Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Sunday Morning
Colorado Mudslides; Texas Heavy Rainfall; Tennessee Sheriff's Deputy Charged with DUI; CNN/YouTube Democratic Debate; Britain's Worst Flooding; British Open; France Deadly Bus Crash; Turkey Elections; Taliban Militants threatening South Korean Hostages; Deadly Baghdad Soccer Celebration
Aired July 23, 2007 - 09:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING on this July 22nd. Good morning to you to all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, I'm Susan Roesgen, filling in again for Betty Nguyen.
Straight ahead, heavy rain leads to a disaster in a Texas town.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Within five minutes it was already taking our front steps over. I mean, it just -- within seconds. We didn't have time long enough to get the kids completely dressed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: Rising water forcing people out of their homes. Plus...
HOLMES: Dramatic riverside rescues after flash floods split a British town in two. Also we got this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: First time up the Arch?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. Last time too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: Stranded in the "Gateway to the West." Some St. Louis tourists get a closer and longer look at the Arch than they ever intended. You'll hear from somebody who was stuck there in just a couple minutes.
HOLMES: But first, big problems for residents in central Texas trying to dry out this morning after some pretty devastating flash floods. Dozens of people had to be rescued. Homes and businesses near San Antonio filled up with up to four feet of water.
ROESGEN: And that rain came down at just an amazing rate. In some areas, about a foot in just 12 hours. And that's when the roads became rivers. Here's more from Nydia Lopez of our San Antonio affiliate KENS.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It has been declared a disaster area by the county judge.
NYDIA LOPEZ, KENS REPORTER (voice-over): In a matter of minutes, the small town of D'Hanis is underwater.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Within five minutes it was already taking our front steps over. I mean, it just -- within seconds, we didn't have time long enough to get the kids completely dressed.
LOPEZ: Immediately rescue workers and multiple agencies jump into action. Dozens of families are trapped on their roofs, divers used boats, air rescues, including Chopper 5 was their bird's eye view.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We didn't get a lot of rain here, that's the thing. The rain that we get here doesn't cause this problem. It's the rain up north that causes this is problem.
LOPEZ: A mother and her three children, an elderly woman, and many more were rescued from high waters.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just quickly got the kids and put them up on top of the house. I wasn't going to risk it.
LOPEZ (on camera): More than 50 high water rescues, hundreds displaced. Now it's time for residents to head back and calculate the damage Mother Nature left behind.
In D'Hanis, Nydia Lopez, KENS5 Eyewitness News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Similar scenes playing out in England. Take a look at these new pictures we're just getting in here to CNN. Parts of England hit by the worst flooding there in 100 years. A desperate struggle against the elements.
We get more from ITN's Rohit Kochroo.
ROHIT KOCHROO, ITN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With swollen rivers to one side and flooded streets to the other, residents trapped in their homes sought help from the skies.
One by one, they were hoisted to safety in an extraordinary riverside rescue. And there were dozens more just like this across Worcestershire today. On the ground, rescue boats helped the most vulnerable from the sort of flooding not seen by their grandparents.
Worcestershire is underwater and this town has been particularly hard hit. (on camera): When floodwater came pouring through the streets, it not only damaged property but split the town in two. On either side of the river are hundreds of people trying to get to the other, to their stranded businesses and homes. Problem is the only way through is this bridge and police say it is in danger of collapsing.
(voice-over): Two mobile homes came loose and battered the bridge. Then came eight gas cylinders which could still explode.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Apparently four feet of water in the lounge last night and a nice two-inch layer of sludge all over the place this morning. So just dealing with that at the moment.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It has gone through the house. It has gone up at least five feet higher than it did last time. And it has completely devastating everything inside.
KOCHROO: But there is more water and more dangers, too. The river levels here have yet to peak.
Rohit Kochroo, ITV News, Eveshem, Worcestershire.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROESGEN: Makes you long for some sunshine.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: Well, the flooding in Texas also throwing a monkey wrench into some people's travel plans. About 170 passengers were stuck aboard this Amtrak train for about eight hours. Rising waters washed over the tracks, stranding that train. So officials had to wait for flood waters to go down a bit before they could get to the passengers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Near about nine hours, I think.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I thought I'd never get off.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sitting in one spot for eight hours is not fun. And plus my brother was waiting for me in Fullerton, California. Doesn't look like I'm ever going to get there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, we hope she gets there at some point. Buses took the passengers on to El Paso where they're expected to catch another train headed West this morning.
ROESGEN: And talk about getting stuck. The Gateway Arch, the famous Arch in St. Louis is just now reopening just a few hours after it provided some really anxious moments for visitors. A power outage in the Arch stranded them for about two hours late last night. Eighty people were stuck in the trams that take the tourists up and down the Arch. But then there was another 100 people stuck at the very top of this 630-foot landmark.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We were very impatient. We really wanted to go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was more or less just...
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're all happy to get out. They're all sweating and falling asleep. So, and that's what makes the parents cranky.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: A lot of people took the stairs to get down. All 1,076 of them, took the stairs, that many, before the power was finally restored. On the phone with us, we have got someone who was there last night, stuck in the Arch. In Caulfield, Missouri, now is Robert Ingalsbe.
Robert, you were there with your grandkids, right?
ROBERT INGALSBE, STUCK IN ARCH: Yes, I was.
ROESGEN: Where were you? Were you on a tram or were you at the top?
INGALSBE: We were at the top waiting for the tram to come up. And the power went off. And there we sat.
ROESGEN: As soon as the power went off, were people frightened? I mean, did it go dark, no?
INGALSBE: No. They just -- everybody just sat around and talked on their cell phones and visited and just waited.
ROESGEN: Did you make new friends visiting?
INGALSBE: Oh, yes. Lots of friends.
ROESGEN: How did your grandkids take it? How old are they?
INGALSBE: My granddaughter is 5, and my grandson is 11. And they did real good. My granddaughter, she wanted mommy a couple times. But most of the time she just slept and my grandson, I never got him on the tram to come back down after the power come on.
ROESGEN: Well, you know, we're looking at video of firefighters going up. There how did you get down in the end?
INGALSBE: We come down in a tram. And hoped the power didn't go back off.
ROESGEN: Was that your first time in the Arch? INGALSBE: That's the first time and last time.
ROESGEN: What do you mean last time, you won't go back?
INGALSBE: No.
ROESGEN: Really?
INGALSBE: No. No, I -- last experience I want of that.
ROESGEN: You're afraid of heights up there?
INGALSBE: I'm claustrophobic.
ROESGEN: Oh, that would do me in, too. OK. Well, Robert Ingalsbe, we're glad that you're safe and your grandkids at least have something to talk about.
INGALSBE: Oh, yes. They'll have lots to talk about.
ROESGEN: OK. Take care. Better luck on your next trip.
INGALSBE: OK. Thank you.
HOLMES: The search for a kidnapped 5-month-old baby ends in North Carolina. The FBI says Madison Erickson was found this morning at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. Police say the infant was taken at gunpoint from her adopted family in Mississippi yesterday morning. The FBI and Ft. Bragg police have arrested the girl's biological mother and her biological aunt. Officials say the adoptive family is traveling to North Carolina from Mississippi now to get the baby.
ROESGEN: And it is back in the driver's seat, back to work at the White House. President Bush returned from Camp David where he went through a routine colonoscopy yesterday. He temporarily transferred power to Vice President Dick Cheney during the procedure. It was routine. It went well. Though the doctors did say that they removed five small polyps during the colonoscopy and those polyps will be checked for any signs of cancer. However, the White House has said that there doesn't seem to be any cause for concern. The test results are expected within a day or so.
HOLMES: Presidential hopefuls spread out across the country today. On the Republican side, Arizona Senator John McCain campaigns in Iowa; former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is in Amarillo, Texas; and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is on the campaign trail in New Hampshire.
The top two Democrats will be in Miami today. Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will speak before the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights group. Meanwhile New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has a meet and greet in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina and also another event in Charleston.
ROESGEN: And we're just a day away now from the CNN/YouTube debate, first of its kind debate among the Democratic presidential candidates. You can watch them tackle some of your questions live tomorrow night. So let's get a debate preview. Senior political correspondent Candy Crowley is part of the best political team on television and she's joins us from Charleston, South Carolina -- Candy.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN SR. POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, Susan, to tell you how the stage is being set. I can tell you that it is almost ready. The eight podiums inside these podiums are the candidates, eight of them, will have small screens where they can watch the videos come through. There will also be a large screen that they can also watch that they can also watch that the audience of about 2,500 will also be able to view these videos.
We're told that right now more than 2,200 people have submitted their videos through YouTube. So they have quite a variety to pick from. We're told about 75 to 100 will be available for use during the two-hour debate. Anderson Cooper, who is the moderator, will be able to follow up perhaps with a YouTube question if a certain subject needs more exploration.
Now as far as candidates are concerned, this is a different enough debate that you would expect that they would be preparing differently. And some of them are. The logistics, looking into the video, responding to a video as opposed to a moderator or a journalist.
And nonetheless, a number of these campaigns tell me that they're not actually doing a lot of preparation because they sort of see this as a kind of town hall meeting. A number of them do these, of course -- most of them, in fact, across the country where the average voter stands up and asks them a question.
So a lot of them, as you mentioned going into this -- at least T.J., did, that in fact they're out today campaigning. Tomorrow a lot of them down sort of resting up. But they feel that town hall meetings have been pretty good preparation for this -- Susan.
ROESGEN: You talk about preparation, Candy, though. I mean, we have seen -- previewed some of these questions, very blunt, very direct. Touchy subjects. Everything from gay marriage to AIDS to, you know, all kinds of things that as we pointed out here sometimes journalists don't ask. How would a candidate prepare for some of these point-blank and sort of odd questions?
CROWLEY: I think it will be tough. I'll tell you that they are searching those that are selecting the questions for a variety of questions. So you will, in fact, hear questions that journalists might not ask. And let me tell you how I think this is different from a town hall meeting.
If you are there and want to ask a question of a candidate candidate, there is kind of an intimidation factor. There are 300 people. You're talking in front of them. There is a presidential candidate up on the stage. You're sort of looking up at them. So there is this kind of intimidation factor that makes you kind of curtail your questions. In these videos, what you see are people in their living rooms, in their back yards telling their stories from a very personal sense, from their comfort zone. So you're going to get a lot more pointed questions. The best a candidate can do at this point is at least have some of their aides toss them some questions that might be not off the wall but at least off the subject matter that previously the debates have not covered.
ROESGEN: It should be really interesting. Thank you, Candy, reporting...
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: Absolutely. Sure, Susan.
HOLMES: Well, the candidates going through a lot of preparation. We here at CNN going through preparation for this debate as well. And a lot of that going on behind closed doors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Hundreds of questions from all over to be seen...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I sort of like that.
FOREMAN: ... and sorted...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's certainly different.
FOREMAN: ... and selected...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You like this one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like this one a lot, absolutely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Our Tom Foreman takes us behind the scenes. You're asking the questions for the CNN/YouTube debate.
ROESGEN: Also, Tammy Faye loses her battle with cancer. We'll look back at her life and legacy.
And this...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What is your favorite Web site?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Meebo.com, it's all of the chat rooms combined in one Web site.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I go to woot.com.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: Meebo.com and woot.com, our Veronica De La Cruz dot-com gets a hands-on education on what your favorite Web sites are. Stick around for that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JAY BAKKER, TAMMY FAYE'S SON: People really have loved her because she has never changed when people tried to make her change. And she always stood up for the underdog and for those who were hurting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: That is Jay Bakker, son of Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker. He talked to our Larry King about his mother just one day before her death from cancer.
HOLMES: And Tammy Faye Bakker Messner died on Friday. She was cremated and buried yesterday near the Kansas-Oklahoma state line.
ROESGEN: Sixty-five years old. Television personality and author, former televangelist, of course. But she was really one of a kind.
CNN's Deborah Feyerick takes you back in time.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If nothing else, Tammy Faye Bakker was an American original, she was born Tamara Faye LaValley in International Falls, Minnesota, and as a young woman met and married a televangelist named Jim Bakker while both were at a Bible college.
Soon, very soon, they were an American success story. Together they formed the Christian Media Network called PTL, an acronym for Praise the Lord, also building the popular Christian theme park Heritage, USA.
It was a hugely successful run. But after several years in the limelight came a very public scandal. Jim Bakker was convicted of defrauding followers out of millions, which he and Tammy Faye spent on a lavish lifestyle. He also he admitted to an extramarital affair with his former secretary. The ministry collapsed, and while he went to prison, Tammy Faye was lampooned nationwide from her tears to her false eyelashes, she took it.
TAMMY FAYE MESSNER: Jokes have kept me alive.
FEYERICK: She believed eyes were the window to the soul, and collected eyeglasses of dead relatives. And enviably there was a documentary about her life.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So you have never done pictures without those eyelashes.
MESSNER: No and I never will. Because that's my trademark. And if I take my trademark away, then it's not me.
FENTON BAILEY, CO-DIRECTOR, "THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE": Twelve years ago with the PTL scandal we watched the spectacle of Tammy Faye's amazing fall from graze.
FEYERICK: She went on to record nearly two dozen Christian albums, she divorced Jim Bakker and married a church-builder named Roe Messner. But he was sentenced to two years in prison on bankruptcy fraud. Tammy Faye battled colon cancer and lung cancer but was well enough to appear on a reality television show called "The Surreal life." A title with which she said she had no problem identifying.
Deborah Feyerick, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROESGEN: Well, coming up, we asked and, boy did you answer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is your opinion of America's image abroad?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What will you do to counteract the...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My question is this...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If elected, how you would use your power?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: Talk about power, we'll take you behind the scenes to show you how the CNN/YouTube Democratic debate questions are being chosen.
HOLMES: Also, heavy rain in Scotland threatening the final round of the British Open golf championship. We'll bring you the latest from the links. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hi. My name is Nathaniel Kurzic (ph). And I live in the growing city and potential state of Washington, D.C. Right now there's a campaign to give voting rights for a city that currently has taxation without any representation. I'd like to know why a city with a greater population than the state of Wyoming does not have the right to vote and what candidates will do to give us that right.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: Hmm, those are your questions. Well, what about their answers now? The Democratic presidential candidates tackle questions submitted by the public in the groundbreaking CNN/YouTube debate tomorrow night.
ROESGEN: Tom Foreman takes you for a look behind the scenes for a look at how those questions are chosen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What is your opinion of America's image abroad?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: After attending various...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What will you do to counteract...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My question is this...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If elected...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: How would you use your power...
FOREMAN (voice-over): Hundreds of questions from all over to be seen...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I sort of like that.
FOREMAN: ... and sorted...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's certainly different.
FOREMAN: ... and selected...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You like this one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I like this one a lot, absolutely.
FOREMAN: High inside our New York offices, locked away in this private room, this small group is taking on that task, led by Senior Vice President David Bohrman.
DAVID BOHRMAN, SR VICE PRESIDENT, CNN: I just think it's a little touchy-feely.
FOREMAN: And Sam Feist, our political director, both delighted at the quantity and quality of questions.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, my question is what are you going...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (singing): Are you going to help to stop...
(DOLPHIN SINGING)
FOREMAN: A small number of submissions involve special production. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I want to be sure that your health care plans are...
FOREMAN: Most are simply people talking to a camera.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Women are not included in the United States Constitution...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How often are your religious beliefs...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's bring this question out in the open...
BOHRMAN: We're finding these questions to camera from senior citizens and middle-aged people and young people from all around the country so the -- because it's so simple and easy to do we're getting a real broad spectrum.
FOREMAN: They are all graded, some for cleverness and some for earnestness.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I really like that one.
FOREMAN: Some because they think it ought to be asked.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My fear is it just lends itself to a stump speech.
FOREMAN: Some because it hasn't been asked before.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It put candidates in a bind on No Child Left Behind.
BOHRMAN: There clearly are questions that we, the journalists, mainstream media, would never think to ask in a presidential debate.
FOREMAN (on camera): Like what?
BOHRMAN: I'm not going to tell you.
FOREMAN (voice-over): He's smiling...
BOHRMAN: Really, I'm not.
FOREMAN: ... but not kidding.
(on camera): Only 50 videos will make it into the debate and exactly how they are being chosen is a secret, even around here.
BOHRMAN: The focus is with some context, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a vein of questions in a lot of these...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And the questions we're getting on health care...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He asks it and then they are going to...
FOREMAN (voice-over): And when the selection is done, only these folks, host Anderson Cooper, and a handful of others will know which of your questions will be heard by someone who might become president.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is a really good question.
FOREMAN: Tom Foreman, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROESGEN: And today is the last day to submit a video. So if you want to do it and ask a question, just make sure it's less than 30 seconds. Everything else you need to know is at youtube.com. Again, the Democratic debate is tomorrow live from the Citadel in Charleston, 7:00 p.m. Eastern here on CNN with the best political team on television.
HOLMES: And we're actually going to take you to the site of the scene of YouTube Democratic presidential debate coming up next.
ROESGEN: And while the Democrats debate, the president himself will prepare for his own trip to Charleston. We'll tell you about that ahead.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Also ahead, what is your favorite Web site? Is it YouTube? Have you heard of woot.com? Maybe Meebo? Well, send us an e-mail and tell us what your favorite Web site is. You can e-mail us at weekends@cnn.com and we're going to share some of those next. That's coming up from the dot-com desk.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: And welcome back. I'm Susan Roesgen filling in today for Betty Nguyen.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: I'm T.J. Holmes. We got a lot to tell you about this half-hour and a lot has to do with the bad water from the deluge in Texas.
ROESGEN: To flash flooding in Britain and people trapped with nowhere to go but up.
HOLMES: And now another weather situation we're getting information about out in Colorado now, we're talking mudslides. Reynolds Wolf in the Weather Center for us to give us the update on.
This tell us, Reynolds, what's up?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right, T.J. We're going to take you to Alpine, Colorado were we've been dealing with mudslide issues. We've been having quite a bit of rainfall out there, not particularly heavy rainfall, but enough that's been soaking over the past couple days. In this mountainous terrain, you have the ground absorbing and you don't have really strong root systems and then you have, of course, gravity taking hold of this soil and pushing it down. Right now, the latest that we have is in Alpine. We've had evacuations on a couple roadways that would be near county roads 162 and 292 near Alpine. Problem is forecasters have been calling that a flash flood warning that is in effect and will remain in effect until past the midnight hour. So they've more rain in store for them today. In fact, the late afternoon hours they could see another inch or so which could really cause more issues in that part of the world.
Let me step out of the way for a few moments. We'll zoom in with Google Earth, closer to Alpine. As we do so, you'll get an idea of what I'm talking about when we mention this terrain. Very mountainous area, and a lot of this has been cleared out, not just of, say development and whatnot, but you just have to -- a lot of this is rock and doesn't really absorb that water all that well. So, you have a great deal of runoff. When you have that runoff, that's what causes a lot of the flooding issues and hence, this mudslide, as well.
We've got some iReports at this time. I'm sorry, I'm getting some -- I believe we have some iReports at this time. And if you happen to be in, say, this part of the world and you've a camera and you're able to take pictures for us, by all means, send them us to on our iReports and we'd certainly love to share those with all of our viewers.
Meantime that's not the only weather problem we're seeing around parts of the nation. We're seeing some issues now in Texas. Now, yesterday all kinds of problems near San Antonio and Bexar County, we have heavy rainfall, there. Take a look at this video. One of many water rescues we've had. We showed you video this morning, not just of people, but animals in the zoo being affected by the flood waters. They're going to get a little bit of a break today in parts of Texas. What I mean by that is they're not going to have heavy rainfall for the morning and midday hours, but into the afternoon, more rain will be possible.
Also look for the chance of some of strong storms in parts of Minnesota near the Twin Cities. I'd say around 2:00 or 3:00 this afternoon it could get very loud, so certainly be advised.
Meanwhile, no worries at all in parts of the northeast, plenty of sunshine. You'll have that through early tomorrow. Enjoy it. Back to you.
HOLMES: All right, Reynolds, we appreciate you. Thanks so much, man.
ROESGEN: Well, if you know someone who's making minimum wage, that person is about to get a pay hike. On Tuesday the minimum wage will increase by 70 cents an hour. It will go from $5.15 to $5.85. This is the first raise minimum wage workers have gotten in 10 years.
HOLMES: Well, you know usually speed traps are designed to catch speeding tourists. You know, visitors who are not really aware of where the speed traps are. But it's not the case in Virginia. This month, Virginia started imposing huge now speeding fines, some as high as $2,500. But, the new fines are only for Virginia drivers. Out of staters, you don't have to pay.
ROESGEN: And in Tennessee, a sheriff's deputy is on the other side of the law for the second time in less than five months. It happened not far from Memphis. The deputy, Dennis Clark, was charged with DUI after he allegedly passed out behind the wheel of his private car.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE SHULAR, SHELBY CO. SHERIFF'S DEPT: Initially the call came in as an ambulance call. Someone saw him slumped over the wheel in his GMC pickup truck at that intersection. The medical people arrived, indicated he might be under the influence of alcohol...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: Well, Davis (SIC) has been suspended with pay, but it wasn't the first time that this has happened. He was suspended back in March after allegedly doing the same thing.
HOLMES: Well, gender politics in the headlines. Senator Hillary Clinton coming under fire for her husband, the former president, coming to her defense and setting it off, comments from Elizabeth Edwards, wife of Democratic candidate, John Edwards. CNN political editor, Mark Preston in Charleston, South Carolina with, a look at the week in politics.
Good morning you to, sir. Good to see you. We know there's going to be, what, eight candidates up on the stage tomorrow. Is there any way we can get Elizabeth Edwards up there? Because she seems to be the only one making things interesting these days.
MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Yeah, no question, T.J. Elizabeth Edwards certainly would be the spark, if we put her on the stage tomorrow night. Of course, right behind me we see they're getting everything prepared for it. I think what we're going to hear, T.J., when the candidates take the stage is they're going to be talking a lot about education, going to be talking a lot about poverty, and I think we're going to hear a lot about the Iraq war.
HOLMES: All right, is this a good or bad thing, though, that we have Elizabeth Edwards who is making noise? She attacked, I guess, Hillary Clinton this past week. She's made some comments about Hillary Clinton in the past, and kind of liting a spark here. So, is that going to cause some tension between the two campaigns, the Clinton and the Edwards camp? Is it a good thing that she's doing this?
Yeah. Well, I suppose if you're a supporter of John Edwards you think it's a good thing. If you're a supporter of Hillary Clinton, you're not happy about what Elizabeth Edwards had to say earlier this week. She's actually appearing in a campaign commercial in New Hampshire. She plays a very prominent role in this campaign. And as we talked about several months ago, T.J., you and I, after they decided to continue on with the campaign win, the announce am was made that her cancer had returned, I told you then and I still believe it now that this campaign is not just about John Edwards, this campaign is about John and he had Elizabeth Edwards. They really are a power couple, much like Bill and Hillary Clinton are.
HOLMES: All right, any chance that President Bush is going to crash the party? He's going to be in Charleston, as well. What is he doing there? When is he going to show up?
PRESTON: Well, T.J., President Clinton (SIC) will be arriving less than 24 hours after the candidates depart from the stage. He's going to be coming in, he's going to be giving a speech right down the road at an air force base. I think it was -- certainly was a calculated move on the administration's part to come in and to talk about the war on terror. Because tomorrow night I expected all eight candidates, as we have seen in the past, are going to use this national stage to really criticize President Bush, try to gain traction with the base as they really are trying to battle for these primary voters, here in south Carolina and across the country.
HOLMES: All right. We know you meant President Bush arriving, you said Clinton there. I know so many Clintons in your head right now, you can't keep everybody straight.
PRESTON: Well, perhaps Bill Clinton will be in the -- will be here, as well.
HOLMES: As well. All right. Well, who is best suited, I guess, for the format like this and who could possibly break out given this, I guess, very different format that we have for this debate?
PRESTON: Yeah, and it really is a different format. But, you know, it remains to be seen, really, who is going to be able to capitalize on it. The questions are coming directly from voters across the country. And, you know, a lot of people have a lot to gain. A lot of people have a lot to lose. For Barack Obama, in the state of South Carolina, I think he really needs to try to prove himself with African-American voters.
We've seen in a recent CNN poll, just released a few days ago, that Hillary Clinton has a double digit lead over Barack Obama with African-Americans. So, I really think you'll hear him make an appeal to African-Americans. Hillary Clinton seems to be a master of this type of format. So, we'll see how she does.
But someone like Bill Richardson who we're hearing a little bit about, is climbing slowly in the polls, is doing well fund-raising. If he has a solid performance, I think more people are going to start talking about Bill Richardson, his reemergence.
And of course, John Edwards, has who lost a little bit of traction in New Hampshire, he has a lot to gain as well and a lot to lose.
HOLMES: All right. Mark Preston, it's always a pleasure to see you, sir. You enjoy the debate and we'll see you soon, I'm sure.
PRESTON: Thanks, T.J. HOLMES: Right now in Scotland, it's golf against rain.
ROESGEN: You know, golfers never mind. They'll handle anything. In a few minutes we'll take you to the British Open to see who is winning: Golfers or rain.
HOLMES: And, plus, do you think you know your way around the Web? Don't waste your time visiting the same sorry old sites. In a few minutes our Veronica de la Cruz shows us the good stuff.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Garry Marshall is a film make we are real talent. He began his career in the 1950s as a TV actor. Later he became a writer and executive producer of hit sitcoms like "The Odd Couple," "Happy Days," and "Lavern and Shirley." By the late 1960s, Marshall took his expertise to the big screen, directing films like "The Flamingo Kid," "Overboard," and "Pretty Women," which became one of Disney's highest grossing live action features. His most recent work, "Georgia Rule" hit theaters earlier this year.
To break into the film industry today, Marshall calls this shot.
GERRY MARSHALL, DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: It is the newer era of technology. So, you can go get a video camera and shoot yourself, if you're an actor. And you can write things, you got to keep dreaming.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, chances for an open three-peat not looking so good for Tiger Woods now that he's lost more ground to the tournament leader. Live picture here at Carnoustie where the tournament is taking place. We'll have the latest from Scotland and latest on this morning's action, that's coming up next on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROESGEN: We have some of this dramatic new video, this morning, from Britain where you can see there helicopters being used to rescue people. Hundreds of people forced out of their homes by what they're calling the worst flooding there in 100 years. Some areas there have had more than a month's worth of rain in just a few hours.
HOLMES: Well, weather a concern across the U.K. today. Players out, right now, on the course for the final round of the British Open. Defending champ, Tiger Woods, not looking so good, lagging pretty far behind the leaders right now. and CNN's Don Riddell joins us now live from Carnoustie, Scotland.
I see you got rid of the umbrella.
DON RIDDELL, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: That's just for cosmetic appearances. It's is actually a foot above my head. We're just trying to keep it out of the way. I don't think weather is quite as bad here as it is in the rest of the U.K., but it has been pretty miserable here this morning. We all got absolutely soaked and the players are out on the course haven't really enjoyed it.
I think it is improving ever so slightly, although in this part of the world you never really can tell, the weather changes every five minutes seemingly at times. But, it's pretty good at the moment, and I think the scoring conditions will be good, the breeze dropped.
The man to beat is the Spaniard, Sergio Garcia. He's a big star on the PGA tour over there in the states, so you should know him pretty well. He has an overnight lead of three strokes. He teed off a few minutes ago with a score of nine under par. And it really is his to lose. If he plays well today, he'll win his first major championship. And if he does, this really would be a strange place to do it.
The last time the open championship was played here eight years ago, Garcia who was then an up and coming 19-year-old, shot 30 over par, finished dead last and was seen crying into the arms of his mother. Some very infamous shots and certainly not the sort of thing that a young man would want broadcast all around the world. But that's exactly what happened.
He's come here this year and looks like he may well take absolute revenge on the course and may well win his first major championship. He's certainly in confident mood.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGIO GARCIA, LEADS AFTER 3RD ROUND: (INAUDIBLE) that you have one round to go instead of two or three. So, you know, it's -- you can't get used to it as the week goes on. But it's still going to be a hard day tomorrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL: So, Garcia the man to beat. There's a couple Irish guys on his tail, Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley, they'll fancy the conditions here, very typically Irish kind of weather. But there are also a bevy of Americans hunting him down, Chris DeMarco is doing very well; Steve Striker, Stewart Cink, Tiger Woods in contention, although he's a little further back. But one guy that might just pull it off this year is Ben Curtis. Remember him? He was the stunning surprise winner of the British Open in 2003. He came from absolutely nowhere to win that year. This year, he's six under through 16 holes in the final round. Very much in contention and he might just pull it off again. Who knows?
HOLMES: All right. Don Riddell for us, again, good job with the umbrella, we had no idea. And I'm sure Sergio appreciates you bringing up about that thing about his momma again. All right? Don Riddell, enjoy the rest of the tournament, man. Good to see you, thanks.
(LAUGHTER)
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN.COM DESK: Well, you have ever heard of Woot.com? Well, I hadn't either until other day. It's one of those Websites that just might surprise you. We're going to tell you about that one and a couple other fun sites when CNN SUNDAY MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROESGEN: It's time to check in now with Howard Kurtz in Washington to see what's ahead on CNN's RELIABLE SOURCES.
Hey Howard.
HOWARD KURTZ, RELIABLE SOURCES: Thanks very much, Susan. Coming up, why did the "New York Times" spoil the fun on Harry Potter by running a premature review of the breathlessly anticipated book?
Rupert Murdoch on the verge of grabbing the "Wall Street Journal." Will he tarnish one or America's great newspapers?
Tomorrow, CNN/YouTube presidential debate. Will video questions change the political conversation?
That plus all the hype about the Beckham's, ahead on RELIABLE SOURCES.
ROESGEN: Kind of tired of the Beckham's already, but thanks, Howard. We'll see you then.
HOLMES: We're getting information about a deadly bus crash in France. French police now say at least 24 people were killed. They say the bus carrying Polish tourists plunged down a hillside and burst into flames. Another 20 people are reported injured in the wreck. Several others are missing. Firefighters say some people may have been thrown from the bus into a river below.
ROESGEN: And the struggle between Islamic fundamentalism and a more secular society is playing out in the elections in Turkey today. Voters are electing members of their parliament. Opinion polls show the Islamism rooted A.K. Party winning another five years in power, but secular and nationalist opposition parties could cut into its majority.
HOLMES: A hostage standoff unfolding right now in Afghanistan. A South Korean delegation has arrived in Kabul hoping to free at least 18 South Koreans taken captive by the Taliban.
Meanwhile, Afghan soldiers have surrounded the area where Taliban militants are believed to be holding the hostages. The militants are threatening to begin killing the hostages next hour unless South Korea agrees to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan.
ROESGEN: And both triumph and tragedy in Baghdad. This was a celebration because of an Iraqi national soccer team's victory. But then you see the people firing their guns into the air and that turned deadly. Three people were killed and at least 25 were wounded by stray bullets.
HOLMES: Well, it's time for us now to try something new.
ROESGEN: Don't be afraid. Come along right after this. Our Veronica de la Cruz searches the Web for the offbeat, uunxploid, and just plain fun Websites.
HOLMES: Then at noon on LATE EDITION, the resurgence of al Qaeda. What means here at home. Wolf Blitzer talks with Homeland Security advisor, Fran Townsend at 11:00 Eastern. You're going to want to stick around for that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CRUZ: I have some favorite Internet sites.
HOLMES: Veronica de la Cruz at the dot-com desk has been looking into that and came across some Websites we didn't know about...
CRUZ: Yeah. I got Websites that I didn't know about. We wanted to try something different here on the dot-com desk, so we thought that we would ask you what you surf when you're looking at the World Wide Web. So, we took our laptop into the atrium at the CNN Center and -- well, take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
We're here in the CNN Center and the name of the game today is: what is your favorite website? We're going to be talking to people. Let's go.
What is your favorite website?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Krutch.com.
CRUZ: What is that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is for the consumers, when researching products whether they're TVs, cars.
CRUZ: OK, so bring it up. Hmmm. Is this it? Now, have you ever actually used krutch.com?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah.
CRUZ: Because, I don't believe you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know.
CRUZ: What is your favorite Website?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Meebo.com. It's all the chat rooms combined in one Website. I go to Woot.com. It's a website that offers one thing for sale. Just that one thing everyday for 24 hours or until they sell out. CRUZ: I just met two girls who actually met on the internet and they're from different parts of the country and it is the Internet that has brought them together.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was posting the story on the Website and Lane started reading it and then she finished the story and we started hers, and we started talking.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's this television network called "The N" where a bunch of teen shows go on. It says come to the Website and talk about shows. There are so many different categories you can post on like a whole bulletin board. And there's also games can you play on it and can meet new people.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a Website where can you listen to music and download videos and it's great.
CRUZ: Project Gothenburg. All right, tell me what it's all about. Bring it up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Basically it's a Website where all (INAUDIBLE) don't have copy rights, yet. And you can download them for free.
CRUZ: What is the new and improved Website that I have never heard of?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Photobucket.com, it's just a Website you upload pictures.
CRUZ: Tell me which sites you look at, seriously.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Seriously. CNN. I love the new male newsman. I love CNN news.
CRUZ: Tony Harris, would you say he's the best looking?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tony -- oh, gosh.
CRUZ: Sorry, T.J.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CRUZ: No. But -- no, shortly after when the cameras weren't rolling, she said T.J. Holmes, Reynolds Wolf.
HOLMES: Oh, whatever.
CRUZ: No, she did.
HOLMES: She did not.
CRUZ: Yes, she did. No, but Tony Harris was on the big screen in the atrium and she was fawning over him. HOLMES: He had the advantage.
CRUZ: "Oh, that Tony Harris. He's just so good looking." So, yes, he had the advantage.
(CROSSTALK)
ROESGEN: You can't win them all, T.J.
HOLMES: Tony had the advantage at the time, on the big screen.
CRUZ: She loves you all. Didn't you hear that? She said "CNN newsmen," period.
HOLMES: I'm feeling the love, man.
CRUZ: To all of you guys. Anyway, so as you can see, lots of great Websites out. But of course, you out there, I'm sure can you top some of these, so send us your favorites to weekends@cnn.com. We've been getting tons of e-mails so far. Mywhitewall.com, cnnfan.com, I'm sure that's a good one. Jot.com and gadget.com. What are your favorites, you guys?
HOLMES: Hogwired.com. Yes.
CRUZ: Hogwired.com?
CRUZ: OK, we have to keep it clean. What is that?
HOLMES: That's where I get my Razorback gear, find out about my Hogs, where they're playing, the schedules. There it s hogwired.com. Go, Hogs.
ROESGEN: I'm pretty ordinary, actually. I mean, I like expedia.com. I'm always planning my next escape.
CRUZ: Well, you're always traveling.
ROESGEN: Thinking of the beaches. Yeah, some place to go. Some place fun.
CRUZ: You're always on the road. So that makes sense for you. What about you -- Reynolds.
WOLF: Collegefootballnews.com. Because, I'm -- come on. I'm an Auburn fan.
CRUZ: I'm stuck up here with all these jocks.
WOLF: Absolutely. But I mean, you get not only great news about your own college team and you realize how bad the Arkansas Razorbacks really are.
ROESGEN: Oh, ouch. I'm glad I'm between you two.
WOLF: T.J.'s favorite team. CRUZ: I don't think about sports. So, I can't even -- I can't even comment. But I really love igoogle.com. It's this aggregator, because I'm addicted to RSS feed. Kind of boring, but it is my home page. And you guys should check it out if you haven't so far. And of course, I love cnn.com and I know you guys do too.
HOLMES: Yeah, you better.
(LAUGHTER)
All the dot-coms.
CRUZ: Weekends@cnn.com, send us your favorite site and we're going to continue to take a look at them, you know, as the weeks go by.
ROESGEN: Thanks, Veronica.
HOLMES: Thank you, Veronica. Thank you very much.
Well, RELIABLE SOURCES is straight ahead, we'll tell you what's coming up. The mania surrounding the latest Harry Potter book and the media.
ROESGEN: And then at noon on LATE EDITION, White House Homeland Security advisor Francis Townsend talks to Wolf Blitzer about the threat of a resurgent al Qaeda.
But first, we've got some breaking news, mudslides in Colorado have forced dozens of people from their homes.
HOLMES: And joining us now to talk on the phone, Dennis Burdick from the Red Cross.
Tell us what is happening, there. I understand you do have possible evacuations.
DENNIS BURDICK, AMERICAN RED CROSS: Yes. There was approximately 75 people evacuated last night. We have set them up in a shelter at the about the Genavista (ph) high school.
HOLMES: About 75 people. Do we know of any injuries to anyone?
BURDICK: To the best knowledge, at this time, there was no injuries.
HOLMES: And the mudslides, are they blocking roads? Are they taking out any homes or damaged homes? What's the damage?
BURDICK: We're not aware of any homes that were totally destroyed. There is some flooding in some of the homes.
HOLMES: Why was it, I guess, necessary to make the move to evacuate the 75 folks you're talking about? Is it just as a precaution, they're just kind of
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.voxant.com
