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Possible New Lead in Mysterious Disappearance of Madeleine McCann; Democrats Abroad Voting Over Internet; UFO Tales in Texas
Aired January 21, 2008 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: We're going to talk much more about this again from Myrtle Beach tomorrow morning. Thanks for joining us today. See you again tomorrow.
KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: A beautiful, beautiful view behind you, John. All right. CNN NEWSROOM with Heidi Collins begins right now.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Heidi Collins. Welcome in to the NEWSROOM live Monday, January 21st.
Here's what's on the rundown, southern swing. The presidential candidates focus on their next battleground; Florida for the republicans, South Carolina for the democrats.
And remembering the civil rights legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., President Bush plans live remarks this morning.
And he drives a jeep. He wears western sheik and wants his father to change. Osama Bin Laden's son, the CNN exclusive interview, in the NEWSROOM.
Developing this hour, investigators on the scene right now of a huge fire that broke out overnight north of Boston. Look at these flames. The fire started at vacant nightclub and spread quickly. The city fire chief calls the fire suspicious. At least 14 buildings were destroyed. One of the buildings, a home for special needs residents. Everyone there did get out safely. Firefighters, though, were hampered by temperatures in the teens which caused fire hydrants to freeze. One person was treated for smoke inhalation. About 200 people who live in the area were evacuated. The shelter has been set up an elementary school and the Red Cross is helping those people forced from their homes.
A new week and new worlds to conquer for the presidential candidates. For democrats, all roads lead to South Carolina. Their next big test is there on Saturday. Hillary Clinton arrives fresh off this weekend's win in the Nevada caucuses. This morning, Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards celebrate Martin Luther King Day at the South Carolina statehouse, and tonight they square off in a debate right here on CNN. Republicans turn their attention to Florida. That primary is one week from tomorrow. John McCain will try to build on his weekend win in South Carolina. Mitt Romney the winner in Nevada. Both parties have no clear front-runner emerging on either side. Makes it interesting. We have CNN correspondents trailing the candidates, of course. Let's begin with democrats in South Carolina. Jessica Yellin is in Columbia. Jessica, tell us a little bit about what the candidates are doing today.
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Heidi, good morning. The candidates here will be commemorating Martin Luther King Day. As you say, they'll be participating in Martin Luther King march, to the capitol here in Columbia, though at different times. It's a fitting way for them to begin the campaign here in South Carolina, because so much of this will be driven by the African-American vote. It's expected that as much as 60% of the turnout could be from African- American voters, and both Senators Clinton and Obama especially have been vying for their support. Yesterday both addressed Martin Luther King's Legacy, in separate events, at churches, one in New York City, and Obama at Ebenezer Church, which was Martin Luther King's church. Let's listen to what they had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Dr. King understood that just one person chose to walk instead of ride the bus, those walls of oppression would not have been moved. But maybe if a few more decided to walk, those foundations might start to shake.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We are about to, once again, commemorate Dr. King's birthday, but more importantly, his holiday, to reflect upon his legacy and his continuing challenge to all of us.
YELLIN: Clearly, South Carolina has enormous importance coming as it does as the last major primary for the democrats before Super Tuesday and also because Obama and Clinton both have victories of different sorts in Nevada. This could be seen as another tie breaker for them, if you will. Different challenges here for each of the candidates on the democratic side. For Obama, because he is trying to run a race that transcends this question of race, but at the same time, appeal to African-Americans here. For Senator Clinton, the challenge is to run against this first truly eligible African-American or electable African-American candidate and then John Edwards, to get his name in edgewise. As you can see, he has been getting less attention and less -- less attention, bottom line, than the other candidates, and he really wants a win in this state.
COLLINS: Particularly, Jessica, because he was born in South Carolina. Do you think that gives him an advantage? Will we hear more about him because of that?
YELLIN: It makes him more eligible, or more competitive here than he might have been otherwise at this state. He got just 4% of the vote in Nevada. And another candidate in his position might not even be much, considered much competitive in this state. At least he's still in the running, but really the campaign seems to be about Senators Clinton and Obama right now.
COLLINS: Seems to be. All right. CNN's Jessica Yellin live for us this morning. Thank you, Jessica.
And a reminder, the democrats are going to take part in a Congressional Black Caucus debate. That's tonight in South Carolina. You will see it live only on CNN, 8:00 eastern.
Now to the republicans. They're in Florida, the state that decided the presidential race eight years ago. CNN's Mary Snow is in the conservative stronghold of Jacksonville. Mary, John McCain, Mitt Romney are coming off wins this weekend. How do you think that will affect things?
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Heidi, certainly they're hoping it's going to give momentum. This is such an unusual race with three of the republican candidates already winning states, and then they're meeting Rudy Giuliani, has who has been really basing his campaign here in Florida. So it's a very unusual dynamic, but Senator McCain, Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, are all expected in the Jacksonville area today. Mitt Romney, the first one here. And already this morning, he has spoken at a company nearby. He's going to be participating in today's Martin Luther King parade, which is just about getting under way behind me, and one of the big things Mitt Romney has been stressing and all the candidates for that matter have been stressing, the economy. He, over the weekend, came out with his own economic stimulus package after President Bush did last week, and on "AMERICAN MORNING" this morning, he talked a little bit about what he plans to do in order to help boost the economy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's towards jobs. I'm not concerned about the owners of businesses. I'm concerned about the jobs that we have in this country and the best way to grow an economy is to have good jobs. And the best way I know how to do that is to encourage businesses to buy products, to grow and then to hire people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: And, you know, community organizers here in Jacksonville are saying that one of the biggest issues will be the jobless rate. Mitt Romney is stressing tax incentives for corporations and individuals, but Rudy Giuliani really has been stressing over this weekend as well. He's saying that he is the most fiscally conservative candidate of all the republican hopefuls. He is saying, this is, the race near Florida, the one everyone has been waiting for. Senator John McCain, winning New Hampshire and South Carolina this weekend is hoping that momentum will help him here. Last week he also came out with his own economic plan on how to help revive the ailing economy, and one of the things that he's going to face here, the questions are, this is a state that doesn't have independents allowed to vote in the republican primary. Independents have been helpful to him in New Hampshire and South Carolina. That's one of the things being looked at pull all will be canvassing the state for this crucial primary here in Florida. Mike Huckabee started the day in Atlanta this morning. He is going to be coming to the Orlando area later today. Heidi? COLLINS: All right. You know, it's interesting, too, Mary, about Rudy Giuliani. There has been some criticizing of him, because it seems as though he's waited so long to get in the race, if you will, waiting for Florida. Any word there on the ground whether or not this is going to pay off?
SNOW: You know, that is the big question, because it is a very risky strategy, and, of course, the Giuliani camp has been saying that, you know, it will be proven that it's going to work, but behind the scenes, a lot of the political analysts are saying this is either a brilliant strategy or not a very well thought out one. As you said, he's really been staking his claim here. One of the things, too, he's relying on here in Florida, many New Yorkers who've retired have moved to Florida. He's hoping to get that base, and -- but it's going to be very competitive of a race, whether or not he can pull it off, is the big question mark, and he wants this state in order to gain momentum going into Super Tuesday.
COLLINS: Understood. All right. CNN's Mary Snow. Thanks so much, Mary.
For more on the presidential candidates and their next stop, go to CNNpolitics.com. It's your one-stop shop for all things political.
The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. Tributes are taking place all across the country today in honor of the slain civil rights leader. One of them gets under way next hour at his former church right here in Atlanta. CNN's T.J. Holmes is there this morning. T.J. good morning to you. What's going to be happening there today?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, to you there, Heidi. Yes, this is what's within the hour behind me. The is the Horizon Sanctuary where what's being described as a spiritual hallmark of the King holiday observance is going to take place, a commemorative service will take place there with several dignitary, big names and a lot of people here to celebrate this holiday. This new Horizon Sanctuary is across the street from the historic church, Ebenezer Baptist, where, of course, Dr. Martin Luther King used to preach from that pulpit. You talked about Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy, a proud legacy here certainly in downtown Atlanta and proud in -- really, favorite son, also within Atlanta, at a college campus here in particular, certainly proud to call Dr. King one of their own.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: 60 years ago Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. walked the halls of Morehouse College. This week, Morehouse honors them. While the Atlanta symphony plays ...
CHRISTINE KING FARRIS, MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.'S SISTER: In 1948 right from there to -- a following. I'm in fine shape in Philly, going wild over the old boy. Our mothers there is nothing to worry about, because I am too busy saving.
ANDREW YOUNG, FORMER U.N. AMBASSADOR: Voting and democracy for him was a sacred trust of which he gave his life. He never saw this as a struggle, black against white. He saw it as a struggle of injustice and injustice.
WALTER FLUKER, DIR., MOREHOUSE KING COLLECTION: We say at Morehouse that ethical leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and many others who preceded him are leaders who remember, who retell and relive the story. And it's a great story. It's a story of a very long struggle, and a story of a tradition which made Martin Luther King Jr. possible.
HOLMES: And keeping with that tradition, some of the Morehouse students organized buses to attend a rally last year in Jena, Louisiana in support of black students who many thought were partially convicted because of their color.
KOREE HOOD, MOREHOUSE STUDENT ACTIVIST: When you walk around Morehouse, you see a lot of pickets up. A lot of people marching, and when we were locking arms singing a lot of the same songs saying a lot of the same chants, it really -- it really was significant.
BRANDON LAWRENCE, EDITOR, MOREHOUSE MAROON TIGER: Young people in this generation, I think we're starting to mobilize and realize that we have different aspirations and differ goals we need to obtain but we're only going to do that together. I think that's the message that Dr. King was trying to convey to not only the African-American community but also the world in general.
FLUKER: The best instrument for really understanding King is being able to listen to and to think on his words. The key word for us, I think, in the 21st century, and we're seeing evidence of it already, is the question of peace.
HOLMES: On the week of what would have been his 79th birthday, Dr. King dream and message resonates in the minds of these Morehouse College students in words and music.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And we have seen some Morehouse students through the day be a part of the service here as well that gets under way, again, at the top of the hour, at 10:00. The theme of the day today, really, is remembrance, celebrate, act. A day on and not a day off. Kind of a reminder there, Heidi to folks, this is not just a three-day weekend for you.
COLLINS: Yeah. It makes sense. It will be a very special day, as always, this time of year. I do wonder, T.J. if all of those years ago it was ever this cold as it is today when Martin Luther King Jr. went inside to go to church at Ebenezer? Thanks for being with us, T.J. Appreciate it.
HOLMES: No worries.
COLLINS: I want to get to this story out of California to tell you about. Planes collide in the skies east of Los Angeles. Debris crashes to the ground. One witness says bodies were falling from the sky. The investigation, ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Two small single engine planes collide in the sky southeast of Los Angeles. A witness tell as local TV station he saw bodies falling from the sky as the planes disintegrated over Corona, California, yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEFF HARDIN, CRASH WITNESS: The smaller aircraft, this one here, just disintegrated into pieces, 50 pieces coming down. The other aircraft pretty much stayed intact and started spiraling down and came down right behind the Nissan dealer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: A federal transportation official says at least five people are dead, including one man hit by debris while sitting inside a car at that dealership. Investigators are still going through the wreckage.
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: Not a top priority for some.
DENNIS LEARY, ACTOR: I gave up on ever hoping that politicians in this country, local you know, state or federal, would step in to help these guys.
COLLINS: New Orleans firefighters not getting any help from the government. Now a Hollywood actor is coming to the rescue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: A Texas town gets spaced out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come over and then the bottom end comes over and just doing that. Go from left to right, and I believe there's other people out there. I believe there is other things out there.
COLLINS: Are they here? UFOs, in the NEWSROOM.
Stocks in Europe and Asia in a tumbled this morning. That following another tough week on Wall Street. Boy, that's for sure. Growing recessions and a look at your financial security as well. "MINDING YOUR BUSINESS" for us this morning, Stephanie Elam. What can we expect when the U.S. markets open tomorrow? Full recovery, right?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: All going to happen just tomorrow. First of all, let's say why the markets are closed. It is Martin Luther King Day. The markets are closed today. We're not going to see anything happen. That doesn't mean that the overseas markets are the same story. We actually saw the Asian markets selling off. I think if you take a look at Hong Kong, the most dramatic drop losing about 5%. So these recession worries actually playing into the markets. Let me tell you about what was going on last week. Last week marked the fourth week in a row we saw the Dow slide into the down side. In fact, looking at the markets overall, the Dow is at a ten- month low, NASDAQ 14-month low. The S&P now had its worst week in 5 1/2 years. It actually was the biggest weekly loss since July 2002 and it is at a 16-month low.
In case you're wondering what happened for all of last year, let's look at that. Let's kind of put things in perspective. For all of 2007, the Dow was on the upside. That should be pretty narrow. They're up but they should be green. The Dow down 6.4%. NASDAQ up 9.8 and the S&P, 3.5 percent. Let's take a look at 2008 so far this year to see -- look at that. Wiping out all of the gains and then some from last year. The Dow off 8.8%, NASDAQ off almost 12% and S&P almost 10% of gains wiped out. This year has already been a really, really rocky year so far. It's early in the year, but obviously we'll be keeping our eyes on it and see if it gets better. Recession worries. Overall, the traders say, hey, this is good that the government is stepping in, saying this is going to be some sort of economic stimulus plan, but they want more and want to know when the bottom is going to happen, Heidi. Of course, I don't think anyone there has a crystal ball.
COLLINS: No. Unfortunately so much better if we did.
ELAM: Exactly.
COLLINS: All right. CNN's Stephanie Elam "MINDING YOUR BUSINESS." Stephanie, thank you.
ELAM: Thanks.
COLLINS: You are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Good morning once again, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. Tony Harris has the day off.
A possible new lead in a mysterious disappearance of Madeleine McCann. She vanished last May during a family vacation in Portugal. Owen Thomas is on the case in London.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OWEN THOMAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): More than eight months after her mysterious disappearance, Madeleine McCann's parents released two new images of a man they think may have abducted their daughter in Portugal in May last year.
The sketches, the second and third, released by the family are based on a description given to police by a British tourist. She says she spotted the suspect several times during her stay, just a couple of weeks before Madeleine's disappearance.
CLARENCE MITCHELL, MCCANN FAMILY SPOKESMAN: On Friday, April the 20th last year, she saw this man walking by himself in the heavy rain on the otherwise deserted beach. Two days later, Gail Cooper recognized the same man who had approached her at the villa and, of course she had seen him on the beach two days earlier in the rain. He was alone and standing on the periphery near the edge of the group of children.
THOMAS: The family spokesman says the new sketch has similarities to an earlier drawing of a man seen carrying a child on the night Madeleine disappeared. The family wants him traced as soon as possible.
MITCHELL: We want to know who he is and we want to know where he is. And we want to know that as soon as we can. We're asking for people's help today. If he isn't connected with Madeleine's abduction, at the very least, he now needs to come forward himself so that he can eliminated from both the police and the private investigations that are under way into Madeleine's disappearance.
THOMAS: Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann were named official suspects in the case by Portuguese' authorities in September. But no charges have ever been brought against them. They strenuously deny having any involvement in their daughter's disappearance. Owen Thomas, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: You don't know him, but you know his father.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Do you think that your father is a terrorist?
OMAR OSAMA BIN LADEN, BIN LADEN'S SON: No, I don't think my father is a terrorist.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Talking with the son of Osama Bin Laden, next in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: He is the son of a terrorist. He says he wants his father to stop the violence. CNN's Aneesh Raman interviewed Omar Bin Laden.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANEESH RAMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At first glance, 26-year-old Omar seems the image of a modern Middle East. He drives a jeep, has dread locks, and his wife is a British national. You'd never guess this is Osama Bin Laden's son.
What age did you start training with al Qaeda?
OMAR OSAMA BIN LADEN, BIN LADEN'S SON: I was start training maybe 14.
RAMAN: As a child, Omar was a soldier in his father's army, training in Afghanistan like so many others. But by 2000, Omar felt al Qaeda was heading for a fight he didn't want any part of.
BIN LADEN: After few years, they started the war, the fight got bigger and bigger. And I see a lot of things are being bigger and my eyes was open on a lot of things. And I think it's better if I go outside and see how the life outside.
RAMAN: It was a decision, Omar says, his father accepted.
BIN LADEN: He told me if this is your -- what?
ZAINA AL SABAH-BIN LADEN, BIN LADEN'S DAUGHTER-IN-LAW: Your choice, your decision.
BIN LADEN: Your decision but I can't tell you, I like to be with me but if this is your decision.
RAMAN: So father and son went their separate ways, but for Omar, there was no running from the Bin Laden name, not after September 11, 2001.
Where were you when 9/11 happened? How did you first learn about it?
BIN LADEN: I am in Saudi Arabia.
RAMAN: Did you immediately think your father was behind it when you saw the news?
BIN LADEN: Yes, maybe.
RAMAN: And what went through your mind?
BIN LADEN: That time, I didn't know how I have to feel.
AL SABAH-BIN LADEN: He was only 18, 19.
BIN LADEN: Sure, when I see somebody killed, I feel sad.
RAMAN: Seven years later, his father is now the world's most wanted man.
Are you in touch with your father at all, right now?
BIN LADEN: Sure not.
RAMAN: Do you have any idea where he is?
BIN LADEN: No.
RAMAN: Do you think that he will ever get caught?
BIN LADEN: I don't think so.
RAMAN: The reason Omar says wherever Osama is, the people around him will never turned. BIN LADEN: The people there is different from here. The people there has freedom between them and the God. They can do anything by God's permission. They didn't care about government.
RAMAN: As for Omar, he's caught between love of a father. Do you think that your father is a terrorist?
BIN LADEN: No, I don't think my father is a terrorist.
RAMAN: And the hatred of tactics that kill innocent civilians.
BIN LADEN: I like to say to my father, try to find another way to help or to find your goal. And this wrong or this is...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Weapons.
BIN LADEN: Is not good to use it for anybody.
RAMAN: To make the point, Omar and his wife, Zaina, are organizing a horse race later this year hoping to cross North Africa with a message of peace but finding sponsors is difficult when your last name is Bin Laden.
AL SABAH-BIN LADEN: It would probably been easier to do a race without having Omar's name. But then the race would be just a race, it wouldn't be a race for peace.
RAMAN: It is a big unknown, can this son re-brand a name his father has made synonymous with terror.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Aneesh Raman is joining us now live from Cairo. Aneesh, fascinating story. I do wonder, though, why doesn't he think his father is a terrorist?
RAMAN: Yes. I pushed him on that, Heidi. How can you condemn someone's tactics and not condemn the man? Omar says, look, it's a false title. Back when Osama Bin Laden was fighting the soviets, at that time many in the west regarded him as a hero. Of course, 9/11 changed that undoubtedly perhaps forever linking the Bin Laden name with mass murder.
He also, Omar said, that a key issue here is that the religious clerics around his father continue to give him the religious justification to kill civilians. Omar says he does not believe Islam allows that and what needs to happen is the clerics and also Arab leaders throughout the Middle East need to stand up, forcefully condemn what Osama Bin Laden is doing and forcefully say, this is not Islam, Heidi.
COLLINS: Absolutely. We know his father, though, Osama Bin Laden as you have just mention does have some support. Does Omar have supporters in what he's trying to do?
RAMAN: Yes. It was funny. We asked him and his wife what life is like. And perhaps the most engaging response is when they talked about how difficult it is to make friends.
At first people get to know them, then people disappear for a period of time now out of fear of even associated with the Bin Laden. Then eventually some come back.
I think he has some support. He's trying to introduce himself as different from his father. I asked him as well, does he feel himself at danger, at risk of al Qaeda turning on him as traitor?
He said, look, you know, if I am to die, that's up to God. I can't do anything. He's very sort of shy as we hear his father is as well in person. He was very laid back. His English, he just picked up in a year and a half conversation with his wife. So there's only so much he could fully communicate.
But you got the sense that he's stuck, literally defined by his father, trying to change that identity, trying to be someone different, but part of a lineage that, Heidi, likely for generations to come, perhaps who knows how many, will never be separated from Osama Bin Laden.
COLLINS: Boy, it was certainly a fascinating story. Appreciate it. CNN's Aneesh Raman joining us live from Cairo, Egypt. Thanks so much, Aneesh.
Casting your vote online is now a reality. Veronica De La Cruz explains how some Democrats are getting to do something that's never done before.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The massive fortune working for $11 an hour. But what this 78-year-old did with the money, they really surprise you. CNN's Christine Romans is right "On Your Money."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL NAVONE, DONATED MILLIONS ON $11/HOUR: My model all along was, work for the money and then I want that money to work for me.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Paul Navone stands in stark contrast to a culture of consumerism that has left many Americans swamped with debt. So what advice does he have for hourly workers looking to scrape together a few million of their own?
NAVONE: Naturally, the number one thing is wisely invest it. You know, some people make the mistake. I think, a lot of people probably do, thinking that they will get into the market and make a killing, you know. That's the wrong attitude from the get-go. If you have been there with a solid common sense approach to it, you know, you will come out ahead.
ROMANS: Instead of living in luxury, the retired mill worker chose to give away millions. $1 million to a college near his home and another million to a local private high school.
NAVONE: I never denied myself anything. But, at the same time, I was frugal and I didn't waste my money.
ROMANS: What Navone chooses not to do makes him even more fascinating. He says he does not own a phone, has never read a book and buys all his clothes from thrift shops. And the last time he watched television.
NAVONE: Was Neil Armstrong making the moon landing.
ROMANS: Christine Romans, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: The first global primary. Democrats abroad voting over the Internet. Veronica De La Cruz is here now with more details on this. It's pretty cool, Veronica.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it is. And the first time it's going to happen, you know, by logging on democratsabroad.org from February 5th to the 12th. Just like you're saying, registered members of the overseas arm of the Democratic Party will be able to cast their vote online for the very first time.
And until recently, U.S. expats have to rely on absentee ballots. It's also the mail systems of other countries, which can be pretty unreliable sometimes, Heidi.
Votes from the global primary will be represented at the August Democratic National Convention with 11 delegates. Again, for more information and specific details on voting, that website again is www.democratsabroad.org.
COLLINS: All right. So what about Republicans? Those that are living abroad? Did they have a similar website?
DE LA CRUZ: Well, you know, unfortunately, Heidi, GOP expats are going to be out of luck on this one. Republican abroad operates independently of the party and has since 2003. And because of that, they can't hold in person or Internet votes overseas. So that's the unfortunate part.
COLLINS: Yes, but some news this morning, though, about the Egyptian courts ruling on whether you can divorce someone with a text message? I mean, talk about it, Dear John?
DE LA CRUZ: Yes. Check this out. Technology complicating the process of divorce in Egypt. Under Islamic law men can end their marriage, Heidi, by simply stating three times, I divorce you, I divorce you, I divorce you. It doesn't all have to be at the same time. But they have to say it three times.
A Cairo man says when his wife wouldn't pick up the phone, he decided to text her that message and now Egyptian court and religious scholars are trying to decide if divorce by text message is legal. COLLINS: And here I saw that, the saying was, there's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home. I guess not. This is the first time though, question like this has come up, right?
DE LA CRUZ: Yes. Well, you know, similar cases have come up in other Muslim countries. With various results that has come up in places like Malaysia. So again, the jury is still out. They're trying to figure out if it is legal or illegal in Egypt.
COLLINS: Interesting. All right. Well, you have one more story?
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, Heidi. I have one just for you. And I know you're going to love this one. Check this out. A new video game, taking the workplace by storm. Games that work. You're going to play this one.
COLLINS: Ooh!
DE LA CRUZ: I promise you. Yes, worldgolftour.com allowing multiple players to compete on replicas, Heidi, as famous courses for prices including Pinehurst in North Carolina. Also, Kiawah Island Golf Resort.
You know, the site says it wants to make golf accessible, affordable for everyone. So we checked it out. And the graphic's quality is truly amazing. It's a photo-like quality and because you don't have to download any applications to play, Heidi, this is where it gets dangerous. Most people will be able to access the site from any computer including work computers. So again, I know that you, Heidi Collins, would never dare to play on company time.
COLLINS: No. I would not. And, you know, it's Kiawah.
DE LA CRUZ: Is it Kiawah? And have you been there?
COLLINS: I haven't been there, but, anyway, so I got to ask you about this because it's not even fully up and running yet. Right?
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, you're right.
COLLINS: Tell me the course of the (INAUDIBLE).
DE LA CRUZ: Yes. They're expecting it to go fully in about six months. It's in demo mode right now. It's free to play. We're not sure if that's going to change at this point. And according to "Fortune Magazine," the site has seen more than 100,000 users so far. A lot of them, adults with full time jobs.
And the magazine has joked in that one the site, finally does go fully live production here in the U.S. is going to come to a screeching halt or at least there at your desk.
COLLINS: Tell them we want to see Whistling Straits and Baltusrol on there too. Because I know you're going to call them and tell them what we want.
DE LA CRUZ: And it's Kiawah?
COLLINS: Kiawah.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, Kiawah.
COLLINS: OK. You got it.
DE LA CRUZ: Got it.
COLLINS: Thank you, Veronica. I'll be checking it out later, after work, afternoon.
And you can always watch Veronica's report every morning on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," that's from 6:00 until 9:00 Eastern.
Spotting something in the sky. UFO tales in Texas. Witnesses relive their close encounters.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: An update now on the story we told you about last week. UFO enthusiasts have descended on one Texas town after dozens of residents say they saw something strange in the sky. The story now from Sandra Hernandez of Dallas affiliate KDAF.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was solid rock white.
SANDRA HERNANDEZ, AFFILIATE KDAF: No shortage of pictures of unidentified flying objects in Dublin, Texas. The media circus that goes with it brought out the curious with oil on their heads.
Those who swear they saw something over the skies at Texas, took center stage.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But it had the same shape of like a cigar.
HERNANDEZ: Truck driver Shawn Kell (ph) grabbed these images on his cell phone January 8th.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Its fire of some kind. I mean, it's not a light.
HERNANDEZ: Four days before that, Margie Galvez captured a round circle with her home security camera.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's not a buzz. All my clock in the house, they started all blinking. We lost like reception interference, I guess. I don't know, I couldn't explain it.
HERNANDEZ: Five months ago, Justin Mallard (ph) recorded what resembles a snake over Stephenville. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rear end would come over and then the bottom end would come over and just kept doing that. Turn over and then it will go from left to right. I believe there's other people out there. I believe there is other things out there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an extraordinary event. It's one that we're not used to here in Texas.
HERNANDEZ: Investigators with the mutual UFO network or movement interviewed people trying not to debunk their claims right away.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We compare all that information with what we have. The direction in travel, speed, and things like that and then we put that all on the database and go from there. I'm not saying they're extraterrestrial, I'm thinking that most of them are government projects.
HERNANDEZ (on-camera): I was walking along highway 377 in Stephenville about five minutes from Dublin, when I looked up at the sky and I saw something, a big opportunity to cash in.
(voice-over): Aliens retractors from Green Acres. UFO t-shirts selling one after another at Barefoot Athletics. This one asking, what UFO?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I guess, I would have to see it to believe it.
HERNANDEZ: Seems Stephenville loves being the UFO capital of the world. Kim Walder (ph) said she is a believer after seeing one January 8th.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have NASA that explores. Thought they might have a NASA of their sorts, that explorers.
I think they're amazed at us, because we're such -- primitive compared to their standards. I think this kind of like us watching an ant farm. I think, this is the way they're doing to us.
HERNANDEZ: In Dublin, Sandra Hernandez, CW33 News at Nine.
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COLLINS: She went for coffee and fries and wound up wearing cuffs.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was under arrest, because I was in the wrong parking space. I say, well, they told me to park here.
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COLLINS: Yikes! A trip through the drive-through lands grandmother in jail.
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COLLINS: Would you like hand cuffs with that? Trouble at a McDonalds in Clearwater, Florida.
Jean Merola, a grandmother of eight had ordered coffee and fries and was told to pull forward while her fries were being cooked. Behind her, a police man. He motioned her to move ahead away from the yellow lines. She refused. The officer got out, knocked on her window and asked for an ID.
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JEAN MEROLA, ARRESTED FOR DISORDERLY CONDUCT: I said, no. I'm not giving you my registration and my license. What did I do that was wrong?
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COLLINS: Not what the officer wanted to hear. He arrested her for disorderly conduct and took her away in handcuffs.
Good morning once again, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins. Stay informed all day right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown. All roads lead south. The presidential candidates searching for votes in Florida and South Carolina today. Our guests on this weekend's winners and losers.
Sour economic time. Gerri Willis tells us why these days can be sweet time for deal.
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