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Massive Flood Moving Downstream; Long Recovery for Tornado Victims; Cosby Tours Areas Hit by Tornadoes; Houses of Steel; Huntsman May Announce Bid Soon; Fighting the War on Terror; Historic Look at the Derby; Missouri Farmers File Lawsuit
Aired May 07, 2011 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Well, hello, there, everybody. We're at the top of the hour here on the CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes. Three big stories we are following.
Catastrophic flooding from Missouri to Tennessee, the swollen Mississippi River is spilling over into neighborhoods. Widespread evacuations are under way.
Also, in another disaster zone, a very serious message from a man known for his comedy, Bill Cosby is touring areas of Alabama devastated by tornadoes. We will take you there.
Also the Pentagon is expected to release new information today about what the U.S. has learned from that raid on Osama bin Laden's compound.
Well, let's start along the Mississippi River. A race against time right now, the worst flooding in decades has thousands of people on the run. The river is rising a foot a day in some places. Now, rain is making matters even worse. Take a look at some of these affected areas and affected states. You can see the Mississippi goes right through the heart of the country and just about every state along the way being affected.
We kind of have been highlighting (INAUDIBLE), Missouri. That is where the Coast Guard is closely monitoring traffic on the river. They're afraid the wake from the ships would make flooding even worse. Now, essentially they closed the river yesterday. Now, the Coast Guard has reopened the area to traffic on the river, but only one ship being allowed to go through at a time. Also, evacuations have been ordered in half a dozen states along the Mississippi. Many more are expected as the river slowly makes its way to the Gulf of Mexico. One of the hardest hit areas so far has been Memphis, Tennessee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOB NATIONS, SHELBY COUNTY, TENNESSEE OFFICE OF PREPAREDNESS AGENCY: We knew that the eventuality would become a reality and that's what's happening now. We watched this now for about ten days and so our tributaries are beginning to back up west to east and the Mississippi is rising, as has been forecast and so it just looks like tentacles that are wrapping its arms around Shelby County. (END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Tentacles around Shelby County, that is where Memphis is in that county; several other cities, as well, being affected.
Let me bring in Alexandra Steele. When you see all this water, Alexandra, the last thing you want is more water.
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right.
HOLMES: But it seems to be the case.
STEELE: It is the case. You know, I loved what he said. It's so visual.
HOLMES: Yes.
STEELE: And so the tentacles and especially if you were to see it from the satellite perspective and you would see these arms of water just kind of wrapping around these bodies of land that are submerging.
HOLMES: Yes.
STEELE: It really is unbelievable.
All right, so let's talk about it. T.J. just talked about the rain. More rain unfortunately that's what we've gotten. Here's a look at the radar picture. And what's so fascinating, is where we're seeing the rain right this very moment is really the area of the greatest concern.
Here's Chicago, to give you a little perspective, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri. So southeastern Missouri, southern Illinois, Indiana, western Kentucky and western Tennessee where we've got the rain right now is really the areas we have seen such an inundation of rain.
What does inundation mean? How much is that? How about 10 to 20 inches of rain? So it's really an incredible amount.
So let's show you what we've got. That's what's falling, but over the last one week, two weeks and then a month, it's pretty incredible. Here's a look at the picture. This is the last week. This is the quadrant where we've seen rain, last week about six inches or so.
Let's move it ahead, the last two weeks, we're going to pick up ten inches and then we're going to move it ahead again. And last month in this one area of concern, we're up to 20 inches of rain in some of these areas. See these white and the purples showing you between 15 and 20 inches of rain.
So why is this happening? Why is this so catastrophic? It's because of this: in the month of April, we have seen such incredible amounts of rain, 300 percent to 400 percent of average. So what is this? The power of water. In addition to the amount we've seen. Take a look at this. What it does. Six inches of flowing water -- that's it, that's the size of a little note pad -- a person over and even kill a person.
Two feet of flowing water can float a vehicle and flowing water at four miles per hour can destroy a home and T.J., it has the strength of an EF-2 tornado. So in addition to the amount of water, the sheer amount, what we're seeing with the power. And I don't think people really visualize, you know, six inches and that's not very high. That's teeny.
HOLMES: Not much. Yes.
STEELE: That's as long as from here to here. My arm from my nail to the wrist.
HOLMES: Yes.
STEELE: Six inches of flowing water can drown a person. And look at -- we're talking 50 feet.
HOLMES: See and we're talking -- and you showed this earlier and I was fascinated by it. But to think how low, that four inches of water can destroy a home or four miles per hour. Was that it?
(CROSSTALK)
STEELE: Four miles -- six inches of water --
HOLMES: Four miles per hour and six inches of water --
STEELE: -- and flowing four miles per hour. And has the strength of an EF-2 tornado.
HOLMES: I'll be darned. Now, that's good to put it in perspective like that. People see that water and they think they can make it through a lot of times.
STEELE: That's right, yes you turn around and don't drown. That's the old rule of thumb.
HOLMES: There it is. All right, it is good to have you here with us. Alexandra Steele.
STEELE: Thank you T.J.
HOLMES: with us this weekend. She will be with us tomorrow, as well. Thank you so much. We'll check in plenty.
Meanwhile, Memphis, what you're seeing a lot of attention and a lot of water right now, but it has been the focal point in a lot of ways because they haven't seen flooding there since 1937, this kind of flooding since 1937.
The Mississippi is expected to crest in Memphis four days from now at nearly 14 feet above flood stage. Our David Mattingly is there.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: T.J., as the flood makes its slow relentless rise into Memphis, people here are in a very nervous guessing game. Should I stay or should I go?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Four days from its projected peak in the mighty Mississippi is not done with Memphis by a long shot. A few houses already in the water, the owners apparently heeding evacuation warnings. But neighbors on a little higher ground still not so sure.
KYLE CRESON, MEMPHIS RESIDENT: Its 45 now, it's supposed to come to 48. If it goes over 48 we probably have to --
(CROSSTALK)
MATTINGLY (on camera): How much faith do you have in those predictions?
CRESON: Goodness, I don't know.
(voice-over): All along the banks, water pushes into areas that haven't seen flooding in generations. Anything that isn't protected by a levee is in danger of being covered by the relentless waters. But some of the worst damage so far is nowhere near the river front.
(on camera): With the water in the Mississippi continuing to rise, the water in the tributaries and other rivers around Memphis have nowhere to go. The result is what you see here, widespread flooding and disruption miles away from the Mississippi.
(voice-over): And as you look at all this damage, city officials say don't get the wrong idea. The city itself with all its tourism and night life is high and dry and expected to stay that way.
A.C. WHARTON, MAYOR, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: I do want to make one thing clear. As you know, tourism, entertainment is a big part of our economy. I want everybody to know that downtown is still open and everything that has been planned will go on.
MATTINGLY: Nevertheless, engineers keep a watchful eye on a decades-old levee system that has never been tested like this before. Volunteers fill sandbags hoping they will not be needed and road crews shore up the state routes just in case of any last-minute evacuations.
David Mattingly, CNN, Memphis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And the flooding could swamp thousands of homes up and down the river.
But a Kentucky firefighter is not running to higher ground. He's fighting to save his home. More now from Todd Faulkner with our affiliate WPSD.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TODD FAULKNER, WPSD: A boat is the only way you can travel along sections of Oaks Road. Flood water fills this neighborhood.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't believe it happened.
FAULKNER: And it's taking its toll.
BARRY KNIGHT: They don't eat much that first day because they're just too stressed out.
FAULKNER: Barry Knight is a fighter. His opponent, flood water; his trophy, his house.
KNIGHT: I caved in because of the pressure --
FAULKNER: His garage is almost ready to give, but he's been successful in keeping the main house protected.
KNIGHT: And started leaking under it.
FAULKNER: Inside, he's prepared for the worst. Carpet ripped up and floor tiles removed.
KNIGHT: We try to save what you can. And what's important to you.
FAULKNER: And during our visit, a new problem. A door in the garage starting to give, remedied with sandbags.
(on camera): How do you find the motivation to keep going?
KNIGHT: This is your home, you have to. You're fighting for your home. Like anybody else, they fought for theirs. I mean, I was fortunate enough that this worked for me.
FAULKNER: This seasoned firefighter usually uses water to fight problems and now it is the problem.
KNIGHT: Any time something could go bad and I could be sitting in water and then all this works --
FAULKNER: A series of water pumps on his back porch pushes the water from crawl spaces back out.
KNIGHT: It's testing at times. I mean, it builds faith and you question your face sometimes but you just have to believe.
FAULKNER: Believe that an end is in sight and there are drier days ahead.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, as we were talking about, keeping an eye on that disaster. Remember, it was just last week that we saw another huge disaster in this country, the historic outbreak of tornadoes in the south. Well while a lot of those people in the south right now are looking for something to smile about. In two minutes, I'll tell you about the visit they got from a legendary funnyman.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, 12 minutes past the hour now.
Now, people in Alabama are holding out hope that they can rebuild their communities after last week's devastating tornadoes. Historic tornado outbreak we saw last week.
Reynolds Wolf is there in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for us. Reynolds, are the folks there finding something to smile about and actually somebody's bringing smiles to the area?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No question about it. I mean, there are people that are coming through and sometimes it's not just something like, it's not just many times things just like something to -- to eat or a pound on the back; it's a kind of word that could make a tremendous difference. So that's one thing, it's a usually a tremendous help.
You know, T.J., this is one of 11 American Red Cross Disaster Relief centers that we have across the state, over 50 nationwide. And although they help people, the American Red Cross also needs help.
As a matter of fact, we -- we've Suzanne Horsley, with us.
Suzanne, what exactly does the Red Cross need to help function?
SUZANNE HORSLEY, AMERICAN RED CROSS: The Red Cross at this point really needs the support of the public financially. So, if the public can give, they can text Red Cross to 90999 to give a $10 donation on their phone bill or they can go to RedCross.org to donate any amount they need.
But at this stage in the game, we're trying to support individuals. You know, rather than the initial needs, I mean, we just need food, water and shelter, and now we're trying to help individuals get back on their feet.
WOLF: You know, what's interesting is you guys, the great work you've been doing is not only for people in places like, obviously, Tuscaloosa but all around the area. And you know, what's interesting, T.J. Is we've really been focusing quite a bit on the spotlight Tuscaloosa, but there are many other places across the state of Alabama and across the region that have been inundated.
In fact, smaller towns like -- like Ohatchee, Webster's Chapel and Rainsville (ph), even -- even parts of Birmingham, Alabama. In fact, as you take a look at this video, the mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, just went out yesterday. The mayor, Mayor William Bell was actually with a great celebrity. A man by the name of Bill Cosby, many of you are very familiar with him. They had a chance to go and see some of the damage in Pratt City first hand. What they saw just blew them away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BILL COSBY, COMEDIAN: What I've seen of -- of trucks and maintenance things coming to clear up. As long as that's happening, and I think people have learned from Katrina that this is reality. And your mayor to make sure so quickly, so fast, this is -- this is turning people into believers. And we need them to believe that they can help each other.
MAYOR WILLIAM BELL, SR., BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA: While this storm was devastating, it has brought out the best of our city. And I'm grateful to be the mayor of a city that has such wonderful people in it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF: So, as you can imagine, certainly an amazing thing for them to see and it's certainly going to take quite a while for people in Birmingham to certainly recover; same story, of course, in Tuscaloosa and many other places around the southeast. These are one of the worst tornado outbreaks in history; certainly the worst in the state of Alabama.
T.J., that's the latest from Tuscaloosa, let's send it back to you in the studio.
HOLMES: All right. Thanks to our Reynolds Wolf there in Tuscaloosa for us. We continue to keep a close eye on the south and the recovery that is going to take a long, long time.
A quarter past the hour now. A lot of people are complaining more and more these days about the price of gas and why not? The average is about $4 in this country, but many places, as you know, much higher than that.
This weekend we are trying to help you out. Let's try to save you some money at the gas station. How? There is an app you need to know about and a Web site that will help you find the cheapest gas in your area. I will tell that to you in two minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: OK. We want to let you know we're standing by for more details about that raid in Pakistan that yielded the most wanted terrorist in the world, Osama bin Laden. You know some of the details of that. We're expecting to get more details at a briefing that is scheduled for 40 minutes from now at noon at the Pentagon. And intelligent briefing, our Barbara Starr, Pentagon correspondent, will be there.
But as you know, many details have been trickling out throughout the week. Of course, the ultimate detail is that, yes, Osama bin Laden is dead, but still, a lot of people still wondering how this all went about, the intelligence that led to him. A lot of details, as well, about what Pakistan knew or didn't know about this man living just about 30 to 50 miles outside of the capital there in Pakistan.
So, again, we're expecting more details, a briefing going to happen about 40 minutes from now. This will not be an on-camera briefing, necessarily. But we'll be able to bring that to you live. This is for the reporters there. But whatever we do get, we'll pass that along to you.
I just want you to know, we're keeping an eye out for that.
Also, before the break, I was telling you how we could possibly save you some money. The thing a lot of people looking to save money on right now, gas. It's about $4 on average here in this country now; $4 for regular, the cheap stuff, if you will, much higher in other places. So, this could help you out.
Take this down. Remember, gasbuddy.com. It's a site that you may not have heard of, but it has been around for the past 11 years or so and it has some 5 million users. You can see the map there. This kind of tells people where the cheapest gas is around the country.
But you can also do something else on it. You can enter your very own zip code and then see the prices for gas stations in your neighborhood. It's available on the web or as an app for iPhone, Android or Windows Mobile. Hopefully, that could help you out.
Crews are still cleaning up from the deadly tornado outbreak that devastated the southeast last week and in today's "Building up America" we looked at homes built to withstand tornadoes. They're made of steel with safety in mind.
CNN's Tom Foreman takes us to Tornado Alley and Little Rock, Arkansas.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Thousands of homes damaged or destroyed, hundreds of lives taken. Officials in Alabama and other states are still adding up the losses from those killer tornadoes.
While far away in another part of the so-called Tornado Alley near Little Rock --
(on camera): It all looks perfectly normal.
(voice-over): John House's home is a model of new technology aimed at stopping such terrible destruction.
JOHN HOUSE, PRESIDENT, KODIAK STEEL HOMES: They would have no idea whatsoever unless they went up into the attic.
FOREMAN: let's go up in the attic.
HOUSE: OK.
FOREMAN: Up here we can really see the difference. HOUSE: Right, because you have bolt together structural steel.
FOREMAN: The frame is not made of wood but of steal.
HOUSE: This is an (INAUDIBLE).
FOREMAN: John is the president of Kodiak Steel Homes and he says despite the economic downturn, despite the fact that these houses can cost up to 5 percent more than usual, folks like the Tacket (ph) family are snapping them up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You might be spending a little bit more now, but it is going to pay for it in the end. The house isn't going anywhere.
FOREMAN: Other companies make steel homes but not many. John is proud to say his can withstand 140-mile-an-hour winds for four hours.
HOUSE: Yes. I'll take it right away.
FOREMAN: Sales have declined a bit but John says not nearly as much as for other builders because people want to be even more secure in their big investments now.
HOUSE: Instead of making our homes cheaper in response to the recession, we have made our homes better.
FOREMAN: Would you have any doubts about being up in this attic during a tornado?
HOUSE: No, none whatsoever.
FOREMAN: And that he hopes will not only keep building up his business but also keep many families safer when the worse weather strikes.
Tom Foreman, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And you can join Tom Foreman for a "Building up America" special later today. Tom is traveling through America's heartland on the CNN Express. To find out how people are finding their way through tough economic times through industry, innovation and, yes, even music. That's at 2:30 p.m. Eastern time right here on CNN.
Well, he is a potential Republican presidential candidate. And you probably have never heard of him and you probably can't recognize him. But he is getting a lot of attention and part of the reason why is because just last week he worked for President Obama. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, he's a potential Republican presidential candidate who has been noticeably absent at all the big political events. We're talking about John Huntsman. Who? Yes, John Huntsman the former Utah governor. Just a few days ago he was working for the President of the United States. He was the U.S. Ambassador to China.
But now that he's resigned that post, he is making up maybe for some lost time today and he is in the key state of South Carolina. That is also where our Peter Hamby is for us this morning. Peter, good morning to you sir.
Now, come on, let's give the guy a break. They asked him to come and make a speech, commencement address, it just happened to be at the University of South Carolina. That is just a coincidence. Am I right?
PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Right. Just very, very generous of the former ambassador of China. No, T.J., South Carolina, as you know, is a key primary state in the republican presidential nominating process. And John Huntsman is also speaking in New Hampshire, at Southern New Hampshire later this.
He is doing these speeches to kind of introduce himself to Republican voters in these key states because of course, he's not officially a candidate, but he just wrapped up his speech here. And there are unmistakable tones about the message that he may bring to this campaign about being a new voice, bringing change to the country. He talked about his foreign policy credentials having served abroad in China and he said, a lot of people say that China is leading the United States in the world economy. But he said the United States will always be on top.
He was meeting with South Carolina governor Nikki Haley yesterday. So, he is clearly planting the seeds for a presidential campaign in this state but this is our first chance to see him up close in person as he considers a presidential bid, T.J.
HOLMES: Peter, can we really get much? Yes, he's going to important states here. You talked about New Hampshire and South Carolina, but can we really get much from him? Can he do much as far as making a political speech if he's on stage there making a commencement address?
HAMBY: No, at this stage in the campaign, and you saw this from some other Republican candidates. They're more out there introducing themselves, trying to find their space in the Republican field. You know, just get your face on TV cameras in this state.
Huntsman kind tried to position himself as kind of the hipper, younger candidate in the Republican field. A lot of activists in the party aren't exactly excited about the field right now. The candidates Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor, the names people tossed around. No one is exciting people.
John huntsman got up there and talked about how he used to play in a rock 'n' roll band. He rides a motorcycle. He dropped some lyrics from one of his favorite bands. So, you know, it's still early. He'll probably make a decision about the presidential race, sometime in June, but he's surrounding himself with the team of heavy hitting Republican consultants and sitting on a really large personal fortune. So he definitely has the potential to shake up the race when he does decide to jump in the race.
And I can tell you that talking to his team and Republican insiders, they believe he will run. So, he hasn't got a lot of attention yet. He's at one percent in the polls nationally, but he will be in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina in the coming months, T.J.
HOLMES: All right, Peter Hamby for us in South Carolina there as he follows huntsman on his commencement address tour in primary states. Good to see you, buddy, thanks so much.
Well, we're coming up on the bottom of the hour here now. We are keeping our eyes on flooding that we haven't seen in some parts of this country in nearly 100 years. Thousands of people along the Mississippi River scrambling to get out of the way.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Thirty-two minutes past the hour. A look at some of the stories making headlines.
Thousands of people along the Mississippi River have left for higher ground as the river keeps rising. It's going up a foot a day in some places and, today, rain is making matters even worse. It's been decades since the Mississippi has been so high.
Also, a high-profile visitor in another disaster zone. Entertainer, comedian Bill Cosby toured parts of Alabama hit hard by last week's massive tornado outbreak, tried to comfort some of the victims there, got an up-close look at the damage. It was the largest tornado outbreak ever recorded, and it killed at least 327 people, destroyed thousands of homes.
Also, the Pentagon scheduled to hold a background briefing next hour to discuss some of the intelligence gathered at Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Both al Qaeda and bin Laden's Taliban allies have now acknowledged that bin Laden was killed when U.S. forces raided the compound last Sunday.
Even though bin Laden is dead, the war on terror continues.
Earlier, I talked to former Army Lieutenant Colonel and Pentagon consultant Robert Maginnis, and asked him just how high on the priority list did bin Laden rank. Was eliminating him more of a psychological victory than a tactical one?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LT. COL. ROBERT MAGINNIS, U.S. ARMY (RET.): We didn't, at least publicly, have an idea exactly where he might be. Obviously, the rumors had been some cave in Pakistan, and I have heard all sorts of rumors other than that. But I wouldn't have put him that high.
However, as you indicate, psychological, but what's even better, the intel that the SEALs pulled out of there, a hundred, maybe, CDs, thumb drives, computers, as well as hard drives. And likely, we're now executing a lot of that information, trying to find Zawahiri and some of the others. Perhaps they're still lingering in that area, or especially in Afghanistan, trying to kill our troops.
HOLMES: OK. And sir, a lot of people ask the question -- immediately after that jubilation -- we saw people out on the streets, out in front of the White House, out in front -- down at Ground Zero, literally celebrating when this news came out Sunday night. And then the next day and the day after, some people were asking, now what?
Well, I ask that question to you, Mr. Maginnis. Now what in the war on terror?
MAGINNIS: Well, obviously, al Qaeda has morphed. It's morphed not only into Afghanistan, but also in the Islamic Maghreb, also in the Arabian Peninsula. We have pieces of it in the Horn of Africa and elsewhere. So, those franchises have to be run to ground.
They are a threat to us, as we've seen here in the last few months, and they're a threat, I think, long term. So, what the secretary of state said is that the war on terror is not over.
Now, I would argue that perhaps we need to rethink what we're doing in Afghanistan because, you know, even Leon Panetta says we only have probably 50 to 100 al Qaeda in Afghanistan. Do we need 100,000 American troops there to go after those guys? After all, is the Taliban truly our enemy, or it al Qaeda that we went over there to get?
HOLMES: OK. You talked about rethinking what's happening in Afghanistan. Now, were you one that would take the stance that maybe we should be rethinking what's going on in Afghanistan even before bin Laden was killed? And, if not, how does Sunday night and bin Laden's death automatically change what's happening on the ground there?
MAGINNIS: Well, it's a psychological blow, as you indicated earlier, against the Taliban. Omar -- you know, Sheikh Omar -- was very close, we're told, to bin Laden. And now we probably know a lot more about him and his operations than before.
And I also think that what happened is the Pakistanis are going to get pretty serious with us and they're going to be far more cooperative than they have been of late. They don't want an Afghanistan to go in the wrong direction, and they certainly don't want to see Afghanistan go in the hands of the Indians, which is their, you know, major adversary in the region.
So, you have some very interesting geopolitical back and forth going on. So, I would argue that bin Laden is sort of a tipping point.
His death has caused us to rethink our role in Afghanistan, caused the Paks to get more serious about helping us, and, of course, has ratcheted up the tension and created a lot of questions. I think one for me is, if we can sneak in, in the heart of that country, without being detected, can a terrorist group go in and perhaps compromise their new clear arsenal? Which is a very, very serious concern.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, Atlantic Southeast Airlines is apologizing to two imams who were removed from a flight last night on their way to a conference on prejudice against Muslims. The men say the pilot told them that other passengers on the flight, which was leaving out of Memphis, were uncomfortable with them being on the plane dressed in traditional Muslim attire.
The two were offered a different flight. The airline issued a statement saying, "We take security and safety very seriously, and the event is currently under investigation."
Earlier today I spoke with Ibrahim Hooper. He's the communications director for the Council on American Islamic Relations. He said both imams went through security, twice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
IBRAHIM HOOPER, CAIR COMMUNICATION DIRECTOR: I think they were, you know, obviously upset to the extent that they were inconvenienced, but they understand what's going on in the world, and particularly in the heightened sensitivities after the death of Osama bin Laden.
HOLMES: And you mentioned, as well, these two were imams. Where are they based? They were flying out of Memphis. But is that home to both of them?
HOOPER: Yes, they're imams in Memphis.
HOLMES: And to ask, as well, not that it, quite frankly, should make a difference if they're flying, but are these two Muslim- Americans?
HOOPER: You know, I didn't ask them that. That's one question I'll ask them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, would you believe something like this has actually happened before? It was nearly five years ago where several imams who had actually traveled to the same conference were taken off a US Airways flight.
Now, we have got some history in the making today. That's what they always say, right, about the most prestigious horse race of the year? The derby is today -- the Kentucky Derby.
I want to introduce you to a man next who has filmed some of the most historic races ever run at Churchill Downs.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, a crowded field will run in the 137th Kentucky Derby today at Churchill Downs. Post time, 6:24 Eastern Time.
A horse called Dialed In is the early favorite, and CNN's Mark McKay has the story of a man who has seen some of the most famous derby races. And better than that, he has them preserved on film.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARK MCKAY, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sometimes memories come without sound. Sometimes they are blurry or shaky. And sometimes memories are perfect.
BOB GATELY, HORSE RACING ENTHUSIAST: The feeling I have about them really is like a protective father. I've got to, you know, protect these things. And the other thing is a sense of accomplishment.
MCKAY: Bob Gately's memories are preserved splendidly but silently on 8mm film, making them all at once perfect and imperfect.
GATELY: What I remember the most is the noise and the chaos and the shoving, but primarily the noise.
MCKAY: What is perfect about Gately's memories is what they capture.
GATELY: And I had this, you know, right on Secretariat coming down, and then Daily Racing Form was thrown up by somebody down on the grass down there. And, oh, what a moment that was. That was beautiful.
MCKAY: When he first recorded Secretariat thundering home in the Belmont Stakes, it had been 25 years since the last horse to win a Triple Crown, a drought only exceeded by the sport's current 33-year gap.
GATELY: We went into the Belmont knowing that we did have a special horse. But it wasn't overpowering. It became overpowering after the Belmont. There was a certain majestic part of that race, a certain majesty about that race, because of how he won it.
MCKAY: Every reel that passed through Gately's camera focused on his love of horse racing. His strategically-placed lens saw Secretariat in 1973, Seattle Slew in 1977, and finally a firm's great wind over Alydar in 1978.
GATELY: And it took me six races, seven races, to wiggle my way down to the rail here, where I would block myself into position, grab a hold of the rail, and I wasn't going to move. I'm over here like this and fighting this guy, and as I'm coming down this way, and I finally catch him -- catch at the end -- I see Secretariat winning. Where is the second place horse? I had to pan back down again to catch the second-place horses.
MCKAY: The films are from a time long gone now. Track attendance in America struggles virtually every day, except on those of a Triple Crown race. And Gately believes even films like his can't improve that.
GATELY: Being here makes you get involved. Watching it on TV, you don't really get involved. But you're forced to get involved here because of all the senses.
All the senses are brought into the picture. Let's say it starts at fourth race, maybe. There's a certain excitement, a certain thrill that starts to creep inside you, and it doesn't leave. It doesn't leave until well after the race is over.
MCKAY: He hopes the sport can find a legend to generate that excitement again, even if new rules would no longer allow him to film it.
Mark McKay, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: We're about a quarter of the top of the hour now.
"Fortune" magazine has released its annual list of America's largest corporations. No surprise, three of the top five are oil companies. Can you guess the other two? I'm pretty sure you'll get at least one of them.
Also, what you need to know is that Fredricka Whitfield is in the house. She's right there. We're going to be chatting with her right after the break.
Stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Before the break we told you "Fortune" magazine has released its list of America's 500 largest corporations for 2011 based on revenue. Just two of the five are not oil companies.
So, one is Fannie Mae. The financial services company comes in fifth on the list of Fortune 500s.
The next three are oil companies: ConocoPhillips, Chevron and Exxon Mobil.
Now, the one I said you would get, you got it, second year in a row, the giant retailer Wal-Mart tops the list.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Wow.
HOLMES: Only 12 minutes until the top of the hour.
Always a pleasure, one of my favorite parts of my morning, to see Fredricka Whitfield. And we have a bit of a development with Fredricka right now.
WHITFIELD: We do? HOLMES: After much consternation, after much resistance --
WHITFIELD: Now you're making me nervous.
HOLMES: -- after much strife, Fredricka Whitfield is on Twitter.
WHITFIELD: Oh, yes! Drum roll. That's right, @fwhitfield.
HOLMES: Sorry to set it up like that.
WHITFIELD: I know.
HOLMES: Don't want to scare you.
WHITFIELD: It is groundbreaking.
HOLMES: Yes, it is huge.
WHITFIELD: It took me a long time to come to the party. I'm at the party.
HOLMES: It's all right. The party is not as fun as it seems on the outside.
WHITFIELD: I will reserve comment, but I am there.
HOLMES: But again, she is @fwhitfield.
WHITFIELD: I'm on board, yes. In fact, I've already been tweeting a little bit, having conversations with people.
HOLMES: I heard you got seven tweets out so far.
WHITFIELD: Who's counting?
HOLMES: They put them up there for you.
WHITFIELD: It's baby steps. One little step at a time.
HOLMES: OK.
WHITFIELD: It's only been about a week.
HOLMES: That's all right.
WHITFIELD: So, if it's seven, if it's one a day, hey, that's an improvement from zero. Right?
HOLMES: I have been asking you for the past year-plus. Are you on Twitter? Are you on Twitter?
WHITFIELD: I know. And I would just close my ears and keep going.
HOLMES: That's all right.
WHITFIELD: So I'm on board now.
HOLMES: Well, welcome.
WHITFIELD: All right. Well, we've got a lot straight ahead.
HOLMES: All right.
WHITFIELD: It has nothing to do with my tweeting, except maybe the final segment I'll tell you about.
HOLMES: OK.
WHITFIELD: Yes, there's some tweeting going on with that one.
But of course we're going to be looking out for that noonish briefing out of the Pentagon. Our Barbara Starr will be there listening, and she'll be sharing with us all that may be revealed about the intelligence surrounding the hunt for Osama bin Laden and the ultimate killing of.
All right. And then, of course, our legal guys. We always look forward to Richard and Avery. They will be along with us.
You know a lot of spouses share a computer at home. Right?
HOLMES: Of course. Of course.
WHITFIELD: It's usually no big deal. But what if one kind of infiltrates the other's e-mails, didn't know the password, but found a way in, learned some information, and then they go splitsville? Should that be a legal case?
HOLMES: A legal case? Well, if you're doing something wrong and you got found out, no matter how you got found out, right?
WHITFIELD: Well, that's what one is alleging, the doing something wrong part, the misuse of a computer. And now this case is going to court. Our legal guys --
HOLMES: Wait a minute. Help me understand this.
WHITFIELD: This use of a computer --
HOLMES: The one who was doing wrong in the marriage is now upset with the one who found out?
WHITFIELD: You got it.
HOLMES: Is that right?
WHITFIELD: You got it.
HOLMES: Wow. That's fascinating.
WHITFIELD: Right. So now it's a legal case. And, yes, they're going to talk about it. So you and your wife at home will be watching that case, too.
HOLMES: OK. We'll skip this one. We'll skip this one.
WHITFIELD: You won't have a problem with that area, but, you know, it's intriguing to know that you could be breaking the law potentially if you get a little too nosey.
HOLMES: Wow. OK. Now, what time is that one?
WHITFIELD: Noon. That will be about 12:20.
HOLMES: OK. I want to make sure.
WHITFIELD: You've got to watch the whole hour.
HOLMES: OK. Well, I'm sorry.
WHITFIELD: Because they're back at about 12:40.
HOLMES: OK.
WHITFIELD: OK. So twice. At least six cases we're going to be delving into.
OK. And then your mom probably gave you great financial advice over the years, right?
HOLMES: I can't remember any advice she gave me. She just gave me money.
WHITFIELD: I know she did.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Well, hopefully she told you to either spend it wisely or save it.
Well, Karen Lee, our financial expert, will be along. She's going to tell us about all the great financial advice that your mom and other moms may be giving. My mom always gave me great advice along the way, and she continues to do so.
HOLMES: Where do they get it? Moms just have good sense.
WHITFIELD: They're just wise. It's fantastic.
HOLMES: Yes.
WHITFIELD: That's what moms are.
HOLMES: Oh, tomorrow's Mother's Day.
WHITFIELD: This mom isn't yet, but --
HOLMES: Oh, you are.
WHITFIELD: OK. So now this is where the tweeting comes in.
HOLMES: All right.
WHITFIELD: Of course I spoke face to face with Venus Williams. We're going to be profiling her all day today.
There were a lot of questions we got from all of you out in Tweetville, because now I'm on, @fwhitfield. So, Venus Williams talking about everything under the sun, including she's been out professionally on the tennis circuit for four months now because of nursing an injury. She's going to talk about that nursing of the injury.
She's going to talk about being that child prodigy. She's been playing for 17 years professionally. And she also talks about what she does off the court.
So, this is what she had to say about her recovery. Is she coming back? When? What?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: And you're listening to your body --
VENUS WILLIAMS, TENNIS PLAYER: Yes.
WHITFIELD: What's your body telling you? Not so much or come on a little bit more?
WILLIAMS: Every week, it's a little bit different. And sometimes it's every two weeks or sometimes every three weeks that I start to feel better.
So I just try to progress as I feel better. And I've been injured so many times at this point, that I know how much I should be doing. And then there's how much I want to be doing. Those are two different things.
WHITFIELD: Yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: So, injury kind of comes with the territory. She's nursing that injury.
It was a big three-inch tear of muscle from her abdomen to her groin area. So it's been very painful, if you remember seeing her kind of doubled over in pain during the Australian Open.
So, anyway, she loves Wimbledon. She loves the grass surface. Will she be ready in time, in June? We'll see.
But she did sign up this week for kind of a warm-up tournament in the U.K., early June. So, will she be there? And if she plays, how well will she feel in time for Wimbledon? HOLMES: It's always good to see. Even when she's got doing so well, the rest of -- any other tournament -- she goes to Wimbledon, always has a good showing.
WHITFIELD: Yes, she's fantastic.
HOLMES: She loves it there.
WHITFIELD: So, "Face to Face," Venus Williams, beginning noon Eastern Time, all throughout the day. You don't want to miss it. We talk about a lot.
HOLMES: And she's on Twitter, @fwhitfield, folks.
WHITFIELD: I know.
HOLMES: All right. Fredricka, we'll see you in just a second.
WHITFIELD: OK.
HOLMES: Well, coming up next, though, before I hand this thing over to Fredricka, we're looking at whether it was really legal for the United States to go into another country unannounced, even if it was to get Osama bin Laden?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: And just a reminder to our viewers, we're standing by. Just a few minutes from now, we're expecting a briefing to take place at the Pentagon. A number of reporters will be a part of this intelligence briefing.
To get more details about that raid that netted Osama bin Laden on Sunday night so we could possibly -- here's some information about what U.S. officials were able to get from some of the information that was take taken, some of the hard drives, some of the papers, other things that were left inside that compound where Osama bin Laden was staying.
Our Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr is going to be a part of that briefing. As soon as she gets information she will trickle that out to us. We'll have her on, and Fredricka will be talking to her, of course, in the next hour as we continue on to CNN NEWSROOM.
But, Missouri farmers, meanwhile, have filed a class action lawsuit against the federal government. They say the decision to breach a levee along the Mississippi River to save one town hurt them in the process.
Earlier, I spoke to our legal analyst, Sunny Hostin, from "In Session," on our sister network, truTV, about their case. But we also first talked about the bin Laden raid. Specifically, some are asking, was it legal for the U.S. to go into a sovereign country unannounced?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL CONTRIBUTOR: Under international law, in order for a country to do something like the United States did, they have to show that Pakistan either was unwilling to intervene or incapable of intervening. And in support of that, there are reports that bin Laden was living there from five to six years, and there was a military base right down the road.
So I think that they are certainly -- the United States is on solid legal ground when it comes to landing in Pakistan to conduct this operation.
HOLMES: Now, how much of this falls on this idea of whether or not this was a law enforcement action versus an actual military action against fighting terrorism? And this also plays into whether or not it was legal for them to shoot at Osama bin Laden, who they say, or some reports say, was unarmed at the time.
HOSTIN: Those are the questions, T.J. Those are the really good questions. Was this sort of under international law or the rules of war?
This was a military operation, and the military has really broad discretion when they are conducting a military operation to determine whether or not they can use lethal force. You know, people are saying, well, he was unarmed, but that really isn't the legal question.
The question is whether or not he surrendered, whether or not he was willing to surrender, and whether or not they had to make that sort of crack judgment at that time. I think under the rules of war, laws of war, certainly sound basis. International law, also sound basis.
Remember, right after September 11th, the United States passed a law. It's called the Authorization to Use Military Force Act. It was passed September 18, 2001, and it allows the president to use lethal force and to adopt lethal force against an enemy combatant even on foreign soil.
So, in that sense, that's just another legal ground. You know, the attorney general certainly spoke about this. And he said, we planned this, it was solid legal ground on all bases.
HOLMES: The Corps of Engineers blows up a levee to try to save one town. But in the meantime, they say -- or some will tell you they just destroyed the livelihood of another community. We're talking about the Missouri farmers now who have filed this class action lawsuit.
Do they have a case?
HOSTIN: You know, my heart goes out to the farmers. I think all of our hearts go out to the farmers. Their livelihood, destroyed -- 130,000 acres destroyed by the Army going in -- the Army Corps of Engineers -- and sort of blowing this two-mile radius breach in the levee. I don't think they have a case, though. They're arguing that the government took their land without just compensation and adequate compensation. But what the Army is saying is that there were these things called flowage easements on the property giving the Army the right to do this sort of for the greater good, as you mentioned.
Cairo, Illinois, was further down the road, and 2,800 inhabitants, as opposed to people losing about 100 homes. I don't think they're on solid legal ground here, especially, T.J., because this Supreme Court, even though it's not in support of federal action, a lot of government action, it has sided with the Army in cases like this and sort of allowing this greater good kind of argument.
So I don't think they're on sound looking footing here, unfortunately. But our hearts, of course, go out to the farmers that lost their livelihood and their homes.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
