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Funerals for Tornado Victims; Gadhafi Son Killed; Volunteers Flood into Alabama After Tornado Devastation; Flooding is Problem for Cairo, Illinois; Floods Threaten Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas; Recap of the Royal Wedding
Aired May 01, 2011 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: Right now on CNN:
Burying the dead.
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LEMON: The people of one small Mississippi town say goodbye to loved ones taken in the killer storms. It's been a week of devastation and unimaginable loss. Martin Savidge will join us live.
In Libya, the government says one of Gadhafi's sons and three grandchildren are dead, after an airstrike, but NATO says they don't target individuals. We'll have a report from Tripoli coming up.
And at the Vatican --
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LEMON: A step towards saint hood for the late pope John Paul II. The ceremony involves using his blood as a sacred relic.
And you won't want to miss this --
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BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter, like -- did we fake the moon landing?
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LEMON: After a night of ribbing from the president and comedian Seth Meyers, I'll be talking to Donald Trump live right here on CNN.
I'm Don Lemon. The news starts right now.
And across the South today, Sunday services were devoted to remembering victims of last week's devastating tornadoes. The loss of so many loved ones so quickly is taking a heavy toll on survivors.
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LIZA MORGAN, CARETAKER: It has been hard days for all of us. The school is gone. Our church is gone. There's nothing.
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LEMON: It is a scene that will play out over and over in the coming days. The death toll from the storms now stands at 339. Thousands more are injured, missing or homeless.
Alabama today declared a day of prayer for the victims. The state suffered the greatest loss of life with about 250 people dead. Federal officials today got firsthand looks at the destruction in Mississippi and Alabama.
I want you to listen as they struggle for words to describe what they saw.
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JANET NAPOLITANO, HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY: I've had an opportunity now to walk a few of these streets, you know, I don't think words can fairly express the level of devastation here. I'm not articulate enough to really express what I saw.
CRAIG FUGATE, FEMA ADMINISTRATOR: A lot of people looked to the federal government, looked to FEMA when we see times like this and tragedies. I want you to look at the people standing up there on that street. Your fire department, the police department, the first responders, many of whom have lost their homes, many of whom in the middle of the storm were going out helping their neighbors.
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LEMON: Let's go right to Smallville, Mississippi -- Smithville, Mississippi, I should say, a small town that was wiped out by a gigantic tornado. CNN's Martin Savidge is there.
So, Marty, a very different scene there from Easter services just one week ago.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): It was exactly. As we point out, the Smithville Baptist Church, that was the last service they held inside this sanctuary. And then, of course, last Wednesday came and the sanctuary was absolutely obliterated.
Today, the services were held in the parking lot amidst the ruins of what was you would think a horrible scene at a time of celebration for many of the parishioners because they were alive and they were celebrating the fact that for the first time, for the first Sunday, they were able to embrace one another after the storm.
You mentioned that Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was here. She was here with other cabinet members. And clearly, you could tell that as they strolled through this, and they have seen a disaster or two, that they were very moved by the extent of the damage in this town. Remember, this town was struck by an EF-5, that is the worst tornado you can possibly have.
And here is how she spoke afterwards.
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NAPOLITANO: On behalf of President Obama, that we will stand by and assist the state of Mississippi and the people of Smithville any way we can. We know that this storm hit this state hard, not just Smithville, but Wren, and a lot of the other communities as well. We were -- also, a number of other states hit.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: It was a very busy day at the Smithville cemetery. It is ironically the only business that is still in business in this very small town of 900 people. Fifteen people lost their lives here.
I had a conversation with Liza Morgan. She knows everybody in this town, that includes the living and the dead. She was preparing graves of the Pattersons today. And that is Elvin and Laverne Patterson.
Here's what she had to say.
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MORGAN: The Pattersons -- their grandson and I went to school together. And now, I coach their daughter in softball. And they'll be greatly missed. They were a special, special couple.
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SAVIDGE: That's why this tragedy is so deeply felt here, Don. It's so personal in so many ways to everybody here -- Don.
LEMON: All right. Martin Savidge in Smithville, Mississippi -- Martin, thank you very much.
Across the Midwest, spring time storms have left major rivers at or near record flood levels. And the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers lies the tiny Illinois town of Cairo. It's being squeezed on both sides by swollen rivers that are expected to crest Tuesday and stay at peak levels until Thursday.
Now, its own levees are showing signs of stress. Now, the Army Corps of Engineers is looking at destroying the levee across the river in Missouri and to send the water into miles and miles of farmland there.
Susan Candiotti is at that levee right now and she joins us. Are they really going to blow it up?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, that's the big question tonight, Don. And for now, no one knows the answer. The rain is really coming down here. And it has been for weeks.
The latest is this: Missouri's governor, Jay Nixon, tonight, asked the U.S. Supreme Court to get involved. He is challenging the authority of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as to whether it has the right to blow up this levee that you've been talking about. So, they are asking for an injunction. We don't have an answer to that yet.
But we did spend part of this afternoon looking and visiting some farmland, visiting with a farmer who owns it. About 4,500 acres, his land is already underwater, many parts of it here in Missouri. That's the southern part of the area that's already being flooded by rains at record levels right now.
However, the northern part of this particular area has not yet been flooded, but it surely will if the levee is blown up.
On the other side of the coin, you mentioned it -- the town of Cairo, Illinois. That's on the north side of things. And they maintain that if the levee isn't taken out, then their town could be destroyed. In fact, it would really -- it could help protect them from otherwise getting flooded by waters that could rise as much as 20 feet officials say.
Of course, in the middle, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is trying to come up with a solution that will help everybody in the long run. And they said they have a big team of experts trying to work this out.
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MAJ. GEN. MICHAEL WALSH, U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS: Every hour, we are in communications with our H&H -- our hydraulics folks, the National Weather Service, hundreds of engineers and scientists are together working exactly for the answer to that. It's how long can we -- how long can we hold, when will the water get here, and what's going to be the impacts?
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CANDIOTTI: Now, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers tonight also has begun to move barges in place that will eventually be filled with explosives along various points, about two miles worth of this levee. They have not done the loaning of the explosives yet, Don, but they are moving those barges into place and they said they are monitoring this very closely. No decision has been made yet about when and whether they will blow this levee up -- Don.
LEMON: Susan Candiotti, thank you very much.
You know, we took you live to Smithville, Mississippi, a couple minutes ago -- a community virtually wiped off the map by those deadly tornadoes this week. Ahead this hour, we'll take you live to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Before this week, we have only heard of that town as a home of the University of Alabama. Now, you likely know it as a place where more than three dozen people died.
Also, this time yesterday, we were learning about a NATO airstrike in Libya that killed one of Moammar Gadhafi's sons. Today, the fallout as Gadhafi vows retaliation.
And many of you have been asking for information on social media, reach out to us on Twitter, on Facebook, CNN.com/Don and on Foursquare.com as well. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Catholics now call him pope, but one day Pope John Paul II could be known as saint. Catholics from around the world celebrated his beatification ceremony today, where a giant tapestry of him was unveiled. The ceremony means John Paul can now be referred to as blessed, a title given when you have one confirmed miracle under your name. That miracle involves Sister Marie Simon-Pierre in white, seen carrying John Paul's blood today. The French now says, after his death in 2005, John Paul cured her of Parkinson's disease.
The pope now needs a second confirmed miracle to be declared a saint.
We'll have much, much more on the event later in the hour here on CNN.
It was our breaking news yesterday about Moammar Gadhafi. Now, he is firing back. Libyan forces opened fire on the rebel-held city of Misrata today in the heaviest shelling scene in weeks.
And in Tripoli, groups described as organized mobs ransacked empty embassies belonging to the U.S. and several other countries. The attacks followed word that NATO airstrikes killed a son of Gadhafi and three of the Libyan leader's grandchildren. The Libyan government says Saif Al-Arab Gadhafi died in the airstrike. Moammar Gadhafi was reportedly in the building but survived.
NATO repeated its part -- its past assertion, I should say -- that it does not target individuals.
CNN's Frederik Pleitgen brings us a firsthand look at the scene of the bombing in Tripoli now.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's a demonstration of several dozen women here at this compound where, of course, the Libyan government said that Saif Al-Arab was killed in a NATO airstrike on Saturday night.
Now, one of the reasons why the Libyan government took us here is that they want to show us this is purely a residential compound and that this had no military significance whatsoever. Of course, they also say that Moammar Gadhafi himself was in this compound together with his wife when the bomb struck and, of course, that Gadhafi escaped pretty much unhurt.
It's very difficult to tell whether or not this place had any sort of military significance. Certainly, on the face of it, you can't really tell whether or not there was some sort of command or control infrastructure in here, which is what NATO is saying. They are saying that they struck a command and control facility.
One of the interesting things, though, is that there's a crater right in the middle of this house, where the authorities overnight have put a carpet over it prevent us from filming inside. So, it's very -- it would be very interesting to see what exactly is under that. However, we're not able to see that.
Now, the government is also letting us sort of go around the neighborhood here because they say there is absolutely no military significance to the neighborhood as a whole. They say this is a neighborhood with embassies, a residential neighborhood, where there is absolutely no military infrastructure. But again, that is very difficult to verify.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tripoli, Libya.
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LEMON: That's the sounds of celebration in Benghazi. This is how people in the opposition capital reacted when word came that a son of Moammar Gadhafi had been killed. Gunfire, car horns, fireworks, you name it. Hundreds gathered in the square in Benghazi to celebrate the news.
Up next on CNN --
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SETH MEYERS, COMEDIAN: Donald Trump has been saying that he will run for president as a Republican, which is surprising, since I just assumed he was running as a joke.
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LEMON: Ouch. More of the squabs jabs coming up.
And Donald Trump is going to join us live.
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MEYERS: Truthfully, I'm humbled to be sitting at the table with President Obama, a man I greatly admire. It's such an honor to perform to the leader of the world's most powerful/poorest country.
(LAUGHTER)
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LEMON: You know, it's one of the few times a year when the stuff we're hearing out of Washington is actually supposed to be funny. The White House Correspondents dinner, when politicians, media figures and celebrities come together and pretend they like each other for a few hours. And a lot of the jokes came at the expense of the birthers, right?
Here are some of the best moments.
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MEYERS: And then, of course, there's Donald Trump. Donald trump has been saying that he will run for president as a Republican, which is surprising, since I just assumed he was running as a joke.
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(CHEERS)
OBAMA: My fellow Americans --
(CHEERS)
OBAMA: -- the state of Hawaii released my official long-form birth certificate. But just in case there are any lingering questions, tonight, I am prepared to go a step further. Tonight, for the first time I am releasing my official birth video.
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OBAMA: I want to make clear to the FOX News table, that was a joke. That was not my real birth video. That was a children's cartoon.
Call Disney if you don't believe me. They have the original long-form version.
(LAUGHTER)
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LEMON: That was just a small part of all the jabs last night. You saw Donald Trump at the beginning of those highlights. He was the butt of some of the stinging jokes really at that dinner last night. And he really didn't seem very thrilled about much of it.
We're going to ask him all about it because he's going to join me live next hour. You don't want to miss that. My conversation live with Donald Trump.
Punishment handed down -- the pitching coach for the Atlanta Braves learns his fate following the confrontation with fans. We are talking about it where a writer from "Sports Illustrated." And that's coming up next.
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ROGER GOODELL, NFL COMMISSIONER: I agree with you. All right, guys. I hear you. Me, too.
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LEMON: Roger Goodell, the NFL commissioner, at the NFL draft this week, greeted by booing fans upset at the lockout. And for a couple of days, it looked like we were closer to getting football back, but now, the lockout has returned. Let's go to Jon Wertheim. He joins us from "Sports Illustrated." This week's cover on the NBA playoffs, you can see it there, right there. But we're going to talk football first.
OK. Jon, that was a surreal moment, wasn't it?
JON WERTHEIM, SR. INVEST. REPORTER, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED: Yes, it was like the comedian that gets booed off stage and isn't ready for it. Very -- I mean, this whole process has gotten very strange. And seeing the commissioner, usually, this dignified, towering figure, basically getting heckled. It was a weird moment.
As you said, there wasn't technically a lockout banned. Now, there is today. We're going to find out next week whether those are permanent or temporary.
And you just have a feeling that this started off as pretty standard, collective bargaining choreography. Now, this has gotten very strange. And we'll see what happens in the few -- you know, tomorrow, basically.
LEMON: So, that's where we officially stand. We won't find out until tomorrow what's going to happen?
WERTHEIM: Well, we're going to hear from this appeals court whether this lockout that basically has been reinstated, is this temporary or permanent? And I think now, we've got -- what happened basically is going to court, you lose control of the process.
And right now, you know, if this is a permanent lockout situation we are in, suddenly, the players have a much different proposition than if this was temporary. We are in a much different place than we were 72 hours ago when players could communicate with teams and there could be a draft.
LEMON: Yes. Hey, Jon, this is a wheelhouse. So, I have to ask you your opinion here. Are you more or less optimistic that there will be football this fall?
WERTHEIM: You know, I still think somehow there will be. But I do think the NFL is starting -- I mean, it was sort of this very dignified lead. And you've just got the feeling, it's funny to see it's sort of turned into this circus. And people have sort of thrown up their hand now.
And I do think, you know, it's one thing on May 1st to talk about this when we start missing checks later on this summer. Then, we really see. But I think there will be football next season somehow.
LEMON: OK. Let's talk a little baseball today just in the news. Everybody was like, the Braves won! You could hear people screaming in the newsroom today.
But I want to talk about the controversy involving Atlanta Braves pitching coach Roger McDowell suspended today, without pay for two weeks after a confrontation with fans in San Francisco. I want you to take a listen to what the fan says about the scene, which included an alleged homophobic slur, Jon. Listen.
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JUSTIN QUINN, FAN ALLEGEDLY BERATED BY ROGER MCDOWELL: I had proceeded to yell out that there are kids here and they are listening. And then he proceeded to turn and then say what you have been told, which is kids don't belong out at the ballpark.
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LEMON: So, Jon, were you surprised at the punishment handed down by the commissioner's office? Was it the right punishment?
WERTHEIM: Well, I just think we're going to still hear more about this, but what a strange case. I mean, to have -- to have a pitching coach, someone who's been in Major League Baseball, who's now in his 40s, this early in the season when we were all supposed to be having a good time, a homophobic remark and then say that kids aren't welcomed baseball. I mean, I can't imagine which of those went over worse with the commissioner's office.
But I suspect, when this investigation proceeds, the Atlanta Braves might have a new pitching coach, despite what their manager said who sort of seemed this one will blow over. I think this is the kind of thing that baseball is not going to take too lightly.
LEMON: OK. So, Jon, I know that you have a family and a life and all that, but you can't go away on vacation because I have people tweeting me saying, where's Jon? They're used to seeing you on this show at this time.
WERTHEIM: We'll be back next week. I burned up my vacation. So, you got me next week.
LEMON: All right, Jon. Thank you. We appreciate it. Jon Wertheim from "Sports Illustrated."
WERTHEIM: Thanks.
LEMON: Refusing to give up -- search and rescue crews scour the debris in Alabama, looking for signs of life. Did they have any luck today? We're live from Tuscaloosa. That's straight ahead.
Meantime, we are watching more severe weather happening right now. Tornado watches, even warnings, stretching across the mid-south.
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LEMON: Let's check your top stories, shall we?
A day of prayer for victims of the devastating tornadoes in the South. The death toll now stands at 339. Alabama took the hardest hit, losing 250 people to the twisters.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano led a group of senior officials touring the stricken areas. Their primary message was to reassure the survivors they will not be forgotten and the federal government will provide the needed assistance.
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NAPOLITANO: We have FEMA teams on the ground working with their state and local partners. We have the other agencies of the federal government, housing, small business, agricultural, all working together to make sure that appropriate support is being provided and really helping communities come to grips and recover from this really terrible swath of tornadoes that swept through the south.
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LEMON: Well, flooding is a problem in other places. A tiny Illinois town of Cairo is facing pressure from rising waters on both the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. The Army Corps of Engineers is considering blowing up a levee in Missouri to ease the pressure. That might save the town but it could send floodwaters pouring across thousands of acres of Missouri farmland. Missouri has already lost one court case to stop the demolition. It is now asking the U.S. Supreme Court to step in.
Remember that Air France jet crashing into the Atlantic Ocean nearly two years ago? A memory unit, part of the flight data recorder, was recovered from the ocean floor today. Officials hope it will provide some answers to the crash. All 228 people aboard the Airbus A330 were killed on the flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris back in 2009.
Monday's launch of the space shuttle "Endeavour" has been delayed at least a week. NASA says it will now be next Sunday at the earliest. The delay was prompted by concerns over the shuttle's heating system. Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the wife of the shuttle commander, was in Florida but returned to Houston today, where she's been in rehab after being shot by a would-be assassin. She plans to return to Florida when the launch is rescheduled.
More than a million Catholic faithful poured into Vatican City today to see Pope John Paul II become beatified. The late pope, who died in 2005, is now one step closer to sainthood with a confirmed miracle under his name. The Vatican is now investigating more than 100 claims of a second miracle, which is the final step needed for John Paul to be declared a saint.
For the past several days we have seen image after image of unbelievable tornado damage all across the south. But what's next for the survivors? It is overwhelming just to think about it.
CNN Meteorologist Rob Marciano is in Alabama for us.
Rob, it has been four days. I guess four days is too early to ask if things are getting back to normal?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, they are trying. I'll tell you what's happened in the past couple of days that's really been remarkable is the huge influx of people from really all over the country that have come down here unsolicited just to volunteer and help. We are in the community of Hope just north and east of Tuscaloosa, a very hard-hit area. You can see that -- from the devastation behind me all across the valley. But peek over here. This is just one of the many kind of depots of supplies or victims can come here to grab food, grab water, grab diapers, grab baby food, anything they might need just for basic survival. And that's all volunteers and donated.
We spoke to the woman who ran that operation, she said it all developed with grassroots efforts of her saying, hey, I'm going down to Tuscaloosa from Talladega and start this operation. It has completely blown up. This is what she said to me earlier.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For our families from Talladega and the people that we met, we were just driving around the first day after it hit. We met some people from Augusta, Georgia, and from St. Louis, Missouri, and we all got together and we wanted to help. And we just kind of pushed our ways into the worst areas.
(LAUGHTER)
And we have done it unorganized and this is what it has become.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MARCIANO: There she is giving orders, again, all day long, diplomatically making relations with the local police officers and sheriff's department. That is Larinda (ph) right there. Again, she just came down here with her and her husband and her entire family. They spent about $500 on hot dogs and hamburgers. And everything else has just been donated by word of mouth. Unbelievable outpouring of support here, Don.
The local and federal governments are here as well, but this is the most impressive to me, and everybody who lives here, is how much support they have gotten just from local communities and people coming in from outside the southeast -- Don?
LEMON: Rob, that's good to hear. Rob, thank you very much. We appreciate your reporting. Stand by.
I'm sure we'll be getting back to Rob.
Alexandra Steele, a meteorologist here at the CNN Severe Weather Center.
It is good to see that. And I was down there and I didn't hear one cross word. People were all helping each other. Scores, volunteering, giving away all of their products. And we want to keep the bad weather away from those guys. Please tell me it is not the forecast for them.
ALEXANDRA STEELE, METEOROLOGIST, CNN WEATHER CENTER: It's not in the forecast. We're seeing a variety of things. Really, the biggest issue today is flooding. We have seen just such an inundation of flooding. We talked about Cairo, the town in southwest Illinois, the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Being forced to evacuate the 2800 residents, just one of the many places. Farmland throughout southern Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, all being inundated with the rain. The problem is the rain is not over. We have a few more days of it.
LEMON: Oh, no.
STEELE: So let's get to it. Let's walk to the wall and show you where the radar is and where we are seeing all that rain. Again, we have this line. It's really just kind of crossing this I-40 corridor. Here is a look. You can see this inundation, called training. Time after time, these storms with this cold front not being progressive, thus not moving, so this rain we have seen between seven and almost 12 to 14 inches in the last week or so in some of these areas.
We have had some severe weather earlier in Memphis where a big outdoor concert is being held. There was a tornado warning. We have had reports of some hail.
But also it started really early this morning. Let's take you right now to north Texas with one-inch hail earlier this morning. This was kind of just the onset of it. Hail and very strong winds gusting 60 miles per hour today in north Texas, start of the morning. Bending over flag poles to a 45-degree angle. Those are two of the threats, but also flooding is the biggest concern.
We have been talking about Memphis because we had the tornado warning also, but there's also a lot of flooding in Memphis. Now Memphis, especially within the city limits now, some towns you can see, and even residential neighborhoods being inundated with this rain. So here's the problem. The flood watches and warnings in and around Memphis. It is Missouri, southern Illinois, that red there denoting where we have flash flood warnings. Again, flooding is imminent or happening. We've got both.
And here lies the problem. Here's the forecast the next four days. More rain. Look at this, denoted in the yellow and orange. The brighter red, the more rain we are expecting, anywhere between seven and 10 inches locally. On the average between two and four. Unfortunately, in the forecast, more rain is coming. And we'll talk about the next seven days coming up in a little bit as well. And when we will finally see the progression of this pattern, thus kind of bringing down the rivers and streams. So that's all coming up.
LEMON: Alexandra Steele, thank you. Appreciate it.
A Virginia man receives some bad news one day, but immediately turned it into a sweet business opportunity. Our Tom Foreman has his story, part of our "Building Up America" series.
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LEMON: Now to the big stories in the week ahead. From the White House to Wall Street, our correspondents tell you what you need to know. We begin tonight with the president's plans for the week. BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brianna Keilar at the White House. Monday President Obama will award two Army privates the U.S. Medal of Honor. Then in the middle of the week, a visit from Prince Charles. The end of the week is all about the economy as President Obama faces uncertainly about what Congress will do with the debt ceiling. Vice President Biden is hosting his first meeting on reducing the deficit with congressional leaders.
DANA BASH, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dana Bash in Washington where Congress is returning after two weeks back home. That means lawmakers have been with their constituents as gas prices have soared. And when members of Congress hear the kind of frustration they did, they try to show they are listening. So House Republicans this week plan to vote to increase oil drilling in this country and Senate Democrats promise to take up legislation ending taxpayer subsidies for oil companies. If both of those ideas sound familiar, they are. Each is part of the political playbook parties dust off when gas prices rise.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR: I'm Paul Steinhauser at the CNN political desk. The spotlight will be on Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels who is weighing a bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Wednesday, he gives an education speech right here in Washington and his words will be closely watched for any hints on whether he'll run. The next day, the first presidential debate in the race for the White House. The big question mark, how many probable Republican presidential candidates will be on stage at the debate in Greenville, South Carolina?
POPPY HARLOW, HOST, CNN MONEY: I'm Poppy Harlow in New York. Coming up this week on Wall Street, investors will be looking very closely at a slew of quarterly reports to see if big companies will continue to do pretty well in this recovery when it comes to earnings. We'll get earnings from MasterCard, Visa, Kraft, AIG and General Motors. And as Pfizer's reports its earnings on Tuesday, a federal judge will decide whether or not the drug maker Miler and Ramback (ph) can make a generic version of Pfizer's popular drug Lipitor. But the focus of the week, that will be on the all-important April jobs report coming Friday morning. We'll track it all for you on "CNN Money."
A.J. HAMMER, HOST, "SHOWBIZ TONIGHT": I'm "Showbiz Tonight's" A.J. Hammer. Here's what we are watching this week. Actor Stephen Baldwin is joining me on Monday in a headline-making "Showbiz" news maker interview. So what does Stephen, who was on "Celebrity Apprentice," think about Donald Trump possibly running for president? And will Kristie Alley survive yet another week on "Dancing with the Stars"? "Showbiz Tonight" is TV's most provocative entertainment news show exclusively at 11:00 p.m. eastern and pacific on HLN. LEMON: All right, thanks, A.J. and everyone.
Let's go to the big stories coming around the world this week.
CNN's international desk editor, Azadeh Ansari, joins me.
Of course, Azadeh, Catholics are celebrating -- a beautiful ceremony. They're celebrating the beatification of Pope John Paul II. His casket has been moved into the chapel for this event. It is just an amazing beautiful ceremony to watch.
AZADEH ANSARI, CNN INTERNATIONAL DESK EDITOR: That's true, Don. And no question, he was one of the most popular and beloved by the Catholics around the world in history. And his supporters say he was a holy man. On Monday, we'll see a mass of thanksgiving take place in St. Peter's Square to honor his life, his legacy and his work, more or less. Then again, his body will be taken and will be laid to rest inside the Vatican Basilica.
LEMON: Yes. He needs one more miracle. He has a miracle. He's got to have two. So they need one more. This is a big process for them to go through to find another miracle.
ANSARI: It is a really lengthy process. But for his canonization, before he can become a saint, it is -- he needs one more miracle. And actually they have this web site set up.
LEMON: Oh, god.
ANSARI: Check this out. The people in Rome have set up this web site detailing all the miracles that they have had, the testimonials that have come in. and they are keeping a log of all of this. This is to speed up his canonization process.
LEMON: And those pictures we were looking at, look how beautiful those pictures are of the pope. I remember we covered him twice when he came to the United States. You are just in awe when you see the pope mobile --
(LAUGHTER)
-- coming down the street and he's in there. Look how beautiful that is. Just amazing.
ANSARI: Amazing.
LEMON: OK. Azadeh Ansari, thank you. We appreciate it. Our international desk editor.
Did you watch it? Did you? You know what I'm talking about, the royal wedding. Whether you cared or not, there were a number of pretty cool moments that you may have missed if you weren't paying attention or didn't watch. The hidden gems are coming up on CNN.
But first, smart phones may be able to change the way you travel. Our Rob Marciano is "On the Go" with apps to help you see the world in a whole new way.
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LEMON: Oh, the cries for Kate could not be outdone even by the church bells. Kate Middleton looked stunning on her royal wedding day. But while all eyes were on the bride of Britain, the tiniest of precious moments passed many of us by. Don't worry. CNN's Isha Sesay has a royal recap for you.
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ISHA SESAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's one of the most anticipated moments, when a groom sees his bride for the first time. But with all eyes on Catherine, you might not have noticed Prince William standing with his back to the congregation wanting to be the last one to see her. He waited for his cue from his brother, Harry. As she approached the final stretch, he whispered, "She's here now."
The most kept secret, her dress, was revealed to the world and her Prince. Designed by Sarah Burton for Alexandra McQueen, it was the perfect mix of modern and traditional, but there were some things you couldn't see. A blue ribbon was sown inside the dress to represent something blue. Her earrings were a touch of something new, a gift from her parents, though custom made with a diamond-encrusted acorn in the middle to represent the Middleton's new family crest. And surprisingly, her something borrowed was from the queen, a diamond- encrusted tiara called a Cartier Halo made in 1936 for the queen mother.
Although we couldn't hear him, the groom melted hearts around the world when he leaned over and said to his bride, "You look beautiful." Then he seemed to relax and crack a joke to his soon-to-be father-in- law saying, "Just a small family affair."
The sermon went off without a hitch. Sorry for those of you who betted on Prince Philip falling asleep, but you may have missed the moment of nervous laughter when the prince had to wrestle Kate's ring onto her finger. Rest assured, he got it on.
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SESAY: The happy couple left the abbey and made their way into the 1902 state Landau Carriage, where it appeared Princess Catherine said to her prince, "I'm so happy." She wasn't the only one. One of the clergymen forgot all about the cameras and did a series of cart wheels up the aisle. Even the queen was pleased. Upon arriving at Buckingham Palace, she was overheard on camera saying, "The wedding was amazing."
When the newlyweds were introduced to the country on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, you have to watch closely as the Princess seems to be taken aback as she mouthed, "Oh, wow."
But then there was the moment that sealed the deal. As the hundreds of thousands chanted, "Kiss," Prince William appeared to ask his wife, "Are you ready? Shall we kiss"?
(SHOUTING) SESAY: The crowd erupted with cheers, except one young girl. With all eyes on the newlyweds, many missed 3-year-old bridesmaid Grace van Cutsem. She didn't seem to care. She had the best seat in the house for a kiss that would go down in history. She just wanted some peace and quiet.
Many thought the excitement was over, but then the couple did the unthinkable. The Prince appeared to ask his Princess if she would give one more kiss. She obliged, giving the crowd what they wanted, a historic second kiss.
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SESAY: As the royal family made their way inside, the bride and groom were the last ones to say adieu (ph), as Princess Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, turned around one last time to take it all in.
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LEMON: That was Isha Sesay.
OK, Donald Trump, The Donald, successful businessman, potential presidential candidate, leader of a crusade to try to prove that President Obama was not born in the U.S. He was the brunt of numerous jokes last night at the White House Correspondents Dinner. And he was there in the audience. So Donald is going me live in just a few minutes to respond to the jokes made at his expense. Stick around for this interview.
But first, the images of this week's deadly storms that struck the southeastern U.S. Images taken by you. One of the latest iReports shows students going to Cleveland, Tennessee, to give out water and food to survivors of the deadly string of tornadoes. It's one of many that CNN received. And tonight, we put them together to show you the disastrous impact through the eyes of the iReporters.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my god, this is so cool!
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See it spinning?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is starting to form right there.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's get out of here, man. It is getting real.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are on the highway, out in Decatur.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my god.
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LEMON: Let's check our top stories right now.
A day of prayer for the victims of the devastating tornadoes in the south. The death toll is now standing at 339. Alabama took the hardest hit, losing 250 people to the twisters. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano led a group of senior administration officials touring the stricken areas. This primary message of hers was to reassure survivors they will not be forgotten and the federal government will provide the needed assistance.
Flooding is the problem in other places. A tiny Illinois town of Cairo is facing pressure from rising waters on both the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. The Army Corps of Engineers is considering blowing up the levee in Missouri to ease the pressure. That might save the town but it would send floodwaters pouring across thousands of acres of Missouri farmland. Missouri has already lost one court case to stop the demolition. It is now asking the U.S. Supreme Court to step in.
Monday's launch of the space shuttle "Endeavour" has been delayed at least a week. NASA says it will now be next Sunday at the earliest. The delay was prompted by concerns over the shuttle's heating system. Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the wife of the shuttle commander, was in Florida but returned to Houston today, where she's been in rehab after being shot by a would-be assassin. She plans to return to Florida when the launch is rescheduled.
