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CNN Sunday Morning
Pope Urges Strength, Hope at Easter Mass; Pirates Repel Approaching Sailors, Officials Say; Polar Bear Mauls Woman at Berlin Zoo; Winds Fan Fires in Southwest
Aired April 12, 2009 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Six a.m. here in Atlanta; 5 a.m. in Chicago; 3 a.m. in Los Angeles.
And it is Easter. Happy Easter to you.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes.
HOLMES: And happy Easter to you all. You got the Easter pink on. I had the pink on yesterday.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Got a blue one today.
NGUYEN: Yes, but you got a little polka dots in there.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: You're good.
Happy Easter, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. It is Sunday, April 12. We do want to thank you for starting your day with us.
HOLMES: All right. And what do we have coming up this morning?
More still (ph) - that standoff continues, that hostage situation out there. And we got more information coming out about it now.
How - here's now how one crew member described the battle at sea. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(AUDIO GAP)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: You will hear him describe it later when we get that audio fixed for you. But we do know that the ship has now docked and some of these guys are now telling the story, the tale of what happened out there. A lot more about that coming your way this morning.
NGUYEN: All right. And this, folks: Note to self, do not jump into a polar-bear cage during feeding time. Look at this lady. They're trying to rescue her from that. This is at the Berlin Zoo. And the zookeepers there had to fight off some of the bears as they pulled the woman to safety. And you'll see in just a second, she tries to get - oh, look at that. He took a bite out of her rear.
It is a bizarre story, folks. You don't want to miss it. And we are following it. We'll have the latest on that.
But first, overnight....
HOLMES: A live look here this morning - take you to Vatican TV, Vatican City, the pope, of course, doing the Easter Mass. The Easter message of the day, strength and hope, being heard around the world this hour. A lot of people getting up and getting ready for church services here in the U.S. and around the world. These pictures being brought to you live this morning.
We'll be dipping in every now and then. But Pope Benedict getting ready to offer that traditional blessing from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica there in Vatican City.
NGUYEN: Also, reporting on this: There are no arrests yet in the killing of three people at a home outside of New Orleans. Two children are among the dead: a 23-month-old and a 6-year-old boy. They were shot and killed along with a 19-year-old woman.
Now, an 11-year-old girl is still in stable condition with several gunshot wounds. Police say they are looking for two men who broke in and shot them all.
HOLMES: A Sunday school teacher being held without bail this morning for the murder of 8-year-old Sandra Cantu. That's the California girl who was found dead on Monday stuffed in a suitcase that was floating in a pond. Twenty-eight-year-old Melissa Huckaby, you see there, is also a local minister's granddaughter, and now facing charges of kidnapping along with murder.
Police say Huckaby, the suspect, knew the little girl well.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. TONY SHENEMAN, TRACY, CALIF., POLICE DEPARTMENT: Sandra was very close friends with Melissa's daughter. They used to play together frequently at Melissa's home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now, Huckaby is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
NGUYEN: Five days after it was attacked by pirates, the USS Maersk Alabama has finally made it to Mombasa, Kenya, to drop off relief supplies. But its American crew, while happy to be at port, they are worried about their captain.
HOLMES: Yes. Pirates are still holding him hostage in a lifeboat.
Yesterday, Navy sailors tried to reach that lifeboat, but the pirates opened fire, forcing them to turn back.
Also, just this weekend, there have been at least two other pirate attacks, the latest one yesterday, when a group of pirates attacked an Italian tugboat that was pulling barges.
NGUYEN: Yes, as for the crew of the USS Maersk Alabama, it's been a long five days, and it's still not clear when they will get to go home.
HOLMES: And we're hearing their stories now, learning more about how they regained control of their ship.
CNN's Stan Grant was in Mombasa, Kenya, when the port pulled into port yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The end of a dramatic journey: The Maersk Alabama pulling into dock at Mombasa, Kenya. Onboard, the U.S. crewmen who had lived through this pirate-hijacking crisis. Working until the end, they safely brought the ship in.
The waiting media, desperate to hear from the men.
(CROSSTALK)
GRANT (on camera): Well, here you can see behind me, this is the crew of the Maersk Alabama. Now, they have come to the side of the ship here, which is now docked here in Mombasa, Kenya. An extraordinary situation that they've been through, and you can see them just trying to speak to members of the media here behind us.
Let me try to make out what they're actually saying.
QUESTION: How did you react when you saw them?
GRANT (voice-over): From another crew member, indications of a struggle with the pirates.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) - hey, this guy is a hero. He - him and a (INAUDIBLE) engineer, they - they took down a pirate. They - they tackled him in the engine room.
UNIDENTIFIED MAKE: I - saw the flash (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dark. Silent. It was all quiet in the engine room. Dark. He led him down to the engine room, and then with the chief, jumped him. And they gave him to us, and we are all hiding out. But it was hot down there.
GRANT: Somali pirates first seized the ship. Then, the crew managed to take it back.
But the ship's captain, Richard Phillips, remains hostage on a lifeboat, the crewmen calling their captain "a hero." Onboard, armed security guards, the ship declared a crime scene. The crew, debriefed by waiting FBI officers, kept behind a barricade of cargo containers. All crew members under orders not to speak.
(on camera): Sir - sir, could you tell me what it was like for you when the pirates came aboard?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
GRANT: What was it like when the pirates came aboard?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Don't say anything.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)
GRANT (voice-over): But others, clearly relieved, could not be quiet. Several of the men saying they want to go home to their families.
And from another, all he wants is a steak dinner.
Stan Grant, CNN, Mombasa, Kenya.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: The first officer of the Maersk Alabama is Shane Murphy. Now, he was in charge of the ship team to Kenya. His father, Joe, is an instructor at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
And here's what Joe Murphy had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE MURPHY, FATHER OF FIRST OFC. SHANE MURPHY: We know the difficulties that the Phillips family is going through, and we continue to support them. We believe that Captain Phillips will survive this situation. We want to them to know that he has the support of all of us, the American people, and people around the world. We appreciate his courage; we know that he will survive because he will never give up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: And we are going to have more from his compelling interview in the next half hour, right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
HOLMES: All right. Take a look at this video, and Betty, don't want to suggest that there's ever a good time to jump into a polar-bear pond.
NGUYEN: Absolutely not.
HOLMES: But feeding time, I would have to say, is probably the...
NGUYEN: One of the worst times, right? HOLMES: The worst time.
This is a German woman - you see her trying to get rescued now. But she jumped into the polar-bear habit...
NGUYEN: Look at that.
HOLMES: ...at the Berlin Zoo. And police say she had to climb a fence to get into this thing, jumped in - and yes, at feeding time.
NGUYEN: Oh my goodness.
OK, so zoo workers did save her life by tossing her those rescue rings and then pulling her to safety - but not until after one of those bears bit her several times. You saw a little bit of that in the video that we were showing you.
She was taken to the hospital with severe injuries. There's no word on why she jumped in with the bears, but police did give her - look at that shot. Ouch. They did give her a ticket for trespassing.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLGIST: A ticket? Guys - guys, no - no offense or anything, but is it - are - are you surprised that - that - that this happened?
Let me show you something, all you viewers across America. This is a scientific drawing....
NGUYEN: OK.
WOLF: ...talking about the scale difference between a person and a polar bear.
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: This is a polar bear. Don't know if you guys can't see at home.
(CROSSTALK)
WOLF: Fifteen hundred pounds. Fifteen hundred pounds of animal...
NGUYEN: That's huge.
WOLF: ...about 10 feet in height. We're talking about a big guy.
Notice the expression - the terrified expression on the victim. Not a good scenario. Any time you have those numbers up against each other, it's always going to be bad. And she went into their enclosure. Smart? I don't think so. (INAUDIBLE)
NGUYEN: I just - we just - we're still scratching our heads trying to figure out why.
WOLF: What was she thinking? What was she thinking? Why do this?
HOLMES: Why? NGUYEN: They're feeding; hey, let me jump in?
WOLF: Yes, it was during dinner time, wasn't it?
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: Yes, and then watch right here, as they pull her up. You see the polar bear bite her on the rear. Ooh. Oh my goodness.
Well, as we said, she is at the hospital. And - and we do appreciate the little drawing that you had for us.
(CROSSTALK)
WOLF: Yes, and also, she's not Michael Phelps? You know, it's not like she's going to outswim the bears. So, I mean...
NGUYEN: Reynolds.
WOLF: I'm serious. Just - just - just putting that out there.
HOLMES: And again, we don't know - I mean, we've seen cases like this around the country and around the world sometimes. Sometimes people are, you know, inebriated sometimes, and they do stupid stuff. And we don't know about this woman's mental condition...
NGUYEN: We don't - yes.
HOLMES: ...as well.
NGUYEN: Right.
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: That's why there's a big fence there. That's why there's a big wall there...
HOLMES: Hence - yes.
NGUYEN: ...to keep you out.
HOLMES: All right.
NGUYEN: We'll continue to follow that. Thank you, Reynolds.
WOLF: Scary times, guys.
HOLMES: Thank you, Reynolds.
WOLF: You bet.
NGUYEN: All right.
So it is the No. 1 read, the No. 1 clicked-on story on CNN.com this morning. HOLMES: Yes, President Obama is delivering the commencement address at Arizona State. So a lot of times, they give these addresses, and you would assume they would give these honorary degrees.
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: But ASU said, 'No, it's not going to happen.' But they're doing something else to thank him. Let you decide if that's enough.
NGUYEN: And it is the day that we've all been waiting for. You know what I'm talking about.
HOLMES: Yes. Yes.
NGUYEN: The Obamas get a new pet. It's a dog. So what did they decide on? Well, we have the answer.
HOLMES: All right.
Also, Reynolds Wolf, he's not just drawing stick figures this morning.
WOLF: No.
HOLMES: He is checking on your Easter Day forecast. What's it going to be like?
WOLF: Well, guys, I'll tell you what we could see: Easter-egg-size hail falling from the skies in places like Louisiana. West Texas, too, could see some heavy rainfall before the day is out.
We're going to give you the complete forecast, and let you know what you can expect if you happen to be tuning into the Masters.
That's moments away.
HOLMES: All right, Reynolds. We appreciate you.
And how do you feel about immigrants changing their last names, even their first names sometimes, so they can sound more American or make it easier for Americans to pronounce their names?
NGUYEN: All right. It was suggested by a Texas state representative, and we've been getting your e-mails all weekend long. We want more of them this morning.
Sound off on this: What do you think? Should Asian-Americans - should anyone with an ethnic last name have to change it? Maybe even a first name. Should they have to change it so it's easier to pronounce?
Let us know what you think. Go to our Facebook pages. Go to Twitter. We're on all of those. Also at weekends@cnn.com. There's plenty of ways to reach out. We're going to read some of those responses on the air.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: OK, so finally, firefighters in the Southwest are getting a little help from the weather as they battle those blazes in Texas and Oklahoma. Fire crews are facing calmer winds in Texas, struggling to contain more than 122,000 burning acres. Just look at all of these fires.
I will tell you that three people have been killed and dozens of homes destroyed since wind-driven fires broke out in Texas on Thursday.
Now, in Oklahoma, grass fires have flared up again in two counties. The blazes forced temporary evacuations until firefighters could bring them under control. And officials report no injuries, no loss of homes in Oklahoma. So that is some really good news.
But other parts of the South - well, they're going to see some storms today. It's Easter Sunday.
WOLF: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: A lot of folks getting ready to go to church and to celebrate those Easter-egg hunts.
WOLF: Mm-hmm.
NGUYEN: Storms outside? You may have to bring those in, I guess.
WOLF: Definitely going to see some of those back in parts of central Texas, right along parts of the I-35 corridor. And I - I - you could see some more of that also in Louisiana later today, possibly some severe storms there.
NGUYEN: Really.
WOLF: Maybe even some tornados before all is said and done.
You know, you were talking about fires, and one thing that often causes fires in nature is lightning.
NGUYEN: Mm-hmm.
WOLF: Quite a bit of lightning.
And one of our I-Reporters sent in this incredible video. Take a look at this awesome shot of Mother Nature putting on a light show right here in Atlanta. Our I-Reporter Jason Phillips (ph) from South Carolina took this shot.
NGUYEN: Look at that.
WOLF: Look at that.
NGUYEN: That is pretty amazing.
WOLF: Amazing camera...
NGUYEN: Yes. WOLF: ...to get that shot, too. It looks pretty good. That was actually from the Sundial Restaurant. That's up on top of the Westin Hotel, which actually still has a little bit of damage from the tornados that struck over a year ago.
And if you have any video or pictures you'd like to share with us - it doesn't have to be just lightning. Betty, you know - I mean, we like all pictures that people send in. Appropriate ones, mind you. But still pictures nevertheless.
And if you could send into us some IReports, we'd be happy to share them.
You know, that video that we just showed you - or at least those pictures that we showed you from Jason Phillips, we could see that scene play out again today in parts of Texas. That is certainly what we're seeing right now.
A couple locations we're going to zoom in on would be right along parts of Oklahoma City. We take you southward along parts of I-35 into Dallas, we see a little bit of a development just to the southeast of Lawton at this time. Everything going to the - the East.
If you happen to be, I'd say on the east side of Dallas, in the next 10 to 15 minutes, you're going to see the wind - or at least, feel the wind. And then the sprinkles and heavier rain showers. And then I'd say, within a half hour to a full hour, you're going to see this begin to push over towards Texarkana and Austin. It's right near - Balcones Escarpment, you're getting some rainfall now. Expect that later on this morning, too.
Now, here's been one of the other issues - and we were touching on this yesterday. People that are cleaning up, in Mena, Arkansas - still cleaning up all the rubble from that big, big tornado that zipped through that part of the world. They're going to be dealing with some scattered showers, perhaps even some thunderstorms later on today. You'd be advised on that.
Temperatures today warming to 74 degrees on your Easter Sunday for Dallas; 79 in Houston. Now, in Atlanta and Tampa, mainly 70s and 80s; 84 in Miami; 56 in Washington, D.C.; 49 in Denver; and LA, 70 degrees.
Again, as I mentioned earlier, at the very top of the weathercast, New Orleans, parts of central Louisiana, Baton Rouge, be prepared for the chance of some rough weather later on, especially into the mid-to- late-afternoon hours. Possibly some strong thunderstorms, maybe even some tornados.
Let's send it back to you guys.
HOLMES: All right.
NGUYEN: All right.
HOLMES: Before we let you go though, how are things in D.C. tomorrow, weatherwise? WOLF: Things are going to be OK. Problem is, it's going to be OK early. Later on into the morning hours, possibly some rain, maybe even a few thunderstorms there, too.
HOLMES: Eeeh (ph). All right. Well, that might not work so well in the morning with the Easter Egg Roll...
NGUYEN: Oh yes.
HOLMES: ....that's going to be happening at the White House. I believe it's scheduled to start - we can show you this video from last year, at least - this is always a big fun, festive time there at the White House. But it goes all day.
The theme this year is "Let's Go Play." Aww.
NGUYEN: Aww.
WOLF: Strawberry head.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Now this is focusing on educating kids about the importance of living a healthy and active lifestyle. Easter Bunny, of course, will be there tomorrow as well.
The souvenir egg this year supposed to be the greenest egg in White House Easter Egg Roll history.
NGUYEN: Oh, look at that.
HOLMES: The first time the egg design...
NGUYEN: It has an official seal.
HOLMES: Oh wow. Even the bunny has a seal.
It's the first time that the egg design has been available to families before the actual roll. So a lot going on. This is a big deal.
NGUYEN: So if it's raining there tomorrow morning, do they bring it inside the White House?
WOLF: That's a great question.
NGUYEN: I kind of think not.
WOLF: I can't imagine them running through the West Wing chasing Easter eggs.
NGUYEN: No.
WOLF: I mean, I - I don't know.
NGUYEN: But you know, for the folks who are having to bring those Easter-egg hunts inside today, please count the eggs. Number them. Because...
HOLMES: You don't want to lose an egg.
NGUYEN: ...sure enough, you'll lose one, and something's going to be smelling in the house, and you're going, 'That's where the egg was.'
WOLF: But that's the magic of Easter.
NGUYEN: Is that...
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: I mean, it really is. That's the...
NGUYEN: ...the gift that keeps on giving?
WOLF: The gift that keeps on giving.
HOLMES: OK.
WOLF: And just the - the name itself, Easter Egg Roll, sounds delicious.
NGUYEN: Oh, goodness. All right. Thank you, Reynolds.
HOLMES: All right. Renny (ph), (INAUDIBLE)
WOLF: Mmm.
NGUYEN: Here's another story that we've been following: You remember Arizona State University - Arizona State University, that is, seems to be backtracking...
HOLMES: A bit.
NGUYEN: ...a little bit after saying it will not give President Obama an honorary degree when he delivers its commencement address next month.
HOLMES: Backtracking just a bit.
The school now saying they'll pay tribute to the president in another way, by expanding its most important scholarship program, and then naming it after him.
NGUYEN: Mm-hmm.
HOLMES: Hmm.
The university raised eyebrows when a spokeswoman said it would not give the president an honorary degree because it's a university practice to recognize somebody for their "body of work."
Betty, getting to the White House does not really qualify as quite an accomplishment just yet, according to some.
NGUYEN: But didn't they give that to a state - or a senator at one point?
HOLMES: A lot of folks they've given it to...
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: ...who he - only a one-term senator, the one I believe...
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: ..you're talking about. Sandra Day O'Connor, she got one. I believe she was only in her first few years of being on the Supreme Court.
So they're waiting to see his body of work, if you will.
Now later, the university's president said there was no intent to slight President Obama. Well, all right.
Well, we're going to be telling you another story. Telling you a little bit about this yesterday, but musicians who were unheard of just a few weeks ago, now playing at Carnegie Hall.
NGUYEN: Can you imagine? It is an opportunity of a lifetime, and we're going to show it to you right here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. PAT SIMON, U.S. ARMY: Hi, everyone. I'm Major Pat Simon with the 225th Engineer Brigade out here at Camp Liberty, Iraq. These engineers are doing a great job out here. I just wanted to let you know.
I also want to say hi to my family and friends, from New Orleans to Shreveport and in between. Hope to see you soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: OK. So what happens...
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: ...when you mix "American Idol" with YouTube and classical music?
HOLMES: I really don't know.
NGUYEN: Well, you end up with a pretty interesting concert at Carnegie Hall. That's what it is.
HOLMES: Sounds like. Josh Levs here to tell us about the YouTube symphony...
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes.
HOLMES: ..that we've been hearing about the last couple days. Good morning.
LEVS: Good morning to you guys.
Yes, it's really cool, because in the end, we're talking about these people all over the world, 30 different countries who out of nowhere, are going to have this dream fulfilled when they grab these seats here as part of this orchestra. Never done before, nothing like it.
This is the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello, I am Fezsir (ph). And I play the classical guitar.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I started playing the violin when I was 5 years old.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hello. I am Detos (ph) from Romania, and I play violin.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS (voice-over): They're coming from all over the world to live out a dream.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm at Carnegie Hall all the way from Vinita (ph).
(SINGING)
LEVS: Three thousands people submitted audition videos on YouTube.
(MUSIC)
LEVS: Music professionals chose 200 finalists. Then YouTube users voted. Ninety-six people from 30 countries will get to fill these seats.
JENNIFER LINDSAY, YOUTUBE SYMPHONY: I am 28 years old. I work as a systems engineer for a government contractor out in Los Angeles.
(MUSIC)
LINDSAY: There's no other way that someone like me, who's not even a professional musician, would have ever made it to Carnegie Hall. (MUSIC)
LEVS: Bass play Kurt Hinterbichler is working on a PhD in physics. He pulled his bass out of the closet.
KURT HINTERBICHLER, YOUTUBE SYMPHONY: There was a lot of rust there. But, you know, I had practiced many years in college and high school before there.
Carnegie Hall is still sort of the unofficial pinnacle of achievement for the classical-music world. You know, you - one - once you've made it to Carnegie Hall, you've really made it.
(MUSIC)
LEVS: If (ph) YouTube's idea, mixing classical music with the power of the Internet and a little bit of "American Idol."
ED SANDERS, PRODUCE MARKETING MGR., YOUTUBE: The classical-music world was always something that, you know, strives for perfection. And it was probably seen as something that was traditional and even outdated and - and somewhat elitist.
But - but I think this - this project is going to show that that's not actually the case. And we hope this is - this is game-changing in the sense that it redefines the audition space, it brings people closer together and - and - and lets them collaborate, you know, transcending geographical and linguistic boundaries.
LEVS: Google, which owns YouTube, is covering the costs of travel for the winning musicians to come to New York.
Now is their moment to shine. They know they'd better be ready.
LINDSAY: Yes. Yes, for the past few weeks, my schedule has been work, eat, practice and sleep, pretty much around the clock.
LEVS (on camera): People fly from all over the world, only have a couple days to become a fantastic orchestra together.
Do you think that will be done?
LINDSAY: Oh, absolutely. Do not underestimate the motivational power of playing at Carnegie Hall.
LEVS (voice-over): They also have another incentive: The chance to be led by one of the world's most respected conductors: Michael Tilson Thomas, who had final say on whether they made the cut.
MICHAEL TILSON THOMAS, CONDUCTOR, YOUTUBE SYMPHONY: Get those notes under your fingers, get those rhythms inside of your body and - and any minute we'll be together and have - I know it's going to be a really good time.
(MUSIC)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: And Betty and T.J., according to the Carnegie Hall Web site, right behind me, right here, carnegiehall.org, there are still some tickets available for Wednesday between $25 and $50. Not too bad in this economy, and given the amount of work that's going into this and the whole dream element, should be a - should be a pretty cool show Wednesday night.
NGUYEN: Absolutely.
All right. So how many people voted in this contest?
LEVS: You know, a - they won't say how many people voted for each person. But they will tell me - that 14 million visitors went to (INAUDIBLE) - but there were 14 million page views at this YouTube page...
NGUYEN: Wow.
LEVS: ...where you could vote. A lot of them were doing a lot of voting for any of these people.
And if you check out YouTube.com/symphony, you could see all the people who auditioned over here, and you can see just the winners along here. Click any section of the orchestra. Check it out; they have videos for each person. They really went all out on this thing.
NGUYEN: Yes. That's cool.
LEVS: So, you know, if it takes off, maybe we'll see it every year.
NGUYEN: OK. Thank you, Josh.
HOLMES: All right. Thanks, Josh.
LEVS: Thanks a lot.
NGUYEN: Well, Navy sailors made a daring attempt to rescue the American captain being held by pirates. But they turned back. We're going to tell you why.
HOLMES: Also, we were watching a lot of deadly weather over the weekend. And look at this: One of those tornados was caught on tape in Tennessee. Reynolds Wolf has more details on this tornado that tore a 15-mile path of destruction.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Good morning and welcome back to the CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes, good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
OK, it is Easter Sunday. We do invite you to stay with us; we have a lot to show you, including this, a live picture of an Easter message being heard around the world at this hour. Pope Benedict focusing on love, strength and hope in this - on this Easter morning. Again, this is happening in St. Peter's Square in the Vatican City, and the Mass is taking place under overcast skies. Yet you hardly notice with all of - well, you can't see it in this shot, but there's a lot of people in crowd, and a lot of flowers, traditional pageantry.
Look at the baby there.
The ceremony comes one day, though, after Italy buried many of the victims from Monday's devastating earthquake.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR, CNN SUNDAY MORNING: Also, we take you to New Orleans now. No arrests have been made yet in the killing of three people at a home outside New Orleans. Two of the victims children, a 23-month-old baby and a six-year-old boy. They were shot and killed along with a 19 year-old woman. Also an 11-year-old girl is in stable condition with several gunshot wounds. Police say they are looking for two men who broke in and started shooting.
NGUYEN: Well, the crew of the U.S. flagged Maersk are docked safely in Mombasa, Kenya. But their thoughts are with that person right there, Captain Phillips. They say he surrendered himself to Somali pirates in order to save his crew. Right now he is still being held hostage just off the coast of Somalia. The U.S. Navy and FBI negotiators are still working to deal with some way to free him.
HOLMES: Here is what we know about the captain, Captain Richard Phillips. He is a graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, graduated in 1979. Has more than 20 years experience on the high seas. His previous job, a cab driver. He's 53 years old, lives with his wife in Vermont. The couple has two children in college. And officials say, even though this thing has been going on for some days now, they go up to five days with the pirates showing no signs still that they are giving up anytime soon.
NGUYEN: In fact, CNN's Barbara Starr tells us the pirates fired off warning shots at the U.S. Navy when they got close yesterday. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (on camera): A U.S. official directly familiar with that what is going on off the coast of Somali, tells CNN a small Naval party from the USS Bainbridge boarded a small boat and tried to approach the lifeboat, in which Captain Phillips is being held.
When that Naval party got near the lifeboat, the pirates fired warning shots, apparently. And the U.S. Navy retreated very quickly, not wanting to do anything to endanger Captain Phillips.
The goal of the United States is to get him safely released and take the pirates into custody, according tot his official. Since that incident there has been additional word that Captain Phillips is uninjured and OK, according to this official. But there is a good deal of concern. By all accounts, the lifeboat has now moved within miles of the border of Somalia, off the coastline of that very troubled country. The U.S. Navy is keeping watch 24/7. Barbara Starr, CNN, Bahrain.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: This isn't the only hostage situation that we have been watching pretty closely. I want to give you a look at some of the French hostages that were freed on Friday, after being held for almost a week.
HOLMES: Yes, four adults and a child had been held aboard their yacht since they were seized in the Gulf of Aiden last Saturday. One hostage and two pirates died during a rescue operation. Three pirates were captured. The military made its move after the pirates refused several offers, including one to swap an officer for the mother and child who were on board. The pirates had also threatened to execute the hostages one by one. The possibility that the pirates could take their hostages ashore prompted the mission.
NGUYEN: That just really illustrates why situation, dealing the with the U.S. captain, T.J., is just so volatile. And they are moving, you know, just really walking a fine line in dealing with those pirates out there.
HOLMES: And we know most of the time, most of the time, these things end peacefully, because the ransom is paid, hostages come back unharmed. But it's a reminder here that these things can still end badly. See what happens when there is some kind of intervention and people say why don't the sailors have guns.
NGUYEN: Just swoop in and - yeah.
HOLMES: It starts a fire fight and people get hurt and people get killed. So a reminder how dangerous it is.
NGUYEN: And as we've been reporting, I mean, this is the first time in what, some 200 years, these Somali pirates have attacked a U.S. ship?
HOLMES: A U.S. ship.
NGUYEN: So, you don't have a whole lot of history to go by with a situation like this. Although, they are obviously very trained in hostage situations dealing with the U.S. Navy. But it is a very delicate dance out there. And we are watching it very closely.
Well, as you can imagine, most hostage negotiations can be very tense and very tricky, especially with lives and sometimes millions of dollars on the line. So to get a better perspective we talked to a former military intelligence officer. And here is what he had to say on CNN's "Anderson Cooper".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR, ANDERSON COOPER 360, (on camera): Short of paying money, which doesn't seem like the U.S. Navy is going to be doing, unless -I mean, do you think they would? KEN ROBINSON, TERRORISM & NAT'L. SECURITY ANALYST: Up until now, all the negotiations have been through the insurance companies, dealing directly with the Somali pirates in the safe-haven area, Puntland, which is north of Somalia and Mogadishu. And they communicate over international satellite communications. They're talking to those pirates on board that vessel, right now, the same way. I've been told all they want right now is, they want to get to the shore because they fear the same thing happening to them. And then they want to negotiate for some form of ransom, or some form of deal once they feel that they are safe. That is probably going to be unacceptable to the United States Navy.
COOPER: What do you think about how the French operation went down?
ROBINSON: I think it's remarkable more hostages were not killed. It's very hard for those things to be surgical because you only have a matter of seconds to be able to overwhelm with fire power the adversary. It's really remarkable that more weren't killed.
COOPER: And now what happens - I mean, once this thing is resolved, however it gets resolved in whether it is a day or a couple days, what happens now? I mean, ships are still going to be going through here. There are still going to be pirates. Are we just going to go through this every so often? Every time an American is kidnapped or is there going to be some sort of more regular military presence that is going to have to be involved here?
ROBINSON: I think the last couple days is a watershed event, because it is the first time in 200 years that an American flag ship has been taken. The last time we had this problem in this heavy way was the Barbary pirates, and Thomas Jefferson sent the Navy halfway around the world to solve the problem.
Now President Obama has a real policy issue, because they have been hesitant to wade back into Somalia. In order to deal with this problem, you can't deal with it on the high seas, because you are simply reacting to an event. They have to go after the safe haven, they have to go after that place from which plan, train, equip and finance themselves. And also, this is very lucrative. This is the most successful business in a failed state; $81 million in one year is not anything to sniff at.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And you can watch "Anderson Cooper 360" weeknights at 10 p.m. Eastern.
HOLMES: All right. We will turn to some severe weather now that hit Murfreesboro, Tennessee pretty hard. Take a look at some of the pictures. More, that we have been getting in this weekend. These were taken now by iReporter Josh Beasley. It captures some of that damage left behind after that town got hit by a tornado.
Also, got some more video that Reynolds is going be showing us here. We get more and more pictures. I mean, this thing has happened over the past couple of days with iReporters starting to check in and we are starting to see more video and tornadoes actually captured on video.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I know, hard to believe. We know today with today's modern technology people are able to go beyond the boundary and get shots like this one, T.J.
I mean, look at that. You can just make out that low-hanging cloud. You see the funnel, itself. It's making contact with the ground. Just from this view it's hard to believe that thing can cause so much widespread destruction. And not just in parts of Tennessee, but we have seen that, T.J., in Alabama, we have seen it in the Carolinas, of course, and Mena, Arkansas.
This is just the start of really severe weather season. You are going to see this playing out.
HOLMES: Have they confirmed most of these? It seems so weird sometimes. You have to wait for them to confirm that they are tornadoes, but are they starting to confirm that -
WOLF: Oh, there is no question.
HOLMES: Oh, yeah.
WOLF: Absolutely. I mean, just by looking at some of the wreckage. Some of it you can just take a peak at, especially when you go up above. You are taking aerial observations. It doesn't take much at all to really confirm these things. But, again, it's that time of year. In springtime we often see these storms.
(WEATHER FORECAST)
NGUYEN: We have received so many responses from viewers on this very topic. A Texas lawmaker suggesting that Asians change their last names to make it easier to deal with. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BETTY BROWN, TEXAS STATE LEGISLATOR: Well, rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese, I understand it's a rather difficult language.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right.
BROWN: Do you think that it would behoove you, and your citizens, to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Oh, my gosh.
NGUYEN: Well, don't forget to e-mail us. We want you to sound off on this. We know you have thoughts about it. Because we have heard many of them already. Also, on Facebook and Twitter, go to those pages. You can see them right there, at Weekends @ CNN.com. You can reach us there. There are plenty of ways for you to let us know what you think about that very idea of having Asian-Americans change their last name so they can, quote, be "easier to deal with". Send us your thoughts, we'll read them on the air.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STAFF SGT. BRIAN RAY, U.S. AIR FORCE: I'm Staff Sergeant Brian Ray (ph). Currently located at joint airbase Ballad. I would like to say, hi, back home in Fort Worth, Texas, to my wife Stephanie, and my son, Conner. Happy Easter, guys. Love you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: I just love those messages.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: As they say hello back home on these holidays. Wishing that they could be here, but that is the best they can do at this point. And I know the family back in Fort Worth Texas, really enjoyed seeing that. So we really do appreciate it.
All right. Here is a story we have gotten a whole lot of feedback on. Let me set it up for you once again.
HOLMES: Please, yes.
NGUYEN: A Texas lawmaker is suggesting that Asian-American consider a name change to avoid voter identification confusion.
HOLMES: And mind you, this lawmaker has a very - shall we say, I think it's fair to say a very common and easy name to spell.
NGUYEN: Yes, Betty Brown.
HOLMES: You can't get much easier than that. She has said - there she is -that this has been a misunderstanding, however, but some are still demanding an apology. We get the story from Jenny Hoff, of our affiliate KXAN in Austin.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JENNY HOFF, REPORTER KXAN NEWS (voice-over): Just when you thought you had heard it all during the debate over voter ID, Representative Betty Brown offers and attention getting suggestion as to how to solve the problem of Asian Americans getting turned away at the polls.
RAMEY KO, TESTIFIED AT HEARING: Chinese, Japanese and Korean names are not written with the English alphabet and have multiple parts. When Asian-Americans transliterate these names, for documentation and IDs, there are frequently inconsistencies.
HOFF: Ramey Ko said poor translation often leads to names being spelled differently on photo ID and voter rolls.
BETTY BROWN, (R) TEXAS STATE LEGISLATOR: Well, rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese. I understand it is a rather difficult language.
KO: Right.
BROWN: Do you think that it would behoove you, and your citizens, to adopt a name we could deal with more readily here?
(LAUGHTER)
KO: Well -
BROWN: I'm not talking about changing your name. I'm talking about the transliteration of whatever you refer to there.
KO: Well -
BROWN: That you could use with us.
RICK GUERRERO, TEXAS DEMOCRATIC PARTY: I was certainly shocked and appalled that one of our lawmakers would certainly make a comment like this. And I think that my feelings were shared by everyone else in the audience as well.
HOFF: The Texas Democratic Party is now asking for a formal apology from Brown, calling her remarks, "culturally insensitive."
BROWN: I didn't mean to infer that at all. And I think I have made that plain.
HOFF: Brown says she just misunderstood the issue and has since reached out to Ko.
BROWN: We are ready to work with any of these people that are having problems. And educate us on anything that might be going on that we were unaware of.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: OK, says she didn't mean it. And it really, as she says, was misunderstood.
HOLMES: Misunderstanding. Yes, and she apologized there, you saw. And she also put out a statement apologizing for the remark.
Also a New York City -yes, a New York City -- councilman dipping in now, demanded an apology. Said her apology is a fair first step. Also that it does not go far enough. So maybe this will spark a discussion. And it says that more folks who are -more Americans, who should maybe take the time to welcome in and learn more about the cultures of people who are coming to this country.
NGUYEN: Well, you know, we do want to hear from you. And you have definitely started sending e-mails to us. We do appreciate your responses. Let's get to some of them.
Let's go to my Facebook page first. This Asian American says, I say we stop using the English alphabet and go back to Asian symbols, just to mess with them."
And this other one, this other person on my Facebook page says, "This is the very proof of reality in American, the land of the free and the home of the brave. I wonder, what does Miss Brown think about the president's name?"
HOLMES: Ah, you know, there was a lot of talk about the president's name. But everybody is accustomed to it now. We have plenty more here. We'll try to get to in just a little bit. We are going to wrap it now. But we have so many more coming. Please keep those coming into us.
NGUYEN: This has really set off a firestorm, hasn't it?
HOLMES: It has set everybody off with a lot of opinions, actually, on both sides. We know it's a common practice. A lot of immigrants do change their names. But it's their choice. They don't want somebody telling them to do it.
NGUYEN: For them to change it, yes.
HOLMES: Well, we want to turn to the Mexican drug trade. Not just a border issue. There is one city that is becoming America's hub for drugs.
NGUYEN: And a car chase in California you absolutely have to see. She took officers on a crazy ride. But wait 'til you see how this ended.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: The president will stretch his Easter holiday into the start of next week. Tomorrow, the annual Easter Egg Roll at the White House. And after that the president will turn to something much different. He will be discussing infrastructure projects in his Recovery Act. Then on Tuesday he welcomes last year's World Series champs, the Philadelphia Phillies. They'll be at the White House. Then on Thursday he travels to Mexico. Not going to Cabo San Lucas, however. He's going to be meeting with the Mexican President Felipe Calderon, discussing some serious business. Then on Friday leaves for Trinidad to attend the Summit of the Americas, which brings together leaders from North and South America.
NGUYEN: Let's talk about this now. Smuggling guns and drug from Mexico to the Northeast. Federal agents say it has become easier as drug cartels gaining a foothold in one Southern city. CNN's Brooke Baldwin takes us on what is dubbed the New Southwest Border.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Drugs, weapons, and cold hard cash; it's a lethal combination fueling the Mexican drug cartels. And according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, now a new city has emerged as the staging ground for this deadly trade.
RODNEY BENSON, SPECIAL AGENT-IN-CHARGE, DEA, ATLANTA: Metro Atlanta is a hub for business in the Southeast. It is also a hub of operations for Mexican organized crime.
BALDWIN: Atlanta, prime real estate for drug distribution, according to the DEA's top Atlanta agent, Rodney Benson. He agreed to take CNN on a special aerial tour to illustrate how these deals go down, starting with the Southern city's web of freeway.
BENSON: You can go east, west, north, north, through Metro Atlanta, moving shipments of drugs from the southwest boarder, all the way up the Eastern Seaboard.
BALDWIN: Before that can happen, the driver must wait here, at truck stops just like this one, often in broad daylight.
BENSON: A truck driver arriving to a place like this, will then wait. It could be as soon as an hour, it could be two or three days. Then they will receive instructions.
BALDWIN: Next, the driver heads to a warehouse. Benson says there is plenty to pick from in Atlanta. There the drugs are parceled out and sent to dealers throughout the U.S. But the drivers are not done. They use the same trucks to smuggle money and guns back into Mexico. In 2008, Atlanta led the nation with $70 million in confiscated cash, according to the DEA. And last September, federal agents, along with local law enforcement, rounded up 34 members of Mexico's Gold Cartel in Atlanta area alone, part of a nationwide effort called, Project Reckoning.
(On camera): If you think drug cartels are keeping their high-dollar drug operations in the gritty inner city, think again. The DEA says they prefer the suburbs. They move into quite, middle-class neighborhood, just like this one, with where they set up shop stockpiling drugs and cash before distributing them.
(Voice-over): Last July, a group of men with cartel connections lured a Rhode Island drug dealer to this Gwinnett County home. They chained him, beat him, and held him hostage demanding he pay $300,000 they say he owed. The DEA raided the home before it was too late.
BENSON: There is no doubt in my mind that if we didn't act when we did he would have been dead.
BALDWIN: Three men got caught and pleaded guilty, but the rest escaped. Benson says the explosive growth of Hispanic immigrants in Metro Atlanta is yet another reason why Mexican cartels come here, allowing them to blend in here and disappear, enabling this deadly drug trade to rage on, spreading roots in this Southern city. Brooke Baldwin, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: One story we are following this morning, that American cargo ship captain, still held hostage by pirates. We talked to one father who knows very well what he's going through.
NGUYEN: His son was also on that ship. And what he says was the scariest thing about pirates coming aboard. We are going to show that to you, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: They have to put up the name of the song and the artists, because we usually don't know it.
NGUYEN: I knew that one. We busted out "Footloose" for you this morning because it is very appropriate. We want you to take a look at this piece of video.
WOLF: Do we have to?
NGUYEN: Yes, we do.
HOLMES: We do.
WOLF: Who is this?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF (on camera): I was going dance for you.
NGUYEN: Is that the robot? What are you doing there, Reynolds?
WOLF: You know, some people start off by just doing their own dance moves. You don't really need --
NGUYEN: Is that how you stay warm? Where was -yeah, this was in Fargo.
WOLF: This was is after about 12 hours of going live. Which is a very dire situation we were talking about. But you got to stay warm out there. Everyone else is in the beauty and splendor of our live truck, which is nice and warm, while I'm outside freezing.
HOLMES: We got slow-mo now.
NGUYEN: Look at the shoulder role.
WOLF: Absolutely, absolutely. See, I'm down for it. I'm not a poser. I'm like a walking, talking Stradivarius.
HOLMES: What's that? What do you call that move?
WOLF: That is called the bunny.
NGUYEN: Oh, the bunny? I was going say the reindeer.
WOLF: It's called the insane bunny.
NGUYEN: Nice move.
WOLF: It's coming up, it's coming up. There we go, yeah, yeah, I'm feeling it. Oh, yeah, I'm down. Here we go. I almost did a caterpillar.
HOLMES: Oh, my goodness.
NGUYEN: That's good stuff.
WOLF: Michael Jackson called me a little while ago and was asking me for some latest moves and I'm going to bust that -
NGUYEN: Maybe you are going to be a backup dancer on his tour? You know, he's going on tour in Europe.
WOLF: I've already done that. I did that a few years ago.
NGUYEN: Oh, did you?
WOLF: Don't need to revisit that. That was in the past.
HOLMES: We have more video. I don't know if you will say it is as, or less, frightening than what we just saw.
But look at this. This is one, Betty, you can walk us through this one. You were on the air the air when you were going through this chase, while you were doing the news last week.
NGUYEN: OK, yeah. This chase occurred in Southern California. It reached speeds of 100-miles per hour. It went on for, gosh, I don't know about an half hour to an hour. Look at this video. They were chasing each other in circles for a minute, which is kind of odd.
WOLF: The old circle ploy.
NGUYEN: And then you will see them get on the freeway. Look, spinning out and all of that. OK, back on the freeway and then she gets out.
HOLMES: Oh, it's a she?
NGUYEN: Yeah.
HOLMES: Oh, OK.
NGUYEN: Yes.
This started as a domestic violence call.
HOLMES: Oh!
NGUYEN: But what you'll see later, and hopefully we have the video of it.
HOLMES: Oh!
NGUYEN: OK, yelling at the officers. Officers take chase. Right there, hits the vehicle. But this is only part of it folks.
HOLMES: My goodness.
NGUYEN: At the very end, they surround her with all these patrol cars. One of the officers jumps on the roofer of the vehicle. Another officer -here it is, right here -another officer gets out and starts beating in the passengers side window. You have got watch this because it is really compelling video.
The woman is not getting out and this is the take down. We miss the other portion of it. But they had to literally pull her outside of the vehicle through the window.
So, needless to say, she is in custody.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Wow.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: She is in custody.
All right. Well, the next hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING starts right now.
And from the CNN Center in Atlanta, you are with us on this Happy Easter Sunday. Glad you can be here. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Hello, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen. And it is 7:00 a.m. right here on the east coast, 4:00 a.m. on the west coast. We do want to thank you for starting your day with us on this Easter.
OK. Here is something that you may not want to do -- ever.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: OK? Note to self. Do not jump into a polar bear pond there while they are feeding. We want you to take a look at situation in the Berlin zoo, as zookeepers there had to fight off the bears, trying to pull this woman to safety. We have more details on exactly what happened here -- straight ahead.
HOLMES: And another mystery in Washington, D.C. This one is -- where will the president show up with his family for Easter services? A lot of people have been lobbying the president.
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: Right. Come to our church.
HOLMES: Come to our church. So, 19th Street Baptist, St. John's Church, what everybody's tightly held secret right now. Everybody is waiting to see where he might show up.
NGUYEN: And President Obama hasn't attended public church services in Washington since taking the oath of office. And several churches are vying, as we mentioned, to get the first family's membership.
We want to tell you about this also -- an Easter message of strength and hope. That is being heard around the world this morning. As you are getting up, mass is unfolding at the Vatican. And earlier this morning, Pope Benedict XVI's Easter message delivered in 63 languages. The Pope celebrates his 82nd birthday on Thursday, and he sounded a little hoarse last night but seems rejuvenated this morning. HOLMES: Now, U.N. Security Council may now condemn North Korea's recent rocket launch. It could sign a draft statement scolding the country for breaking international law. North Korea sent up a rocket a week ago, but it fell apart over the water. The council met in an emergency session that same day but did not take action.
NGUYEN: Well, there had been no arrests yet in the killings of three people at a home outside of New Orleans. Two children are among the dead. A 23-month old baby, a 6-year-odl, they were shot and killed along with a 19-year-old woman. Now, an 11-year-old girl is in stable condition with several gunshot wounds.
And police say they are looking for two men who broke in and shot them all. But at this point, they do not have a motive.
And five days after it was attacked by pirates, the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama has finally made it to Mombasa, Kenya, to drop off relief supplies. Its American crew obviously happy to be at port but very worried about their captain.
HOLMES: Yes. He's still several hundred miles out in that lifeboat. Pirates are still holding him hostage there. They've been drifting out there for five days now. They have about 10 days of rations -- we were told -- on that boat.
Well, yesterday, Navy sailors tried to reach that lifeboat. But then the pirates opened fire. We're told they fired off some warning shots that forced the sailors back.
Just this weekend also, there have been at least two other pirate attacks. The latest one we saw was yesterday, when a group of pirates attacked an Italian tugboat that was pulling barges.
More now on the crew of the Maersk Alabama. Officials have been trying to keep them away from the media, fairly successful. But yesterday, after the ship docked in Kenya, CNN's Stan Grant got close enough to ask a few questions and talk to them about how the crew was able to take one of the pirates hostage.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This guy is the hero. Him and the chief engineer, they took down the pirate. The pirate's name was Abdul Mohamed (ph). I got a picture of him. They tackled him in the engine room. (INAUDIBLE). It was all quite in the engine room. And he led them down there in the engine room and him and the chief jumped him. (INAUDIBLE). We were all hiding out, but it was hot down there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Well, the family of those crew members are happy that they are safe, but all eyes are on the hostage situation involving Captain Richard Phillips.
CNN's Susan Candiotti spoke with the father of one of the crewmembers and some other sailors at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Captain Joseph Murphy teaches at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy but he's a father first. He spoke by phone with his son, Shane, now safe in a Kenyan port.
CAPT. JOSEPH MURPHY, SON IS ON MAERSK ALABAMA: He said, "Dad, this has been unbelievable."
CANDIOTTI: Shane took the helm of the Maersk Alabama after pirates took Captain Richard Phillips hostage. His son said the hardest part was leaving Captain Phillips in the hands of pirates.
MURPHY: He said that the crew was very disappointed that they had to leave the captain behind. They realized that by doing so they were following orders and perhaps doing what was best in his case. They are very concerned about his safe return and, I'm sure, if ask, they would immediately go back on scene and rescue him if possible.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fire.
CANDIOTTI: Coincidentally, Captain Murphy is teaching a course in piracy, the first ever at a U.S. maritime academy to include small arms training. His son Shane was a guest lecturer only a couple of weeks ago.
Despite the Maersk attack, many cadets say they are ready to face any danger.
JAMES MCFARLAND, CADET, MASS. MARITIME ACADEMY: It certainly heightened my awareness out on the seas. But it has not changed my idea that's a ship hazard (ph).
CANDIOTTI: Why do you still want to do it?
MCFARLAND: I've always loved shipping, you know, on the water and stuff. And just -- that's my dream.
CANDIOTTI: Captain John Staples feels the same way after 30 years as a merchant marine. He and hostage, Richard Phillips, were classmates who both traveled to potentially hostile parts of the world before. Some pinpointed on this map. Staples is not surprised that his friend tried to escape.
CAPT. JAMES STAPLES, FRIEND OF CAPT. PHILLIPS: That sounded like something that Ritchie would do, not to give up and just continue fighting. And he's always thinking. He's staying -- trying to stay ahead of the game and think out of the box. And he wants to get out of the situation.
CANDIOTTI: Staples is setting sail again next month, leaving behind his wife and three sons. They don't talk about danger.
STAPLES: I just tell them I'll see them in three or four months.
CANDIOTTI: Captain Murphy doesn't know how long it will be before he hugs his son. His focus is on Captain Phillips and his family.
MURPHY: He's done everything that he could possibly do and he has saved our son.
CANDIOTTI: Susan Candiotti, CNN, Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, five U.S. soldiers are killed in Iraq on Friday, and called the deadliest attack on U.S. troops there in more than a year. Two Iraqi police officers and an Iraqi soldier also died. An Iraqi official said a suicide bomber blew himself up at a police headquarters in Mosul, killing eight people, wounding 60, including two U.S. soldiers.
Also, squadron leader, Corporal Jason Pautsch of Davenport, Iowa, was killed in that bombing. His father, David, that he talked to him about Good Friday, again, that was days before he died.
And today on "STATE OF THE UNION WITH JOHN KING," a CNN exclusive. John is coming to you live from Baghdad, as an exclusive interview with General Ray Odierno. He is the one who's commanding the multinational force in Iraq. Again, that's coming up, 9:00 o'clock Eastern Time, right here.
NGUYEN: All right. So, this is the story of the day. A woman -- you are not going to believe this -- she actually jumped in with polar bears as they were feeding. She gets rescued just in the nick of time, but not without injury.
HOLMES: Yes. And there is video.
NGUYEN: Oh, man. Is there a video?
HOLMES: There is video.
All right. Also, our Reynolds Wolf got some video he's been showing us as well. But he's been tracking some severe weather on this Easter Sunday.
Hello to you, again, sir.
WOLF: Hey, guys. Here we are, following in a tense line of storms moving through parts of Oklahoma and Texas. We are going to show you where it's headed, where we may see some rough weather later on today.
You are watching CNN SUNDAY. Oh, yes. See you in a little bit.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Our Reynolds Wolf, checking out storms headed to the south.
And you have a new way to give our viewers, give us all the weather.
NGUYEN: A new tool. WOLF: No, I'm not going to do it.
HOLMES: You're not going to do it.
NGUYEN: You got to.
WOLF: Oh, I might as well. I mean, you're here and so is everyone else who's tuning in this morning.
We are talking about the magic wall, which, plain and simple, it is a great way to show a story. And we're going to show a story that's going to begin this morning in Austin, Texas. Take a look, you have the Capitol dome right there, you got Congress Avenue that runs of -- the shot not too far from 6th Street. Kind of a gloomy morning, no doubt about it. You're going to be seeing some scattered showers and a few storms rolling along in the I-35 corridor.
If you are hanging out at the Kerbey Lane Cafe, you're going to get those pancakes; it's going to be a wet time for you. Again, just take it easy out there. It's certainly some rough times.
And here's the reason why. Let me show you. You got the strong storms now moving along parts at the I-35 corridor, that's just right along here, some intense storms especially moving just the east of Dallas. But you got San Antonio right here in this area, here's San Antonio, then you have Austin right about here.
The Balcones and Scarpin (ph), these big hills roll right in that area. That's all limestone. So, it really doesn't absorb too well into the soil. So, what you could see is a little bit of runoff with some flooding.
Something else to watch for later on today is that that low cruises its way a bit more to the east. What it's going to do is interact with that gulf moisture. So, spots like Baton Rouge, Louisiana, maybe even into places like New Orleans, into the afternoon between, say, 3:00 and these early evening hours, like say, 6:00 o'clock, could have some rough storms. That will be moving into places like Atlanta, Georgia, by tomorrow.
But for today, certainly, the gulf coast is going to be a big concern, because there is that fear, that very real fear that we could see things play out kind of like it did in Murfreesboro just a few days ago. Take a look this iReport. This shot in Murfreesboro showing that tornado, the one that caused the widespread devastation, killed two people. This actually is moving across the I-24 corridor near Murfreesboro, just the southeast of Nashville.
So, certainly, some rough times. Something we don't want to be dealing with today, the rough weather. But it is Easter and it is going to be along the gulf coast that we have to watch out for.
Let's send it back to you, guys.
NGUYEN: All right. Thank you. We do appreciate it.
WOLF: You bet.
HOLMES: All right. We got some video here.
NGUYEN: Yes. You may want to stick around for this, Reynolds. This is something that is going to blow your mind.
HOLMES: Yes. Well, you are seeing the aftermath here at least. But this is a woman in Germany. She decided to hop into the pool with a polar bear.
NGUYEN: While they were feeding.
HOLMES: It's feeding time. She had to jump over a fence -- you know, these things ...
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: Look at this. He bites her in the rear right there.
HOLMES: Yes.
WOLF: Yes. That's just a little bit of information here.
HOLMES: Please.
WOLF: Just a little pointer for this lady. OK, here we go. Not a good idea. Bad, bad, bad.
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: You don't want to jump in there. You got to remember, these bears are about 11 feet in height.
The one that caused this issue, the big boo-boos that she received is a bear by the name of Knut. He was hand-raised by some of the people there in the zoo. He stands 11 feet tall, over 1,500 pounds. Hungry bears.
NGUYEN: Right.
WOLF: And, you know, they do happen to catch and kill and eat things. They are wild animals. And jumping into the water like she did -- not smart (INAUDIBLE).
NGUYEN: No. In fact, you know, as we are seeing right there, zoo workers actually saved her life by tossing those rescue rings in and pulling here to safety. Look at this picture, though, I mean, you can see the sheer pain in her face there as that polar bear takes a bite out of her. And, you know, she was taken to the hospital with severe injury.
HOLMES: And, Reynolds, you said the bear's name is Knut?
WOLF: K-N-U-T. Here it is.
HOLMES: Knut. WOLF: K-N -- let's try "white." Well, that might be a better thing that shows up. Yes. Knut plus silly person.
NGUYEN: Equals danger.
WOLF: Bad.
NGUYEN: Yes.
WOLF: There you go. Yes, bad results. I mean, certainly scary times there. You can't blame the bear. He's doing what bears are supposed to do.
HOLMES: Yes.
WOLF: But you have to wonder what she was thinking.
NGUYEN: Speaking of nuts, no word on why she jumped in with the bear or the bears, many of them, while they were feeding, but police did -- listen to this -- gave her a ticket for trespassing.
WOLF: I'm going to go walk over here.
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: Yes, we're kind of done with this one.
WOLF: That's just off the charts crazy.
HOLMES: All right, Reynolds. We appreciate you, buddy.
We will move on to this other story.
NGUYEN: We are following very closely.
HOLMES: Out in the waters of Somalia. Yes.
NGUYEN: That's true. Tracking the pirates off the coast of Somalia. Josh Levs is seeing it from the Web.
What are you finding, Josh?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, I got stuck to it; I started pulling up pictures of that baby polar bear. I know (ph) that's the time.
All right. Back to this one. This is what we got. We got what it's like inside that kind of lifeboat that the pirates are using to hold on to the U.S. captain. Plus, there is a brand new way now to send messages for that captain and for his family.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MASTER SGT. JUNE KELLY, U.S. AIR FORCE: Hi. I'm Master Sergeant June Kelly. first sergeant at Joint Base Balad. I just want to give a shoutout and a "Happy Easter" to all my family and friends in New Jersey. Happy Easter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Happy Easter.
Well, back to the real life drama unfolding off the coast of Somalia. Captain Richard Phillips is being held hostage by Somali pirates. The U.S. Navy has asked the FBI to help resolve the stand off and now, our Don Lemon talked to an expert earlier, who is familiar with hostage negotiations to get a better perspective.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS VOSS, FMR. FBI LEAD INTL. KIDNAPPING NEGOTIATOR: Once a problem like this gets started in a culture -- kidnapping, kidnapping for ransom, kidnapping on the water and piracy, it's a virus. And it's a lot of easy money and you have to attack the infrastructure from a number of different directions at the same time. There is no one answer alone that's going to deal with it. And certainly, dealing with it on the ground through the social structure, the cultural structures that supports it is definitely a big part of that piece.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: In your experience, do you think there is -- there is enough on the ground especially when it comes to intel, or enough people there who are trying to understand and get at what the motivations and get at what Mr. Samatar is talking about? Do -- not just the U.S., but nationally.
VOSS: I think there are a lot of people that would like to be, but with the lack of any sort of governmental structure, it's very difficult to go there. Other countries coming in are viewed as intruders. There's issues of international sovereignty which seemed ridiculous in Somalia, but the rest of the countries around the world have to respect that, unless they work through the U.N.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: A special CNN special documentary, "Somali Pirates: Can They be Stopped?" Well, that airs tonight, 8:00 Eastern, right here on CNN.
HOLMES: All right. Another story we are closely following online. Our Josh Levs is here to show us the kind of a lifeboat the pirates are using to hold the U.S. captain.
Hey, Josh.
LEVS: Yes. Hey there.
It's really interesting what's been sit up now at CNN.com. Let's zoom in. I want everyone to see what we are talking about here.
This is one that is just like it. It just isn't obviously the exact one. But we take you through in our main story on CNN.com right now about the size of this. It's about 30 feet long.
And we also have pictures from the inside, what the place -- or rather, what one of these is sit up like. Let's go to the inside here. It's only 4 1/2 to 5 feet tall. It's a really cramped space for anyone would be inside here.
As a rule, there are some supplies; you can't know how long they would last. Moving around, even if someone were to free to move in the area, it's very difficult. And you can imagine in a cramped space like this, what it would be like to be in this boat for days on end.
Also, right next to it, we have this page (ph), which is a map I'm going to show to you. We looked at this one yesterday. Every single red mark that you see right there, all of them are piracy activities in that region just 2009. So, when we say this year, we don't mean 12 months, we mean only 2009, all of these. You can see how incredibly frequent the pirates have been acting in the Gulf of Aden, this section, or along here, which is outside the gulf and into the Indian Ocean, off the east coast of Somalia.
Any one of these you can click on, and you can see what the activity has been. And when you look at this way guys, it really gives you a strong sense of just how active these pirate groups are and what a huge problem it is for anyone who needs to travel through that area, guys.
Betty and T.J.?
NGUYEN: All right. And actually, there's a different way to send messages to the captain's family, correct? A new way?
LEVS: Yes, there is a new way. Yes. You know, yesterday morning, we were talking about how can you send messages. And then, yesterday afternoon, the Web site of the company that owns this, Maersk, set up a new page for this.
This is here -- let's just go to the graphics, because it's easy for you to see there. There's an email address you can use right there. That's Maerskalabamasupport@maerskfine-usa.com. Also, there's a link to it at the Web site for Maersk. So, if you just Google Maersk, you're going to get it, MaerskLineLimited.com.
They say that they're taking all sorts of messages for him and for anyone else that's been part of that crew, given their experience, for the families as well. And, guys, I'll take everything I just saw, I throw it up on my Facebook page, too, Josh Levs CNN, so you direct links right there.
NGUYEN: OK. Thank you, Josh. We do appreciate that.
OK. You know -- this -- the best kept secret in the country this morning may be where the first family is going to be attending Easter services.
HOLMES: Yes. They will be attending in Washington. It's hard to keep it a secret in Washington. NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: But this is one that's been kept right now.
Let's take a live picture here. It's a little cold this morning in Washington, D.C. We're seeing there on the left. I believe that's Central Park we're looking at on the right. Services at the National Cathedral in D.C. is expected to start in less than an hour.
A little chilly there in New York as well, in Central Park. Huge crowds are expected at St. Patrick's Cathedral there as well. For those services. Well, people all over the country is getting ready for Easter Sunday.
NGUYEN: And, you know, the largest congregation in the country, guess where that is?
HOLMES: In Texas, I'm sure.
NGUYEN: Houston, Texas.
HOLMES: Houston.
NGUYEN: Yes, Lakewood Church, where Joel and Victoria Osteen are co- pastors. Well, as part of Easter week, the husband and wife team stopped off to talk with our own Larry King and it didn't take long before the conversation veered off into politics and religion.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, CNN'S LARRY KING LIVE)
LARRY KING, CNN HOST: Recent polls show that 12 percent of Americans still believe Obama is a Muslim, and 35 percent said they don't know his religion. But to most of them, they don't matter. Should it matter?
JOEL OSTEEN, LAKEWOOD CHURCH: Well, it matters to me. I have to speak for myself. It matters to me that I know that he loves the Lord. And, you know, I think it's important that he has convictions from his faith. And so, to me -- to me it matters when I'm making my personal decisions.
KING: Does it matter to you, Victoria?
VICTORIA OSTEEN, LAKEWOOD CHURCH: Well, it does. It matters to me. Just like Joel said, your personal decisions are usually based on your standard which you believe. So, I think -- I think it does matter. I believe he's a Christian though. I do.
KING: In the new issue of "Newsweek," the lead story by Jon Meacham, "The Decline and Fall of Christian America." Just off the premise of that headline, do you expect that that Christian America is in trouble?
J. OSTEEN: I really -- I'm trying to think where he is coming from. I don't, in my own point of view, I don't because I see faith in America at an all time of high. I mean, I'm having - we're having church every Sunday in a former basketball arena, with 40,000 to 50,000 people coming out. And so, I see -- I don't necessarily see that myself.
Now, sometimes, I think people don't call themselves religious anymore, but they do have a relationship with Christ. And I think some of it is, you know, people today are not as concern about being a Baptist or Methodist or certain domination. But they do come to churches like ours and many other people's.
KING: Is church attendance going down to your knowledge?
J. OSTEEN: We've not seen it go down at all. It continues to grow.
V. OSTEEN: Even in the heart, in the difficult and uncertain times, we see that people are coming back to church, that they want to find hope, that they need help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: And tonight, on "LARRY KING LIVE" at 9:00 Eastern, Michael J. Fox opens up on Parkinson's disease, his new book and America's battle over stem cell research.
HOLMES: All right. We were reporting earlier about the president hasn't been to church service in Washington since he's been president.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: Some might qualify that. Have you ever heard of a CME?
NGUYEN: What is that?
HOLMES: Those are people who only go to church on Christmas, Mother's Day and Easter.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: We're expecting the president to be at church ...
NGUYEN: You're not a CME, are you?
HOLMES: No.
NGUYEN: Good.
HOLMES: I'm not a CME.
NGUYEN: I'm not either.
HOLMES: But some are. So, this Web site, Root.com has a list of things for those CMEs.
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: If you haven't been in a church in a while, some things you need to keep in mind. NGUYEN: And some people around here like to call them "heathens."
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: Instead of CMEs. And I want to give a look at exactly -- T.J., now, I have to apologize, T.J., this was not my idea. I would never do that. This comes from the crew, so you can take it up with crew.
HOLMES: Now, if somebody is not listening at their home and they just see that up and see my picture and heathens ...
NGUYEN: Thank you. Exactly.
HOLMES: ... that's not very nice.
NGUYEN: That is not nice at all.
HOLMES: OK.
NGUYEN: And so you know, this -- I had nothing do with this.
HOLMES: This has you written all over it, Betty.
NGUYEN: I promise you. I promise you.
HOLMES: All right.
NGUYEN: OK. So, here's some of the tip. Those seats in the pulpit, they are reserved.
HOLMES: I heard about that.
NGUYEN: You cannot sit there.
HOLMES: I heard about that.
NGUYEN: I like the second one though.
HOLMES: All right. There's communion, you can't ask for seconds of wine.
NGUYEN: Of the wine.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: That was kind of funny though.
Leave the child's Easter candy at home.
HOLMES: Also, you should not get up if the pastor is still preaching.
NGUYEN: We all know that, right? Although you do see a few people doing that. And don't overdo the Holy Ghost thing. That's a -- again, it's some of these tips for heathens from Root.com. And T.J. -- not a heathen. He goes to church. He's a good man.
HOLMES: I appreciate you.
NGUYEN: I had nothing to do with that.
HOLMES: Thank you. We're going take a break. We're going to fire some people on the crew. Stay here.
NGUYEN: Yes. The wrath of T.J.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: OK. So, the White House finally, after all this time, this anticipation, us waiting, perhaps you waiting as well, all the reports. They are getting a puppy. Finally, it's happening. According to "The Washington Post," it is ...
HOLMES: A Portuguese Water Dog, which I'm told is this -- I'm not a big dog guy. But I'm told that's it.
NGUYEN: Six months old.
HOLMES: Six months old. I'm told it's a little late to, you know, the president, he said, by the time he got back from his trip, the dog will be -- yes, a little late.
NGUYEN: The trip. Right.
HOLMES: But still, a couple of days. No big deal. But it's a gift actually from Senator Ted Kennedy, who owns that Portuguese Water Dog.
NGUYEN: And the name will be Bo.
HOLMES: Bo is the name.
NGUYEN: Expected to make a debut next Tuesday.
HOLMES: All right. So, they got their dog. All right. The mystery is over.
Well, "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta starts right now. Betty and I will see you back here at the top of the hour.
