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CNN Sunday Morning
Ex-Blagojevich Adviser Found Dead; 'Tea Party' Rallies Rail Against Obama; President Moves To Seize Momentum in Health-Care Debate; Bizarre, Profanity-Laced Tirade Ends Serena Williams' U.S. Open Run; Interview With Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe
Aired September 13, 2009 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, from the CNN Center here in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is September 13. Good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
Did you realize, I'm told, it's Grandparents Day?
NGUYEN: Oh it is? That I did not know. Sorry.
HOLMES: Who knew? Maybe grandparents out there, you knew it. And grandparents usually get up early, so they're probably watching right now.
NGUYEN: This is true.
HOLMES: Good morning. Happy Grandparents Day.
NGUYEN: Happy day to you.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Let's start with how not to behave, shall we?
NGUYEN: Wow. Have you seen this?
HOLMES: Don't know if you've seen this, folks (ph).
NGUYEN: Check it out.
HOLMES: We're going to show you the full video and the profanity-laced tirade of Serena Williams last night. Really, a sad and even embarrassing way for the match to end. But...
NGUYEN: Well, in - but in all reality though, it was a bad call. Not that it...
HOLMES: Ooo..
NGUYEN: ...justifies anything, correct?
HOLMES: No call is that bad. But it was a bad call. NGUYEN: Not that it justifies anything, but when you're about to be at match point, or you were at match point, and you get a bad call like that, I mean, it's going to, you know, send you into a space that you probably don't want to be in. And today, she's probably not feeling so good about what happened.
HOLMES: And not quite apologetic just yet. But really, we're going to get into what happened last night at the - the U.S. Open, something we haven't seen in quite some time.
NGUYEN: Wow. Yes.
And also want to talk about this, the Ike anniversary. It's been one year since Hurricane Ike roared into southern Texas. In fact, a prayer service is taking place this morning as well as block parties a little bit later today. But Galveston, under seven feet of water when it happened. It is the third-worst hurricane in U.S. history. I went back to the city to talk to the mayor, and I'm going to show you what they're doing to rebuild.
HOLMES: But first here, I want to give you some of the top stories from overnight.
Five American service members killed in two separate roadside bombings in Afghanistan. One attack was in eastern Afghanistan, the other in western Afghanistan. Sparked a battle there that left several Taliban militants as well. Yesterday's attacks came a day after Defense Secretary Robert Gates called for 3,000 more U.S. service members to go to Afghanistan. Why? To deal with those IEDs, those improvised explosive devices.
NGUYEN: Well, investigators, they are poring over potential evidence from a laboratory where missing Yale University student Annie Lee was last seen. Surveillance video shows the 24-year-old entering the building. But it's not clear if she ever left.
University officials say there's no indication that she ran away, and Lee was supposed to get married today.
HOLMES: Well, Israeli's president Shimon Peres has checked out of the hospital. He was taken there after he fainted during a speech yesterday. His spokeswoman is blaming fatigue for his collapse.
NGUYEN: Well, the death of Christopher Kelly, who was a top fundraiser and adviser to Rod Blagojevich is now a police investigation. Kelly had been battling a series of legal problems, including federal corruption charges with the former governor.
Reporter Jay Miller (ph) from our affiliate WGN takes a look at how Kelly's death could affect the Blagojevich case.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAY KELLY, WGN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Christopher Kelly a key figure in the federal corruption case against former Governor Rod Blagojevich was pronounced dead. The Cook County medical examiner's office confirmed that Kelly died of salicylate intoxication. The ingredient, according to medical-reference guides, is used in anti- inflammatory and pain medications.
Kelly, according to the "Tribune," was found late Friday in a lumberyard near 173rd and Cicero in County Club Hills. He was taken to Oak Forest Hospital and later transported to Stroger Hospital. After being treated by doctors, the 51-year-old was pronounced dead.
Kelly was once a top fundraiser and insider to former Governor Rod Blagojevich. He was indicted alongside Blagojevich in April on federal corruption charges. Just this past Tuesday, he pleaded guilty in another federal case for trying to illegally obtain $8.5 million in work at O'Hare Airport.
Today, at Kelly's Bur Ridge (ph) gated community, security was tight. Family could not be reached for comment, but former Governor Rod Blagojevich released a statement saying - quote - "I am deeply saddened to hear that Chris has died. My heart goes out to his wife, Carmen, his three daughters, Grace, Jacqueline and Claire and his entire family. They are in our prayers" - end quote.
But will Kelly's death hurt the prosecution's case against Blagojevich? WGN's political analyst Paul Lisnek.
PAUL LISNEK, WGN POLITICAL ANALYST: I don't expect prosecutors to make a public statement. If they did, they would simply say this doesn't hurt their case against Blagojevich. They have a lot of other things against him.
But what's - what's important here is to realize that - that they were after - prosecutors were after Kelly to cooperate. He, to this moment, was not cooperating. He was already - he was already - you know, plead guilty on a couple of charges. He already had received some jail time, was to start a jail term next week. Obviously, the pressure built. But now, he will not be a part of a Blagojevich prosecution.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, Rod Blagojevich was impeached and removed from office a little bit earlier this year. And a federal grand jury also indicted him on 16 felony counts. He pleaded not guilty to federal corruption charges.
HOLMES: Well, it seems like the president's been making a lot of major speeches lately. Well, get ready for another tomorrow.
He's heading to Wall Street. And the president plans to deliver what they're calling a major speech on the nation's financial crisis. This comes one year to the day after banking giant Lehman Brothers collapsed. Now, that was hugely - most people point to as what sparked the whole financial crisis.
The president will also talk about steps the administration has taken to deal with the battered economy and efforts to deal with the global economic situation. The speech, somewhere around midday tomorrow. And CNN, of course, will bring it to you live.
Speaking of the president and major speeches and address - well, he was holding a rally of sorts yesterday about health-care reform. This was yesterday in Minneapolis. He was pushing that reform message again. He told the crowd that America's uninsured are one accident or illness away from bankruptcy, and he needs help to push Congress into making change.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We are closer to reform than we've ever been before. But this is the hard part. This is when the special interests and the insurance companies and the folks who think, you know, this is a good way to bring Obama down...
(BOOS)
OBAMA: This is when they're going to fight with everything they've got. This is when they'll spread all kinds of wild rumors designed to scare and intimidate people.
That's why I need your help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: While the president was pushing reform, thousands, they were pushing back. The Tea Party Express brought its opposition to stimulus spending and health-care reform to the steps of the nation's Capitol for a rally.
And our Kate Bolduan was there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a massive turnout here on Capitol Hill. The speakers at the podiums said they believed it was the largest gathering of conservatives - fiscal conservatives that they had ever seen.
The rally was organized in large party by a group called FreedomWorks. They're a conservative advocacy group that in general supports less government and lower taxes. And protesting the government, and government intervention especially, is something we heard a lot of.
DICK ARMEY (R), FMR. HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: When the federal government just decided to go wrong over a year ago and try and bail out Wall Street, we tried to tell them, it won't work. And it didn't work.
When the first tranche of stimulus didn't work, what did they do? What the government always does with a bad idea. If it doesn't work, do more. And we told them that wouldn't work.
Then we had the election. And President Obama came in and said we're going to give you change you can believe in. And what did he give us? More of the same.
BOLDUAN: And during the rally, we walked the march route to speak to some people about what motivated them to come to Washington to come to this rally.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I felt that, you know, the government has grown too big and it's gotten too out of control with the spending. And - and the taxes are just way too high.
And I'm just sick and tired of government growing and spending and taxing everybody into oblivion when I just believe that true freedom comes the Lord, and I'm real blessed by it to be live in this - living in this country, and I just really wanted to celebrate freedom today. That's really what I'm here to do.
BOLDUAN: And throughout the rally, a very loud, very spirited crowd. One thing that you over and over again is, 'Can you hear me?' And that seemed to be the message that the crowd and the speakers and the organizers, FreedomWorks, are trying to send to Capitol Hill and Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, one year ago this morning, one of the worst hurricanes to ever hit the U.S. struck Galveston, Texas, and CNN was there when it hit. We went back to see how that city is rebuilding.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Hey there. I'm Josh Levs.
We're fact-checking a Republican claim about President's Obama's health-care plan: Would it ultimately create 53 new bureaucracies? Answers from the Truth Squad, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Welcome back, everybody.
All right. Going to get a check of the weather today. And it was really rough for a lot of folks in Texas yesterday with all that rain.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely.
You know, we've really been pinpointing like a laser beam on parts of Texas with the heavy rainfall they've gotten. Some places like near the Williamson County-Bell County - that's north of Austin - they've had over a foot of rainfall just since last Wednesday.
But that's not only the place that's been dealing with flooding. We're going to take you to Manatee County, Florida, where the Manatee River has actually been overflowing its banks, moving into the downtown area. And you can see the effects there, people driving through it. You know, there's a convertible right there, made for the sunshine but driving through the heavy rain.
The rain should continue on and off through parts of Florida.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: In the meantime though, some Republicans, they're warning that plans for health-care reform will introduce a huge number of federal bureaucracies.
HOLMES: Yes, a lot of people don't like to hear that, the government getting bigger. But is that necessarily true?
Josh Levs here with the answers from the Truth Squad.
Good morning, Josh.
LEVS: Hey, good morning to you, guys.
It is interesting, because this is one of the biggest attacks we hear, that the Democratic plan would turn health care in America into a giant series of bureaucracies.
Take a look at what was in the Republican response to President Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. CHARLES BOUSTANY (R), LOUISIANA: I read the bill Democrats passed through committee in July. It creates 53 new government bureaucracies.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Fifty-three new bureaucracies? Well, there's a number. Time for us to break it down.
And here's what we did for you; take a look. The Truth Squad here at CNN went through this long list of what these 53 allegedly are. Some are actually changes to programs that already exist; one is something that would exist temporarily; another one would only come into play if something happens. Also, in some cases, this 53 include a program and then an ombudsman who is appointed to run the program. They're all counted separately.
Long and the short of it, when we broke down these 53 alleged new bureaucracies in the House bill, we determined that it's actually not exactly the way it sounds. So you'll see here, our verdict is "misleading." And we definitely encourage you to send us any questions you get.
You hear a claim, you want to know if it's true. This is where to go: CNN.com/healthcare. There's a very obvious link at this page right here. This is "Fact Check." It'll take you through to a series of fact checks.
So Betty and T.J., I'm happy to say the traffic for these fact checks has actually been very good, people trying to get behind the spin over there.
NGUYEN: Yes. LEVS: And that's the latest example of what we're seeing.
NGUYEN: All right. Well, I have a question for you. Did you see what happened last night at the U.S. Open?
LEVS: OK, I didn't. But when I turned on my computer today...
NGUYEN: Oh my goodness.
LEVS: I - I - I showed you guys. And then they had the actual quotes from her.
NGUYEN: Woo wee, yes.
LEVS: It's astounding.
NGUYEN: Yes. We are talking about a bizarre ending to the women's semifinal match. How an official's call and Serena Williams' temper sent her packing.
HOLMES: And I assure what we saw at the U.S. Open last night is not what Arthur Ashe would have liked to have seen at any point during the U.S. Open. And that woman right there - that's Jeanne Moutoussamy- Ashe. That's his widow. She is carrying on his legacy to this day, all these years after his death.
My conversation with her, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: There's a little controversy today.
All right. This is going to have you talking, no doubt. If you didn't see it, check it out: Serena Williams loses her cool, loses it at the U.S. Open after a call when it came to a foot fault. That really pretty much made her lose the match.
Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERENA WILLIAMS, TENNIS PLAYER: (SHOUTING) (BLEEP)
(BLEEP)
(BLEEP)
(BLEEP)
(SHOUTING)
WILLIAMS: I didn't say I would kill you. Are you serious? Are you serious? I didn't say that.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: All right, folks. That's how it went down. Just want to let - let it speak for itself. And any time your defense is, "I didn't say I would kill you" ....
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: ....you're probably not in a good place.
NGUYEN: Probably not.
HOLMES: OK. But...
NGUYEN: And you could read her lips on some of that, and says, "I'm going to shove this ball down your" you-know-what "throat." Um, wow.
HOLMES: But this was last night. And again, to set the scene, this is the semifinals of the U.S. Open. This is to get into the finals.
She has a foot fault. And if you don't keep up with tennis, folks, this call is never made. It's certainly never made when the game is on the line. Replays actually show it was not a foot fault.
NGUYEN: A foot fault, yes.
HOLMES: She was serving. The line judge thought her foot was on the line. It actually wasn't, according to the replay. Not to justify what she did...
NGUYEN: Not to justify it, but it was a bad call nonetheless. And it - it cost her the match because of that, because of the - you know, the violation and her conduct afterwards.
HOLMES: Her reaction called (ph).
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: The - the - the foot fault made it a match point. So she still could have kept playing and been OK.
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: But her reaction and her behavior cost her a point. It just so happened to be one point was all that needed for her opponent to win.
NGUYEN: Her to lose, yes.
HOLMES: So this is just blowing up today, a lot of people thinking maybe she should be suspended, wondering to see if anybody's going to come down, fine, sanctions of any kind. But it's just a mess.
We also - after the match, she had a - a press conference. They're all required to do these. Not quite apologetic...
NGUYEN: No.
HOLMES: ...to be quite honest with you. We're going to have that sound for you coming up a little later this morning.
But that was a ugly, ugly and unfortunate incident.
NGUYEN: Yes, with the finger-pointing and the yelling. I mean, you know - look, it's a big game, the semifinals, U.S. Open. There's a lot on the line. When there's a bad call, it's going to aggravate you.
But, you know, there's a time and a place. And no way to conduct yourself. And boy, you saw it for yourself.
We're going to continue asking you as well this morning what you think about it. Getting a lot of responses on Facebook and Twitter. Send that into us, because we do want to hear from you.
But as T.J. said, a lot of people saying, you know, maybe she should be suspended for it.
HOLMES: All right.
NGUYEN: We'll see.
HOLMES: Well, certainly, her behavior last night was not an example for young people at all who are coming up and wanting to play tennis.
Well, there is an effort at the U.S. Tennis Association - they have something called the National Junior Tennis and Learning Network that's focused on young people, getting them involved in tennis at a very early age.
That organization was started by Arthur Ashe some 40 years ago. And it continues to this day, thanks to his widow, Jeanne Moutoussamy- Ashe, who is up at the New York - up in New York for the U.S. Open.
I got to catch up with her last week and have a conversation about the state of the game and how today's athletes can follow her husband's - her husband's example.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Why haven't we, since your husband, seen another black man win Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, the Australian Open -- why not?
JEANNE MOUTOUSSAMY-ASHE, WIDOW OF ARTHUR ASHE: Well, you know, I think that it's going to happen.
HOLMES: OK.
MOUTOUSSAMY-ASHE: I don't know when.
I think that, you know, maybe because we are such a me-oriented society today, that it's all -- always all about yourself, or you, that you have less deep-down-inside purpose to be able to accomplish these gigantic goals.
But I still think it's coming. It's coming. I mean, Arthur used to say that. It's coming. He said, 'They're not going to look like me, they're not going to walk like me, and they're not going to talk like me, but it's coming.' And he was right.
HOLMES: When people think tennis that isn't diverse, it's because the only two black players they can name are Venus and Serena.
But behind the scenes, there's a lot more going on.
MOUTOUSSAMY-ASHE: There's a lot more going on. And I thank you for saying that and for doing this piece. because that's what NJTL is about. It's more about focusing on the game of tennis and the skills that you learn in playing the game.
It's really important that kids understand from a grass-roots level that they're not going to be in the top -- not all of them are going to be in the top 10.
Getting in the top 10 -- you know, that's pretty significant. But what they must understand is that playing a game, having that commitment, learning the lessons, let it be a hook to changing your approach to how you conduct yourself in the public, how you - how well you perform in school, how you treat your siblings, your friends and your parents.
These are all things that you learn in the program.
HOLMES: There's a culture now in professional sports, oftentimes, with these guys that we know of -- it's not all of them, but still -- it's all about me, self, selfish, narcissistic, egomaniacal, whatever you want to call it.
Does it drive you nuts, given what we saw with your husband and given what you know and still to this day his legacy of giving back still exists -- does it drive you crazy to see some of these young knuckleheads just squander what a wonderful opportunity?
MOUTOUSSAMY-ASHE: Well, I - you know, I -- I can't say it that strongly. But what I can - but what I can say is that we have a void.
And not having Arthur's voice is a tremendous void. Not just in sports but just as, you know, a hero to kids.
HOLMES: There has been for years, really, a lot of controversy surrounding Tiger Woods. And there was another major athlete who just came up not too long ago, and actually say yes, Tiger Woods has a foundation that gives a lot of money. He said, 'That's not enough.'
Should Tiger, given where he is, and I know - you know, maybe don't know him personally or the situation -- but being in the position, unique position that he is in, would you like to see him take more of a -- I guess, more of a lead in some of these social issues?
MOUTOUSSAMY-ASHE: Well, I don't think he's just playing golf and making money and minding his business.
I think that Tiger has a conscience. I think that he has a little ways to go with his experiences in life to make a decision, a mature decision to really step out and -- and take a stand on issues.
And I know athletes don't like to hear that. People don't like to have to play the role as - the role of a role model. But, you know, it comes with the territory.
He means so much to so many, and when he begins to really realize how that has an impact, I have faith. I say this to Tiger and I say this to other athletes, that it's not what you're doing now. It's how people are going to remember you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: It's about the legacy.
HOLMES: Yes. And again, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, she continues with her husband's work and talking about diversity in the sport.
NGUYEN: Mm-hmm.
HOLMES: Just know Venus, Serena. But they reach some 200-plus- thousand kids in the network with what they do. And those kids use tennis to maybe get college scholarship.
They might not make it to Wimbledon, U.S. Open.
NGUYEN: Right. But they can get an education off of it.
HOLMES: But it - they can an education through it.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: So that's the key.
NGUYEN: So valuable.
HOLMES: That's the key. So there - that's where the diversity - and maybe you don't see it at the U.S. Open, but - but it's there. Next time (INAUDIBLE).
NGUYEN: Eventually, you'll see more and more of it, I'm sure.
HOLMES: More and more.
NGUYEN: All right.
Well, you know, one year ago today, Galveston, Texas, under seven feet of water after Hurricane Ike just roared in from the Gulf of Mexico. I was there, actually, and I went back to see how the city is recovering.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Good morning again and welcome back, everybody to this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: Yes, good morning, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: Want to give you a check of some of our top stories we're taking a look at.
First in Afghanistan, five American service members have been killed in two separate roadside bombings. One attack was in eastern Afghanistan, the other in western Afghanistan. That one sparked a battle that left several Taliban militants dead as well. Those attacks came a day after Defense Secretary Robert Gates called for 3,000 more U.S. service members to go to Afghanistan. Why? To deal with roadside bombings.
Also, a close aide to former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is dead. Christopher Kelly is the aide's name. He was facing federal corruption charges, and pleaded guilty last week to mail fraud as part of a kickback scheme. He was pronounced dead at a hospital yesterday. The cause of death right now still under investigation.
NGUYEN: President Obama, just back from a health-care reform rally in Minneapolis, about to turn his attention to another pressing issue.
CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser details the president's week ahead for us.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR (On camera): Betty, T.J., President Obama, no doubt about it, he is going to have the economy on his mind tomorrow. The president heads to Wall Street, in New York City, where he is scheduled to give what the White House calls a major speech on the financial crisis.
The White House officials says the president will tout what they call the aggressive steps the administration has taken to bring the economy back to from brink and now they are they are committed to winding down Washington's involvement in the financial sector. The speech comes one year after the Lehman Brothers collapse and that sparked the crisis that spread across the globe.
Now Tuesday, Mr. Obama is heading to Pittsburgh, where he'll speak in front of the AFL-CIO's Annual Convention. They are the nation's largest federation of unions. Expect the president to bring up the economy and health care reform.
Meanwhile, next week, more action in Congress on health care reform. All eyes are on the Senate Finance Committee. It is the last committee that hasn't put together a bill yet and it is really Congress' last best hope for a bi-partisan piece of legislation. Wednesday the committee's chairman, Senator Max Baucus, the Democrat of Montana, he is going to release his bill.
Baucus is part of the so-called gang of six senators from the committee, three Democrats and three Republicans, who are trying to find common ground in the battle over health care reform. And that's not very easy -Betty, T.J.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, Phillip and Nancy Garrido set to appear in a California court tomorrow. The two are accused of kidnapping Jaycee Dugard when she was 11 years old. The allegedly held her for 18 years ago, hiding in their back yard in sheds. Authorities say Phillip Garrido fathered two children by Jaycee. Her ordeal came to an end last month when police finally found her.
Tomorrow's hearing is a bail review, non has been set for the Garridos. They pleaded not guilty to 29 felony charges.
Well, Phillip Garrido, let's give you a time line here. Previously convicted sex offender with a history of run-ins with the law. In 1977 he was sentenced to 50 years in prison for kidnapping and raping a young woman. He was released a little more than 10 years later, in 1988. In 1991, police say he kidnapped Jaycee Dugard and then 18 years later police arrested Garrido and freed Dugard.
NGUYEN: Well, sunrise church services are getting underway shortly in Galveston, Texas. You know, it was actually one year ago today that Hurricane Ike struck the city. I was in Texas when Ike hit. And it left 75 percent of Galveston under seven feet of water. The island city, though, is no stranger to direct hits from hurricanes. There has been Alisha, Carla, and then, of course, the deadly Hurricane of 1900, which killed some 8,000 people. Every time, Galveston has rebuilt. So, what about now? I went back to find out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN (voice over): At 2:10 in the morning on September 13th, 2008, Hurricane Ike roared into Galveston, leaving the island under water and in splinters.
(On camera): We're taking a look at the debris because the sun is starring to come up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The water line was up to here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Peter Davis.
GEORGE H. W. BUSH, FMR. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Hello, Peter, how are you?
NGUYEN (voice over): Since Ike, Galveston mayor Lyda Ann Thomas has lost residents, funding, and the city's only emergency room. But she has not lost her determination.
(On camera): So, Mayor, it's been a year since Hurricane Ike. What's been the biggest challenge for you?
MAYOR LYDA ANN THOMAS, (D) GALVESTON, TEXAS: The biggest challenge really has been getting our citizens back on the island and getting our businesses open. But I'm very proud to say that after a year approximately 65 percent of our businesses are now open. Certainly on the sea wall, where they are, The Strand, our downtown historic district is a little slower coming back. They - really the historic buildings --
NGUYEN: Why is that?
THOMAS: Well, first of all, all the buildings are historic buildings, and that's an historic district. So, they have to be restored according to not only our code, but also to the national historic codes. Plus most of them did not have flood insurance.
NGUYEN (voice over): Money, or the lack of it, seems to be what's now standing in the way of Galveston's recovery. Thomas says it will take an estimated $3.2 billion to rebuild the island city. To date, FEMA has paid $68 million, HUD, $269 million, and Thomas is counting on $28.5 million in stimulus dollars. But the island is coming back.
THOMAS: Our trauma center, which was a level one center, opened about two weeks ago.
NGUYEN (On camera): OK.
THOMAS: So, we're very happy to have our emergency room back. It's important to know that our medical center and the Houston Medical Centers serve an entire region and also that our medical center here is the largest employer in the county. And when it shut down, we were really in trouble.
NGUYEN: At some point, you were having to send people, who needed that emergency help to other hospitals.
THOMAS: Absolutely. We sent them -- a lot of them, it's a huge number, somewhere between here and Houston. And there was a layoff of about 2,500 people. They're rehiring now. We've got 300 beds open, and we're looking forward to opening another 300 beds in the next three years.
NGUYEN (voice over): Planning for the future, while familiar with the city's past, Thomas is from one of Galveston's oldest families. Her grandfather also served as mayor. Ironic because she's living proof history has a way of repeating itself.
(On camera): What's your hope for the city?
THOMAS: First of all, we don't have a storm, right now. But we will. I always say it's not if, it's when. My hope is that as we continue to grow and recover and that we continue to be not only a destination for our tourist, who love our beaches, but certainly a destination for our medical complex and our research. The Port of Galveston continues to grow, and it is growing and doing well.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And to keep it doing well, a proposal is on the table. It is really to create these massive floodgates that would close before and oncoming hurricane. We have some graphics of what this would look like. It would extend the existing sea wall some 50 miles. That gives you an indication of how large these retractable gates are. In fact, they are the size, each of them, the size of the Eiffel Tower. And it would be one of the largest movable man-made structures ever built. Also designed to protect the Houston shipping channel, as well, which is home to about 50 percent of the country's petrochemicals.
It is a plan that will, what, take about 10 years to complete -- if it gets under way and it is approved and all that. It will cost millions and millions of dollars, but considering how much Galveston and Houston lost in Hurricane Ike, it's a protective barrier that that area pretty much needs in some form or fashion. Not sure if this is exactly the one they'll approve.
HOLMES: It could be a good investment. All of the damage, billions done in damage to these coastlines.
NGUYEN: Got to do something.
HOLMES: If you spend a couple billion to protect billions and billions -hey, good investment.
NGUYEN: Down the road. Exactly.
Let's change the subject now and talk about fashion for a minute. Because I want to show you this guy, right here, Jason Wu. We have some video of him. He is one of the hottest young designers out there. This is backstage at Fashion Week in New York, at his fashion show. There is Jason right there putting the finishing on. This guy has really reached some acclaim because he dressed Michelle Obama during the inauguration. I'll talk to him about what you, at home, should be investing in when it comes to spring fashion.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Why are we playing that song? Because you may not want to be kissing any one any time soon.
HOLMES: Oh, that's not -- explain yourself, Betty.
NGUYEN: Well, I'm going to explain myself. Because of the H1N1 virus, the swine flu, that a lot of people are calling it. France is discouraging, in fact, people from kissing. They do the double kiss, right?
HOLMES: There's a lot of kissing going on.
NGUYEN: Yes, they do, or the French kiss? Whatever you want to do. But because of the H1N1, there is a public campaign asking people to avoid showing affection. Because you don't want to transmit that to somebody else if you got it.
HOLMES: Who knew? And of all places, if they are doing it in France it must be serious, if they are discouraging people.
Also, I never would have thought of this, but another company is saying you can't wear neckties, because that is the one item of clothing that people are less likely - I mean, I don't wash mine -I assume, Reynolds, you don't take yours to the cleaners, necessarily
NGUYEN: You don't wash your ties?
HOLMES: You don't necessarily -you wear them once every few months, or whatever it is.
NGUYEN: Oh, OK.
HOLMES: So, it's not one you just --
NGUYEN: I don't ever wear them. I don't know.
HOLMES: Come on. They are saying don't wear ties. Yes, it's happening over there. What do you think? How have you changed your habits? Do you stop just making out with strangers because of H1N1? Tell us how you have changed things up? With the handshaking or the kissing, or whatever. Send us your comments. You know where to find us. Facebook, Twitter, also our blog, CNN.com/betty or /TJ: at Weekends@CNN.com.
WOLF: Really, to no on both, I don't wash my ties, nor do I make out with strangers.
NGUYEN: But you are touching your tie, just to make sure you don't shake out hands.
WOLF: Absolutely. Well, most guys ties are silk and you just can't throw them in the washing machine. You just can't do that.
NGUYEN: You can get them dry cleaned, though, right?
WOLF: Yes, absolutely. Not as often as I probably should. I mean, let's be honest. Thankfully, you guys are to just watch from the comfort of your home, in front of a nice television set, laying on the couch.
(CROSS TALK)
HOLMES: I feel bad now, looks like we own dirty ties. They're not dirty ties.
WOLF: I know, I mean, it's weird.
NGUYEN: I never thought about it, though, to tell you the truth.
WOLF: Have you thought about some great festivals? You want to hear some great festivals?
NGUYEN: I want to hear them because it is a Sunday and what else is there to do.
WOLF: Exactly. I mean, if you are in Puyallup, if you happen to be in Washington State, go up there. We were talking yesterday about those cows that made that visit to that 7-11? Well, you know that it is not just cows that visited this fair. We heard that a million people that go to this particular one every single year.
Certainly not the only one, in Marion, Ohio, they have the Popcorn Festival. A little bit of a smaller fair. They get about a quarter of a million people to go to this event. It is a three-day event and it is everything you ever wanted to know about popcorn and more. You can even eat some and stuff, if you are there, instead of getting it on your tie.
Also, Yellow Daisy Festival in Stone Mountain, they have over 500 arts and crafts booths that show up. People from 38 different states, different countries all show up and have a great time by Stone Mountain. Which if you have ever been to Georgia, it is actually a giant rock that actually juts out of the landscape. A weird, kooky, fun thing to see and a great thing to go visit.
Also, certainly last but not least, we have the Mushroom Festival at Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. That happens to be the mushroom capital of the world.
NGUYEN: I did not know that.
WOLF: Put that on your tie and smoke it.
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: Exactly. So if you ever wondered, mushroom capital.
HOLMES: I guess, that's like, I mean, you have like cucumber festivals, a garlic festival, that's just another one. Everybody has a festival for their thing.
NGUYEN: Everybody has got to have their claim to fame. Exactly.
HOLMES: Is the weather going to cooperate around here to head over to Stone Mountain.
WOLF: All of them should be just fine except for the mushroom festival, but the mushroom, itself, is almost kind of like a big umbrella.
NGUYEN: Umbrella, so just get underneath it and you're fine.
WOLF: Which is somewhat suitable. I'm really making a stretch there.
NGUYEN: Yes.
WOLF: Although it should be a great time for everybody.
NGUYEN: But you know what, there is another cause for celebration, because today is Grandparents' Day. Did you know that? They told me a little bit earlier today. It is actually the brainchild of Marion McQuade, from West Virginia, hoping it might persuade grandkids to appreciate the wisdom and heritage of their grandparents. HOLMES: They are wise folks, really. You love to just sit around with you grand folks and just hearing some of those stories. You pick up a little something always.
President Carter actually declared the first Sunday after Labor Day in 1978; 6.2 million the number of grandparents whose grandchildren younger than 18 lived with them in 2007.
NGUYEN: Wow.
HOLMES: OK, let me get that stat right again, 6.2 million.
NGUYEN: The number of grandparents whose grandchildren, younger than 18, lived with them. So, grandparents taking care of their grandkids.
HOLMES: Their grandkids.
NGUYEN: Gotcha.
WOLF: Clear as a bell. That's great, that's awesome.
HOLMES: We're going to move on to talk about homes across the country, millions of them up for sale in the U.S. How do you choose the right home, that is right for you?
NGUYEN: Maybe it's the style of the house, or maybe you just like the neighborhood, or maybe it's because your neighbor could be the president.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Floodwaters finally receding across most parts of Turkey, but the disaster management centers remain on alert this morning after five days of the deadliest flooding in that country's history. At least 32 people dead, nine still missing. Rescue workers had to use military helicopters and bulldozers to help evacuate some of those flooded towns. Weather officials are keeping an eye on sporadic storms. So they still could see some more rain.
NGUYEN: Back in this country a lot of people dealing with floodwaters as well. Reynolds Wolf is watching that for us as well. We have seen a lot of rain in the South.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: So, how would you like to live next door to the president? Not too bad. I think that property value may go up a little bit, right?
HOLMES: Not a doubt about it. When we say live next to the president, some of you may first think, next to the White House? No, we're talking about the Midwestern White House, I guess, we can call it. His Chicago residence, this home, right there, turn of the century it sits on an oversized lot directly next to the president's Chicago residence. So, how much, you are probably wondering. NGUYEN: Uh-huh.
HOLMES: Well, if you have to ask, you can't afford it. The listing agent, not naming a price but homes in the area go for somewhere around $1 to $2.5 million, which, I'm sure, some people would just be willing to pay to say that the neighbor is the president.
NGUYEN: The president. Yeah, that's true.
HOLMES: That would be a headache, wouldn't it? All the Secret Service when he comes to town. It would be a mess sometimes.
NGUYEN: Oh, yeah. But, hey, it's an investment. Some people think it's worth it too. Talk about those property values once again.
All right. Let's talk about this for a second, Fashion Week. It is underway in New York, and I caught up with one of the hottest designers out there. Speaking of the president, he dressed Michelle Obama for the inaugural balls and we're going to talk about what Jason Wu is up to, and what you need to know when it comes to recession- proofing your closet. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Well, fashion designer Jason Wu, only 26 years old, but he has already made himself a star on the world stage. One of his most famous clients? First Lady Michelle Obama. Who wore one of his creations to her husband's inauguration.
I had a chance to catch up with Jason during New York Fashion Week. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN (On camera): Jason, after dressing Michelle Obama for the inaugural balls, this has been a big year for you. Did you feel any added pressure for this particular fashion show?
JASON WU, FASHION DESIGNER: You know, every - it's nerves and it's a lot of anticipation, a lot of nonstop work. But it is all worth it when you see the girls coming down the runway having worked months on, and looking exactly the way I dreamed. So you know, this is it for me. I'm really excited.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. How chaotic were those last few hours, few days, before today's show?
WU: I was sewing up until the last girl went on the runway.
NGUYEN: Are you serious?
WU: So, it's pretty chaotic. I sculpted each dress and I say sculpted, because you know, I was inspired by artist Pierre Donovan (ph) and I wanted to -in the spirit of sculpting, I wanted to create these dresses that looked like sculptures. And each look had to be individual to the girls who are wearing them..
NGUYEN: So what is hot for spring? For folks out there watching, who want to know, what is that one thing I should buy? What's hot?
WU: Mixing up the colors, for sure, and mixing and blurring the line between day and evening. You can never be too dressed up.
NGUYEN: Absolutely. But during a recession, which we are all in, right now, are you catering at all to those who may not have as much change to spend on wonderful designs?
WU: Can you pick one thing, one thing you can desire and want to hold on and have it for a long time. It's worth it as a long-term investment and quality. It's about quality not quantity, I think.
NGUYEN: Gotcha. You're so young still, but you've done so much. What's next for you?
WU: A lot. I did my sunglass collection for the first time in my collaboration on the shoes, so lots of exciting things in store, working with Atalia Lofty (ph), in jewelry. And working with on the clothes, it is really grateful for all these new exciting collaborative opportunities; and working with an amazing team.
NGUYEN: One last thing, after designing for the first lady, where do you go from there? Who else do you want to fit?
WU: I keep challenging myself as a designer. I think it's important. It's really never enough for me. I always want to do more. There's great things. I'm on the road, I'm going to China, I'm going to London, I'm going to Paris next month. It's Jason Wu International now.
NGUYEN: Taking over the whole world?
WU: Yeah, it's world domination.
NGUYEN: I love it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Never enough for him. He has clothing line, his sunglasses, even a doll collection.
HOLMES: A doll collection?
NGUYEN: He has designed so many different things. The guy is only 26 years old. Started designing when he was nine years old. This is his dream, and he has definitely accomplished it. When you create a dress for the first lady during the inaugural ball, when the whole world is watching, that says something about your skills, wouldn't you think?
HOLMES: What was he doing at nine, what was he designing at nine years old? And for whom? NGUYEN: Well, you know, he got an early start at it. Back to the Michelle Obama dress, that is something a lot of designers submitted dresses for. He didn't know she was going to wear his dress until she stepped out on that world stage. And he said, wow, that's my dress! Can you just imagine the joy of that?
HOLMES: That had to be something else. Yes, somebody wearing a dress that I designed? Let me think about that. I know what you're saying.
NGUYEN: OK, I mean, it's your life goal to design for, you know, for beautiful women out there. And to get it so that people can see it, and see your work, and want to, you know, purchase it, what better way?
HOLMES: He knew she might wear his dress?
NGUYEN: Might, yes.
HOLMES: OK.
NGUYEN: A possibility, but you never know until it happens.
HOLMES: Oh, my goodness. Well, he has a future ahead of him. Thanks to the first lady.
NGUYEN: Yeah. He wants to take over the world, apparently.
Much more to come, right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
Hello, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. It is September 13th. Good morning. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And good morning to you all, I'm T.J. Holmes.
Happy Grandparents' Day. If you didn't know already. It is Grandparents' Day.
NGUYEN: We didn't really know until we walked in today. Have you ever celebrated Grandparent's Day before?
HOLMES: I will today. I'll be making some phone calls.
NGUYEN: I wish I could. Some of us don't have the option.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: But Happy Grandparent's Day to all of you out there.
HOLMES: Well, I need to make sure I am - I'm blessed to have my grandparents.
NGUYEN: Appreciate them. Absolutely.
HOLMES: Absolutely. A lot of people didn't appreciate what we saw last night at the U.S. Open. Losing is tough sometimes, but it doesn't take all this. Serena Williams, probably fair to say the biggest U.S. tennis star out there, had a bit of what some would call a meltdown last night. An ugly, ugly incident to end her bid at the U.S. Open. We'll tell you what happened in really a profanity-laced tirade going off on a judge.
NGUYEN: Finger pointing and everything. You have to see the video.
HOLMES: We do have some top stories to tell you about from overnight, of course, here.
Out of Afghanistan. Five American service members killed in two separate roadside bombings there. One happened in eastern Afghanistan, the other in western Afghanistan. The one in western Afghanistan sparked a battle that left several Taliban militants dead as well. The attacks yesterday came a day after Defense Secretary Robert Gates actually called for 3,000 more U.S. service members to go to Afghanistan. Why? To deal with roadside bombings.
NGUYEN: Well, an autopsy will be performed today on Christopher Kelly. He was a close aide and fund-raiser for former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. And he was found dead yesterday. Kelly was facing federal corruption charges and he was supposed to report to federal prison on Friday to serve a three-year term for pleading guilty to tax fraud charges. We'll continue to follow this story for you.
HOLMES: Israel's president, rather, Shimon Peres has checked out of the hospital. He was taken to the hospital after he fainted during a speech yesterday. A spokesperson for the Israeli president says fatigue is to blame for his collapse.
NGUYEN: Let's more on those two roadside bombings incidents. One of them sparked a heated battle. An Afghan army official says dozens of Taliban were killed.
Our Atia Abawi is in Kabul and she joins now live.
OK, Atia, give us the circumstances surrounding these attacks?
ATIA ABAWI, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, well what we're hearing from the U.S. military, as well as the Afghan National Army here is that in western Afghanistan where we saw those three U.S. soldiers killed, at first, their convoy hit an IED, a roadside bomb, and when they came to assess what exactly occurred, that's when they engaged the Taliban. The Taliban is attacking from three different sides. In the end, the Taliban is also launching mortars, killing civilians as well, including a 14-year-old teenage girl in the area.
Although it was a very bad day for U.S. soldiers yesterday -- five U.S. soldiers killed, as T.J. had said, two in eastern Afghanistan, three in western, it was also a very bad day when it comes to militants as well. Dozens killed, not just in western Afghanistan. We saw many deaths during that attack, but we also saw in eastern Afghanistan, in Mordarq (ph) province and in northern Afghanistan, Kunduz, this is an area where we saw the NATO air strike just last week killing dozens of militants as well as civilians. But in the end, yesterday, 11 more militants killed up in Kunduz -- Betty?
NGUYEN: All right. And what is the reaction to adding some 3,000 troops to deal with roadside bombs? That's something that has been talked about. And what are you hearing on that end?
ABAWI: It's a very mixed reaction, depending on who you speak with. When you speak with commanders on the ground, they'll tell you that's what they need at the moment -- not to just deal with the IEDs, but also to help with this new civilian effort that they're working on to build infrastructure because they're going to need -- the civilians are going to need the protection when they come to country to actually help build. Because the Taliban and the militants and the insurgency will attack them to show that progress can't be made. So, they're going to need that security.
And when you speak to the Afghan people, it also, again, depends on who you talk to. Some will tell you that they do need the security. But then those who have actually experienced deaths within their families, within their neighbors, within their villages, they'll tell you that they don't want extra forces in the country. But, they -- at the same time -- they'll tell you that they don't necessarily want the Americans to leave, either. They want to help in building and infrastructure.
This is a country where time stopped in 1979. And even then, you only saw infrastructure in the cities of Afghanistan. So, obviously, Afghanistan is very -- left very far behind. They want the help to improve. They want the building. They want help with their farming. But at the same time, they are tired of war after 30 years -- Betty?
NGUYEN: All right. CNN's Atia Abawi joining us live -- thank you so much.
HOLMES: Well, it was last week that the president had a major speech that he made to schoolchildren. In the following day, he had a major speech that he made to joint sessions of Congress about health care. Well, get set for another major speech from President Obama. This one comes tomorrow on Wall Street.
The president plans to deliver what his administration is calling a major speech on the nation's financial crisis. This comes one year to the day after banking giant Lehman Brothers collapsed. He'll talk about steps the administration has taken to deal with the battered economy and efforts to deal with the global economic situation.
That speech is expected around midday tomorrow. We, of course, will bring it to you live.
He's talking the economy tomorrow, but over this weekend, he was talking about health care. CNN's Elaine Quijano shows us what happened at the president's rally in Minneapolis.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): President Obama was back in campaign mode at a rally here in Minneapolis, pitching health care reform to an enthusiastic crowd of about 15,000 cheering supporters. And the president had a new twist on his health care argument, he's cited a new treasury report that estimates over the next 10 years, about half of all Americans under 65 will lose their health care coverage at some point.
But the president's speech here mostly reiterated what he told a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, including blasting critics who argue the president shouldn't rush reform.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We are closer to reform than we've ever been before. But this is the hard part. This is when the special interests and the insurance companies and the folks who think, you know, this is a good way to bring Obama down -- this is when they're going to fight with everything they've got. This is when they'll spread all kinds of wild rumors, designed to scare and intimidate people. That's why I need your help.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: But outside the hall, signs that the president still has some convincing to do. Protesters echoed some of the concerns voiced by Republicans and fiscally conservative Democrats. The biggest sticking point: How exactly to pay for the president's $900 billion plan.
Elaine Quijano, CNN, Minneapolis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Well, back in Washington, the tea party express protest was heating up on the steps of the nation's Capitol. Former Republican House Majority Leader Dick Armey told the crowd that Americans are fed up with bailouts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK ARMEY (R), FMR. HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: When the federal government just decided to go wrong over a year ago and tried to bail out Wall Street, we tried to tell them it won't work and it didn't work. When the first tranche of stimulus didn't work, what did they do? What the government always does with a bad idea -- if it doesn't work, do more. And we told them that wouldn't work.
Then we had the election. And President Obama came in and said, "We're going to give you change you can believe in." And what did he give us? More of the same.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Protesters also spoke out against plans for reforming health care. HOLMES: U.S. Open -- great time of year. Love watching.
NGUYEN: Fabulous.
HOLMES: Love it, love it, love it. It got ugly last night.
NGUYEN: It got really ugly. And, you know, this was a really important match, the semifinal match. You have Serena Williams in there, and there wasn't a call -- there was a call by an official that really set her off. There was finger-pointing. There was cursing. Did you see it? Well, if you didn't, we're going to show it to you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
NGUYEN: Well, what went down at the U.S. Open wasn't very smooth, was it?
HOLMES: No.
NGUYEN: On the part of Serena Williams. But, you know, we've all had our days when things just aren't going your way, you kind of lose it. Well, take a look at what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(INAUDIBLE)
(BLEEP)
SERENA WILLIAMS, TENNIS PLAYER: I didn't say I would kill you. Are you serious? Are you serious? I didn't say that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yes, you heard that part right. She came over to defend herself by saying, "I didn't say I was going to kill you." You're probably not in a good place if that is your explanation.
But we have to give proper perspective here, folks.
NGUYEN: Yes, we do.
HOLMES: This is a foot fault that was called against her. This is not a call made often and certainly not made with the match on the line in the semifinals of the U.S. Open. But either way, she reacted the way she did. Serena Williams, after being called for a foot fault told the judge she would -- I mean, you can make it out, no doubt I would shove this bleeping ball down your bleeping throat, is what she said. So, the line judge...
NGUYEN: Pointing her finger.
HOLMES: Pointing the racket and everything. NGUYEN: And actually, earlier in the game, after the first match, she broke her racket. I mean, this was a frustrating game for Serena Williams, no doubt. But it just really came to a boil when that foot fault was called. And it really was unjustified. I mean, she did not have...
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: Yes, it was a bad call.
We want to take a listen to some of the sound from the post-game interview. And let's see how Serena explains exactly what went down.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAMS: All year, I don't -- I've never been foot faulted and sudden until in tournament, they keep calling foot faults on me. I'm not saying I don't, but like, I don't know. You know, I'm not going to sit here and make an excuse. If I foot fault, I did. So, it was what it was.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Maybe it was...
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Wow.
HOLMES: ... what it was. And, again, here, bringing in Reynolds, she -- when the foot fault was called, that made it match point for those who watch tennis. But because of her reaction after it, she was then docked a point so that point she was penalized is the one that gives...
NGUYEN: For her conduct, yes.
HOLMES: ... the victory to her opponent.
NGUYEN: To Clijsters, yes.
HOLMES: So just ugly. A beautiful tournament. It's been a great, great, fun tournament -- great storylines and then we just wrapping it up with this.
NGUYEN: But, you know, it's a night game. You're in the semifinals. Serena Williams, there's a lot of pressure there. And for something like that that was not a correct call to, you know, pretty much give you match point or your opponent, that's tough.
Now, we're not justifying it, but, wow, she went off, Reynolds.
WOLF: Shouldn't she get, though, a few points for at least trying the Jedi mind trick of just saying that she really didn't say what they accused her of doing sort of?
NGUYEN: I didn't say I was going to kill you? That part? WOLF: I mean, we've all been mad before. I mean, personally, when the Fat Boys broke up or when I lost my Nate Dogg CD, I was basically in the same boat. I know how it goes. Although not with a tennis racket or tennis ball.
(CROSSTALK)
HOLMES: It's just unmistakable quite frankly, and you don't have to be trained in lip reading to understand what she said. You can make it out. Just an ugly incident. Who knows what's going to happen if she could possibly be fined or suspended. But this was -- it was ugly.
NGUYEN: Yes, it was. It's just unfortunate.
WOLF: It is unfortunate.
NGUYEN: A lot of pressure though. And, you know, there was a lot on the line there, and, boy, things exploded pretty rapidly after that call.
WOLF: But she'll be back. She's a great athlete.
NGUYEN: No doubt.
(CROSSTALK)
WOLF: But she'll be back. She's very young and she's fun to watch. No question about it. Great athlete.
NGUYEN: Very interesting to watch last night, no doubt. OK. Thank you, Reynolds.
HOLMES: All right, Reynolds, we'll see you again here shortly.
I know some of you would love to hear this -- charging all of your devices without having to plug them in.
NGUYEN: Oh, show me how, please. But, you know, here's the deal. Researchers say it's actually something that could become the norm. Really?
Josh Levs joins us to talk about it. Please give us the 411 on this.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Ain't that cool? Electricity without the plugs and they're saying it could actually be available within one year. We have some video and we are going to show you how all of this actually works.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: All right. So, you're on the road. Your cell phone starts to run out of power. It happens all the time to me. So what if you don't have a charger around? Or you don't have a plug around?
HOLMES: You know, this is funny -- you and I just had this happen, and you were about to lose your mind. You couldn't function.
NGUYEN: I was going to go and buy a battery.
HOLMES: Until you found some where to place -- it was embarrassing.
NGUYEN: Actually, I was asking for --t because you had like five phones. I was checking his batteries to see if they would fit in my BlackBerry.
HOLMES: It was embarrassing. So, yes, this is something you can use. Josh Levs is joining us now to tell us about the possibilities down the road.
Good morning, Josh.
LEVS: Betty, did any of those five fit your phone?
NGUYEN: No, none of them fit.
LEVS: None of them.
NGUYEN: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: Actually, though, I borrowed. I went to some stranger and borrowed a charger and found a plug somewhere. Yes, pretty sad.
LEVS: Well, the theory here is that within a year or maybe five years, you won't need anything like that anymore. We have the story here at CNN.com, from "The Edge of Discovery," that explains the researchers are developing this way to transmit electricity without needing a plug.
Take a look at a little clip of video here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ERIC GILER, CEO OF MIT-INSPIRED WITRICITY: I'll plug that in. It creates a magnetic field here. It causes one to be created out here. And as I said, in sort of about 10 seconds, we should start to see...
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: Guys, let me tell you what you saw. You saw him plug in a device. And you have that TV that's just standing there on its own, not connected to anything at all. And that TV is picking up electricity.
And this is how it worked. They found a way to take electricity, turning it into magnetic fields that then travels through the air then the device, guys, catches that and turns it back into electricity and the idea is, you can get everything to do that. Maybe someday, we won't have to have all these giant power cords along the streets and transmitting electricity that way. Maybe someday, we'll just be able to have this giant thing that sends out the electric waves that you need.
So, if we keep going this direction, "Edge of Discovery," maybe that's the future, guys.
NGUYEN: All right. All right. Hold up. I mean, it sounds cool and all, but if you've got all of these waves and all this stuff going through the air, is that safe for us?
LEVS: You know, I was wondering about that. These researchers that we're just seeing there, they say it does not radiate. So they say it shouldn't actually be transmitting in an electric field that could endanger you in some ways, there's no radiation.
NGUYEN: That's what they say.
LEVS: That's what they say. But, yes, we need to consult Sanjay on this one, no doubt.
NGUYEN: Yes, the appliances as well.
OK. Thank you, Josh.
LEVS: Thanks guys.
HOLMES: You'll be walking around with your hair...
NGUYEN: I'll be turning green.
(LAUGHTER)
NGUYEN: A glow around us. It's fine though. My battery is charged. We're good.
HOLMES: I know it's all you care about.
We're going to turn back to our -- some of your comments out there. We were asking a little earlier about H1N1. France actually has some campaigns out there, trying to discourage people from doing their traditional kissing. They kiss a lot over in France.
NGUYEN: Yes, they do.
HOLMES: But if France is even telling people not to kiss so much in their greetings because of H1N1, then what does that mean for the rest of us? Have you changed anything you are doing of H1N1?
NGUYEN: Have you stopped kissing because of it?
HOLMES: Have you stopped...
NGUYEN: Let us know.
HOLMES: Please, not too many details.
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: The surface stuff if you can.
NGUYEN: Keep it clean, keep it clean.
And we're going to be talking about beating the heat, Longhorn- style.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF: Coming up on CNN SUNDAY MORNING, find out how the Texas Longhorns deal with the hot summer conditions. Hook 'em Horns! Oh, yes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMECIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Reynolds that was funny.
(CROSSTALK)
NGUYEN: Reynolds is a funny guy. Yes, if you could only hear. We may not have our jobs if you did, though.
WOLF: I'm just not sure.
HOLMES: It's not that bad.
NGUYEN: No, no. It is sometimes. Anyways, but we'll move right along for that.
HOLMES: Yes, Reynolds, you've made your way down to -- I mean, we've been covering a lot of this, some serious stuff about football players. I mean, there's a trial going on right now with the high school coach. One of his players died. This is serious stuff. Football season is in full swing. So, we have to go and find out how you keep these guys hydrated, how you them safe, how you keep them cool out there.
And you found a pretty good place to...
NGUYEN: Yes, you did.
WOLF: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: Even in the heart of Texas.
WOLF: Yes. And you know what's weird about Texas. I mean, we often tell people that during an extreme heat, what would we tell you, we tell you to avoid going out in the peak heating hours of the day.
NGUYEN: Exactly.
WOLF: But if you happen to be somewhere, a place in a very warm climate, and, say, Texas Longhorns, guess what, you have to go out and you have to deal with these extreme temperatures.
So, I was able to go to the summer's hottest state, Texas, to get a workout with those Longhorns and the head athletic trainer. Here's what we found.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF (voice-over): Each season, the Texas Longhorns face bitter rivals, like the Sooners or Aggies, but an even tougher foe is the intense Texas heat.
SHERROD HARRIS, QUARTERBACK: I don't think I've ever gotten used to this heat. The best way I could -- I've been able to adjust to it was drink more Gatorades or waters.
WOLF: Hydration, it is one method U.T. trainer Kenny Boyd stresses. But he also employs high tech methods like the core temp pill.
(on camera): Wow.
(voice-over): The pill is ingested about six hours before training begins. So that's what I did before my Longhorn workout.
(on camera): All right. Let's play ball.
(voice-over): The heat index? One hundred five degrees. A quick warm-up run, then a body temperature reading before practice starts.
(on camera): Got to be a cool 98.6.
KENNY BOYD, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS: Ninety-eight point six. Try 100.23.
WOLF (voice-over): Kenny will pull a player from the field when their body temperature reaches 103.
BOYD: That's when you can start to exhibit some of the more significant signs or symptoms of someone in heat stress. When they get to 104, that's when we pulled them from practice or a workout, and that point, cease their workout or practice and try to get them hydrated and rapidly cool.
WOLF: To replicate real practice conditions, Kenny puts me through increasingly difficult drills.
BOYD: One, two, three, four, five. Up, let's go. Go through -- go through again. Come on back. Come on back. Finish through the line. Finish, finish, finish.
One hundred point eighty-one. That's not bad. Hit the next one. Hit the next one. Go! Strike, extend. Go! Strike, extend.
One hundred one point seven. WOLF: This is me after 20 minutes of light workout in the 105- degree heat. Longhorns, like most players in training, will undergo intense workouts in 45-minute intervals. While doing so, Kenny looks for danger signs.
BOYD: Disorientation, any kind of decreased mental acuity. Someone that's beginning labor a lot more in the drill.
How about we're going to go cool off?
WOLF (on camera): That sounds great. Wow.
(voice-over): One method is this shirt, fitted with a stem that allows a blast of cool air to fill its chambers.
Not quite as high tech, but more effective is this -- the rapid cooling tub.
(on camera): Oh, good God Almighty! Oh. Good God Almighty! Whoa!
(voice-over): It may be crude, but it works. And that's the mission of trainers, like Boyd, to keep their players safe.
BOYD: A lot of us in athletic training have been witnessed or been a part, or know people that have had to deal with someone that's suffered from heat stroke or from a heat crisis, and that has really shaped some of the passion and some of the concerns we have as a staff today at the University of Texas.
WOLF: All part of an effort to keep players on the field and in the hunt for the championship.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF: You know, we often think about the extreme heat being in Texas.
NGUYEN: Right.
WOLF: But I'll remind that in 2001, we had a player by the name of Korey Stringer with Minnesota Vikings who actually died in Mankato, Minnesota. It's a place you really don't associate with heat.
So, it really is a tremendous issue. It's a huge problem and it really bears watching by the trainers -- a huge responsibility. Not just tape up ankles and not just to tape up wrists, but you really watch them for their well-being. It can be a scary prospect.
NGUYEN: Make sure they survive practice.
WOLF: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: All right. That was a good report though. Thank you for that.
WOLF: You bet.
NGUYEN: I'm glad you survived it.
WOLF: Yes.
NGUYEN: The Texas heat.
WOLF: Absolutely.
NGUYEN: And those Longhorns.
WOLF: Hook 'em. There you go.
NGUYEN: Hook 'em Horns.
All right. We are getting some great Facebook responses from you as well as Twitter responses. We've got a couple issues out there.
HOLMES: Yes.
NGUYEN: One was the story that we just told you about not too long ago, France discouraging people from kissing, you know, how they kiss on both side of the cheek as a way of greeting and also people maybe not to wear neckties because those aren't washed as often, blah, blah, blah.
Anyways, I'm getting some stuff. Let me just got to my Facebook site really quick. Troy says -- I was asking, "Hey, so, France is doing it, are you cutting back on kissing, too?" Troy says, "I'm married, so, yes. She tells me I have to." And then Brian said, "I don't. I don't kiss a woman if she has a cold. Just common sense." All right.
HOLMES: Don't kiss a woman if she has a cold. Huh! All right.
Well, we also -- on another topic we've got a lot of people talking today was, of course, Serena Williams.
NGUYEN: Right.
HOLMES: And her, some would say, meltdown -- whatever you might want to call it -- at the U.S. open last night. Here are some of the comments. Just a couple here from Twitter this morning I will share. One is saying simply, "Sad, sad, sad." Another from MissJazze (INAUDIBLE) says, "That's called passion. I'm sure she would handle it differently if she could do it over, but that's what came out in the moment."
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: And you're going to hear a lot more about that throughout the day, throughout the morning. It's not over yet but Betty and I will be back here in 30 minutes.
NGUYEN: Yes. Keep those comments coming. We'll keep reading on the air. But right now, we want to take you to "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
