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CNN Live Saturday

Possible Tornado Activity in Iowa; Veterans Vigil in Santa Monica

Aired November 12, 2005 - 18:00   ET

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

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The pirate mothership, that's where they think the bandits that terrorize cruise ship passengers are holed up. More on the search ahead.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KING ABDULLAH, JORDAN: I think that to walk into a lobby of a hotel, to see a wedding procession, and to take your spouse with you into that wedding and blow yourself up, these people are insane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: An exclusive interview with King Abdullah of Jordan about the bombings in Western hotels there.

And did this woman call you while robbing a bank? She's known as the cell phone bandit, and she's got everyone talking.

It's November 12th, and you're watching CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

Welcome back. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Carol Lin. To our top story in just a moment. But first, these are the stories making news right now.

Israelis by the thousands packed Tel Aviv today, remembering Yitzhak Rabin 10 years after his assassination. Bill Clinton urged all sides to work towards peace in Rabin's honor.

She is all over the Middle East on this trip, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia today, earlier in Israel and Iraq. But the conference on democracy she sponsored didn't go entirely in her favor.

And relief, outrage, and many unanswered questions outside St. Louis. A 6-year-old girl, missing since yesterday afternoon, has been found. She is alive, but police say she was assaulted. Few other details are available right now.

And we have developing news. Bad weather across the Midwest. Brad Huffines at the CNN Weather Center.

BRAD HUFFINES, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Carol, a developing story right now in weather, especially central and northern Iowa. We knew how a new tornado warning in effect for Story County. That is just north of Des Moines near the time of Ames. Ames the home of Iowa State University. If you live in Story Country, this storm is right here moving your way right now, and that storm has a confirmed tornado in it, as it continues to move towards the town of Ames, please, in Story County, take shelter.

Also another cluster of tornado warnings just being issued, northwestern Hardin County, northern Hamilton County, as well as Franklin County and north central Iowa, Wright County as well as a new county as well in the northwestern corner of Iowa, that is, Clay County, as these thunderstorms continue to course across northern and central Iowa. Expect to see more of these tornado warnings. All of you are in a tornado watch area. And remember, a tornado watch simply means that any of these thunderstorms can and often do create tornadoes with little or no notice.

So again, across sections of central and northern Iowa we continue to see very heavy thunderstorms and the possibility of tornadic winds all the way from Sioux Falls and Des Moines and points north. Please stay weather aware for the rest of the evening.

And, Carol, we'll still watch it here on CNN.

LIN: All right, plenty of developments just in the last hour. Brad, you're going to be here through the hour, through the night as everything develops on the ground.

HUFFINES: Absolutely.

LIN: Stay right there. Thank you very much.

We have got plenty to report this hour, as you can see. We're going to take you to Arlington West this Veteran's Day weekend. Kareen Wynter is with American military families paying tribute to their fallen loved one.

And King Abdullah speaks to CNN exclusively and has some tough talk about for the people who carried out his country's worst-ever terrorist attack.

And remember last week's incredible pirate attack on a cruise liner? Those pirates have been busy since then. Now this picture was taken by a passenger onboard the Seabourn Spirit last Saturday. Look at that, armed men fired machine guns and rockets at the luxury vessel off the East African coast. Now they were eventually outrun.

The Spirit is the only cruise ship that we know of to face such an attack. But it's hardly a rare occurrence for cargo ships in those waters. In fact, this year alone, officials report more than 30 acts of piracy in these waters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDREW MWANGURA, KENYAN SEAFARERS ASSN.: (INAUDIBLE) they have AK-47s and propelled grenades, and some equipped with some heavy artillery. And they have also weapons and they have also according to a picture -- a photograph by our friends down there, they also have a weapon of which can bring down an airplane.

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: What is the warning to captains?

MWANGURA: We are warning them to stay away, 200 nautical miles from the Somali coast, because these people are coming very more powerfully because they can go over 130 nautical miles away. So it seems that they are being bolder more ambitious in their efforts in hijacking ships for ransom and to loot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Amazing. Well, the crew of The Seabourn Spirit used an unusual defense to help ward off those pirates. It was developed for the military after the 2000 attack on the USS Cole.

Christopher Lawrence has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Terrorists are known to constantly change their tactics. So this San Diego inventor is always thinking one step ahead.

WOODY NORRIS, AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY CORP.: Who wants to catch the USS Cole after the hole's blown in the side? I want to get it in advance so the hole doesn't happen.

LAWRENCE: Terrorists bombed the destroyer five years ago, pirates attacked a luxury cruise liner this past week. No casualties on The Seabourn Spirit, 17 sailors killed onboard the Cole.

NORRIS: And I believe e convenient would not have happened if there had been a device like the LRAD back in the year 2000.

LAWRENCE: LRAD stands for long range acoustic device. Think of a laser with sound substituting for light. Woody Norris and his American Technology team created it. And when pirates attacked The Seabourn Spirit with machine guns and grenades, the crew used LRAD to defend their ship.

(on camera): Here's how it works. The LRAD shoots an intensely focused beam of sound. Outside the cone you can hear it, but just in a distance. But as I move into the beam...

(LOUD BEEPING)

LAWRENCE: Even in its lowest setting that was loud. But just a few feet on the other side and you can barely even hear it. It's that precise.

(voice-over): And that was on its lowest setting. It gets 10,000 times louder. Cruise ships have it, so does the military.

(on camera): But say the troops needed to actually communicate with insurgents or police wanted to disburse a crowd. This little box hooks directly into the LRAD and shoots that same concentrated burst of sound in 26 languages. So if I wanted to say, lay your weapon on the ground, in Arabic. (SPEAKING IN ARABIC)

LAWRENCE (voice-over): Norris is already imagining the next attack and how to stop it.

NORRIS: That's what inventing is, really.

LAWRENCE: For a man dedicated to exploring sound, the one he doesn't want to hear is this one.

(GUNFIRE)

LAWRENCE: Chris Lawrence, CNN, San Diego.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: There is plenty of anger, fear, and shock remaining in Amman, Jordan, today. Few details have emerged about the deadly suicide bombing a few days ago, but in just the last hour, CNN's senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, got more details, new information. This is what he filed.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Security sources say that three suicide bombers crossed into Jordan from Iraq three days before the bombings. They say that they came with ready- made suicide vests that were manufactured outside of Jordan. They say that these suicide vests contained an RDX-type explosive. That's a high explosive type of explosive.

The detonators, they say, were traveling separately, were not connected to the suicide vests. Those were a new type of detonator, not seen in Jordan before, detonators taken from hand grenades.

Now the investigators are also focusing on a safe house that was discovered -- that has been discovered. They say they have also arrested 14 people here in Jordan. They say none of them are Jordanians. But at this time, they won't say their nationalities.

And investigators are also looking into the role of a woman in these attacks. They're not sure if she was or was not involved. But one of the suicide bombers, they believe, came with his wife. That was a suicide bomber who was involved in the attack at the Radisson Hotel, the attack on the wedding.

But again, the security sources not sure yet exactly what the role of the woman may or may not have been in these attacks.

Security sources also say that Zarqawi is choosing softer targets now. They say that because they have thwarted -- in the last year- and-a-half since April 2004, thwarted 15 separate attacks here in Jordan. They say -- they also note that Zarqawi has used not all non- Jordanian operatives.

The reason for that, they say, is that in the past when he's used Jordanian operatives, the intelligence services here have been able to detect the operations coming, and have therefore been able to thwart them.

So this time, Zarqawi, according to the security sources here, not using any Jordanians and going, they say, for softer targets.

Nic Robertson, Amman, Jordan.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Well, Jordan's king says his gloves are off when it comes to al Qaeda. This is a CNN exclusive. King Abdullah II spoke with CNN earlier and said the bombs show that the fight against extremists is not East against West.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ABDULLAH: I just want to, I think, point out that the struggle that we have with al Qaeda is not an issue of politics. It's not an issue of Jordanian policy. They're out to get everybody. More Muslims have lost their lives to these extremists than all other religions put together.

This is a fight inside of Islam. If this was a fight against Jordanian policy, why go into a hotel and kill innocent women and children going to a wedding? I mean, this is the type of people that we're dealing with. We all have, I guess you can say, our Timothy McVeighs, but this is a strike against the people of Jordan, not the policies of Jordan.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Yes, all right. Well, Jordanian security officials believe three bombers, none of them from Jordan, blew themselves up inside three separate hotels. They also suspect a woman may have accompanied them, but her fate is not known.

Now the bombings in Jordan show just how vulnerable so-called soft targets like hotels can be. Is it enough being done -- or is enough being done to prevent a similar attack right here in the United States?

CNN's Kelli Arena reports some security experts here are worried.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLI ARENA, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The extra security in New York that followed the suicide bombings in Jordan is almost routine.

MAYOR MICHAEL BLOOMBERG (R), NEW YORK CITY: When it's a terrorist event, we always ramp up security and we have done that at the New York City hotels.

ARENA: Counterterrorism experts call the measures effective, but not ideal. STEVE POMERANTZ, FORMER FBI CHIEF OF COUNTERTERRORISM: Physical security, guards, those kinds of barriers in front of establishments, are really your last line of defense. When all else fails, you hope that guard will spot that suicide bomber before he walks into your establishment, and deal with it then.

ARENA: Steve Pomerantz, a security expert and former FBI counterterrorism official, says the goal is to never get to that point. He says the U.S. has to continue to improve intelligence- gathering to spot signs bombers are getting ready to strike.

POMERANTZ: There is a process involved of recruiting, of identifying vulnerable people, of pumping them up psychologically, of preparing them, of building the bomb, of strapping the bomb on, of transporting them to their targets.

ARENA: FBI officials have consistently warned about suicide attacks here in the United States, especially against so-called soft targets, like shopping malls.

Jonathan Lusher is with the mall security company IPC.

JONATHAN LUSHER, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, IPC: We train our people to look for things that are out of the model, out of the ordinary. And that's been very effective all over the world.

ARENA: But shoppers are still free to come and go as they please. So are commuters, even after the deadly attacks witnessed in London. And intelligence suggesting terrorists want to hit U.S. transportation systems.

POMERANTZ: People have to be willing to go through much more rigorous security procedures, a lot more inconvenience, some would say infringement of civil liberties. You could put it in those terms. And I think people in this country are, as yet, unwilling to do that.

ARENA: Pomerantz says that's because, so far, the U.S. has not been a victim of suicide bombings, but believes it's inevitable. He takes teams of U.S. law enforcement officers to Israel, where authorities are veterans in dealing with suicide attacks.

Terry Gainer, who heads the force that guards the U.S. Capitol, says his visit was invaluable. Capitol Police are now able to better recognize suspicious behavior and prepare for threats like secondary explosions.

TERRANCE GAINER, U.S. CAPITOL POLICE CHIEF: We came back and took some of the lessons learned from there and had to apply them to the way we were doing our training and running things on the street.

ARENA: Still, Gainer says, there's only so much his officers can do.

GAINER: This is an area where people are still free to ride a bike, carry a backpack and walk up to our doors. So we simply have to be prepared that there are some terrorists out there that is going to try it.

ARENA: If the experts are right, it's just a matter of time.

Kelli Arena, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Meanwhile, in California, a beach is the site of a memorial this weekend. A group called Veterans for Peace calls this their Arlington West Memorial. Kareen Wynter is there right now to tell us more about it.

Kareen, what's going on behind you?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol it has been absolutely busy here all day, we're right along the boardwalk. And many people continue to come out to show their support to fallen war heroes. A lot of people are going up to that guestbook that you see right there, it's actually written in different languages. People coming up and showing their appreciation, their support of the war and those who fought bravely.

The languages may be different, but the message is still the same. Another fixture here, well, take a look at the rows of crosses here, representing the more than 2,000 servicemen and -women who've lost their lives in Iraq, and, also, the blue crosses to the side, while those represent just within the last week the number of people killed in the line of duty.

Now earlier today, hundreds of people, many of them military families, joined a procession from the pier, where flag-draped coffins were carried through the streets of Santa Monica. We saw mother, fathers, siblings even comrades, showing their support, carrying pictures of the fallen.

And this is an annual event put on by the Vietnam Veterans Association here. They helped coordinate it. They have been doing so within the last 22 months, and many families say as the days pass, it's important to remember those who died defending their country. And so as you can imagine, Carol, the community response here has been overwhelming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's why I appreciate locations like this, that honor our military men and women, honor the ones that have lost their lives for this country, and, yes, I hope that places like this remind them of that loss. And it doesn't matter if they support the war or if they're again against the war. At least remember.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WYNTER: And it's so personal out here, every cross. This one, for example, you saw, had a bouquet next to it. There were pictures. Everyone is so different. What's also interesting here, that some families have come out who live in the neighborhood, Carol, say they didn't even realize that this exists. And so it's a huge support system for them. Now they'll continue supporting it, coming out each year as long as the event goes on -- Carol.

LIN: Kareen, maybe you said, but what are those orange things next to the crosses?

WYNTER: Great question. There's going to be a candlelight vigil. And I'll try to show you one here. In a few hours from now, you can see this candle under here, it's absolutely windy out here right now, Carol. So what they're going to do is light this, and cover it up just so it remains. So you can just imagine the view as it gets darker here, how that looks when this entire row is lit.

LIN: That's going to be very, very dramatic, and very moving, Kareen. We are going to see this live at 10:00 tonight Eastern Time. Look forward to it, Kareen Wynter, on an amazing, emotional sight there on Santa Monica Beach.

Now also an amazing story caught on tape in South Korea, a mother's fight, first for her baby's life, and then for her own. We are going to talk to her.

And a personal story from the front lines. At last, the Medal of Honor for a Korean War veteran with a remarkable story.

Also ahead, a CNN exclusive, another one tonight. We are going to bring you rare images from inside the most isolated country in the world, North Korea.

Also, take a look at these pictures. The radar now showing that there's tornado activity on the ground in Iowa and across the Midwest. Brad Huffines with the latest update for you, right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Police in South Korea are trying to find out what caused a dramatic accident involving a woman and her baby all captured by a surveillance camera. The baby inside that stroller was caught by closing doors of a subway car Seoul.

Our Sohn Jie-Ae has this incredible story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SOHN JIE-AE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It was her wedding anniversary and Lee Chan-Hee and her one-and-a-half-year-old son were on their way to meet Lee's husband for lunch. She was in the subway station near her home, which she normally used.

A surveillance camera captures what happened next. While Lee tried to get the baby onto the train, the doors closed, trapping the baby's stroller. The train started moving. Lee desperately fought to free her son.

A nearby woman noticed Lee's struggle. Somehow, the two women unbuckled the safety belt that locked the baby into the stroller.

LEE CHAN-HEE, MOTHER (through translator): As I was being dragged, I was afraid my baby would get hurt. So I untied the belt. At the same time, I was being dragged, I tried to get up, but my jacket was caught between the doors.

SOHN: Lee managed to toss the baby away from the danger. And a third passenger picked him up. But now Lee could not free herself.

LEE (through translator): As I was getting dragged and as the subway was heading toward the dark tunnel, I thought, I am going to die.

SOHN: Luckily, the train stopped after dragging Lee for about 30 yards. Luckily, the conductor happened to look out and see what was going on.

(on camera): Subway officials say the near tragedy in this station was caused by faulty sensors on the doors. And they blamed the train conductor for not making sure everyone was safely on board before he left the station.

(voice-over): The crumpled baby stroller is a stark reminder of just how terrible this day could have been. But the baby suffered no injuries. And Lee Chan-Hee's minor scrapes will heal soon, but her memories of this wedding anniversary will last a long, long time.

Sohn Jie-Ae, CNN, Seoul.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: In our "World Wrap" tonight, another case of the deadly strain of bird flu. A one-year-old boy in Thailand likely contracted the virus while playing near infected chickens. The virus has killed 64 people in Asia.

In Tel Aviv, Bill Clinton joins thousands near the spot where Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated 10 years ago. They hoped the memory of Rabin will help new peace efforts.

And in Paris, thousands of police are posted near high-profile areas like the Eiffel Tower, bracing for more rioting tonight. Police say threats of violent actions were posted on the Internet and sent in cell phone text messages.

Feeling the pain. The high gas prices are causing a change in the way people, or at least some people, are working. We're going to have a live report.

And on this Veterans Day weekend, we look at one veteran who waited decades for a medal he earned. We are going to tell you why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HUFFINES: An explosion of thundershowers in northern portions of Iowa continues just north of Des Moines, moving towards Waterloo. I'm meteorologist Brad Huffines from the CNN Weather Center in Atlanta, looking at the highest tornado threat for the next hour, from Ames, Iowa, up through Mason City, Iowa, off to the east, also an area of high threat across Spencer, Iowa, and a northwestern corner of Iowa.

Current tornado warnings, Story County in central Iowa, still under a tornado warning, as is northwestern Hardin County, northern Hamilton County. Franklin County in north central Iowa. Southeastern Wright County, also in north central Iowa and yet one other county, and this is Clay County across the northwestern parts of Iowa as well as severe thunderstorms developing near Sioux Falls into portions of southwestern Minnesota and the northwestern parts of Iowa.

If you live in northern Iowa or northwestern Iowa, watch this line of storms very carefully for the next couple of hours, because this line does have the potential for producing damaging winds and isolated tornadoes. CNN SATURDAY continues right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Every week we like to bring you the more personal stories from the front lines. Today a Korean War veteran who recently received an honor that was very much overdue.

Here's CNN's Barbara Starr.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It says a lot about Teddy Rubin that he keeps the nation's highest award for valor inside a shopping bag, carefully wrapped up.

How this 76-year-old man risked his life in Korea for his buddies, half a century ago, is extraordinary enough. But how he got there is remarkable. Teddy Rubin has the accent of his native Hungary. As a Jewish child, he was sent to the Nazi concentration camp in Mauthausen, Austria. His sister and mother would die in the gas chambers of Auschwitz.

TIBOR "TEDDY" RUBIN, MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT: I have a little sister, 10-year-old, beautiful, not because my sister, absolutely gorgeous. That's the only one I cannot forget.

STARR: The Nazis murdered his father. Teddy Rubin and his older brother survived.

RUBIN: Six years.

STARR (on camera): Six years older than you?

RUBIN: Yes. He helped me. He helped me.

STARR (voice-over): In 1945, American soldiers liberated Mauthausen. All a grateful Teddy Rubin wanted to do was come to America and join the Army that gave him freedom.

RUBIN: I want to pay back my dues simply because America Army liberated me in Mauthausen.

STARR: He volunteered to fight in the Korean War. In one battle, he single-handedly held a hill position for 24 hours, jumping from foxhole to foxhole, firing weapons, throwing grenades.

He killed hundreds of North Koreans. Teddy Rubin would be recommended four times for the Medal of Honor. But the paperwork never got passed up to higher authorities. He again faced antisemitism. This time, from an American Army sergeant.

RUBIN: Every time I come back, he said that, you're back. You know, you son-of-a-bitch Jews, nothing can kill you.

STARR: Then, in the brutal North Korean winter of 1950, Teddy Rubin's unit was captured. He was sent here, to Pyoktong, Camp No. 5, a prisoner of the communist Chinese.

As a POW, Rubin used the survival skills he learned in the Nazi death camp. His fellow soldiers were sick and starving. They looked to him.

RUBIN: He said, what can I do? He said, you Jews know everything. That's what they told me. I said, if I know so many things, what the hell am I doing here?

STARR: On many nights, he escaped and then came back with stolen food.

RUBIN: I had no brains too much, but I have a lot of guts. You know? Because, you know, I had made up my mind, the lord like me. I'm not going to get killed.

STARR: And when Teddy Rubin buried his comrades, he gave them the last thing he had to offer, Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead.

RUBIN: I don't try to become -- they become Jewish or anything else, but that's, but that's the only prayer I know.

STARR: In recent years, the army reviewed Ruben's record and made it right. Now, he is honored by a president.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: He set an example of what it means to be an American.

STARR: How does Teddy Ruben look back now at everything that happened to him?

RUBEN: I don't carry no hate. You know? I'm not hating the Germans, I'm not hating the North Koreans, I'm not hating the Chinese for one reason and only, if you get involved to hate, you're only going to hurt yourself.

STARR: Barbara Starr, CNN, Garden Grove, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE) LIN: That is an American hero.

All right. Coming up, avoiding the pump. We are going to tell you how gas prices are changing the world of work.

And, on hold? Well, take a look. This lady bank robber is good at multitasking.

Also ahead, the world's biggest retailer is in the news again. We'll tell you about a now controversy with Wal-Mart. You're watching CNN LIVE SATURDAY.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: For a lot of us, the drive to work seems like it takes longer with each passing day. And the recent spike in gas prices has only made matters worse. Now some experts say technology may offer solutions. CNN's Gary Nurenberg standing by with more in Washington, D.C., where there's plenty of traffic!

GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No kidding, Carol. We're at a gas station on Capitol Hill. $2.399 for regular tonight. Better than a month ago, worse than a year ago. We're just a couple of blocks from congress where representatives are trying to reduce congestion and reduce reliance on foreign oil by promoting this idea of telecommuting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NURENBERG (voice-over): Forget the big city rush hour traffic jams. The Census Bureau says the average American, average American, spends more than 200 hour as year commuting to and from work. And good luck trying to beat rush hour.

IRIS BOWMAN, COMMUTER: I just did not think I would run into rush hour at 5:00 a.m., but everybody is thinking the same. You know, we'll get up and get out earlier to avoid the traffic.

NURENBERG: National institutes of health says the hour and 40 minute commute was making her sick.

BOWMAN: I didn't realize until I went to the doctors and he said, you know, your blood pressure is up.

NURENBERG (on camera): Burning all that gas, spending all that time away from her family, Iris is exactly the kind of worker Virginia Congressman Frank Wolf was thinking about when he wrote legislation promoting telecommuting in both business and government.

REP. FRANK WOLF, (R) VIRGINIA: It's good for families, good for moms and dads, good for the taxpayer, good for the environment, alleviates traffic, good for government.

BOWMAN: Come on. Let's go.

NURENBERG: Now, Iris telecommutes two days a week. Is able to get her daughter ready for school and drop her off before going to a telecommuting center ten minutes away.

BOWMAN: This parking space is always waiting here for me!

The telecommuter center has everything that I need to do my work. I can get out there at 3:30, 4:00. And I'm home around to school to pick her up in five minutes.

NURENBERG: Congressman Wolf says fewer workers in the office make government facilities less attractive terrorist targets as fewer workers in the office would slow the spread of possible pandemics. And with rising gas prices, he thinks he has a compelling argument.

WOLF: It's good for our country to lower our dependence on foreign oil, particularly from countries that are very dangerous to us.

NURENBERG: Iris at times feels isolated from co-workers, but says it's an overall plus.

BOWMAN: Reduces stress, spending time with my family, and saving me money. You know, on gas prices. Those are the advantages of being able to telecommute.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NURENBERG: Telecommuting is growing. About 40 million Americans did it in some form last year making a dent in rush hour traffic, Carol, but not yet a big one.

LIN: All right. That would be nice, though. Thanks, Gary.

News across America now. Hundreds gather in New York to remember American Airlines flight 587. 265 people died when the plane crashed into a Queens neighborhoods four years ago.

In North Carolina, one of the largest implosions in U.S. history, and you're watching it. More than a ton of dynamite implodes a building the size of the Pentagon.

And an intense standoff at a courthouse in Salem, Oregon ends with the suspect being wounded by police. It began when he set fire to squad cars, shot an officer and crashed his truck in to the courthouse.

Now, speaking of crimes, she is the most nonchalant bank robber we have seen in a long, long time. Police are scratching their heads over how this woman has managed to hit four D.C. area banks. Look at her, casually talking on the telephone. Now, despite being caught on surveillance cameras, just chatting away.

Here's CNN's Brian Todd.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TODD (voice over): She looks distracted. Maybe even rude, but law enforcement officials in northern Virginia say this young lady is more focused than she appears.

SHERIFF STEVE SIMPSON, LOUDOUN COUNTY, VIRGINIA: This particular bank when she went in, was apparently on the cell phone when she went in the door.

Went over to the teller, handed her a note, opened up a brown purse, and showed her that it was a handgun inside the purse. The teller gave her the money, and out the door she went.

TODD (on camera): At this bank and two others in northern Virginia law enforcement officials say the woman was on her cell phone while conducting robberies.

They say she has robbed a total of four banks in the area over the past month. All of them branches of Wachovia Bank.

No one has been hurt, and officials won't say how much money she has gotten away with.

But there are key questions authorities say they cannot answer. Is she talking to an accomplice? Is the person at the other end directing her, reassuring her, or even threatening her? Is there someone at the other end or is the phone just a prop?

Authorities and criminologists also have different theories on why she is using a phone.

PROF. JACKIE SCHNEIDER, AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: She might be thinking that it's a distraction. She just looks like a normal person talking on the cell phone. And the bank teller isn't suspicious in anyway, shape or form. And there's no guns blazing. There's no hooded scary people coming in.

TODD: Only a person described by authorities as a 5'5" Hispanic woman, 18 to 20-years-old with dark, curly hair and a unique MO.

Brian Todd, CNN, Ashburn, Virginia.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LIN: Now, the FBI has set up this hot line for you to call if you know or recognize the cell phone robber so you can make a difference by calling the number.

Now, see what the North Korean government wants nobody to see. A CNN exclusive, look behind the curtain of the world's most secretive country, coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: And now a rare look inside north Korea. Dissident filmmakers put their lives on the line to get a glimpse of the tightly controlled communist country. It is the subject of a "CNN PRESENTS" documentary called "Undercover in the Secret State." It airs tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. Eastern. But Frank Sesno has a preview.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FRANK SESNO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the past year, a movement of dissident filmmakers, some motivated by money, others by the desire for change, have used undercover cameras to expose a chilling picture of North Korea that's never been seen before. If they are caught filming, they will face prison or death.

Korean reporter Jung On Kim (ph) is searching for some of these dissident cameramen and for the rare images they've captured and smuggled out of the country. Images like these.

This is Yo Duk (ph), a concentration camp. Authorities deny it exists. The enscriptiong above the entrance says, "Give up your life for the sake of our dear leader, Kim Jong-il." Human Rights Watch estimates that there are 200,000 political prisoners inside North Korea. These men and women are ferrying buckets of their own waste for fertilizer.

On the city streets, another cameraman captured these images -- homeless and hungry children forced to fend for themselves steal from the markets. A pickpocket is caught and justice is carried out on the street.

This is rice donated by U.N.'s world food program. It should be rationed out directly to the people, but instead, it is sold for profit in the street market. Only the well-off can afford it, leaving the rest with nothing.

This woman is lying in the street dead. North Korean refugees say it's a common sight.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: May these practices be...

(END AUDIO CLIP)

LIN: That is from a CD that came with a book of the author I'm about to talk to. Have you been rushing around all day trying to do too much in too little time? Stressed out of over your job? Traffic? Bills? Take a big breath and relax.

Susan Piver is the author of "Joyful Mind: A Practical Guide to Buddhist Meditation." She says meditation can help your mental health and a whole lot more. She's in Washington right now.

Susan, I wish we could have heard more of that CD, because frankly, I need it. In fact, it was such a hectic week, that the executive producer and I who meant to read your book didn't have time. We were too stressed about other things. SUSAN PIVER, AUTHOR: Bless your heart. That's actually a perfect lead-in.

LIN: It really is. Because people like us, how can we benefit from meditation? Who has the time?

PIVER: Yes. Well, everybody has ten or 15 minutes a day or every other day that they can use for meditation. And the benefits are many, but I'll just mention two. The Tibetan word for meditation is Gom, which means familiarization. Meditation really helps you familiarize yourself with what's going on up there, because it can get pretty crazy sometimes. And of course, there's a lot of demonstrated health benefits that it reduces stress and the impact it could have on things like heart disease and ulcers. So, it's very good for your health.

LIN: Can it cure diseases?

PIVER: I don't think it can cure diseases, but if you're ill- feeling or becoming ill it can help you manage whatever it is.

LIN: Is it true that the D.C. Council passed a resolution that all District residents should learn the practice of meditation?

PIVER: Isn't that amazing?

LIN: That is. That's true then?

PIVER: I read it. It seems true.

LIN: Oh, my goodness! Is meditation becoming more commonplace now in the United States?

PIVER: It is becoming more commonplace for several reasons. YOu know, 18 million people in this country are said to practice yoga. And yoga is a natural lead-in to meditation. They just really go together.

And also, anybody that looks around at what is going on in the world needs to -- knows it's a very difficult time, and it's very easy to become more afraid and more stressed out and meditation helps you take that back and rest your mind.

LIN: Susan, can you show me how? What do you do?

PIVER: It's very simple. Anyone can do it. You sit comfortably with your back straight. And the practice I do, your eyes are slightly down and relaxed. You're looking but not seeing, and you simply follow your breath. You ride it in. You ride it out. And you pause in that wonderful space. And you bring it in. And you bring it out.

And of course, your mind's going to wander off in about one second. As soon as you notice that, you can come back. And the more you come back, the more you come back.

LIN: Well, Susan, that means I can't do it in traffic which is about the only time I have.

PIVER: Well, breathing you can definitely do. But keep your eye on the traffic.

LIN: Every commercial break.

All right. Thanks very much Susan Piver. I feel relaxed already!

All right. We've had a developing story throughout this hour. We want to go to the CNN weather center right now, because there's news of tornadoes touching down. We're going to to go to break as Brad gets his notes together. We'll be right back.

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LIN: News of tornadoes touching down in the Midwest. Brad Huffines now.

BRAD HUFFINES, CNN METEOROLOGIST: You already heard of some damage near Woodward, Iowa which is Northwest of Des Moines, southwest of Ames, right around there in Boome County, Iowa. Trying to follow that right now.

Meanwhile, as this storm complex continues to travel to the northeast, we're seeing a new tornado warning for northern Harden County and southeastern Franklin Count, that is in portions of Northern Iowa, that's south of Mason City. Those are these two counties right here. That's the new tornado warning.

And we also have new tornado watch in effect that has just been issued by the storm prediction center. A new tornado watch being issued now across portions of northeastern Iowa as well as the western parts of Wisconsin, into southern sections of Minnesota, as well as the new tornado watch just being issued just moments ago, that's not even plodding on the map yet, a new tornado watch that's been issued across parts of North Texas from 100 miles east and west of Paris, Texas, just north of Dallas, all the way up through eastern Oklahoma, western of Arkansas and into southern Missouri with a developing area -- see those thunderstorms blowing up? That shows that this area here is also getting to be very unsettled. So a tornado watch issued the rest of the overnight hours, until 1:00 in the morning, from North Texas all the way up through parts of southwest Missouri.

Carol, a very busy evening. Of course, we're watching it for you here on CNN and as are many local CNN affiliates. So make sure to stay weather aware for the rest of the evening this evening -- Carol.

LIN: All right. Thanks very much, Brad. Will do.

All right. Three classic toys that have been around since long before Wal-Mart has joined the toy hall of fame. I didn't even know there was one. The jack-in-the-box was honored along with Candyland board game. The Hall also honored what it called the unpretentious and low tech cardboard box, a nod, no doubt, to every parent who has ever purchased an expensive gift only to watch they're child play with the box instead.

All right. Coming up next at 7:00 Eastern, "ON THE STORY." One focus tonight, the terror bombings in Jordan.

And then at 8:00 Eastern, is CNN 25. "Entertainment Weekly" brings you the most important pop culture moments from the past quarter century.

And at 9:00, Larry King. Larry's guest tonight, columnist Maureen Dowd, and she asks and answers, are men really necessary? That's the name of her book, not an opinion.

I'll be back at 10:00 Eastern for CNN SATURDAY NIGHT. And tonight talking to one of the workers on that was on that cruise ship when the pirates attacked. That's tonight at 10:00.

A check of the hour's headlines and then "ON THE STORY" after a break.

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