Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Sunday Morning
Midwest Flooding; Taliban Breakout; Tim Russert; Pets Flood Victims; Campaign Trail; U.S. Open
Aired June 15, 2008 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's just not a good thing. It's just not. I'm trying to cope with it, but I'm not doing a very good job, as you can see.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Well, it is just devastating. You can see why. Misery in the Midwest, an emotional day as residents try to cope with the rising water. The floods forcing at least -- listen to this -- 24,000 people from their homes.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: But you know, we're not just talking people. Also a lot of pets caught up. We saw this during Hurricane Katrina, people trying to save their beloved cats and dogs. We'll check in with an animal shelter in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Welcome to the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Got news for you all over the place, all over the world, including the Midwest where all the flooding is happening, but good morning to you all, I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes, good morning everybody, I'm Betty Nguyen. It is Sunday, June 15th. Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there. Thanks for starting your day with us.
HOLMES: Well, we will start with that flooding -- more towns being threatened, more misery this morning from Midwest flooding. Iowa's governor holding a news conference in a few hours from now. We will get an update on the situation. Also at least one fatality to report from the flooding in Iowa -- a woman who was found dead in her home, that was in Cedar Rapids.
Early estimates put the damage in that city alone at more than $730 million. The governor has declared disasters in 83 of the state's 99 counties. There are concerns in more towns and cities, including Des Moines, where 750 National Guard troops have been deployed. The list of cities threatened by flooding continues to grow and so does the number of evacuees. As we said, 24,000 people in Cedar Rapids, 270 homes in Des Moines and 200 homes in Iowa City.
NGUYEN: Well, there are new water woes in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Officials say the city could face a shortage of clean drinking water. This latest threat is moving in as the floodwater starts to recede. CNN's Sean Callebs joins us now from Cedar Rapids.
And Sean, as we learned last hour, as crazy as it may sound, there is a connection between flushing your toilets and fire danger. So, bring it to us.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: You're exactly right. People are -- the word from emergency officials: conserve water at all costs. They're telling people only use the water in your home for drinking. Now, that's for a variety of reasons, chiefly, public services, here, have been swamped by these floodwaters. If you look behind me, here is a downtown street, you can see that there's still causing tremendous problems. So, only about half the wells are actually servicing areas and getting water to the city and they're worried about running out of water. So, they're telling people, including, do not flush your toilet because if there is a fire and the fire department needs access to water, despite all this floodwater, there could be a very serious problem here in the area.
Want to show you some pictures that we got yesterday, late afternoon. A flooded area in the southwest part of this city. You have to look a these, it's just simply staggering how high this water got, up to the very tops of homes in many areas. And that's a major concern because there are people, apparently, who did not heed evacuation notices.
We know of one death here, in Cedar Rapids, and that's someone who authorities found yesterday in their home and boy, it really brings back the horrific memories Post-Katrina when emergency officials found people, there. And that's not something that has to happen. There are shelters that are open. We have some pictures of one Red Cross shelter and it has seen a dramatic fluctuation in the number of people taking advantage of its services, anywhere from 75 to more than 200. And they expect that is going to continue, because, as you mentioned, Betty, some 24,000 people evacuated this city of 120,000.
And boy, we really want to talk to you about what we're going to see next hour, Betty. We went down on that corner -- we're going to move down there. You can see just how the floodwaters wiped out buildings. The damage down there is very, very significant. Even without the sandbagging, you can see the water line was up on buildings about this high. That's the aftermath. that's what clean- up people are going to be dealing with and that is what's leading to that 700-some million dollars worth of damage to this city alone -- Betty.
NGUYEN: And did I read correctly, Sean, that somewhere around 1,300 city blocks are under water?
CALLEBS: At the height, something like 1,300 city blocks were under water. The river is slowly, slowly moving back. It is going to be a number of days before the water is out of the city and even longer before it's back where it should be, in its normal banks.
NGUYEN: What a disaster area, there. In fact, it has been declared, 83 of the state's 99 counties have been declared disaster areas. Sean Callebs in one of those areas, right now, joining us live, thank you, Sean.
HOLMES: Well, Illinois also dealing with problems from the Midwest flooding, this morning. A levee breach along the Mississippi River in western Illinois prompted evacuations in one town, there. That town is Keithsburg. Evacuations are voluntary at this point but many of the town's 700 residents were taking no chances as that water rose.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know what's going to become of me now.
MATT TIMMERMAN, KEITHSBURG RESIDENT: When the time comes, I'll be moving to higher ground with everybody else. Just kind of just hope that the place is still here when I get back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That flooding in Keithsburg. Authorities report a bridge connecting Quincy, Illinois to Missouri had to be shut down.
NGUYEN: Well, more rain is expected in the Midwest today.
HOLMES: Yeah, meteorologist, Reynolds Wolf, standing by with what's happening and where it's going to be happening.
Hello to you, sir.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hello, guys. You know, earlier this morning when Sean Callebs got things going, he was talking about all kinds of rain and some thunderstorms they had in parts of Cedar Rapids, across much of Iowa. Now, we're seeing that action begin to moving into parts of Illinois.
But, take a look at these yellow boxes that have popped up across the map. Each of these indicates a severe thunderstorm watch, all of them in effect, all of them moving in places where we don't need the precipitation. But today, it is going to happen.
We're going to see a lot of these storms begin to fire up, especially this one batch we have just to the west of Omaha. All of this driving its way to the east over places like Des Moines, possibly, later on. Remember much of this area just inundated with the floodwaters and all of that precipitation, all that water, is going to find its way into the Mississippi River.
So, what kind of effect is that going to have on people? Well, taking a looking at some numbers in places like Keokuk is kind of an interesting location for this small community. It located right here near an area of confluence, where you have several rivers coming together. You've got the Mississippi River, you've got the Des Moines River, and we can see anywhere from, let's see, currently 24 feet forecast at 28.6 feet. The flood stage at that location is right at 16 . Flood stage in Hannibal, Missouri at 16 feet, we're expecting it to rise to 32 feet by Thursday morning. And a little bit farther to the south, as we wrap things up, St. Louis, look at this, flood stage is right at 30 feet, we're expecting it to rise to about 39.4 feet. We got a live image for you, compliments of the St. Louis Powerhouse KSDK. You see it right there. It's going to be an interesting time to watch along the Mississippi River for the next couple of days. Let's send it back to you at the news desk.
NGUYEN: Yeah, interesting is putting it lightly. Thank you, Reynolds. I know you'll be watching very closely.
WOLF: Of course.
HOLMES: Well, we'll turn to a jailbreak in Afghanistan. This morning the hunt is on for more than 400 Taliban members who escaped from a prison in Kandahar. U.S. officials say so far the search has resulted in about 15 insurgents being killed, five others captured. Not yet clear, though, if those insurgents are connected to that daring prison break. Our Owen Thomas has this story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
OWEN THOMAS, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The attack Sarposa Prison, both brazen and bloody. The Taliban say a suicide truck bomber with about two tons of explosives was used to blow holes in the roof and walls of the jail. Reports speak of sustained rocket and machine gun fire. A spokesman for the group says dozens of militants rushed inside on motorcycles to help free the prisoners. There is some confusion as to how many got out, certainly hundreds, maybe more than 1,000 according to NATO. Hundreds of Taliban militants are now on the run.
MOHAMMED QASIM HASHIMZAI, AFGHAN DEP JUSTICE MINISTER: It was a (INAUDIBLE) loaded with explosion and of course a suicide bomber. They managed to break the door and enter. And then of course they fired some rockets inside the prison courtyard and as a result one of the floors was demolished, and at that time, of course, there was, of course, prearrangement program -- I should say, you know, that a large number of prisoners managed to escape.
THOMAS: Such a major security breach is a worry for NATO forces who are now helping to round up the escapees. Checkpoints have been set up around Kandahar. A NATO spokesperson calls the militant operation a success, but says it will have no long-term strategic impact. Local residents aren't so sure.
This man says the jailbreak shows a weakness, recklessness and helplessness of the Afghan government.
"The Taliban are getting stronger day-by-day," says this man, and the international community must look again at the security situation in Afghanistan. Hours after the prison attack four Americans were killed when their military vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in the west of Afghanistan. It's described as the deadliest single attack against U.S. troops in the country this year. The casualties are the latest in an up-surge of violence in the country. The American defense secretary, this week, called for more international involvement in the battle to beat the Taliban insurgency. While politicians claim the military action is showing real signs of success, casualty figures continue to rise.
Owen Thomas, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: OK, so is it a blunder or something more sinister? For the second time in a week, secret British government documents have been found on a subway train in London. This time it was in Waterloo station. The "Independents" newspaper says the documents detail how terrorists can finance illegal weapons by manipulating the trade and banking systems. Now, a treasury official tells CNN it is "extremely concerned about the apparent breach in security." I would think so.
HOLMES: Yeah. Well, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, among those remembering NBC's Tim Russert, a lot of people remembering him right about now. Certainly fond memories and everybody really had a respect for this man personally and professional.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. Hear what Jackson has to say about the long-time host of "Meet the Press," right after this.
Plus our own Howard Kurtz, host of RELIABLE SOURCES, joins us on Russert's legacy. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REV JESSE JACKSON, CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST: To celebrate this Father's Day, perhaps, he was heaven's gift to Father's Day. Some of the journalists have cheapened themselves by their own politics, their own point of view being manifest in their journalism. He maintained that broad area of toughness and fairness.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: The Reverend Jesse Jackson remembering journalist, Tim Russert. Accolades continue to pour in this morning for the NBC "Meet the Press" host. Russert died Friday of a heart attack, he was just 58 years old. He collapsed while preparing his "Meet the Press" show scheduled to air today. And Howard Kurtz of the "Washington Post," also host of CNN's RELIABLE SOURCES knew Russert well.
First of all, let me just get your own personal thoughts about his passing.
HOWARD KURTZ, RELIABLE SOURCES: Well Betty, I still haven't gotten over it. I still expect to tune in and hear his voice. You know, he was a guy who was really beloved, not just by his colleagues and journalists here in Washington, which can be a very small town incestuous place, but I have been really struck by the way members of the public, people who have never met Tim Russert, have reacted. Thirteen-thousand messages as of yesterday posted on a message board on NBC's Web site, people leaving flowers and notes at the Washington bureau, here in town. Because he was not just a political analyst and there are so many pundits and guests, that we see on all the channels, but because he was, you know, a kid from Buffalo who talked about his father a lot, talked about his blue collar roots. I think people really felt they could relate to this man.
NGUYEN: Absolutely, and you know, when we watch this election play out, as we will, even though Russert is no longer with us, he does leave a void. Talk to us about that void, especially when it comes to covering this election.
KURTZ: Well, what was it that Tim Russert did better than just about everyone else? I mean, he was very, very smart about politics, in part because he came out of the political world having worked for Mario Cuomo and Daniel Patrick Moynihan, but it was really the oldest news program on television, "Meet the Press," which he had moderated for 17 years where he made his mark. And how did he do it? Not because he was the most beautiful, blow-dried anchor, not because he had great music or graphics, it was because of the way that he would press these politicians week after week, pin them down, confront them with their past statements and contradictions. And the secret there, too many people in our business these days forget these days, was research. He would bury himself in the clips and the documents so that he know as much about somebody's public record as the guest himself did. And interesting, in addition to the journalists who are remembering Tim Russert these days are people like Barack Obama and John McCain and Vice President Cheney were all given interviews in the last 48 hours about what it was like to be on the receiving end, and they all say the same thing essentially, very tough, but very fair.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. You know, Russert revolutionized Sunday morning television with what he's done. We all know, especially during the election coverage, that dry erase board that he used, one which is in the Newseum as we speak. How is his legacy going to continue? I mean, what's going to happen to "Meet the Press?"
KURTZ: Well, you know, obviously there are other talented journalists, somebody will take over that show and I'm sure it will do well. But in a much broader sense, Betty, the legacy he leaves is that he taught a lot of us about two things, about the importance of preparation and aggressiveness on television -- which is not the easiest thing in the world to pull off, because if you come off as too aggressive, you can appear to be a bully and you can alienate the audience and Russert always sort of knew the line that he had not cross. But beyond that, I think the passion that he brought -- why do people relate to him so much? Because he was so passionate about his business and that's something I think we'd all like to remember.
NGUYEN: Howard Kurtz, thanks so much for sharing your thoughts with us, today. I know it's going to be a tough one not only for his family and the fact that it's Father's Day, but for millions of viewers out there who loved to watch his show come Sunday morning. Howard, thank you.
KURTZ: Thank you.
NGUYEN: And our Wolf Blitzer grew up with and worked in the same hometown as Russert, that being Buffalo, New York. He's going to take a special look at his long-time friend and sometimes competitor on LATE EDITION, that's at 11:00 a.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
HOLMES: We can now tell you that Air Force One is in Britain. So, what's next for President Bush and the first lady? Well, they'll start with Windsor castle. We'll have a live report from London, just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: So, where are the presidential candidates spending their Father's Day? Republican Senator John McCain, he is in Arlington, Virginia, today. He's meeting with Iraq's foreign minister this morning.
HOLMES: And Democratic Senator Barack Obama and his family are attending church in Chicago. Not that one, there's a new one. It's the first time they'll be attending church there since he left Trinity United Church of Christ. Obama is expected to speak to his new congregation about what it means to be a father. The senator and his wife have two girls.
NGUYEN: Well, for McCain, this will be a relatively quiet Father's Day. He's already received a big gift, though, from his daughter, Megan. She announced earlier this week she is changing affiliation from an Independent to, of course, the Republican Party because she believes so strongly in her father.
HOLMES: Well, President Bush and Mrs. Bush arrived in London just about 20 minutes ago and first up on their agenda, a private visit to Windsor Castle. Our European political editor, Robin Oakley, has details for us.
Hello again to you, sir.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hello, T.J. And just a few minutes ago, the helicopter Marine One, landed in the rather capacious back garden of Windsor castle. And no doubt the queen has got out the best bone china for the cup of tea that she'll be enjoying with the president. He goes on, tonight, down to 10 Downing Street for a social occasion, a dinner with Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife Sarah.
Tomorrow morning, there's a breakfast with ex-prime minister Tony Blair, now a Middle East envoy. And then the more substantive talks with Gordon Brown and those are expected to center on issues like world trade talks, fuel prices, Iran sanctions and, of course, Iraq. And there's been a little bit of a kerfuffle in the British media about an interview with the "Observer," here, in which the president said there should be no definitive timetable for the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq. That was interpreted b the "Observer" as a warning to Prime Minister Gordon Brown now to do it prematurely, but National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley has been briefing the media on Air Force One and saying that there is no question of any disagreement between the president and Mr. Brown -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right, and as you say, we don't expect to see the president and Mr. Brown being as cozy as we saw President Bush be with Tony Blair, back in the day. But, Robin Oakley, we appreciate the update, we'll keep an eye on what's happening there with the president on his farewell tour, if you will. Thank you so much.
NGUYEN: Well, I want to take you now to the top of the country music world. Phil Vassar, he plays the piano, he doesn't wear a cowboy hat, but he is climbing the country music charts with a new album "Prayer of the Common Man" and he's celebrating Father's Day, today.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice over): Growing up, Phil Vassar's talents were on the playing field, but music stirred his soul.
PHIL VASSAR, MUSICIAN (singing): When I was 10, I was thin, I was playing first base.
As a kid you grow up and you go, OK, you got to take piano lessons and these are the guys that get beat up. I said, man, I can't do that. I was sort of a closet piano player.
NGUYEN: He moved to Nashville after college and saved enough money to buy a restaurant/nightclub.
VASSAR: At 6:00 I'd be there cooking breakfast, then I'd take my apron off, about 10:00, I'd write my songs and then go into the clubs and play at night.
NGUYEN: His hard work paid off when his songs were recorded by country super stars such as Tim McGraw and Allen Jackson.
VASSAR: They validated me in a way that I'd never been validated before.
NGUYEN: Then Vassar found his own voice and even more success. Four albums later, he's still writing hit songs and touring the country.
VASSAR (singing): Love is a beautiful thing
NGUYEN: But, his priorities have changed.
VASSAR: Being a parent definitely changes your whole outlook on life. It goes from being all about you to being all about someone else. You can't help but be a different person.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Great music, there.
HOLMES: Well, we're going to turn back to the flooding, we've been talking about. Of course when the floodwaters begin to rise people know to get out of there.
NGUYEN: But pets, many times do not. And just ahead, we're going to speak with the Humane Society in Cedar Rapids about what's being done to take care of those stranded and abandoned animals.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Welcome back on this Sunday and Happy Father's Day to you dads out there. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes. A look at some of our top stories, now.
The news program that Tim Russert hosted for years paying tribute to him this morning. The moderator's chair on NBC's "Meet the Press" left empty in honor of Russert who died on Friday of a heart attack.
NGUYEN: Weather is helping firefighters battle a huge wildfire in northern California. Winds have died down a little bit and crews hope to get the fire under control tomorrow. It has destroyed dozens of homes in the town of Paradise.
HOLMES: And in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, water from the Midwest flooding is slowly starting to recede, but now the city faces another problem -- a shortage of clean drinking water.
NGUYEN: And let's get to this, the Iowa River, it is still rising and people in its path they are waiting to see how high it is going to go.
HOLMES: Christian Farr reporting there on the scene, had been following the threat for us this morning along the Iowa River, joins us now again live from Coralville.
Any changes this morning? What are you seeing there?
CHRISTIAN FARR, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: It seems like the water has gone down a little bit. I want to give you an idea what we are looking at, here. This street is right along a condo complex, not even a year old and you can see that the water has filled the street, here. But, I was just talking to a city councilman who told me he feels like the water has receded a bit, and it has receded a bit, here.
Behind me is the Iowa River, it's about 100 yards behind this hotel, between the hotel and the Iowa River sits a pond and a group of homes and the water is up to the roofs of those homes, so you can just get an idea of how swollen the Iowa River is.
Let's walk over here so you can see these sandbags. This is a sandbagging effort done by volunteers and workers at this condo complex and hotel. They've put it up about four feet, but it is completely dry on the other side, so these sand bags are working. In Iowa City, about 600 homes have been evacuated, people finding temporary shelter. That thing about the Iowa River is that it normally crests at about 25 feet, it's expected, possibly, to crest 33 and 34, late Monday evening, but that timeline possibly could be pushed up to Monday afternoon, which means those numbers would be lower, that would be good news. We still have the threat of thunderstorms, here as well, but as we look into the sky, the weather looks pretty good. In fact the sun popped out, but of course we have to wait for those projections. After that we should have clear weather and that's good news for people that live here.
HOLMES: Well, it was nice, there is a little matter of good news to report there, at least, there as far as the river cresting and maybe the weather is going to hold off. Christian Farr, for us. Been keeping us updated this morning, we certainly appreciate you.
NGUYEN: In the middle of the flooding disaster that has just overwhelmed parts of the Midwest, are countless victims who cannot fend for themselves. We are he talking about dogs and cats that just a few days ago were safe and secure in their homes. Well, Susan Manson of the Cedar Valley Humane Society in Cedar Rapids joins us now by telephone to tell us what's being done to help out those animals.
First off, when we talk about those animals, do you have any idea how many are in need, right now?
SUSAN MANSON, HUMANE SOCIETY: Oh, it's beyond counting at this point. We have 106 here at our shelter and at the shelter across town, they were taking in over 50 an hour yesterday afternoon.
NGUYEN: Fifty an hour?
MANSON: Yep. So, there's hundreds out there needing help.
NGUYEN: So, what's the biggest concern, right now, for pets caught up in this flooding?
MANSON: Well, for the pets that are still out there in the floodwaters, there's rescue efforts being taken to try to get them out of the floodwaters and into safe, secure housing and getting them fed food and water. Beyond that it's kind of a long-term commitment here before their owners are going to be back into a situation where they'll be able to house their pets again.
NGUYEN: How do they actually get in to get their pets? Because, when I was out there just a few days ago, I was talking to a family who had to leave their cat behind and they were worried the cat, one, got out of harm's way and, two, how is it going to survive over the next few days if they can't get back in to help him. So, what's being done? Is there a number people can call or are there ways to get back in by boat to rescue these animals?
MANSON: Yeah. The rescue effort is underway. We have the Humane Society of Missouri here and also the Humane Society of the United States, they've both come in to Cedar Rapids to help with the rescue efforts. These folks are trained at these kind of endeavors, so they're out there, they're getting the animals picked up. Fortunately, we had warning here and there were a lot of folks who heed the evacuation warnings on Wednesday and got their pets out before the floodwaters hit.
NGUYEN: Have you seen any kind of injuries? I mean, what has been the biggest problem when it comes to trying to save these pets?
MANSON: Their stress levels. They're just very, very scared, very freaked out. They don't understand what's going on and in the long-term, we've got to keep them as calm and comfortable as possible to keep them healthy and from getting sick. So, no major injuries to report yet at this time due to the floodwaters, but over the long-term we need to keep them safe and secure so they'll be ready to head home when their owners are ready.
NGUYEN: No doubt. Susan, it's got to be tough on you and your staff. You are taking in a whole lot of additional pets that are in need. And it's one thing to deal with your own home and seeing humans go through it, but how are you holding up when you see animals that are just pretty helpless in some of these conditions?
MANSON: Well, at least -- we're very, very fortunate, here. Our staff and our shelter, we're on high ground and our staff are all secure in their homes. Fortunately we lived on this side of town, so we feel good that we're able to help those folks less fortunate than ourselves and if we have to put in a few extra hours to keep these guys comfortable and fed and taken care of, we'll do it, that's what we're here for.
NGUYEN: Well, it does matter because to a lot of people pets are like family and you are doing a good thing in trying to help save as many as you possibly can. Susan Manson with the Cedar Valley Humane Society, thank you for your time and thank you for your effort.
MANSON: Thank you very much.
HOLMES: Well, still not a lot of relief in sight for folks in Iowa. We're talking more rain on top of all of this.
NGUYEN: And that's what they do not need. Meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is in the Severe Weather Center. So, OK, which areas, in particular, is going to see some rain today?
WOLF: OK, Betty, let me answer that with a question -- what areas do not need rain? OK, those exact places.
NGUYEN: Eighty-three counties in the state of Iowa?
WOLF: Exactly. Well, you got to think, OK, the Mississippi River, the largest river on the continent, all this water that we have, all of the floodwaters are going to feed right into it. Now, today, we're going to see more rain that's going to cause, of course, a lot of run-off and that run-off is also going to feed into the Mississippi. We're going to see more rain in places like Chicago, southward into Kankakee. You have some severe thunderstorm watches that are in effect moving out of Iowa, and then another one that is moving into Iowa.
This one we have some strong storms near Lincoln, Nebraska, near the campus of the University of Nebraska up by War Memorial Stadium. All of that is going to be drifting eastward to places like Des Moines. Now, we've been telling you over the past couple of days the extreme flooding you've had in Des Moines, looks like they're not going to get much of a break. Although the water levels are beginning to drop in places we're going to see the additional rainfall again right where we don't need it. So, that will spill into the Mississippi. So, communities along this big stretch of river are really going to be affected in places like Keokuk, it's a tri-state area. You have Illinois on this side, Iowa here, Missouri here. Currently the stage is at 24 feet, expecting to crest right around 28.6 feet by Wednesday afternoon. Today's Sunday, we're talking Wednesday. So, it takes a while for all this water to feed its way into the Mississippi.
And it is going to feed downstream in places like Hannibal -- Hannibal, Missouri, the famous hometown of Mark Twain, currently at 25.77 feet forecast to get to about 32.1 feet. For point reference, if you have 16 feet, that's already a flood, we're forecasting 32.1, so this is extreme, extreme for Thursday morning.
From Hannibal, we head southward to the gateway of the west, we're talking about St. Louis and it is forecast to go to 39.4 feet on Friday afternoon, flood stage at 30 feet. So, you are seeing that more people are going to be affected by this other than just parts of the Midwest. As you make your way farther to the south, you see this water, this live shot here, these homes which just a week ago, just one week ago, this house you see in the foreground in Coralville, you saw plenty of grass. I mean, this was a beautiful day, people were out, doing chores, cleaning up around the house, maybe planning a barbecue. Places like this city street, people were maybe on their way to shopping, some of them may have had an umbrella or two because the rain had started, but who would have ever dreamt that they would have had a situation like this just develop right in Middle America.
That's the situation that we are facing this morning, affecting millions of people. There's not doubt that it is going to have a huge effect on our economy. Timing on this could not be worse. Let's get back to you.
NGUYEN: And like they call it, it is a flood of epic proportion.
WOLF: No question.
NGUYEN: Thank you.
So, looking at the damage, you know, it is hard not to be affected and now the presidential candidates, well, they are reaching out, as well.
HOLMES: Take a look here, that's Senator Barack Obama you see, there. He picked up a shovel in Quincy, Illinois, helped fill some sandbags, yesterday. He's calling on federal officials to provide aid to flooded areas. Officials in Quincy fear the water could rise even higher than the record level that was set back in 1993. Flooding there is expected to peak later this week.
NGUYEN: Meanwhile Senator John McCain issued this statement, saying, "Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those impacted by the flooding throughout the Midwest. Cindy and I would like to extend our sympathies to all those who have lost loved ones and stand ready to help those in the Midwest to recover and rebuild."
HOLMES: Well, with Senator Hillary Clinton out of the presidential race, where do the voters stand now? We want to check in with our buddy here, Ken Rudin, political editor for National Public Radio.
Good to see you again this morning, sir, we will start with Senator Obama. He has set up this Web site to fight some of the rumors out there about him over the Internet. As much as we have covered him and seen him over the past, really, year-and-a-half of campaigning, he still feels he needs to introduce himself to the American people.
KEN RUDIN, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO: He does. Good morning, T.J. and happy Father's Day. Absolutely, because, I mean for all the excitement about Barack Obama, many people still know very little about him. There have been rumors, of course, you know, that he's a Muslim, that he was sworn in on the Koran, that when he was a kid in Indonesia he attended a radical madrassa. Another rumor recently that spread around that Michelle Obama used the word "whitie" at a speech before Trinity Church of Chicago. So obviously, once you spread a rumor, once you get a rumor on the Internet it spreads like wildfire. And the Obama campaign is trying to head it off by having this Web site.
HOLMES: And are we seeing this is going to be something -- he's going to take stuff on head-on, because this is some swift-boated -- I mean, that's a word we all know now, after what happened to John Kerry in the last campaign, but is this an effort to make sure that doesn't happen to him?
RUDIN: Absolutely. I mean, if you don't respond to a rumor, a false rumor, then it just spreads like wildfire and again, if you don't respond to it -- remember what happened to John McCain in 2000 when he was running in South Carolina, there was a rumor he had fired an illegitimate black child, when in actuality he adopted a child from Bangladesh. So, once the rumors spread, it is tough to combat it and you can't just ignore it.
HOLMES: All right, McCain versus Obama, it's still early right, in, I guess, the general election campaign, but are we starting to see how this thing is going to shape up and how these two plan on running against each other?
RUDIN: Well, you do, of course, you know, obviously as soon as Barack Obama -- as soon as Hillary Clinton dropped out of the race, you saw where Barack Obama was going and was heading to Virginia, North Carolina, a bunch of states that had been voting Republican regularly, but feel because of a large African-American turnout, because of newly enfranchised and registered Democratic voters that he thinks that, Barack Obama thinks, that these could be pick-up states for the Democrats. John McCain, of course, is looking obviously if Hillary Clinton had won he'd be targeting African-Americans, but now that Barack Obama got the nomination, he's targeting female voters and he's going after women.
HOLMES: And you mentioned Hillary Clinton, there. Is it official, now? Are the Clintons over, if you will, as far as being a powerhouse, a force, in politics in this country, the name that's really ruled Democratic politics for a good couple of decades, here?
RUDIN: Oh, no, absolutely not. I mean, I think what happened to Ted Kennedy, he ran for president in 1980, failed in his bid to beat Jimmy Carter. Went back, became one of the most effective senators in the history of the Senate. Hillary Clinton has tremendous amount of options. Of course is also the possibility of the vice presidency, which I don't think will happen, but she could go back to the Senate and become a giant in the Senate and took on the kind of role that Ted Kennedy took since 1980.
HOLMES: All right, and you mentioned some VPs, we'll see what happens there, that favorite guessing game. Everybody likes to guess who the VP is going to be but...
RUDIN: I will not accept if it's offered.
HOLMES: You will not accept. Well, we're all relieved that you won't, Ken.
RUDIN: I'm not 35.
HOLMES: All right, Ken, we appreciate you this morning. Thank you so much, good to see you, again, happy Father's Day to you. Hope to see you again soon. I know we will be, talking politics with you.
RUDIN: Take care.
NGUYEN: Well, on your mark, get set -- shop!
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCINTYRE: Should we synchronize our lists?
FOREMAN: Yes, let's do it.
VERJEE: Yeah.
MCINTYRE: Milk, bread, cereal, meat, eggs, cheese, veggies, crackers.
VERJEE: Soda, desert and a prepared meal.
MCINTYRE: All right, let's go.
FOREMAN: Let's go.
VERJEE: See you back at the bureau. (END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: This is going to be good, our intrepid reporters cover three angles to find the best food store value.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. You see that behind us?
NGUYEN: You just have to laugh. I mean, really.
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: You got to laugh to keep from crying.
HOLMES: Yeah, you got to laugh to keep yourself from crying, as they say. But yes, you know what I'm about to say. Fill in the blanks. You see gas price behind me, what were you going to say?
NGUYEN: Up again.
HOLMES: There you go.
NGUYEN: Today though, listen to this, the national average for regular unleaded, about 4/10th of a cent more than it was yesterday which now makes it four bucks, seven cents a gallon. That is yet another record. And that's about a buck and six cents more than you would have paid this time last year. Aren't we all lucky? Well, we are doing this. We're complaining about the high gas prices, but how many of you are trying to actually do something about it?
What are they wearing or not...
HOLMES: I don't know if this is the best option, but this is in Boulder, Colorado, 100 demonstrators got on their bicycles and they took off their clothes to protest high gas prices. Don't know how that helps.
NGUYEN: After a while that might leave a bit of a rash. Don't you think?
HOLMES: Well, fellas, you know what?
NGUYEN: Yikes.
HOLMES: We'll get into that later, but the protester said the point...
NGUYEN: Oh, come on! Did we need that tight shot of a rear end?
HOLMES: The point here was to encourage people to use bicycles as a form of transportation. But I still don't understand the clothes part.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BRETT AMOLE, BIKE RIDING PROTESTER: Things are going great. It's been a great ride so far. Lots of good reception from all the people we've seen. Hopefully they're getting the message, but we're still going to smile and have fun anyway.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: That's a good thing you kept that shot neck and shoulders.
HOLMES: Oh!
NGUYEN: But not there. Geez, folks! OK, here's what we know, police say the protest went peacefully. Bikers though, did slow traffic. You think? -- as bystanders, most smiled, many laughed and some were simply shocked. We can't get over the video.
HOLMES: Keep rolling it. Just keep going. We'll just do the next few stories with that same video no matter what the story is. All right, well, no matter how bad the economy gets, you got to eat. But how you shop can make a difference in what you pay. Well, we put together a challenge for our intrepid trio, which we have seen do a few of these in their series, now. What did they do first? They did the best way to get to work.
NGUYEN: Gas prices.
HOLMES: Gas prices. Now they're doing the food. So, we got Jamie McIntyre, here, our Zain Verjee from the State Department, also our Tom Foreman, see, they went shopping.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: If you've been to the grocery store lately you know pretty much getting groceries involves taking out a loan. So, I'm going to go to my local store and do the best I can to get a bang for my buck.
ZAIN VERJEE, CNN STATE DEPARTMENT CORRESPONDENT: I'm going to be going to Whole Foods to look for healthy organic stuff.
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: And I'm going to try to save the American way, by buying big in bulk at my neighborhood warehouse store.
Should we synchronize our lists?
FOREMAN: Yes, let's do it.
VERJEE: Yeah.
MCINTYRE: Milk, bread, cereal, meat, eggs, cheese, veggies, crackers.
VERJEE: Soda, desert and a prepared meal.
MCINTYRE: All right, let's go.
FOREMAN: Let's go.
VERJEE: See you back at the bureau.
MCINTYRE: OK, we're here at Costco, it's a warehouse store and we're going to save a lot of money. Milk, $3.09 a gallon, that's cheaper than gasoline -- 2% for $3.79.
VERJEE: I see some skim milk, this costs me $3.89.
MCINTYRE: Two packages of 18, so $3.99. Pretty good deal.
VERJEE: Twelve eggs, $3.89.
FOREMAN: Medium eggs here for $1.89.
VERJEE: Could I try the oldest cheese you have here?
MCINTYRE: The average grocery store you buy cheese if you want to make something. Here you buy cheese if you want to build something out of cheese.
VERJEE: $29.99 a pound?
FOREMAN: Look at all these cheeses.
VERJEE: And who can resist trying the aloe vera face and body lotion? Huh?
FOREMAN: That's hot, ooh.
MCINTYRE: Oh. Ooh. Oh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now, why'd you (INAUDIBLE) when I told you that was hot?
MCINTYRE: (INAUDIBLE)
MCINTYRE: What are these? Spinach and feta cheese? Mad Crock energy drink. Sounds good. One great thing about these stores is that they have some great specialty items like this white chocolate Pentagon. The beat I cover. Zain and Tom will find nothing like this.
FOREMAN: And so we're all finished. How did you do?
MCINTYRE: Well, Costco is a marvel, but -- and I got some great deals, but I had to buy more than I wanted of some things.
FOREMAN: But sort of a limited selection compared to what I had, here. I got sort of all-American shopping, here, good buys on a variety of items.
VERJEE: You got bulk, you got variety, but I got the most healthy food. FOREMAN: What did you spend overall?
MCINTYRE: $95.24.
FOREMAN: Not bad. $64.38.
VERJEE: $80.09. Pretty comparable.
MCINTYRE: All right, so I paid the most, but on the other hand I got the Belgian chocolate Pentagon. Can't go wrong with that.
FOREMAN: Let's eat!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Why is it that we don't get those assignments?
HOLMES: I don't know, Betty.
NGUYEN: And they just filled their refrigerator with lots of good stuff.
HOLMES: Maybe, I think they probably wrote that off as well, they didn't have to pay for it.
NGUYEN: I'm sure, and that was a workday.
HOLMES: It was a workday.
NGUYEN: But, you know, it was good information, though, because, I go to those stores like Sam's or Costco's thinking I want a great deal, but you do have to buy in bulk and therefore prices rise.
HOLMES: Isn't there something going on at the Pentagon or State Department that they should be covering that?
NGUYEN: You know, the economy is "Issue No. 1," let's not forget, T.J.
HOLMES: Yeah.
NGUYEN: All right, let's turn to sports for just a second, shall we? Someone will actually claim the title of U.S. Open Golf Champion, today.
HOLMES: His name might be Tiger Woods. He is on the hunt, he is in the lead. Wish I was there. Wish you were, as well. We're going to do the next best thing. We're going to go there, live.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We'll turn to the U.S. Open now and it was a fantastic finish in third round play and there was a quadruple bogey, as well. Larry Smith keeping score for us in San Diego -- beautiful San Diego.
Oh, looks like you got a little fog, a little marine layer or something going on there. How's it going?
LARRY SMITH, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: You know, it is going great. We were discussing this morning, what's the difference between fog and marine layer? I don't know, looks the same to me. But here's, you know, I tell you what, the rest of the field in a fog, right now. How do you beat Tiger Woods? How dominant is this guy? Well, consider this -- if he wins the U.S. Open, later today, here at Torrey Pines, in the last eight major championships, Woods will have four victories and three second place finishes.
But forget about that, this is why he's the most dominant golfer in the world. Watch his three reactions on the big putts that define his round yesterday, the three big shots that defined his round on Saturday. On 13, that dramatic 60-foot putt for eagle that put him under par to stay, he began the day double bogey and this finally gets him going on this.
Now, on 17, later, the chip from the rough. It goes in. Tiger looks sheepish and later admitted that it was just a lucky shot. There was really no skill, it just happened to go in. On 18 then, the putt for eagle, the announcers thought he lined up wrong, but instead he was perfect to grab the lead for the first time this week and even his closest competitors were in awe, Tiger doing all this on that surgically repaired left knee that is giving him more and more trouble as the week goes on and even he admitted it's getting very sore. Can it hold up for one more day and get him a title, here.
One other note, T.J., Woods has never lost when tied for, or in the lead outright, entering the final round of a major, and again he and Lee Westwood tee off at 4:30 Eastern Time as he goes in search of that 14th career major title. Let's go back to you.
HOLMES: Four-thirty Eastern, we will be watching. That was a heck of a round he put together, yesterday. And to say that was a lucky shot, there is no luck when it comes to Tiger Woods. Larry, enjoy yourself out there, enjoy that -- we'll ask Reynolds about the fog or marine layer, we'll figure it out and we'll get back to you.
SMITH: All right, sounds good.
NGUYEN: Now it's time to check in with Howard Kurtz in Washington to see what's ahead on CNN's RELIABLE SOURCES.
Hello, Howard.
KURTZ: Good morning, Betty. Coming up, we'll talk about coverage of the campaign, of course, but we'll begin by examining the legacy of Tim Russert. What was it about this extraordinary NBC newsman that has touched such a nerve in the wake of his death, not only among his journalist colleagues, but in much of the public, as well, and what made "Meet the Press" such an influential program? Sally Quinn, Judy Woodruff, Wolf Blitzer and CNN bureau chief, David Bohrman, join our discussion. That and much more ahead on RELIABLE SOURCES.
NGUYEN: What a tough day it is. OK, thank you, Howard. HOLMES: Well, we've talked a lot, of course, this weekend about the loss of NBC's Tim Russert, but here at CNN, we have been dealing with a loss, as well, a loss of one of our own, this week.
NGUYEN: Yep. Every day, Bob Coleman took CNN's journalism and nurtured it into something better. Chances are if you saw a report on CNN, Bob had checked it, polished it, he made it sing. Well, Bob died earlier this week. His list of professional accomplishments are impressive, from St. Louis to San Francisco, to CNN's world headquarters, right here in Atlanta.
HOLMES: He brought a judgment, general wit to every day business of covering the news. He had a passion that was found in good journalism. He'd get the story right, he'd tell it in a way people will remember it. He always left those he touched with a smile, but it was his wife, Adrian, and his daughter, Nancy, that made him smile the most. His pride in his family was as big as his heart. He held all those he knew, both near and far, he held them to close. A gentleman and a gentle man. We will miss him dearly. Bob Coleman.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, just ahead on RELIABLE SOURCES, a tribute to Tim Russert. Guests will share their memories of him.
HOLMES: And coming up at 11:00 Eastern on LATE EDITION with Wolf Blitzer, the Iowa flood and the federal government's response. Guests will include FEMA administrator, David Paulison, but first we do have a check of the morning's top stories.
