a bells-and-rings tone, and they believe he may have access to a newer, white Ford F-150 with tinted windows and Arizona plates.
Detectives believe this man has been watching his victims before the attacks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has a comfort level into entering these houses. So -- which could lead us to believe that he's maybe done some surveillance himself. LIU: Police say three teenage girls have been attacked since January.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: and coming up in about 15 minutes, we are going to talk with the Chandler, Arizona, Police sergeant about leads in this case.
HOLMES: Pet owners, you need to hear me now before you fill up Fluffy or Fido's food dish. More pet food is being recalled.
Hill's Pet Nutrition is recalling its Prescription Diet dry cat food. Now, that food only available at the vet's office.
Also Purina pulling some of their Alpo Prime Cuts products off the shelves as well. You can check the cans for the plant code 1159, and also the best before date of February 2009.
Now, the Hill's food is the first dry food involved in this scare. It wasn't manufactured by Menu Foods. That's the company at the center of the massive recall. But Hill's did buy suspect wheat gluten from the same supplier.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL HENDERSON, CEO MENU FOODS: One supplier's products was adulterated in a manner that was not part of any known screening process for wheat gluten. The important point today is that that source of the wheat -- source of that adulteration has been identified and removed from our system.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, for more on what brands are included in this recall, go to our Web site, CNN.com.
NGUYEN: Well, be glad you are not here, because take a look at what heavy rains left behind in north Texas can do. Flooded homes and streets in some areas, but then strong winds also knocked over utility poles, leaving many without power. Several people actually had to be rescued. At least one emergency shelter has been set up to handle those forced from their homes.
Want to check on that stormy weather.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: Well, we've got fire to tell you about now in the hills, a particular hill, a very famous hill you might recognize there, the Hollywood Hills. Police say two teenaged boys are responsible for this, and they confessed to starting a fire that spread toward that famous Hollywood sign. A hundred and fifty acres are ruined, but the good news here, no homes or buildings damaged in this.
NGUYEN: In political news, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is in the Middle East at this hour. She is leading a congressional delegation. But today they're all playing tourists, taking the holy sites in -- Jerusalem.
Tomorrow, Pelosi plans to address the Israeli legislature. And in the coming days, the group plans to met separately with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. But it is their planned trip to Syria next week that is raising some eyebrows. The White House considers Syria a state sponsor of terror and does not want members of Congress to visit.
HOLMES: Meanwhile, the diplomatic tug-of-war boiling up just a bit today between Britain and Iran. Britain issuing a written response this morning, and Iran again bringing up the possibility of putting the 15 British troops on trial.
CNN's Paula Newton joins us now in front of 10 Downing Street with the latest.
Hello, Paula.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: And hello, T.J.
You know, one thing Britain has always wanted to know is, what is the bottom line for Iran? What does it want?
I think in a lot of the commentary we've seen over nine days of this crisis, the bottom line, it wants an apology, and it wants Britain to admit that it's wrong. We saw more of that kind of rhetoric from Iran's ambassador to Russia, who had some very controversial comments to make to a Russian program.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GHOLAM-REZA ANSARI, IRANIAN AMB. TO RUSSIA (through translator): If there is no guilt, they will be freed. But the legal process is going on and has to be completed. And if they are found guilty, they will face the punishment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Now, that whole point about legal proceedings has become a point of controversy this morning. The Iranian ambassador now says that he did not mean to imply that a trial had already started. But I have to say, you know, the more of this rhetoric, we are no closer to talking about a release.
At least a few days ago we were talking about perhaps one sailor, Faye Turney, the only woman being held, being released. There is no talk of that yet today. And really no diplomatic opening.
In the meantime, British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett says she has sent a reply to a note that Iran first sent her office regarding the seizure of the soldiers. She is hopeful, although she does say, of course, that the current holiday in Iran may be a problem.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MARGARET BECKETT, BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER: We have made our response, and now we are beginning to discuss. But as you may know, it's a holiday period in Iran, and that is, perhaps, not too helpful at the moment.
The response has been delivered, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Another diplomatic note in that form?
BECKETT: Yes. We had a diplomatic note. We have returned a diplomatic note.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NEWTON: Later on, Margaret Beckett made it clear that all they want is the release of their soldiers. And they continue to ask for that unconditionally.
You know, we continue to follow all the ebbs and flows of this story, but the bottom line is, after nine days, we still don't have any meaningful communication between Iran and 10 Downing Street, or the foreign office. And that, I think, is really what is starting to get to some of the families here in England -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Paula Newton for us this morning.
Thank you so much.
NGUYEN: Senator Hillary Clinton gets a guest-starring role on a hit TV series. She's making a trip to "South Park," and we're going to show you what that looks like. You can only begin to imagine. That's in 10 minutes.
HOLMES: And then up next, police say a couple of students, you know, they just didn't want to go to school. We've all been there. But find out what they're suspected of doing to their teacher to get out of class.
NGUYEN: Oh no.
HOLMES: We didn't all do that.
NGUYEN: No.
HOLMES: That story is next.
NGUYEN: And home alone. Teenaged girls being targeted by a predator. Now police in Arizona are targeting him before he strikes again.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Survivors of a deadly Atlanta bus crash return to baseball. More than a thousand fans greeted the Bluffton, Ohio, team as they hit the field for the first time since the March 2nd accident. Five jerseys hung on the fence honoring the five players killed in that crash. Even though it's not the most important thing, we want to let you know that they did lose their season opener 10-5.
NGUYEN: Well, from Washington State, a case of teacher beware. Two 12-year-old girls are accused of putting strawberry lip gloss on a teacher's cup in an attempt to cause an allergic reaction. What were they thinking?
When the teacher took a drink, she did have a reaction and had to take medication. The police chief says everybody at the school knows that the teacher is allergic to strawberries. The girls new exactly what they were doing.
The girls, in fact, were arrested, believe it or not, on Thursday.
Well, once again, a teacher is in trouble for having sex with a student. But in this case, investigators say it was more than one student.
Twenty-four-year-old Elena Ward (ph) is charged with five counts of criminal sexual conduct with a minor and six counts of committing a lewd act with a minor. Ward (ph) is married. Police say the encounters took place at a motel, in a park, and behind a restaurant.
HOLMES: What is going on in schools these days, Betty?
Well, in Ft. Worth, Texas, here, a grand jury has indicted a woman for falsely claiming she was being raped. Prosecutors say Darrell Roberson's wife was having an affair with another man. When Roberson caught the amorous couple, she cried rape.
Roberson believed her, went into husband mode, tried to protect his wife, and he shot the other man. The wife is now the one facing up to 20 years in prison for manslaughter. The grand jury cleared her husband of murder charges.
NGUYEN: Well, a serial rapist targeting teenaged girls left home alone. Posters are going up around the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, here a rapist has struck three times since January. He waits until the parents are at work and then he strikes. And right now, a $10,000 reward is being offered for information on this rapist.
We do have Sergeant Richard Griner of the Chandler Police Department joining us now live to talk about where things stand in this case.
At this hour, do you have any new leads?
SGT. RICHARD GRINER, CHANDLER, ARIZONA, POLICE: No, we don't have any new leads. We are still receiving tips through the phone, through our Web site's silent hotline program. So we're still pursuing whatever leads that we are getting.
NGUYEN: Well, let me ask you this -- what about these three different cases leads you to believe that this person is the same person committing the acts and is targeting children whose parents have gone off to work and they're at home alone? GRINER: Well, the first two cases we were able to link by physical evidence. We're not disclosing what type of evidence; however, we do believe that the third person -- or the third attack is also related based on his method of operation, a similar description of the suspect. He's striking the same time of day, and then the similarity of making sure the parent has left for work and that they're all coming from single-parent residences.
NGUYEN: Well, how does he know they're coming from single-parent residences? I mean, is he watching their daily routines? Is he stalking his victims?
GRINER: Right. We believe that he is stalking them or doing his own surveillance, per se, on the victims. He knows when the parent leaves for work, he knows the victim is there alone. And he has to be doing this over a period of time to feel comfortable enough before he strikes.
So, yes, he is doing his own surveillance.
NGUYEN: So we have three rape cases. Are they all in the same area or near each other?
GRINER: The second and third one were literally blocks away, no more than a quarter mile away. The first one was about a mile to a mile and a quarter from those two.
NGUYEN: Well, we did mention that you've increased your reward money to $10,000. Is that bringing in any new leads?
GRINER: We were hoping that not only increasing the reward amount, but we also released a new suspect specific information this week. We're hoping somebody will identify some of these items we have released...
NGUYEN: Well, what are they? Tell us.
GRINER: We released that he wore a pair of tan work boots with light blue and white drops of paint on them. And then he wore a brown work jacket with a tan hood. That was in the second attack. And that he also had a cell phone with a very distinct ring tone that was a combination of bells and rings together.
So we're hoping somebody will recognize this as being somebody they know, maybe a family member or friend, and will do the right thing and tell us who this person is so we can get this predator off our streets.
NGUYEN: You know, this is really frightening for parents, because I remember coming home from school. My parents were still at work. Staying home, watching television, doing your homework. It's just part of daily life for a lot of children out there.
So what can be done to protect them?
GRINER: Right. This is affecting not only this whole neighborhood, but the whole state and nationwide if somebody is out there doing this.
We're advising the parents to coach their children on what to do if a stranger comes to the door. We're also advising them to keep doors and windows locked. This time of year in Arizona, people have the doors and windows open because the air is nice.
We're also advising them to network with other parents in the neighborhood so that they can all watch each other's children if they have to go to school. Have them be in groups -- the strength in numbers to get to and from school.
NGUYEN: So we're putting up the different sketches right here that we're seeing of the suspect. If anyone has seen this person or has information, what should they do?
GRINER: Well, we're asking them to call the silent witness hotline. That's 1-800-343-TIPS. They can call the Chandler Police Department at 480-782-4130. They can go to our Web site, chandlerpd.com, and use our silent hotline information.
And we're just hoping that we will get the break that we need in this case.
NGUYEN: Well, we hope you do, too.
Again, that number is 1-800-343-TIPS.
Sergeant Griner, we appreciate your time today. Thank you.
GRINER: Thank you.
HOLMES: Well, they've taken on Hollywood stars, religion, and now "South Park" getting political on us. Up next, why a powerful senator and presidential hopeful from New York -- can you guess who we're talking about here? Oh, who might that be? She has become a target.
NGUYEN: You know who that is.
Well, you either love him or you hate him. And coming up in 30 minutes, why Sanjaya is causing such a pop culture uproar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The four horsemen are coming if Sanjaya wins.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I mean, maybe that text is lost, but there must be -- you know, Nostradamus, somebody must have predicted this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, it is approaching the 11th hour. The first quarter fund-raising deadline for presidential hopefuls is at midnight. And, well, besides that traditional stumping that they do, the front-runners have been using their Web sites to raise money.
Well, the deadline for raising money is today. The campaigns have until April 15th to report their numbers to election officials.
And it's shaping up to be a pretty busy day on that campaign trail.
Senator Barack Obama heads to Iowa for a town hall meeting at Iowa Western Community College.
Rudy Giuliani will give a speech in Palm Beach County, Florida, and meet with residents in Jupiter.
Senator Hillary Clinton also in Florida today. She's campaigning in Palm Beach before she heads over to Miami.
And Senator Joseph Biden chose to speak in South Carolina and meet with folks in Sumter.
NGUYEN: OK. So, there are those who believe any publicity is good publicity. But, the Hillary Clinton camp has been wondering if that's true when the publicity is coming from something as irreverent as the TV cartoon "South Park".
CNN's Carol Costello takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): "The Snook" episode starts with a tongue in cheek disclaimer. All characters and events in this show, even those based on real people, are entirely fictional, oh, but then it goes after Senator Clinton.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
COSTELLO: First jab, that allegedly phony Southern accent she adopted while campaigning in Selma, Alabama.
SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D), NEW YORK: I don't believe he brought me this far.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It is so nice to be back in a small town like the one I came from.
COSTELLO: This episode of "South Park" also mimics the anti- terror favorite "24."
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The following takes place between recess and geography class.
COSTELLO: With potty mouth Cartman playing terrorist hunter Jack Bauer, who is looking for a nuclear bomb.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh jeez, hello.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: President Bush, it's Cartman. Are we on a secure line?
COSTELLO: It turns out the terrorists are after the Clinton character, who is now referred to as Hill dog.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hill dog?
COSTELLO: As usual, "South Park's" take is foul and funny, but we wondered why "South Park" chose Hillary to pillory.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I will not be bullied by terrorist threats.
COSTELLO: The show has picked on the likes of Tom Cruise and Oprah, but never a politician running for president. Why not Obama or Giuliani or Edwards?
"Rolling Stone" executive editor Joe Levy has interviewed the creators of "South Park."
JOE LEVY, ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE: They like to lampoon people who they believe are, well, self-important, and frankly that doesn't just include Hillary Clinton. That includes any politician.
COSTELLO: This episode hits every hot button. It satirizes the neo-conservative dislike of Clinton. It pokes fun as what detractors say is her lack of sincerity, but will "South Park's" message influence its young viewers to vote? Levy says they don't care about that.
LEVY: What the "South Park" viewer wants to see is any symbol violated.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: It's true. Have you watched the show? Any symbol violated.
HOLMES: It's hard. You hate to admit it, but, man, that's a good show. That's a good show.
NGUYEN: It's funny.
"South Park" has referred to Hillary Clinton before, but episode was the first time that the senator from New York was animated for the series.
HOLMES: Well, we will move on to more serious stuff here -- the battle over that spending bill to fund troops in Iraq.
Up next, the new details, we found out that could mean the showdown survives into the summer.
Also still ahead...
NGUYEN: All right. The power of pop culture. How Lebanon's version of "American Idol" is really getting fans not only to watch, but perhaps it could help with the whole situation in Iraq. Believe it or not, some people are talking like that.
HOLMES: Also, coming your way in 15 minutes, the family ties that bind -- this year's March madness.
Stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He needs to go. He should have went about a month ago. He's horrible.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's not a good singer.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A lot of people think it would be funny to vote for him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Why is everybody so worked up over that guy right there? Over the fate of Sanjaya?
NGUYEN: Have you seen his -- there, there's the hair.
HOLMES: Hey, that's dope. I like that.
NGUYEN: Yes, you should try that.
HOLMES: I'll give it a shot. No, I won't, Betty.
But this is "American Idol's" -- some are saying he's the weakest performer, but he is still a contender.
We're going to have that story coming up in 20 minutes.
NGUYEN: I know you'll be glued to your seats.
Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
Welcome to the CNN NEWSROOM.
HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes.
On to some serious stuff now.
Car bomb attacks have killed at least 11 people and wounded more than 50 others in Iraq today. In one attack, Iraqi police say five civilians were killed in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood when a car bomb exploded near a hospital. Police say the attack appeared to target street vendors and pedestrians in the Shiite district.
Also, another car bomb blew up at a gas station south of Baghdad in the Shiite city of Hilla. Police say four people were killed in that blast. Congressional Democrats, meanwhile, and the White House still locked in a bitter standoff over funding the war in Iraq. But Democrats have some ammunition that may give them the upper hand.
CNN's Dana Bash reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Democrats say a new nonpartisan analysis undermines White House claims that the fight over funding the Iraq war will soon put combat troops at risk. The Congressional Research Service says even without additional funding, the army could finance the war for several more months, through most of July 2007. The report also says the Pentagon does have flexibility to transfer money from elsewhere for urgent requirements.
KATHLEEN HICKS, CTR. FOR STRATEGIC & INTL STUDIES: The process is that you rob Peter to pay Paul. Lower priority items will start to lose funding in order to pay for overseas contingency costs.
BASH: Democrats hope the new study helps rebut a powerful Bush argument in a standoff centered on Democrats' demands that Iraq war funding be tied to a deadline for troop withdrawal. America's top military officer warns if the Pentagon doesn't get $100 billion in war funding by April 15th, the Army will have to curtail reserve and guard training. Quality of life initiatives like barrack upgrades would be reduced and equipment repairs suspended. And by May 15th, General Pace warns, deployments to Iraq could be delayed. Troops in Iraq would have to stay longer.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you're saying there is a chain reaction.
GENERAL PETER PACE, JOINT CHIEFS CHAIRMAN: There is sir and there are other things. I'll stop there.
SEN. HARRY REID (D) MAJORITY LEADER: Whose fault is that? Whose fault is that? We have waited for months and months and months to get this appropriation bill.
BASH: Democrats blame the president for mismanaging the war and weakening the military and say the Pentagon and White House are using scare tactics to try to get Democrats to back down in their push for a deadline for troops to come home.
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D) HOUSE SPEAKER: What the president is saying, give me the money but don't expect me to be accountable.
BASH (on-camera): Congress has now left town for spring break and they're weeks away from sending a war funding bill to the president, one they know he will veto. So the question is how and when will the standoff end? How much are both sides willing to compromise on the issue of timetables for troops to come home in order to get money for troops who are still in Iraq? Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE) TJ HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: President Bush is hosting the Brazilian president at Camp David today. The two leaders will hold a joint news conference this afternoon at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. Trade and ethanol topping the agenda. CNN will have live coverage of that news conference.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR, NEWSROOM: Fighting rages in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. Black smoke billows over the city as government troops and their Ethiopian allies battle a growing Islamic insurgency. Yesterday an Ethiopian military helicopter was shot down as it attacked insurgent targets. This is some of the heaviest fighting in Mogadishu since the early 1990s. One official count claims 30 people have been killed since fighting began on Thursday.
Let's take you now to Afghanistan, a deadly six-hour gun battle between suspected Taliban militants and Afghan troops. The U.S. coalition says one Afghan soldier and eight Taliban fighters were killed. A statement today says the battle happened Thursday at a southern Afghanistan checkpoint. U.S. officials say the Afghan security guard successfully fought off more than 80 Taliban fighters who tried to attack their compound.
HOLMES: Australian David Hicks has become the first foreign terror suspect to be convicted among the hundreds of Taliban and al Qaeda members detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Hicks' guilty plea was formerly accepted yesterday as part of a plea deal. That deal stipulates Hicks was not mistreated at Guantanamo and that's an important point since Hicks has complained in the past of alleged abuse. His father is not pleased about that part of the deal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERRY HICKS, FATHER: The other thing that's come out of this is, I believe the Americans have committed perjury by making David sign a piece of paper that's wavering the suing the American government with their actions on him and also his mistreatment and abuses. We know for a fact that David was abused. He was mistreated and yet, he had to sign a piece of paper saying, no, he wasn't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Hicks has been at Guantanamo Bay for five years now. He will eventually be transferred to an Australian prison where he'll spend nine more months in custody. Australia's prime minister says Hicks got what he deserved.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN HOWARD, AUSTRALIAN PRIME MINISTER: The facts for all time will be that he pleaded guilty to knowingly assisting al Qaeda. That's an absolutely undisputed fact. It's also an undisputed fact that he's acknowledged that the prosecution could have proved his case beyond a reasonable doubt.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: Hicks was a Muslim convert, was captured trying to escape into Pakistan after fighting briefly with the Taliban. In his guilty plea, Hicks admitted conducting surveillance on the U.S. embassy in Kabul on behalf of al Qaeda. He was given a seven-year sentence, but all but nine months suspended.
We wanted to know your thoughts on the terrorism threat hitting close to home. A new CNN Opinion Research Corporation poll asked whether you're worried that you or someone in your family will become the victim of terrorism. The results here now for you from more than 1,000 people we asked; 44 percent say yes, that is a worry, 54 percent say no.
And tonight, a must-see CNN special investigation, caught in the middle of innocence and extremism. Chief international correspondent Christianne Amanpour and CNN special investigations unit uncovering "The War Within." That is tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
NGUYEN: Right now areas of the country could be facing some rough weather today. CNN's Reynolds Wolf joins us now from the weather center with the latest on this. Hi there Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there. Things are starting to get better in Texas,, which has been hit unusually hard over the last couple days by a variety of weather. Things are going to start getting better. But take a look at this shot, this is a viewer- submitted photo that we have on our I-Report and it shows a couple youngsters making their way through some I guess a flooded road. This actually Copper's Cove (ph), Texas. This is one thing we never want to see you guys do when you're out there is you never want to cross through an area where you can't see the real depth of the water. Water can be really, really kind of a spooky thing. Although it looks like a slow current at the very top of the water, well below the surface can be much faster and the current can sweep you off your feet, push you down stream and then a lot of bad things can happen. More weather-related fatalities take place during flash flooding than anything else. That's certainly something you want to avoid. That's something you may see again in parts of Texas for today.
We got a couple of watches we're watching. We do have a tornado watch that is no longer in effect, but now a severe thunderstorm watch that will be in effect for extreme eastern Texas, moving into Louisiana. Some very intense storms in the Houston area earlier. Now, much of the action to the Louisiana state line, now just east of Port Arthur, not at Lake Charles just yet, you've just had some moderate showers, but this big heavy line is moving through, I'd say within the next 10 to 15 minutes, farther to the north into the Midwest we go as well as parts of the southeast, southeast first, into Little Rock, back over to Memphis. Heavy rain in Little Rock now moving eastward. Memphis, in about an hour or so is going to start chugging through your neighborhoods.
From Huntington back to Indianapolis, scattered showers the name of the game also in Dayton, back up to Chicago, a little bit of precipitation and just to the west of the twin cities, we're going to be dealing with thunderstorms there is as well. Nothing severe as of yet, but there will be that potential as we make our way into the afternoon and into the evening hours as well. So that's going to be your big story, the possibility of severe weather right along the Mississippi River valley from the great lakes southward to the Gulf of Mexico. All right, let's send it back to you at the news desk
NGUYEN: We'll be watching it. Thank you.
Federal investigators want to know how an off-duty United Airlines flight attendant got a gun on board a flight from Atlanta to Washington. CNN affiliate WJLA reports the attendant inadvertently carried the concealed weapon onto plane but told officials after landing. The TSA says she was arrested. Now we don't know if that gun was loaded.
And police in Highlands County, Florida are facing questions over their arrest of -- listen to this -- a six-year-old girl. Yes, she was arrested. Local affiliates web sites are reporting this story. They say the kindergartner was handcuffed and even taken to jail after allegedly hitting her teacher. Police say she was also crying uncontrollably. The girl's mother says she is absolutely shocked about how her child was treated and is considering legal action. Meanwhile, the little girl is facing one felony count and two misdemeanors.
If that doesn't have you talking, this might. Chocolate is supposed to make everybody happy, right? But there is an uproar over a sculpture.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The purpose of sweet Jesus is for me to portray a very iconic image with a taste.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want to bet that they would never put up a naked chocolate statue of Mohammed with his genitals exposed during Ramaddan?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Oh my, OK, some strong words, needless to say, about a life-sized sweet Jesus, as it's called. That story in the next hour of CNN NEWSROOM.
HOLMES: And then up next, not so controversial here. We'll be talking about the final four and the final four's family ties. We'll have a live report in three minutes.
NGUYEN: And still to come, explaining the star power of that guy right there. If you don't know him, you probably will soon, plus the hair. His name is Sanjaya. We'll talk about it soon.
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NGUYEN: Deadbeat dads and moms actually featured on pizza boxes. Yes folks, those are wanted posers on the pizzas. You better pay up or is this just going too far and will it work? We're going to debate it tomorrow on CNN's "Sunday morning."
HOLMES: But right now, it's time to talk basketball. It's time to talk final four. A lot of you probably getting your home ready. I need to get mine ready since my tickets aren't coming through for me. Getting ready to watch the four teams battle it out to move just a step closer to the national championship. But the underlying theme this year may be all the familiar faces from championships past. CNN sports Larry Smith joins us now live here in Atlanta. Larry, you did not have to go far from the office to do your live shot today.
LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, I sure didn't. In fact, T.J., I know if you want to cough up a couple of grand, we could get some tickets for you outside the dome today. We'll try to take care of that for you.
HOLMES: Couple grand. Really?
SMITH: ... roll like that. That's all. Not a lot of money. The dads are really the big story. One dad who will not be here tonight is Luke Bashard (ph) (INAUDIBLE) Now Luke Bashard is a - he's a prince. His dad is a chief back in the native country of Cameroon. Now his dad has never seen him play basketball and was scheduled to be here tonight for UCLA's game against Florida, but it turned out that is not going to happen. He fell ill, did not make the trip. And so now Luke Bashard and the Bruins, they're just going to have to win the whole thing and take the ring back home to Cameroon when he visits this summer. While his dad may not be very well known here in the states, there will be many dads in the stands tonight who are.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH (voice-over): It's the final four of famous progeny, Ohio State's Mike Conley, Jr. is the son of an Olympic gold medalist. Florida's Joe Kim Noah's (ph) father is former (INAUDIBLE) and Georgetown's Jeremiah Rivers dad is Celtic's head coach Doc Rivers.
JEREMIAH RIVERS, GEORGETOWN GUARD: It kind of helps maybe, be more humble about it, understand the experience is just very rare and you've got to soak it up as much as you can. Our fathers being there, we haven't been there.
SMITH: For head coach John Thompson III and Patrick Ewing Jr., there's perhaps, an even bigger legacy, following the footsteps of their famous fathers, Hoya coaching legend John Thompson, Jr. whose star player was Patrick Ewing. Together they won Georgetown's only national championship in 1984.
JOHN THOMPSON III, GEORGETOWN HEAD COACH: All of our parents have been supportive, and I think that you know, myself, Patrick, Jeremiah, you know, I think we have a comfort level with who we are and we'll let everyone else analyze and compare and contrast.
JOHN THOMPSON JR, HALL OF FAME COACH: This is their time. That's what I enjoy, the fact that it's not my time. It's not big Pat's time. It's little Patrick's time, and it's John's time. Both of us feel very fortunate about being able to share in that. PATRICK EWING, JR., GEORGETOWN FORWARD: Their knowledge of the game is way bigger than most people's. So when they give us advice, we got to listen to it. We figure we know what they're doing.
PATRICK EWING, FORMER NBA PLAYER: When you're out there playing, you feel invincible, you feel like you can leap tall buildings, but as a parent and as a fan, it's not in your hand. All you can do is yell at them with the rest of the fans.
THOMPSON JR: I was talking to Patrick earlier. He has some concerns about little Patrick. I said I hope you permit your son to have the relationship with my son that you had with your coach.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SMITH: Well, John Thompson III already joins his dad tonight as the only father/son combination to coach in the final four. He can join them as well as NCAA champions, if the Hoyas get a couple of wins tonight and then Monday night. Georgetown, Ohio State in game one, the defending champion Florida Gators versus UCLA in a rematch of last year's title game in game two tonight at the Georgia dome in Atlanta. TJ, let's go back to you.
HOLMES: All right, Larry and if you can find me tickets more in the $50, $60 range, I'll take them. Thank you sir.
NGUYEN: You might not want to hold your breath because that ain't happening. Or better yet, don't hold your breath.
That brings us to our e-mail question, speaking of all the sports, Veronica de la Cruz joins us now with that as well as what people are clicking on at cnn.com. Good morning Veronica.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN.COM: Good morning to you Betty. Let's go ahead and start with the web. The most popular story on the CNN web site this morning is this bizarre love triangle in Arlington, Texas. Darrel (ph) Robertson thought he was shooting his wife's rapist but after hearing the evidence, the grand jury handed up an indictment against the wife. Find out why by clicking on most popular to get all the strange details.
And one of the most popular videos at cnn.com is our Carol Costello's report on the boys of "South Park" spoofing presidential candidate Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. And that hit show "24" aired just a few moments ago. You might have caught it.
And the most popular story in Atlanta all weekend however is the final four, which is literally swirling around the CNN center. We wanted to know how this tournament has been affecting you. Here's what some of you have said so far. Sheila in Melbourne, Florida writes I love the game. I've taken the whole week to prepare for the game. Yeah, go Gators! I haven't even seen outside in a week.
And Ken in Ann Arbor tells us as a father son bonding moment that began 15 years ago, he writes that he and his son Matt began the tradition of calling each other on the phone no matter where they were so they can watch together the highlight film of the NCAA tournament following the championship game while the greatest song in sports TV, "One Shining Moment," played in the background, very sweet. Thank you Ken.
And you can send us your e-mail to weekends@cnn.com, Betty and T.J.
NGUYEN: All right, thank you Veronica. Well, the votes they are in and a new idol has been crowned.
Look at that elation behind the scenes of a hit show in the Middle East. Why this winner just may help bring a war-torn country together.
HOLMES: Also a bit of controversy here in the states over "American Idol," why everybody is talking about him.
NGUYEN: Sanjaya.
HOLMES: And it's not just because of that hairdo. That is Sanjaya and we'll be talking about Sanjaya in just a second.
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NGUYEN: OK, so you might think of shows like "American Idol" as meaningless fluff, but could they be a model for world peace?
HOLMES: This is why we say this. "Star Academy," this is an "American Idol" type show that's going on. It happened in Lebanon. It proved it could bridge the gap between Shiites and Sunnis in Iraq and it's because of one young Iraqi lady.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHADHA HASSOUN, "STAR ACADEMY" WINNER: I can feel them really happy and they're smiling, especially in that situation they live in, you know? That's why I enjoy my dream to make them happy and smiling and I think I did it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Her name is Shadha Hassoun and she emerged as the winner of the four-month long competition. Across the Arab world today, Shadha Hassoun is a superstar in certainly more ways than one.
NGUYEN: I just love seeing that.
But you may not like it depending on if you're a fan or not, Sanjaya, Sanjaya, Sanjaya. Could he really be the next "American Idol"? He will if Howard Stern and the other "American Idol" crashers get their way.
HOLMES: The judges, Paula, Randy and certainly Simon, they can even give this guy a real critique at this point. They actually picked him, however, to go to Hollywood. So their responsible I guess you could say for him being there in the first place. So CNN's Brooke Anderson hit the streets to find out who could give this guy a critique. Good luck.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE ANDERSON (voice-over): Seventeen-year old Sanjaya Malakar (ph) is the new breakout star of America's most popular TV show, "American Idol". Viewers have voted him into the top nine, and he's probably the most talked-about star on TV right now. That's all despite -- well, we don't want to be mean, so we'll let "the view" guest host Jackie Reeve say it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He can't really perform well.
ANDERSON: Sanjaya's performances have been criticized for everything from his passing acquaintance with the (INAUDIBLE) and his passing familiarity with the lyrics.
MIKE FLEEMAN, PEOPLE MAGAZINE: The anti-Sanjaya forces, and that is probably every male over the age of 13, says he has no talent. He's a joke. He has no business being there on the same stage with people with legitimate futures and legitimate talent.
ANDERSON: When he survived a recent elimination round, we saw an unusual reaction from Paula Abdul and a more expected reaction from Simon Cowl (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We all know he can't sing. I believe he even knows it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes he does.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you look at his eyes, he's kind of like, you're going to kick me off stage any second. When he's performing, he's kind of looking to the side, like, is anybody coming to get me?
ANDERSON: So if his talent is that questionable, how does Sanjaya keep surviving? For one, members of the Asian Indian community reportedly are voting for him out of solidarity. (INAUDIBLE) tells "Showbiz Tonight" of another popular theory.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There are 10-year-old girls who have access to the phone lines and they're all dialing in to save him, millions of them.
ANDERSON: As we saw from this girl whom Sanjaya drove to tears during a recent performance, Sanjaya has proven popular with the tween set. But Mike Fleeman of "People" magazine, which features "American Idol" on its cover, tells "Showbiz Tonight," there may be another reason.
FLEEMAN: There's a large faction of people, many of them out there in cyber space, who are voting for Sanjaya, even though they hate the guy.
ANDERSON: To that end, radio shock jock Howard Stern is urging his listeners to vote for Sanjaya, jokingly, we think. And the web site votefortheworst.com is also encouraging pro-Sanjaya votes in hopes of dealing a fatal blow to "American Idol's" credibility. For (INAUDIBLE) "Showbiz Tonight"
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They hate us for our freedom. But I'm going to tell you, they are not going to take away "American Idol."
ANDERSON: I'm here at the Kodak theater in Hollywood where the "American Idol" finals will be held. It's looking like it's possible, yes, possible, that if the stars align properly, Sanjaya just might make it here. I just had to ask some people on the street what they think of Sanjaya's surprising success. Do you support Sanjaya?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
ANDERSON: What do you think about Sanjaya?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He needs to go. He should have went about a month ago. He's horrible.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's not a good singer.
UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: A lot of people think it would be funny to vote for him.
ANDERSON: If you think people are reacting strongly to Sanjaya, consider this. If he keeps on going the way he has, he may actually win. Imagine the reaction.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The four horsemen are coming if Sanjaya wins.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Maybe that text is lost, but there must be -- you know, Nostradamus, somebody must have predicted this.
ANDERSON: It could happen. A Las Vegas web site is placing 45 to 1 odds against Sanjaya being removed in the next round eliminations. And on a recent "American Idol," even the powerful Simon acknowledged there may be nothing he can do to stop it.
SIMON COWL: I don't think it matters anymore what we say actually.
ANDERSON: But maybe that's the point. After all, it is the purpose of rock music to challenge and provoke us and to tick off old squares like Simon. And (INAUDIBLE) Sanjaya's young fans may be sending a message to their stodgy older counterparts.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're going to wish that you were listening to Green Day.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, you're going to miss that when I start pulling out.
ANDERSON: And if they can't do that with a great American icon, a so-so "American Idol" will have to do.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: At least he knew those lyrics, we think.
HOLMES: Sanjaya. I'm voting for him now.
NGUYEN: You know what will happen? Hopefully not. The world won't come to an end, right?
HOLMES: If he wins. Well folks, this is a good day for you, for some of you to stay indoors and stay tuned to us right here, because some rough weather is in the forecast.
NGUYEN: Coming up in three minutes, we're going to tell you who's most at risk.
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