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American Hikers Sentenced to Eight Years in Iranian Prison; Rick Perry Campaigns Early Primary States; Political Analysts Evaluate Mitt Romney's Campaign; Libyan Rebels Close on Capital of Tripoli; U.S. and Chinese Basketball Team Make Amends After Brawl; CNN Hero Provides Meals to Starving Africans; Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Near Completion in Washington D.C.
Aired August 20, 2011 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center, this is CNN Saturday Morning. It's August 20th. Good morning everybody. Thanks for joining us. I'm Alina Cho. T.J. Holmes is off this morning.
We have new word on the fate of two American hikers held in Iran. We'll have the latest court ruling. It is breaking news out of Iran at this hour.
Also, rebel fighters are closing in on L capitol of Tripoli. Is its leader, Moammar Gadhafi, going to stay and fight, or could he possibly leave?
And we've just gotten this dramatic video showing armed rioters shooting at police in the British city of Birmingham. So what's the latest in that investigation? We'll have a live report.
Let's get right to the breaking news of Iran. Iranian state television is reporting that two Americans accused of spying have been sentenced to eight years in prison. Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were arrested after crossing into Iran during a 2009 hiking trip from Iraq. A third hiker, Sarah Shourd, was also arrested, but she was later released last fall for medical reasons.
Journalist Shirzad Bozorgmehr joins us now by phone from Tehran. We're going to have him in just a moment, but first we want to turn to our very own Susan Candiotti, who also joins us by phone from New York City. She's been in touch with the families of these two men. She joins us now by phone. And Susan, I know you're trying feverishly to speak to these families. When was the last time you spoke to them or their representatives, and what did they tell you?
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): It would have been within the last couple of months. More often than not the families, when there's a situation like this, prefer to work through a representative that is speaking on their behalf. And it's not uncommon at all to discuss things among themselves, the three moms and their relatives, figure out exactly what they want to say, and then put out the word, initially, anyway, through their media representative, who is based in New York. So we're working all of those angles. I've reached out by phone to all of the families, and of course, other methods as well, as well as the representative. So I'm quite sure that's what's happening now is they're speaking among themselves to gather information, figure out what they can from all of their sources before they respond in some way, Alina.
CHO: Susan, I think there were a lot of people here in the United States who thought that these hikers would ultimately be released. You've been following this case very closely. How surprised are you that they've now been sentenced to eight years in prison item.
CANDIOTTI: I'm sorry, Alina, could you repeat that part again, please?
CHO: You've been following this case very closely, and I'm curious to know, how surprised are you by this ruling today, that they'll be sentenced to eight years in prison?
CANDIOTTI: Well, unfortunately, not surprised. Certainly, the hope on the part of the family members here has been that perhaps they would have been sentenced to time served, if they received a sentence at all. That's not the case.
Now, this is clearly a much longer sentence than the families would have expected. But certainly there is always the possibility of appeal. How long that could take would certainly be another matter altogether.
CHO: Susan, they have 20 days --
CANDIOTTI: You also have to keep in mind that this is coming down during the time of Ramadan, and so it is much harder to get information. The courts there are closed at this time. Our man who is in Iran, you'll be speaking with shortly, is trying to get information. It's very difficult because of the time change now. So they were hoping that during the time of Ramadan that there would have been forgiveness granted, that they would have been released because of that.
CHO: Interesting.
CANDIOTTI: Unfortunately, that hasn't happened.
CHO: Right, of course. And we should mention that I'm seeing now crossing our wire that they do have 20 days to appeal this verdict. You can bet there will be an appeal, and we do want to get -- and Susan, stay with us, but we are still waiting for our reporter from Iran.
Susan, I just want to remind our viewers about this case. Take us back to 2009 when these three hikers were taken into custody. What happened?
CANDIOTTI: Indeed. Covering this from day one, they were on a vacation. These are three young people who lived overseas. They knew each other. One of them had even written as a freelance journalist for various publications, one a social worker. They all worked overseas. And they decided to go on holiday.
They went to this particular area because they had heard that it was very popular, very scenic with hikers, and so they said they went out this one day. There's some dispute as to whether some people had warn them that this might be a dangerous area. They maintained that they did not have that information.
But when they went out, they said that they were beckoned over a particular unmarked part of the trail, beckoned to cross over this line, so to speak, an invisible line, but someone with the Iranian authorities, and at that time, they were taken into custody.
Ever since then, for quite some time, to have any sort of representation, eventually to meet with the Swiss consular, because the United States does not have formal diplomatic relations with Iran. And so eventually they did.
Now, they have only had -- they only had one visit from their mothers that came about a year after they were held. And not long after that, Sarah Shourd was released, who was the only female among them, and she -- because of health reasons. She came back to the United States and has been working very hard on behalf of their release ever since.
CHO: Susan, I know you've been watching this case very closely and I know you're trying to talk to the families of these hikers. If anyone can, you can. So we know you'll be watching this case closely and we'll be checking with back with you throughout the hour. Our Susan Candiotti live for us by phone. Susan, thank you.
We want to move now to Libya where NATO planes hit more targets around the capital of Tripoli overnight. Libyan officials are denying that Moammar Gadhafi and his family are looking to leave Tripoli, that as rebel leaders say they are closing in on the Libyan leader's Tripoli stronghold. Our Sara Sidner has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Just a 40-minute drive from Tripoli, rebels battle their way closer to the capital. This is the city of Zawiya. On this day, even if you could not see the firefight close up, you could hear its deafening sounds reverberating from the eastern part of the city.
(on camera): So it is just getting too close. There are snipers on tops of building. There's loud bangs. There's artillery fire. There are mortars. So we've got to get out of here.
(voice-over): Despite the firing around him, a rebel fighter who did not want to be identified to protect his family was confident of victory.
(on camera): Considering the fighting is fierce here in Zawiya, how long do you think you could push into Tripoli?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hopefully, in a couple of days.
SIDNER: A couple of days?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A couple of days or one week maybe.
SIDNER: You think it is that soon?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think so because we are controlling 80 percent of Zawiya.
SIDNER (voice-over): But to push forward, they need to secure the whole city for Gadhafi's army is doing everything it can to keep a hold of this strategically important town.
(on camera): Why is Zawiya so important?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because of oil factory.
SIDNER (voice-over): Zawiya has one of the last remaining functional oil refineries in the country and is the most direct supply route to the capital, Tripoli.
As of now, the rebels have captured the refinery. We are told there is a large amount of oil still left in the storage tanks.
But the opposition fighters say, for them, this is not about oil, it's about securing their homes and neighborhoods.
Most of the town is shuttered, abandoned by frightened residents, but some families remain. This family is staying put, including the children, even though missiles and mortars are falling around their home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): A person feels unsafe and can't rest because of the (INAUDIBLE) rockets. They hit us every night, but we are resisting by staying in our homes until liberty. But we do feel fear, especially for the children.
SIDNER: She and the rebel fighters are convinced the end of the Gadhafi regime is near. But most here agree, trying to take control of nearby Tripoli will be one hell of a fight.
Sara Sidner, CNN, Zawiya, Libya.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: And there's continuing fallout from Israel's response to Thursday's deadly bus attack, and it's putting a strain on relations between Egypt and the Jewish state. Egypt has yanked its ambassador to Israel and is demanding an investigation into the death of three of its security forces.
This morning a senior Israeli defense official says that investigation is now underway. Egypt is one of the few Arab countries that shares diplomatic ties with Israel.
Check this out. We have some newly released surveillance video from police in London. They are trying to identify armed rioters who were caught on tape shooting at police during the days of civil unrest that roiled a number of cities in England.
Earlier this morning, I spoke to CNN senior correspondent Dan Rivers from London about the riots' aftermath and the release of these images.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN RIVERS, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: This video was actually from the 9th of August. It's only just been released today. But for the last few days, there has been complete calm here. They have surged the number of police officers in London and other big cities, completely flooded the streets with officers on horses and just, you know, lots of officers on foot as well. That seems to have kept a lid on the trouble for now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: West Midland's police say more than 500 people have been arrested and a third of those have already been formally charged.
Well, 18 years ago, they were teenagers, sentenced to prison as child murders. But this morning, the so-called West Memphis Three are free men. Yesterday, they cut a complicated plea deal with Arkansas prosecutors allowing them to walk out of prison.
Now, the trio were convicted for the killing of three Cub Scouts back in 1993, a crime they've long maintained they never committed. So listen to what they had to say after the judge amended their sentences to time served.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JASON BALDWIN, "WEST MEMPHIS THREE" DEFENDANT: In the beginning, we told nothing but the truth, that we were innocent, and they sent to us prison for the rest of our lives for it. And then we had to come here, and the only thing the state would do for us would say, hey, we'll let you go only if you admit guilt. And that's not justice no matter how you look at it.
DAMIEN ECHOLS, "WEST MEMPHIS THREE" DEFENDANT: I'm just tired. This has been going on for over 18 years. And it's been an absolute living hell.
JESSIE MISSKELLEY, JR., "WEST MEMPHIS THREE" DEFENDANT: Even when you're in prison, it goes on every day. You have to worry about your own safety. It don't matter what crime it is, you still got to worry about your safety, regardless.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Prosecutors agreed to the deal after an Arkansas Supreme Court ruling that could have led to new trials.
Well, state police in Indiana say a sixth person has now died following last weekend's stage collapse at the Indiana state fair. That dramatic video is obviously been played many, many times over the week. Five people earlier in the week were killed and 40 others injured. And now this sixth person has died. It's a 22-year-old student from nearby Ball State University who died yesterday morning from the severe injuries she suffered in last Saturday's disaster.
In Pittsburgh, flash flooding is blamed in the deaths of a mother and her two children. They were found trapped in their vehicle that had been submerged in the floodwaters yesterday. The victims haven't been formally identified yet. Authorities are still looking for another woman who went missing during the storm.
More severe storms are on the way for the Ohio valley. Reynolds Wolf has details on that. Plus, a look at where tropical storm Harvey will make landfall today.
Also ahead, the GOP presidential race is heating up with a crowded field. Candidates are there, trying to set themselves apart, including Governor Rick Perry. We'll tell you who is reaching out to voters today.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: The National Weather Service will try to find out if yesterday's deadly round of storms that hit Wisconsin was really a tornado.
(WEATHER BREAK)
CHO: Meanwhile, "Money" magazine is out with its list of the best places to live. And this year, it's focusing on towns with less than 50,000 people. If you think about it, this is where most Americans live, not those big, bad cities. So which town are we talking about today? Here's a clue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This town has something in common with the home of the Kentucky Derby and has more than 300 days of sunshine. What place has plenty of space to horse around in? We'll let you know after the break.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What place has plenty of space to horse around? Number one on "Money" magazine's list of best places to live is Louisville, Colorado, not to be confused with Louisville, Kentucky. The outdoors is what attracts people to this town. It has 27 parks and 27 miles of trails to keep you out of the sun. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When you get a little older and you need a little space and have a family, Louisville's the perfect place.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the perfect place to own a home. Real estate values in town have barely budged in six years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: The GOP presidential field is getting pretty crowded and the race is heating up already. CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser is here to tell us where some of the candidates are campaigning today.
So, Paul, good to see you. Let's start with Texas Governor Rick Perry. Where is he this morning?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Good morning, Alina.
He's back in South Carolina. Remember, it was one week ago today that the Texas governor formally jumped into the race for the White House with a speech in Charleston, South Carolina. From there, he went to Iowa. And then New Hampshire and then Iowa, and then he went back to New Hampshire. Now he's back in South Carolina. So he's hitting all three of those very crucial early voting states.
Remember Iowa, the first caucus state, leads off the caucus calendar. South Carolina, of course, is the first southern state to vote in the race for the White House. Rick Perry, very busy on the campaign trail just in his first week.
Let's also talk about Herman Cain. He's up in New Hampshire today. He opened up his HQ up there in New Hampshire. And of course, former Godfather's Pizza CEO and radio talk show host. Very outspoken last night saying, listen, everybody thinks there's only a three- person race, I am still in this race, don't let the media count me out.
And let's talk about Newt Gingrich, you have not heard a lot about him. His campaign's kind of on a shoestring budget. Where is he this week? Hawaii. He is fundraising out there. He has an event tonight with the Maui GOP. And guess what, it's also his 11th anniversary with his wife, so he's celebrating that as well. Of course, Newt Gingrich married three times, the former House speaker.
CHO: I wonder if he got her a gift from Tiffany's?
STEINHAUSER: We'll check into that one, yes.
(LAUGHTER)
CHO: Hey, Paul, with all this talk about Perry and all of the other candidates, I have to ask you, Mitt Romney is still apparently the frontrunner and yet we are not hearing about him. So what's going on there? STEINHAUSER: Yes, you know, if you look at most of the national polls that were conducted, but it's been a while now, they were mostly conducted before Perry jumped in the race. Romney was the frontrunner in most of those polls. He's the leader of course when it comes to campaign cash, a very important barometer of campaign strength. We saw him on the campaign trail in New Hampshire this week. It was an interesting dynamic. It looked like Rick Perry was with almost trying to make a fight between the two of them, and Romney was careful not to.
Listen, Mitt Romney is trying to run a general election campaign focusing solely on Barack Obama. It's a lot harder now that Perry is in the race. Romney was asked a lot this week about Rick Perry and he really didn't want to talk about him. He wanted to talk about Barack Obama and criticize the president, Alina, really interesting how this dynamic is working out.
CHO: The old act like the front-runner strategy, early and often. All right, Paul Steinhauser from Washington, thank you very much for that update.
Coming up, they are the youngest victims of a tragedy in Africa. Thousands of children facing starvation depend on the work of a CNN hero. Coming up, the race to save them.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back. In east Africa 12 million people are facing a hunger crisis without food and almost without hope. Relief groups from around the world are trying to help. One is focusing on feeding the youngest victims. Its founder is a CNN hero.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, CNN'S "ANDERSON COOPER 360": As millions struggle across the drought-ravaged horn of Africa in what the U.N. refugee agency is calling the worst humanitarian disaster in the world, CNN hero Magnus McFarlane-Barrow's organization, Mary's Meals is in the middle of the crisis.
MAGNUS MCFARLANE-BARROW, CNN HERO: We've been working in northern Kenya for about four years now. We've seen the situation worsen steadily. Today, around one-third of the children are malnourished. So we have a real situation of life and death. And because of that, we're trying desperately to expand our program to reach more children at risk.
COOPER: Since 2006, Mary's Meals has been feeding thousands of young children in schools across the region.
MCFARLANE-BARROW: The mission of Mary's Meals is about linking food to education, that that education can be the way out of poverty.
COOPER: In recent weeks, Magnus' organization has responded to the drought crisis by feeding an additional 6,000 children daily, 24,000 in all. The kind of important global work for which Magnus was named a top ten CNN hero last year and received an order of the British empire from queen Elizabeth. But Magnus remains laser focused on the critical work in Africa.
MCFARLANE-BARROW: As part of our east African emergency response, we intend to reach many more thousands of children and we'll do that as funds allow us to.
COOPER: Many more thousands of children to be supported by an organization already feeding half a million children daily in 16 impoverished countries.
It's so much just about the will of people to share a little of what they have, in order that these children can be fed.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: And to learn more about Mary's Meals, visit CNNheroes.com.
You have a little more than one week left to nominate someone you know who's making a big difference in your the community. Now, remember, every CNN hero is chosen from people you tell us about. So visit CNNheroes.com to nominate someone today.
We are following breaking news out of Iran this morning. American hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal sentenced to eight years in prison. Iran state television is reporting the details. We will speak to an Iranian journalist in Tehran about the court's decision. That in four minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: It's 29 minutes past the hour. Welcome back to CNN Saturday morning. I'm Alina Cho in today for T.J. Holmes. Thanks for starting your day with us.
And our top story, Iranian state television is reporting that two American hikers detained for two years in Iran on spying charges have been sentenced to eight years in prison, five years for espionage and three years for illegal entry to the country.
Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were arrested after crossing into Iran during a 2009 hiking trip along the Iraqi border. A third hiker, Sarah Shourd, was also arrested, but she was later released last fall for medical reasons. She said they did not know they had crossed into Iran.
Journalist Shirzad Bozorgmehr joins us now by phone from Iran. Shirzad, thank you for joining us. And tell me, what happened in court today?
SHIRZAD BOZORGMEHR, IRANIAN JOURNALIST, (via telephone): Well, we don't know for sure, but Iranian news agency have reported that -- the official Iran new agency IRINN has reported, quoting an official from the judiciary, that said the court's decision has been eight years each, five years, as you said, for spying for the United States and three years for illegally entering into ran. But the attorney for the two hikers that are still in Iran just told me that he has not yet been informed of the court's decision and that he could not make any comments before he is informed by the court's decision. He says, until I hear from them, from the court, I cannot do anything about it.
But he said if this is true, first of all, it's a harsh sentence. And he said that we will have 20 days within which to appeal to the court of appeals to reduce the sentence or change the verdict. He cannot do anything until he's formally informed by the court's decision.
CHO: Shirzad, I'm curious to know, what has public opinion been around Tehran about this case?
BOZORGMEHR: This case has not attracted too much attention in Iran altogether. People's opinions differ. Some are saying that they should be let go, some are saying that the law is the law, you know, and if they're convicted, they should serve their time. So it's not a very controversial case here.
CHO: All right, journalist Shirzad Bozorgmehr joining us on the phone from Tehran. Thank you very much.
Politics now in this country. One week into his campaign to defeat President Obama, Texas Governor Rick Perry is concentrating on the issue of jobs.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My actions as governor are helping to create jobs in this country. The president's actions are killing jobs in this country. It's time to get America working again.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Progress since the start of this recession back in the 2008, it hasn't been fast enough. We've got to accelerate it. And there are two things that need to happen.
Number one, we've got to make sure that people have confidence we've got our fiscal house in order and that we're living within our means, eliminating programs that don't work.
Number two, there's some immediate things we can do around infrastructure, tax policy that would make a difference in terms of people hiring right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: Joining me now to talk about the race for president and the world of power politics, Democratic strategist Maria Cardona. She's in Washington -- hi, Maria -- and Republican strategist Lenny McAllister in Chicago. Hi, Lenny. Thanks to both of you for joining me. You know, I want to ask, Governor Perry has made a lot of news in the one week that he jumped into the race, you know. And in that time, he has made some controversial statements. One that he made that caught my attention was that he said, if the fed decides to implement quantitative easing, which means putting more money into circulation, that Chairman Ben Bernanke, if he comes down to Texas, that it would get pretty ugly down in Texas.
Now, Lenny, is this what we want to be hearing from a man who's running for president?
LENNY MCALLISTER, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: No, not necessarily. But, again, we have to remember what phase of the campaign season we're in. We're talking to the hard-line conservatives, just like President Obama is going to try to shore up his base before going to the general election. This is going to the play well with Governor Perry.
You have to remember, this is the same guy that talked and flirted with secession for Texas. And who was we speaking to? The Tea Party base at that time. Is he really talking about Texas leaving? No. But these kinds of sentiments is going to work with the base he's trying to shore up.
Remember, he came into the race when the Iowa straw poll came out. So he's trying to steal some of the thunder away from conservatives in order to move forward. So by the time he gets to New Hampshire and other states, he has his train rolling and he can go forward with the nomination process.
CHO: And from Michele Bachmann who won the Iowa straw poll and is a Tea Party favorite. Meanwhile, I have to ask you, Maria. You know, he, Governor Perry, in his state one-third of the jobs created in this country were created in Texas. The Texas economy is growing at twice the rate of the national rate and home prices have remained pretty stable there. So some might say, I don't know, he's doing a pretty good job.
MARIA CARDONA, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Well, I think that governor Perry has been very lucky. And it's so interesting, because what he likes to call the Texas miracle is probably one of the biggest political myths that we're living today. Let's look at the facts. When Governor Perry came into office, unemployment in Texas was at 4.2. It is now at 8.2. That is not the right direction in terms of job creation in Texas.
Secondly, most of the jobs that have been created in Texas have been government jobs. They have been because an increase in military spending, the same government that Perry loves to rail against every chance he gets.
And thirdly, a lot of those jobs have also been because of the rise in gas prices. None of those things have anything to do with what Governor Perry has done, but, of course, he likes to take credit for it. And I think what you're going to see now is a lot of light being shed on what the reality is in Texas. CHO: Well, obviously, critics will say that Perry had nothing to do with it, that it was the oil and gas boom of Texas that fueled all of this.
Meanwhile, Lenny, I have to ask you about Mitt Romney, who we just heard from Paul Steinhauser, our deputy political director in D.C. just a moment ago, and he was saying that the reason why Romney has stayed out of the spotlight is he's running a general election campaign. But if this is the frontrunner, don't you think he needs to get out front?
MCALLISTER: He is out front. I mean, and the truth of the matter is, it's a great strategy. Why compete with the other conservatives that you think are going to be marginalized by the time it comes around to next summer when the guy you want to beat is the person you should be campaigning against?
Mitt Romney has the money, he has the name cache, and he did this four years ago. There's no need to go down to the level and fight with Michele Bachmann when he go right after President Obama and spar toe to toe this early. It gives him an opportunity to make himself an equivalent to President Obama.
And when President Obama goes on a bus tour, like the rest of the candidates do, he comes out of the presidential pedestal and out of the presidential podium, if you will, and gets down on their level. It helps Mitt Romney in this instance. They almost look like equal candidates.
And this is a good strategy for Romney moving forward at this time. He knows he's not that hardcore conservative to win in a place like Iowa anyway, but if he can go after the independents and moderates right now, shore up that base as he's going into New Hampshire and beyond, by the time he gets to next summer, if he wins the nomination, he's already been on the same level with President Obama for about a year.
CHO: All right, OK, I want to squeeze this in very quickly. Maria, I want to ask you about this, President Obama getting some flak from some of his strongest supporters. I want to listen to what Representative Maxine Waters, said and we'll talk on the other side.
CARDONA: Sure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MAXINE WATERS (D), CALIFORNIA: The Congressional Black Caucus loves the president too. We're supportive of the president, but we're getting tired. We're getting tired. We want to give him every opportunity, but our people are hurting. The unemployment is unconscionable. We don't know what the strategy is. We don't know why on this trip that he's in the United States now, he's not in any black communities. We don't know that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: All right, Maria, what's going on?
CARDONA: Well, I think what you're hearing is frustration that we're hearing all over the country. And frankly, President Obama's the first one to acknowledge that, which is that unemployment in this country is way too high. Job creation is happening at a steady rate, we just came off of the 16th straight month of private sector job creation, but it's not happening fast enough. President Obama, again, will be the first one to acknowledge that.
And I think that what Maxine Waters is saying, is that he needs to be very clear with the American people on what he's going to do about it. And that's exactly what he's going to do in September. What I hope is that the Republicans, instead of being so recalcitrant the way that they have done, when they come back in September, will be able to loosen the strangled hold that the Tea Party has on them and be able to work with this president to create jobs in this country, which is the number one issue that Americans care about. The president is ready to do it. Republicans need to join him. He can't do it alone.
CHO: Never a dull moment, Maria Cardona --
MCALLISTER: Alina --
CHO: I've got to leave, I've got to leave, I've got to leave. I'm so sorry. Maria Cardona and Lenny McAllister. I'll give you the final word, Lenny, next time, All right. Thank you so much for joining us.
CARDONA: Thank you, Alina.
CHO: Enjoy your Saturday.
Coming up, a goodwill basketball game in Beijing gets really ugly. It turned into an all-out brawl, and an American college team was right there in the middle of it. We're going to show you the crazy video and tell you how it started and the way it ended, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: It's 42 minutes past the hour.
We are watching the tropics, specifically, the Yucatan peninsula. Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is watching everything weather wise, including tropical storm Harvey. So, how severe is this storm and when is it going to make landfall, Reynolds?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It looks like it should make landfall fairly soon, and then when it comes onshore, it will be away from its primary power source, being the warm water, and then it's going to fade out. However, it will provide a great deal of rainfall for areas south of the Yucatan back into Central America and die out as we get into Monday.
The name of this storm, I don't see it up here, so we'll just add it in -- H-a-r-v-e-y. Learn it, live it, love it. Well, if you can love one of these things. Right now the national hurricane center gives this a 70 to 80 percent chance of further developing. Could this become a named storm? It possibly might, and where it's heading is kind of interesting. There are a couple scenarios that are plague out. These are spaghetti models. Some go right into the center of the Caribbean. A couple of them hop scotched several islands including Puerto Rico and a few bring them into south Florida.
Keep in mind, there's a whole lot that can change between now, tomorrow, even the next week or so, so there's a chance this thing could gain a lot of strength or die out altogether. The best thing we could possibly do is watch it for you. That's what we do here at CNN. We're your hurricane headquarters. Let's pitch it back to you.
CHO: All right, and it's heating up. Thank you very much, Reynolds Wolf.
Airfares are up, but there are still ways to save money on flying. Listen up. It seems that when you buy your tickets could determine how much you pay for them. You've heard that before, but we're going to give you the real tips and we'll explain after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back.
Joe Carter from HLN sports joining me again. And they may have hugged it out, but are they the best of friends? Of course we're talking about this crazy basketball game between China's national team and the Georgetown Hoyas. What happened?
JOE CARTER, HLN SPORTS ANCHOR: You know, this is supposed to be a goodwill game, this is supposed to be a game where they're supposed to get along and show spirit between both countries. It ended up being a total brawl, a complete melee. These guys went at it. But they've called a truce, the two sides met yesterday. They actually went before Georgetown went off to another basketball game in China. They exchanged some souvenirs, they took some photos. It was all smiles. Everybody's happy.
CHO: Are you serious? They did?
CARTER: Yes, they did the whole deal. Georgetown's in China promoting goodwill through sports, obviously.
CHO: Yes, obviously, they are.
(LAUGHTER)
CARTER: But we didn't see any goodwill there. Punches thrown, bottles thrown on to the court, there were chairs thrown. It was a total mess.
CHO: Did anyone get hurt?
CARTER: No, fortunately, no one was hurt in this brawl. CHO: It could have gotten really ugly. Well, it did.
CARTER: People have been saying, well, what caused this fight? Was it cultural misunderstandings? Was it just aggressiveness? There's conflicting reports coming out of it. But college basketball, the NCAA is saying that they're going to continue these goodwill-type games in China. You've got duke there now. Hawaii's playing games there now as well. So the NCAA basically saying that it will continue to keep a presence in China.
CHO: I'll tell you what caused it, they both really wanted to win.
So what else are you talking about this morning? You got something with Kobe?
CARTER: Kobe and the Lakers. This is a good Samaritan story of sorts. Right now of course the NBA is in the middle of a lockout and a lot of people laying people off. The Lakers in fact just fired 20 people, front office people, scouts, trainers. But when the lockout ends, a lot of these people will get their jobs back.
But there are two people who won't get their jobs back, most likely, and that's two guys in the video department. These guys have got a combined six years of experience with the team. This really rubbed a lot of the guys the wrong way. So Kobe and Derek Fisher got together and put a vote out and said we're going to give some of our playoff bonus money in these guy's pockets so they can have some money while they look for other work. So they decided $65,000 goes to these two guys to help them stay on their feet. And obviously $65,000 not a lot of money to Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher, but a lot of money for two video department guys.
CHO: It is a lot of money to them, so we applaud them for it. Thank you very much, Joe.
Looking for a travel deal? Look no further. When you are looking to flying cheap, it's all about the time. Alison Kosik has done the research and she shows us how to make sure the price is right in this "On the Go."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALISON KOSIK, CNNMONEY.COM CORRESPONDENT: The cost to fly is up about 10 to 20 percent higher than last summer, but you can still find the right price if you know when to buy your ticket.
GABE SAGLIE, TRAVELZOO: Six to eight weeks out is probably not the best time to buy airfare. About four weeks out, there is a little bit of what we call a sweet spot, where airfare tends to soft a little bit. And airfare does tend to go up again, about two weeks out of your flight.
KOSIK: But if you can wait until the week you want to leave, airlines often give great deals to fill the remaining empty seats.
SAGLIE: Airlines will release usually on Tuesdays reduced airfare for later that week or into that weekend.
KOSIK: Signing up for deal alerts from airline and travel sites is key to take advantage of the quick sales that last only 24 to 48 hours, and connecting through Facebook and Twitter can also provide deals just for friends.
SAGLIE: We know now that a lot of last-minute sales are released exclusively through some of these social media sites. So if you're a friend of that particular airline, better off getting that last-minute fare from them.
KOSIK: Buying at the last moment can cost you if all the seats are filled, so flexibility is a must with these deals to get you on the go.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: And 48 years after his historic speech touched the world, a memorial honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is finally finished and will open to the public on Monday. But we've got a special preview for you today. It's coming up after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Well, Washington is about to change in a big way. Next week, the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial will have its dedication ceremony. But we're going to give you a sneak peek of the site right now, and that's because our Josh Levs is here to do it. Hey, Josh, good morning.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hey, good morning to you again, Alina. You're absolutely right. It's a big change. You know, presidential administrations come and go, policies come and go. This will be permanent and a huge statement to ourselves and to the world about who we are as a nation.
Here's a couple pictures OF The renderings of what will be dedicated next weekend, the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in Washington. And here is a virtual tour.
(MUSIC)
LEVS: Let's keep watching this. I'll tell you what you're seeing. This is built on four acres and organizers say it's designed to evoke the memory and spiritual presence of Dr. King. It has a bunch of different sections that include his most famous quotes and focused on four recurring themes -- democracy, justice, hope, and love.
The centerpiece of all of it is the sculpture of the slain civil rights leader. I have it right here behind me. This is pretty amazing. This is a 30-foot sculpture the likeness of Dr. King, and it has an inscription on the side. When I click on it a couple times, it gets pretty big.
Take a look here, "Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope," a very famous quote from his "I have a dream" speech. We'll take a look at how that quote designed the whole thing. This is a stone of hope emerging from a mountain of despair. That's how that likeness has been designed for that monument.
Quickly, let's go to this Google earth. I want to show you where it all fits in. Basically it is right next to other major memorials. You've got the Washington monument, and you've got the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials. And it's actually very close to the Lincoln memorial. And it was on the steps of the Lincoln memorial that Dr. King gave that famous "I have a Dream" speech. And now from those steps, you will just be a walk away from the brand-new Martin Luther King site. That will be dedicated next weekend on Sunday, but the activities are taking place all week long. You can see there in the corner of your screen, that's where it will be.
Real quickly, here's what the head of the project said about the upcoming monument.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRY JOHNSON, PRESIDENT, MLK NATIONAL MEMORIAL PROJECT FOUNDATION: When future generations visit Washington, they will see a mall that is more closely reflecting the diversity of our great nation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Yes, they will. And right now you can see everything I just showed you online at these pages. I put it up on Facebook and at Twitter for you. I'm @JoshLevCNN. Also it's on our blog, CNN.com/Josh. And I've linked you to our CNN.com special coverage of Dr. King. Lots of stories for you right there. So we'll be following this throughout the week. And Alina will be there next weekend as you know.
CHO: Did you hear I'm on Twitter?
LEVS: I know, congratulations. And welcome to Alina Cho, everybody. Follow her on Twitter.
CHO: @AlinaChoCNN. Josh Levs, thank you.
LEVS: You bet.
CHO: And join us next weekend for the unveiling of the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial. Our T.J. Holmes will be live from Washington with the ceremony.
And we will continue to bring you the very latest out of Iran and the sentencing of those two American hikers. They've been sentenced to eight years in prison. We'll have a live report.
Plus, she doesn't look sick, but the Social Security administration thinks she's dead, and it isn't the only case. You may be surprised at the number of mistakes coming out of the government agency, or maybe you're not. We'll have that story in our next hour. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
