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Manhunt for Fugitive Couple; Flight Attendant Flips Out; Flooding in Pakistan Worsens as Whole Villages Are Underwater; Russian Wildfires and Smoke Causing More Than 50 Deaths; Israel Refuses to Participate in UN Investigation of Raid on Turkish Aid Flotilla if UN Questions Israeli Soldiers

Aired August 10, 2010 - 09:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hey guys. Good morning everybody.

An escaped killer caught after being spotted singing and shaking hands in church, but a second fugitive and accomplice still on the run. Police zero in on the self-styled Bonnie and Clyde.

What a way to say, "I Quit." Few four-letter words, couple of beers, and an emergency chute. Frustrated workers everywhere tipping their wings to this flight attendant.

No McNuggets? How about a knuckle sandwich? And it's all caught on camera.

It's 9:00 on the East Coast, 6:00 a.m. out the West. I'm Kyra Phillips and you're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Well, police are now saying that they are bracing for a fight when they eventually tracked down an escaped Arizona inmate and his fiancee. And that's because John McClusky and Casslyn Mae Welch apparently see themselves as modern day Bonnie and Clyde, and may not surrender without a battle.

Where they are, well, it depends on who you asked. Some investigators believe that the couple is somewhere in central Wyoming. But one report puts them hundreds of miles away near Montana's border with Canada.

McClusky's alleged accomplice, fellow escapee Tracy Province, was captured in Wyoming. And it happened without a struggle. Maybe because the convicted killer was nabbed after a parishioner spotted him singing and shaking hands at her Wyoming church.

CNN's Brian Todd has the latest.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Though he is a convicted killer authorities say Tracy Province was still relieved to have been captured outside Yellowstone National Park.

Still at large, in that area, armed and dangerous, John Charles McClusky, along with Casslyn Mae Welch. Officials told CNN affiliate KTVK she is his fiancee and his cousin.

DAVID GONZALES, U.S. MARSHALL: We learned that McClusky and his partner who helped break them out of jail, consider themselves Bonnie and Clyde. They joke about it.

TODD: Officials believe they've cut a swath of murder and fear since that breakout on July 30th. That's when Casslyn Welch, according to prison officials, threw wire cutting tools over the fence of this medium-security prison in Kingman, Arizona.

They say McClusky, Province and another inmate cut through that fence. The third inmate was caught quickly. But officials say McClusky, Province and their alleged accomplice Welsh hijacked an 18-wheel truck, released the two drivers in Flagstaff, made their way to Jake's Corner, Arizona, where they allegedly got help from McClusky's mother. Then were seen near Phoenix.

They are suspected in the killings of a couple whose bodies were found in Santa Rosa, New Mexico last week. The couple's truck then found in Albuquerque. Then according to officials they made their way into the Yellowstone area.

Jeff Shank, deputy assistant director of the U.S. Marshals investigative operations division, has pursued more than 3,000 fugitives. I asked him about the challenge of chasing John McClusky and Casslyn Welch.

(On camera): How do couples operate in a situation like this? Do they pose as honeymooners? What do they do?

GEOFF SHANK, INVESTIGATIVE OPS DIV., U.S. MARSHALS: Well, believe it or not, they suffer from the same problems and obstacles that normal everyday couples have. Yet, it's times 1,000 because of the pressure of being on the run.

And it might lead for one of them to break down or they get -- simply get into a fight and storm off and in the heat of the moment.

TODD: John McClusky was previously convicted of attempted second- degree murder. If he makes his way back to his mother's place in Arizona, he has this warning from his own distraught stepfather.

JACK WASHBURN, ESCAPED INMATE'S STEPFATHER: I told the U.S. marshals I haven't got that long to live. If I ever see you, what you did, I will shoot you. And serve my time.

TODD (on camera): Officials tell us they no longer believe that John McClusky and Casslyn Welch are actually inside Yellowstone National Park and they say they never evacuated the park even when they believed they were inside because the place is simply too big.

It's about the size of Delaware and Rhode Island combined with about 30,000 visitors a day at this time of year. But officials believe the couple is in the general vicinity around the park and they say they are driving a gray Nissan Sentra sedan.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: It's the kind of grand exit that many frustrated workers have dreamed of. A fed-up flight attendant allegedly spews a stream of obscenities at passengers, grabs a couple of beers, and slides down an emergency chute on the runway at JFK.

Already he's become something of a folk hero.

Allan Chernoff joining us live from New York.

So, Allan, what a meltdown.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: My goodness. Amazing. He certainly is gaining tremendous popularity. This morning's tabloids here in New York have been splattered all across.

It happened yesterday afternoon as a JetBlue flight was taxing in from Pittsburgh at JFK airport. The flight attendant told the passenger to sit down. The passenger refused and continued taking his luggage out from the overhead bin. The luggage accidentally hit the flight attendant on the head.

Mr. Slater, the flight attendant, requested an apology. The passenger declined and used a very choice four-letter word. That set off the flight attendant, he got on the PA system, repeated that four-letter word to that passenger and then he put that slide, that inflatable slide into effect, grabbed a couple of Brewskies and slid out of his career.

He drove home and it wasn't long before police arrived there and arrested him. He is charged with reckless endangerment and criminal mischief and he's facing arraignment this morning.

Kyra, an incredible story. And we can safely assume he's not a flight risk.

PHILLIPS: And do we have any idea when he's going to get out of jail? And has anybody had a chance to talk to him or try to talk to him?

CHERNOFF: Well, the police have been talking to him plenty. He's been held at the police building, at JFK. He's been there overnight. We'll have to see what happens at the arraignment this morning.

Very funny story but we also do have to keep in mind that those inflatable slides, they expand very, very forcefully. Fortunately, nobody was right outside the plane at that spot when the slide did expand because it certainly could have hurt somebody.

So fortunately nobody was hurt here. We have a very entertaining story that, Kyra, so many people are really connecting with online, already on Facebook. There are pages "Free Steven Slater." And somebody is even hawking a t-shirt to free him.

PHILLIPS: Yes. We're starting to see all the paraphernalia come -- come to light here. We're going to talk more about that at the bottom of the hour.

Allan, thanks.

Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California is speaking out against accusations of ethics violations. She's alleged to have helped steer federal bailout money to a Massachusetts bank in which her husband had financial stakes.

Waters was interviewed earlier today by CNN analyst Roland Martin on the "Tom Joyner Morning Show."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: What I'm saying is no, I'm not guilty of any violations. And if you're going to wrap this all around, creating these violations because I failed to supervise my staff, it doesn't hold water.

They don't have any proof of that. And I maintain that I want to go to trial or whatever they want to call it -- a judicatory hearing -- because I think I don't deserve this.

ROLAND MARTIN, CNN ANALYST: Democrats are saying that you and Congressman Rangel should accept some kind of censure, if you will, to move this along that Republicans could use this against the Democrats in the midterm elections -- similar to what Democrats did against Republicans in 2006.

Will you accept some kind of deal that makes this go away?

WATERS: I am not going to agree to any violation that I have not committed. That's number one. Number two, this OCE was created by Democrats. Under Nancy Pelosi's watch. And this whole politicizing of so-called corruption and draining the swamp, pitting up what I consider an unconstitutional and illegal organization.

Yes, we have said something about it. (INAUDIBLE) has put together legislation of -- they try and clean it up. I'm a supporter of it. And no, I will not be a sacrificial lamb.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: New York Congressman Charles Rangel is also being investigated for ethics violations.

In the middle of two wars, Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he wants to redo the Pentagon budget.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT GATES, DEFENSE SECRETARY: The culture of endless money that has taken hold must be replaced by a culture of savings and restraint. For this end I am directing that any new proposal or initiative, large or small, be it policy program or ceremony, come with a cost estimate.

That price tag will help us determine whether what we are gaining or hope to gain is really worth the cost. Either in dollar terms or in the diversion of limited manpower and resources from other missions.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: And let's break down the Gates proposals. He wants to close the Joint Force Command in Norfolk, Virginia which means 2800 military and civilian workers would lose their jobs.

Another part of the proposal, freezing the number of generals, admirals, and senior civilian officials including the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Also being considered, eliminating some of the 65 military boards and commissions and reducing funding for service support contractors.

House lawmakers are set to vote today on a bill that could save more than 150,000 teachers' jobs. It's all part of a $26 billion state funding package. But some Republicans call the bill a payoff to union bosses.

The president will be speaking in support of that bill at 11:40 a.m. Eastern. We'll bring it to you live.

And we're learning new information about the American aide workers killed in Afghanistan. Two of the victims, Dan Terry and Brian Carderelli. Terry is on the bottom right. Carderelli is in the middle.

Sixty-four-year-old Terry was from Swim, Washington and had volunteered in Afghanistan for 30 years. Terry's parents were missionaries in Afghanistan.

Carderelli of Harrisburg, Virginia was a photographer helping document the group's work.

Four other Americans were killed along with a Brit and German and two Afghans when their vehicles were stopped. The group was robbed and shot at gunpoint.

It's day 113 of the Gulf oil crisis and a permanent seal on the ruptured well could be in place by the end of week. Admiral Thad Allen, the government's point man on the crisis, says crews could finish drilling one of two relief wells.

The relief well would intercept the broken well and be used to pump cement into the bottom of it. The weather could hold up the bottom kill procedure. There's also possibility of strong thunderstorms and gusty winds in that area starting tomorrow.

BP says it will soon start removing boom from the waters of southern Mississippi and that's prompting pushback from local leaders. BP says that boom only blocks oil floating on the surface and that there's little oil on the surface now.

But Hancock County officials argue that this is no time for BP to scale back and that the marsh lands still need protection. More misery is in the forecast as Pakistanis try to find out high ground -- find high ground, rather, in the worst flooding in the nation's history.

We're going to take you to the scene of one rescue mission.

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You mentioned the threat we're thunderstorms across the Gulf of Mexico. That's all in association with this area of low pressure which has gotten a little bit more potent overnight.

The National Hurricane Center is worried about it. If you live in the Gulf Coast you should be, too.

Weather is coming up after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Scanning our "Morning Passport" now.

Hope amid the devastating flood that's wrecked northwestern China. Today rescuers pulled a man who was buried alive for three days under a massive mudslide that smashed his home. He is somewhat lucky.

China's state-run media is now updating the death toll to more than 700 people killed. More than 1400 remain missing.

The situation is far worse in neighboring Pakistan, where torrential rains and flood having created a disaster and humanitarian crisis of enormous magnitude. Take a look at the devastation in northwest Pakistan, the epicenter of the flooding disaster.

At least 1200 are confirmed dead, and that number could quickly rise as hunger sets in for as many as 14 million people that have been impacted by the flooding. Pakistan's disaster authorities says more than a quarter of a million storm victims have now been rescued. CNN's Reza Sayah takes us on one rescue mission in the hard-hit northern Sindh province.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): This muddy lake that you see didn't exist about a week ago. These are the floodwaters that have buried entire villages in the district of Ghotki in northern Sindh province.

Thousands of people still stranded in some of the villages, and the navy special services here in Pakistan has been using about 20 boats in this region on rescue missions. We're on their hovercraft, and we're on for the ride for this mission.

It looks like we arrived at the village. And as you can see, most of the homes underwater.

(INAUDIBLE SHOUTING)

SAYAH: What's he saying?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE SPEAKER: He's saying, "Take the people out."

SAYAH: A lot of the people didn't want to go a few days ago, but now, you can see most of their village is under the water. Now they're saying, "All right, it's time to leave."

These are conditions these people have lived in for about a week now. About 40 to 50 people in the village being rescued and they keep coming. Most of them are children. They're grabbing the belongings that they can. We saw what appeared to be a newborn wrapped in a blue blanket. And they just keep coming.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Comparatively, they'd love a good, heavy rain in western Russia to help tamp down the dozens of peat and wildfires that have been burning, and the accompanying smokey haze that blazes have been belching into the sky.

The chief of Moscow's health department blames the smokey smog and heat for doubling the city's mortality rate now. Hundreds of people have become sick, and more than 50 people have died due to those wildfires.

Today, the United Nations launches a panel of inquiry into Israel's response to a humanitarian flotilla that tried breaking Israel's naval blockade of Gaza. Israeli defense forces videotaped the May 31st incident that left nine Turkish activists onboard the ship dead.

Israel says it won't participate if the panel demands to question its soldiers. IDF maintains that it used force in response to its troops being attacked by those onboard the ship. Activists deny that characterization. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is confident the panel will find that they acted in accordance of international law.

You've probably heard people say this before. "It's not the heat, it is the humidity." But bottom line, it's just plain hot outside. And particularly in Kansas, where the thermometer hit 103 in Wichita and 105 in Hutchinson. Volunteers who deliver Meals on Wheels in Kansas City, where the temps were hovering around 100, they've been asked to make sure that their clients are staying hydrated and cool. Rob Marciano monitoring just how high the temps are going to get again. What do you think?

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It is still hot, and it's going to continue to be hot across the nation's midsection. Kyra, we talked about it last week. It's been going on for now ten days. And there's not a whole lot of relief in sight, at least right now. But I think we'll get a pattern shift next week.

Meanwhile, this is what's going on in the Gulf of Mexico Got an area of low pressure. And it's right about there, let's say. And it's not moving very much, but it is getting a little bit more in the way of some convective activity. We've highlighted this red box because the National Hurricane Center has now put a high probability that it'll develop into a tropical depression or even a tropical storm in the next day or two, and they're going to fly a reconnaissance aircraft in there this afternoon to check it out.

It's been a -- a nontropical area of low pressure that's been giving Florida fits, quite frankly, for the past several days in the way of heavy rain. There'll be even several water spouts in the west coast, and now it's getting into the Gulf of Mexico and may start to get a little bit more twists, and may start to get that warm core that we need to really start to develop something tropical. And because it's that close to land and surrounded by the Gulf, it's always worrisome. So keep it tuned here, and we'll keep you posted for sure.

Couple of showers moving across the tri-state area of New York, Jersey, and Connecticut. This will move through, and then we'll get into some heat, and that will only cause more in the way of humidity. Temperatures are going to be feeling like they're up and over 100 degrees from New York back through Philadelphia. Heat advisories in effect for these areas as well. And then you'll start to cool down by the end of the week and into the weekend.

But this is the area that has such a hard time cooling down. 105 to 120 is the heat index expected across St. Louis back to Kansas City, where they are taking precautions there, and all the way south down into parts of northern Louisiana. So that's going to be the ongoing threat. And this is the area that has been above average for several days. Actually couple of weeks.

And well below average out for our friends who are waking up with us on the west coast. For them, I know they've been frustrated that there hasn't been much of a summer. Places like San Diego, San Francisco, and up to Seattle. But, I guess, pick your poison, Kyra. You either sweat or throw a sweater on.

PHILLIPS: There you go. All right, thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: All right, you bet.

PHILLIPS: The brutal beating of an inmate is caught on jailhouse video. A deputy wailing away on a handcuffed prisoner. We'll tell you what happened.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories. A fed-up Jet Blue flight attendant allegedly cusses out passengers, grabs a couple of beers, and slides down an emergency chute on the runway at JFK. Steven Slater now faces charges that could send him to jail for up on to seven years.

Defense Secretary Gates wants to restructure the Pentagon budget. His proposals includes freezing the number of generals, admirals, and senior civilian officials. He also wants to shut down the Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia. That would cut 2800 jobs.

And the last of three escaped Arizona convicts may be headed to Canada with a female accomplice. The Feds say John McCluskey and Casslyn Mae Welch may not surrender without a fight. Another escapee, Tracy Province, was captured in Wyoming yesterday.

Rage at the drive-thru. McDonald's was still serving breakfast and, when the driver couldn't get her McNuggets, she settled for a knuckle sandwich instead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right, let's head cross-country, starting in Toledo, Ohio. A woman became enraged when she couldn't get an order of McNuggets. McDonald's restaurant was still serving breakfast at the time, so the woman just started throwing punches at the worker through the drive-thru window. She got 60 days behind bars and three years probation for the tantrum.

On to Logan Township, New Jersey, where eight people were rescued after their boat began taking on water. Police went out on the Delaware River to bring them to safety.

South Carolina authorities investigating a jailhouse beating that sent an inmate to the hospital. Surveillance video shows Sergeant Oddie Tribble hitting inmate Charles Shelley 27 times over a two and a half minute period. That beating left the handcuffed prisoner with a broken leg. The deputy lost his job. He says the inmate had threatened him and his family.

So, the children are screaming and parents are stressed. Should everyone take a deep breath and meditate? One expert says yes. We'll learn more today in American Morning Extra.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Just how can you tell people need jobs in Kentucky? Take a look. Almost a thousand people lined up before dawn yesterday to apply for 450 temporary jobs. One person showed up the night before. Others went to great lengths to be at the Kentucky Exposition Center early.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILLIAM BASLER, APPLYING FOR JOB: I got here approximately 3:00, 3:15 this morning. Been unemployed for over six months. And I'm looking for anything that's available.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE SPEAKER: People are really desperate out here. I was just speaking to people in line, some of them don't have utilities on in their homes. No water running, no lights. So it's more than just -- and this is just a temporary 10 to 15-day job. And we've got almost a thousand people here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Those jobs pay $7.25 an hour and run only through August 29th. Kentucky's unemployment rate is just over 10 percent.

It's shaping up to be a tough day on Wall Street. Stocks set to fall in the first few minutes of trading. Investors are worried about what the Federal Reserve is going to say today. Opening bell, as you can hear, interest rates expected to stay near zero. But the key is going to be the accompanying statement. Statements virtually the same from meeting to meeting, but this time around, there's talk that the Fed could change the language to reflect concerns that the economic recovery is slowing. And a statement like that could hit the markets even more. We'll be tracking it as the day goes on.

Now, parents will tell you there's nothing quite as exhilarating as taking home that newborn bundle of joy -- a memory that gets them through the other, shall we say, less joyful times.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll get you a happy meal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aww!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Surely, it's just a phase, right? I mean, come on. They'll grow out of it, won't they?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED KID: Hot dogs.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: Merry Christmas, sucker.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: Don't come back for kwanza.

UNIDENTIFIED KID: Said you're going out with our mama.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: A new study may also have some parents running for the exits. Not just this guy or at least the medicine cabinet. Researchers say that our personalities may be set for life when we're as young as 6 years old. And here are some of the findings. See how you or your children match up. Students who were considered impulsive tended to be outgoing as adults. More inclined to be talkative, speaker loudly, and display a wide range of interests.

Less impulsive kids were more likely to be fearful as adults. They express insecurity and kept others at a distance. Talkative youngsters tended to be intellectual as adults. These grownups speak fluently and try to control situations and exhibit a high degree of intelligence. If you ever endured the ear-splitting howls of the terrible 2s, you probably discovered that bribes and punishments can be useless against the iron wheel of a toddler.

So, how about a little inner peace? One well-known health expert is suggesting meditation for both children and stressed-out parents. John Roberts joins us with this morning's "A.M. Extra." And your guest, Deepak Chopra, someone who knows meditation very well, but come on, teaching our kids to meditate? JOHN ROBERTS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. He says it's possible. Before I get to that, though, I could imagine what kind of child you were considering what kind of an adult you are now.

PHILLIPS: And I'm so intelligent and well behaved and in control. So, I think you can figure it out. We won't get into you, though, that's a whole other story.

ROBERTS: I'll bet you were a terror as a child.

PHILLIPS: That's why I'm so successful now.

ROBERTS: But as you said, that's probably a good thing. Hey, listen, you mentioned the terrible 2s. Any parent has gotten through (ph) knows that there's the terrible 2s, the thankful 3s, and then there's the expletive 4s. As a child gets in touch with their emotions and learns social boundaries, et cetera, et cetera, for those parents who are about like this, because their child is spinning around in circles and is growing horns, Deepak Chopra says, there is something you can do about it.

First of all, you have to make sure as a parent that you stay as calm as possible. But you can get your child involved in meditative practices. Now, as an adult, of course, it's all about being calm, focusing on your breathing, focusing your mind and repeating a mantra over and over again. Deepak says, obviously, with the young child, somewhere between the ages of 3 and 6, you probably can't get them to completely calm down, but there are things you can get them to do. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEEPAK CHOPRA, AUTHOR, "THE ULTIMATE HAPPINESS PRESCRIPTION": A game of it. You can tell the toddler mentally repeat the word happy for three minutes, for four minutes, for five minutes, and it becomes a game. I did it with my children. I now have done it with my grandchildren. They love it.

ROBERTS: So, how do you do it? You have to get them quiet, obviously.

CHOPRA: No. A 3-year-old, 4-year-old, you can't get them quiet. You say just for five minutes, keep silent. Don't say anything. Don't close your eyes but mentally keep repeating a word. It could be peace, happy, joy, love, whatever.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: How about spanking, grounded, taking toys away? I think if you repeat those types of things, kids might listen. A lot of parents here even within the teens were saying, come on, I can't even get my 3-year-old to sit still, how am I going to get my child to repeat a word?

ROBERTS: Exactly. He said you don't really have to get your child to sit still. And this isn't the be all and end all. This isn't the only tool. This is one of the tools that you have in your arsenal to use with your child. Obviously, discipline is a big one as well, teaching proper social skills, but this is just - it's a little bit of a mental time-out is the way that this has been described for people who are supporters of childhood meditation. As I said, you don't need to get them to sit still.

You can just get them maybe just kind of play in a corner, be quiet, but just keep repeating these words over and over in their head. And he said that as a child gets older, they begin to appreciate the discipline of meditation. He's done this with all of his children. He said through their teenage years, the ones who are older now, they didn't have similar problems that their peers did. They were looking at their peers thinking wow, why is the world in such turmoil for them? We're pretty calm about everything. So, maybe, a lot of this is anecdotal evidence, but --

PHILLIPS: No, it's true. His kids are pretty amazing, very successful, great kids, and you know, how did (INAUDIBLE) when Deepak is your dad. But I guess, that some of the same thing when you're caught talking in class, you have to go to the board and write, I will not talk again, I will not talk again like 500 times because that worked for me when I was in grade school.

ROBERTS: I'm not sure that's exactly what you may consider a mantra, but, hey, if the shoe fits and it works, why not wear?

PHILLIPS: Meditation is a great thing. If you can be disciplined, then get your 3-year-old to do it, too. Thanks, John.

A showdown in the Rockies. Colorado voters among those heading to the polls today. It's anyone's guess who will win the Senate primaries, but one thing is for sure. No one wants to be seen as a D.C. insider.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Checking top stories. We're learning new information about two of the American aid workers killed in Afghanistan in an ambush. Dan Terry is on the bottom right, as you can see right there and Brian Carderelli is in the middle on top. Terry was from Washington and had volunteered in Afghanistan for 30 years. His parents were missionaries in Afghanistan. Carderelli of Harrisonburg, Virginia, was a photographer helping document the group's work. Four other Americans were killed by the Taliban.

The nation's teachers have their eyes on Washington today. The U.S. House is set to vote on a bill that could save more than 150,000 teachers' job. It's part of the $26,000 billion state funding package, though, some Republicans call the bill a payoff to unions. President Obama will be speaking in support of it at 11:40 a.m. eastern. We'll bring that to you live.

The death toll from mudslides in China has now risen to 702 people. More than 1,000 people remain missing. Those landslides hit early Sunday after heavy rains in northeast China.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) PHILLIPS: Sarah Palin is jumping into the fray in the Georgia governor's race. She is backing Karen Handel today's tight Republican runoff saying that Georgia's former Secretary of State will take on the good old boys network.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SARAH PALIN, (R) FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: Are you ready to elect a pro-life, pro-2nd amendment common sense constitutional conservative who will fight like a mama grizzly for you for the values that you hold dear? Are you ready for Karen Handel to be your next governor?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Handel is running against former U.S. representative, Nathaniel Deal, who is backed by Newt Gingrich. The winner of today's runoff faces Democrat Roy Barnes in the November general election

Georgia voters, not the only one is heading to the polls today. The other big races to watch unfold, Connecticut folds gubernatorial and Senate primaries. Minnesota picks its Democratic farmer labor party candidate for the governor's mansion and up for grabs in Colorado, both parties' nods for a Senate seat and a Republican nomination for governor.

Do dirty words, this campaign season. Beltway insider. And every candidate in Colorado Senate races is trying to distance themselves from Washington. Apparently, the 1600 miles between Denver and D.C. isn't quite enough space. National political correspondent, Jessica Yellin, on the campaign trail.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JESSICA YELLIN, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra. We're coming to you from inside the CNN express. And it is election day here in Colorado with races extremely close on both the Democratic and Republican side of the Senate contest here. And everyone in this race is running as the true Washington outsider.

On the democratic side, it's incumbent senator, Michael Bennett, who has been endorsed by President Obama and had the full support of the Democratic establishment in Washington. Reverse is, former State House speaker, Andrew Romanoff who is endorsed by former president, Bill Clinton. A little Obama versus Clinton action. Bennett was doing very well but now has had to fend off a late surge by Romanoff who launched the campaign accusing Bennett of being a Washington insider beholden to special and corporate interests even though Bennett has been in Washington for less than two years.

Now, on the republican side, it is lieutenant -- former lieutenant governor Jane Norton versus county prosecutor, Ken Buck. Norton was picked by Republican leaders to run. Ken Buck has the support of tea part activists. So, this is in some sense a measure of the tea party's strength. Now, gender has entered into their race most recently when Buck told voters he was caught on camera saying, voters should pick him because he doesn't wear high heels, and that's become something of a theme.

Some of the big issues that have played for both Democrats and Republicans, the economy, jobs, and even immigration. As I said, it will be a close race on both sides, and we will watch it throughout the day -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Jessica, thanks.

The friendly skies. Not exactly, but a flight attendant does flip out. The incident takes off online and lands up in our -- with the segment. So, buckle down for all the turbulence.

And this day in history, the act establishing the Smithsonian institution in Washington was signed into law by President James K. Polk. Museum funded by a $500,000 plus estate from British scientist, James Smithson. He left the money to the U.S., the caveat that it would go to establishing museum. Somewhat odd said Smithson himself never made it to the U.S., and today, it's the largest museum complex in the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, it's being hailed as the best "I quit my job" ever story. JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater is proving to be the wind and hot air under many people's wings this morning. It's (INAUDIBLE) moment, morphing him into a contemporary folk hero.

Apparently a passenger who is asked to take his seat gave Slater a little bleep-bleep under his breath upon arrival at New York's JFK Airport. Well, that didn't sit well with Slater. So what did he do? As the story goes, Slater just sauntered up to the plane's PA system and made an announcement directed to the passenger who couldn't take his seat.

Quote, "To the passenger who called me a mother bleeper, bleep you", end quote. Slater must have felt better because after that, he reportedly grabbed a few cold brews and hit the emergency exit chute, sliding down the emergency chute and into the hearts of many people.

The pictures already being mocked up on this Facebook fan page are doing what so many of us simply dream of. And if friending (ph) Mr. Slater isn't enough for you, you could always join the Steven Slater defense fund or maybe wear one of these t-shirts in solidarity.

So what's your best Johnny paycheck moment? Telling the boss to take the job and shove it? Well, share it with us. Or if acted out or if you haven't acted it out yet and it's just a fantasy, we'll take that one, too.

Go to my blog at CNN.com/kyra; share some of your thoughts. We'll try and air them next hour.

Let's get a look at what's ahead for the next hour at CNN NEWSROOM. Let's start with Jason Carroll in New York. Hey, Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey Kyra, investigators are calling him an evil guy and they are looking into the possibility that a string of attacks may be racially motivated. The search for a killer -- I'll have the update coming up at the top of the hour.

ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: And I'm Rob Marciano in CNN Severe Weather Center. And I'll have the update on some of cool temperatures in California. Some record heat again across the central part of the country and something brewing in the Gulf of Mexico. That's in the next hour -- a little weather in a few minutes -- Kyra.

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PHILLIPS: All right, before we get started.

At the top of the hour, for those waking up -- Rob across the country, East Coast, West Coast, whatever the heck, we've got heat. Well, we've got weird temperatures. Like California is like freezing.

MARCIANO: Yes, it is. I mean check out some of these numbers if want to -- if you're tired of the heat out west, we're talking about temps that's a record-breaking on the low side. There are places like Woodland Hills, California, 50 degrees; Santa Barbara, a beautiful spot, 51 degrees.

I'll tell -- I mean, sweater, jacket, maybe on down vest out there. Cottonwood, Arizona, 61 degrees.

So our fair share of chilly temperatures and by comparison, these are the areas that we think we're going to see some record-breaking highs today. We didn't see a whole a lot of records fall yesterday but I think at the very least it's going to feel miserable in places like St. Louis and Kansas City.

And again this is -- this is dangerous type of heat. So just take care of your neighbors. And I know a lot of these spots, cooling centers are open. So if you've got elderly neighbors, maybe you want to -- check on them and maybe take them to one of those cooling centers.

And here's a cooling center right here on the West Coast, trough out here in this big ridge, in this big bubble in the jet stream which can be keeping all of the heat in the center part of the country.

It does look like finally we're going to see these pattern break but probably not until the beginning of next week and we'll start to shove all this a little bit farther towards the east. So that'll bring a little bit in the way of relief towards the central part of the country.

And knock down some of that heat. But that also kind of -- well, it also can open the door for -- for tropical activity to maybe get closer to land. We had a couple of tropical systems that have been deflected out to sea, but now we've got one that's right in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico or at least in the eastern part of the Gulf of Mexico and we're watching that for development.

They're going to send an airplane in there to check it out later on this afternoon. And it could be a next tropical depression or even a tropical storm by the end of the day today. So we'll be watching that very carefully and talk more about that in the next hour -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Thanks, Rob.

MARCIANO: All right.

PHILLIPS: Well it's a heart-wrenching and horrible disease. We're talking about Alzheimer's, and probably a number of us have experienced this one way or another with a family member or a friend.

But now there is a test out there that may predict whether you're likely to get it. A study actually found that spinal fluid can reveal certain types of proteins that are tell-tale signs for the disease.

Our chief medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, is here to talk about this. And for you, I mean, you work on brains, so this must be good news or encouraging news?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: We haven't had much positive stuff to report on Alzheimer's in some time. They've been -- you know, you and I have talked over the years about small little things that have happened.

This is a big deal. This is sort of what people have been waiting for, for some time to try and find a screening test of sort to predict who is going to -- most likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.

We're talking about a spinal tap, and this is the type of -- you put a needle in the back of the spine and you basically take a little bit of the cerebral spinal fluid out. They're looking for a couple of proteins. They're name -- they are called the ameloi (ph) protein, the thal (ph) protein. You don't even remember that name.

But here is the point, when they took this and examined it, people who already had Alzheimer's they almost all of them had these abnormal proteins in their CSF, the cerebral spinal fluid. People who had just mild memory problems, Kyra, if they had the abnormal proteins, all of them went on to development Alzheimer's disease. That's how good a potential screening test this is.

So there was a certain percentage of people who had memory problems, and they weren't sure, if this is going to turn in to Alzheimer's or not, if this test came back positive, within five years they all went on to develop Alzheimer's.

PHILLIPS: Is it possible to know how you develop these types of proteins or is that not possible?

GUPTA: That's a great question. You know, what we've known for some time and Alzheimer's is named after a pathologist, Lois Alzheimer (ph), who used to examine the brains of people, and they found these plaques in the brain that were made up of these proteins. Exactly why they develop, if it's sort of an oxidation effect in the brain, who knows; but we now know it's also getting into the cerebral spinal fluid all along the cord and that's where it can be measured. PHILLIPS: What can we do with this information now? Do you have to develop a way to try and prevent it from going into the spinal cord fluid?

GUPTA: This is the hard question in medicine all the time. Now you have the test. What are you going to do with this information exactly?

PHILLIPS: Right.

GUPTA: How would it affect you if you were to get this information? And that's where we don't have a great answer. I mean there is a certain amount of data saying here are the best things you can do to try and prevent this from getting worse, whether it be diet, certain medication, preventive strategies. There are certain medications if you already have memory problems to try and slow down the progression of Alzheimer's.

PHILLIPS: Are there certain remedies though to tackle those specific proteins or can you -- has that not been developed yet? Can you not develop something that goes after a specific protein?

GUPTA: I think that that's where they're going to go. They have known about these proteins for a while. Now, they have a better idea of how they behave exactly.

PHILLIPS: Ok.

GUPTA: But you're absolutely right. Now that you know specifically that these proteins exist and with really good accuracy can predict if someone's going to get Alzheimer's that's where you start targeting your research.

How do you prevent those proteins from developing in the first place? If they had developed, how do you prevent them from growing? And then if they'd gotten far along, how do you treat it? I mean that's going to be the really question.

So right now, it's a lot of information. And it's information that people have wanted for a long time. Am I going to get this -- as you said -- horrifying debilitating disease? But the next very important step is what do you do about it? That's where a lot of people are going to be focusing their attention.

PHILLIPS: So that's what they're focusing on now. So, for example, you and I are fairly young still. I mean if we went in --

GUPTA: You're younger than me.

PHILLIPS: I think maybe -- I think I'm older than you. Nice try. Let's say we went in to the doctor. We have been having some issues with our memory and they detected these proteins, is there anything I could do right now? Basically no, right?

GUPTA: Yes. And that's -- they're going to talk about things that people sort of generally know already in terms of -- PHILLIPS: Ok. Other preventive --

GUPTA: Yes, preventive things, you know, a diet high in antioxidants, certain medical occasions if you have memory problems already.

But you're right. I mean your point is a good one and this is one of the areas of medicine where we have not done a very good job in being able to treat this neuro-degenerative problem. We can diagnose it better than ever before, and now we might be able to screen for it.

This is an important study today toward that, but treatment, prevention, we're not great at it. The spinal tap, by the way, does involve putting a needle in the back of the spine and actually taking some cerebral spinal fluid out. So there is a -- it is a procedure of sorts to do it. Not everyone is trained to do that.

I do this all the time in my field but this is going to be something that if it becomes more widely available, it's going to require training doctors to do it, examining those findings and making sense of it.

PHILLIPS: And you'd be part of that? You'd get that training.

GUPTA: I would. Yes. I find this very exciting, Kyra. People ask me this more than anything else, especially people as they get up their years. I'm having memory problems. I had a hard time finding something today. Most times, it's just going to be normal memory problems, but a small population is going to have Alzheimer's. Who are they? This helps answer that question.

PHILLIPS: It's hard when you see such a healthy person but their mind isn't there and they know it's coming. It's awful.

GUPTA: It really is.

PHILLIPS: All right. Good stuff.

GUPTA: Hopefully we'll have more positive news like that to report.

PHILLIPS: Thanks Sanjay.

GUPTA: Thank you.