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CNN Sunday Morning

Officials Hunt for Clues After Air India Crash; Frustration Grows as Oil Seeps Into Wetlands; Tornadoes Touch Down in South Dakota; Texas Textbook Debate Inflames Passions

Aired May 23, 2010 - 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: Hey, good morning, everybody. Welcome to this CNN, this SUNDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes. It is May the 23rd. Wherever you may be this morning, we're glad you could be right here with us.

It's 6 a.m. where I sit here in Atlanta, Georgia. It's 3:30 in the afternoon in southern India, and that's where the grim task continues of searching through that thick brush and tough terrain. They're searching for clues and also still searching for the dead after that deadly plane crash in India yesterday. A hundred and fifty- eight people killed; some families are actually being asked for DNA samples so they can possibly match up with some of the bodies that are burned beyond recognition.

But still, there are eight survivors, and we're learning more about them. We'll tell you about them here in a bit.

Also, take a look at this video. A rare and scary site. A tornado caught on tape. We'll tell you exactly where this is and also, amazingly, no injuries to report from it.

We'll get to all that this morning. But want to give you a look at some of the things we're keeping an eye on, some of the headlines from overnight.

Ten people dead, 55 injured after a train derailed in eastern China. This was caused by a landslide. You can see some of the pictures here. Rescuers were scrambling, trying to get to a lot of people. A lot of people were able to get out, but again, 10 dead, 55 injured. The Chinese military was helping along with a lot of that rescue.

Also, we turn to Afghanistan now. And overnight, insurgents attacked a U.S-NATO base there. This happened at the Kandahar airfield in southern Afghanistan. Security forces were able to beat back that attack. Nobody killed here, but several civilian workers had -- had been injured.

Now, this follows an another attack we saw at Bagram air base in Kabul three days ago that killed one U.S. contractor and injured some U.S. soldiers.

Also, take a look into space now. Shuttle Atlantis expected to undock from the International Space Station this morning. Expected to happen around 11:22 a.m. Eastern Time. This is the last mission for the Atlantis shuttle. It is being retired after his mission. And of course, the entire shuttle program is being retired. Only two more shuttle launches left.

Now, Atlantis is expected to return back to the Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday. There were three spacewalks during this particular mission. They were taking up some new equipment and, again, delivering some stuff to the -- to the International Space Station and getting it all stocked up.

Now, Shuttle Discovery is going to be the next flight in September, and then Shuttle Endeavor going to be the last of the shuttle fleet that go into space. That's happening in November.

Let's go back -- back to a story, a breaking story over this weekend, that crash in Mangalore, India. The search is on right now for answers as well as that flight-data recorder, that all-important flight-data recorder. This now after India's deadliest plane crash in a decade. The crash killed 158 people. This was an Air India flight that was trying to land yesterday. It was coming into India from Dubai.

Now, eight survivors that we do know of. That's good news. But a miracle that anyone survived when you look at some of that wreckage. Victims' families at that city morgue as authorities work to identify the deceased.

CNN's Liz Neisloss is live for us in Mangalore with the very latest.

And let's start with that all-important flight-data recorder. Have they found it just yet?

LIZ NEISLOSS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No, T.J., they have not, and it might (AUDIO GAP) awhile. The plane crashed with jumbled trees and brush surrounding (AUDIO GAP) around, is strewn over a very large area.

But this is going to be the best hope they have of trying to figure out what happened to this plane, this plane that seemingly was touching down in a normal fashion, and then just kept going, skidding violently off the runway, shearing off a right wing and breaking into pieces and flames -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Our Liz Neisloss, again, on the scene there in Mangalore. We're having a couple of issues with the satellite, but I'll try to get in another question, and we'll -- we'll just deal with that satellite delay and some issues we have of it breaking up.

But -- but tell us as well, the update on -- on the numbers. We -- what -- and what do we know about these eight survivors? Again, like I said, a miracle when you look at some of this video that anybody survived. But what do we know about their condition?

NEISLOSS: Most of the survivors are in stable to good condition. Only two of them were in poor condition. Where I am right now, it's a (AUDIO GAP) -- very different scene, though, T.J. (INAUDIBLE) bodies just keep coming. This is a (AUDIO GAP) place to be. This is where (INAUDIBLE) like to find the bodies of their loved ones.

We've been told about one case of -- of -- of a child, a 6-year- old girl, who was found with just a heart pendant. And there was an announcement made for anyone to come forward that might recognize this clue. So far, no one has come to claim this child -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Liz Neisloss with the story for us. Still, such a morbid, tragic story still developing there in India. Thank you so much.

The other big story we are keeping an eye on this weekend, and this morning especially, the ongoing efforts to cap the oil spill in the Gulf. That oil spill, a live look that we still do have. We see now, 24/7 and for the past month, this is what's been happening, oil gushing into the Gulf. And it continues right now.

This is a live picture that BP made available just a couple of days ago. And this has been going on, again, for the past 30 days, a continuous gush of oil. To put this in perspective for you here now, we have been told that 5,000 barrels a day have been spilling. According to BP, several thousand they are able to capture, but still, there are some estimates out there that as many as 1.5 to 4 million gallons of oil is leaking every single day.

BP is going to try another method to possibly stop this leak. They expect to do it early next week. This new method is what's called a "top kill" method. What exactly does that mean?

Let's show you an animation, try to explain to you how this is supposed to work. This involves pumping heavy drilling fluids into the well and trying to seal it with cement. BP says they'll try this next week. They think they'll be able to start this on Tuesday.

At the same time, scientists tell the Associated Press that it may be impossible to get the oily mess out of the marshes of the Gulf. The Associated Press says officials are considering drastic measures, including burning part of the wetlands or flooding certain areas.

President Obama, meanwhile, is creating a bipartisan commission to investigate the oil leak and offer solutions to keep something like this from ever happening again.

Now, who does he want to lead that commission? He has peaked former Florida Senator Bob Graham and former EPA head William Reilly. Graham is a Democrat; Reilly served the first Bush administration.

Our Kate Bolduan tells us now exactly what's expected of these two.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Both come with some good credentials when you're talking about this situation. A former Democratic senator from Florida, Bob Graham; and a former -- and the former EPA administrator during the first Bush administration, William Reilly.

And the goal of this -- of this mission -- it's straightforward, but it's a huge job to really get at the root cause of this massive spill, and also, then, make recommendations and figure out how to prevent this from happening ever again in the future.

Straightforward, but it's a huge job, and they're being tasked with reporting back to the president in six months.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: All right. And a reminder that if you want to watch the live feed of the oil spill, again, it's up 24/7. You can go to CNN.com. Live streaming footage from a mile below the surface. Again, CNN.com, live.

I want you to take a look at a picture now. It's a rare and scary site.

Yes, 'oh my gosh' is correct. A storm chaser has caught this on tape. This was one of several tornadoes reported yesterday in South Dakota. And this is just one of them that we caught on camera.

We have our Bonnie Schneider along. She's going to tell us exactly what went on yesterday.

Also, we were telling you yesterday about the Texas textbook controversy. Well, school leaders approved changes to the schoolbooks. Some people call them a little too conservative; others say this just gives balance to history. Now we want to tell you about another state that is getting involved, responding to the controversy in Texas.

It's eight minutes past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, welcome back to this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

We often talk to people, Bonnie, about severe weather. But we get a chance to show it to them like this. This is another story.

This video is remarkable.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is. And it's -- and it's not that often we talk about South Dakota seeing these tornadoes.

HOLMES: Tornadoes, yes.

SCHNEIDER: But they do, and really, you can see a tornado anywhere in the country. But you've got to see these pictures, because they are -- it just happened yesterday, and we'll still getting severe weather in the Dakotas.

Let's take a look. Wow. That is a large and destructive tornado. It's amazing there were no injuries.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know. And we're going to have to get south in a hurry.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SCHNEIDER: You can hear the people saying they got to get out in a hurry. Absolutely.

The rotation on that, the size of it -- I'm sure it was on the ground for at least 30 minutes. This is in Bowdle, South Dakota, and you can see that it's a rain-wrapped tornado, making it difficult to see because it's so dark. Remember, tornadoes are actually picking up the debris, and that's why they get that dark color, forming there.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOLMES: Well, we've been telling you really over the past days and weeks about the controversy in Texas over the textbooks and people arguing over exactly what should go into them.

Well, the Texas state board made their decision, some people saying too conservative, some of the changes. Others saying it, of course, gives balance.

People worry that this would spread to other parts of the country. Well, one state now considering legislation to prevent that from happening.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, a quarter past the hour now on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Take a look now at some of the stories making headlines.

We start in Thailand, where the government there is extending a curfew. This curfew covers the capital of Bangkok and also a third of the provinces in that country. The curfew goes from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m., and the government says they're having to do this for security reasons. This is a part of a great government crackdown over violent protests. A lot of the protesters want to do away with the current prime minister and the government to have new elections. At least 50 people have been killed in some of these protests in the past two months.

Also, President Obama giving the commencement address at West Point yesterday, talking to the cadets about Afghanistan and also what's happening in Iraq. And also, calling upon the American citizens to take more responsibility for the security of the country as well. This is the ninth straight year that the grads will face wartime service.

And a milestone yesterday as well. For the first time in the history of the academy, the top two cadets -- the valedictorian and also the top overall cadet, both female. Congratulations. Also, British Airways, the cabin crews are set to strike tomorrow. The talks between the airline and the union could resume today. Those talks were canceled yesterday because of angry protests. The union is threatening a five-day walkout because of working conditions. The airline has had to cut back a lot of things. The airline says it is right now -- quote -- "struggling for its very existence."

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, 20 minutes past the hour on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

Another state now is getting involved in the Texas textbook controversy. They're trying to ensure that whatever standards that Texas has just adopted never make it to their classrooms. We'll tell you more about that in just a moment.

But back to the story in Texas. The Board of Education there has approved some controversial to some of its social-studies curriculum. Critics say the conservatives on the board impose their political beliefs on schoolchildren. Meanwhile, others, those on the board, say they're just trying to give balance to a lot of the left-leaning curriculum that's out there already.

Well, two prominent voices in this debate talked to me yesterday about at least one particular point of contention: slavery.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN SAENZ, LIBERTY INSTITUTE: A lot of people that haven't read the standards, a lot of people haven't read what was approved yesterday. And that's unfortunate. And that's how misinformation has spread.

And the reality is, you know, we have strong standards that parents, teachers, experts and professors from across the state are supporting, and, you know, talk about balance...

HOLMES: But that involved...

SAENZ: ...what's not talked about is yesterday they've been absolutely involved in this from every step of the way. And he was...

BEN JEALOUS, PRESIDENT, NAACP: You threw out everything that ...

HOLMES: Wait. Hold -- hold on one second, Ben. Hold on one second, Ben.

Jonathan, you finish up and Ben, I'll let you get back in there. Jonathan, finish up for me.

SAENZ: Sure.

Earlier this week, Wallace Jefferson, the first African-American chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court was added. Sonia Sotomayor, the first Hispanic female justice of the United States Supreme Court was put into our standards.

And there's some misinformation about the slave trade that Mr. Jealous brought up. That issue was dealt with yesterday and the day before. It seems there were some confusion on how it was worded, and so the board voted unanimously to have it listed as a transatlantic slave trade.

JEALOUS: (INAUDIBLE).

HOLMES: Ben -- Ben, you tell me what you were taking issue with there.

JEALOUS: Sure.

Right up until yesterday, they had sought to rename the slave trade the transatlantic triangular trade and take the people out of it, and take slavery out of it. That's part of why we flew down there. So I'm glad to hear that last night they moved on that point.

This process...

(CROSSTALK)

HOLMES: You know what, let me get in here. I want to make sure, because I -- I read this thing as well and I did see Atlantic triangular trade in there. But then in the next almost couple of words, I saw the words "slavery" and there are other points where you...

JEALOUS: Right. It says, "and slavery."

HOLMES: And slavery.

But go ahead. What -- now, what is the issue with that? And you call it a triangular trade, and then you -- you're still talking about slavery and you use the word "slavery." What -- what's the issue?

JEALOUS: It's a euphemism. It's a euphemism.

The reality is that slaves were central to that trade. There's a reason why it's called the transatlantic slave trade. And you take them out, you call it the triangular trade and all of a sudden, people are put on the same level as rum and sugar cane and -- and everything else.

That's -- it's -- there's a reason why you call it the transatlantic slave trade.

HOLMES: Now, Jonathan, isn't that a point there? Jonathan, isn't that at least a point? Why -- why even change that name? I think we all came up calling this the slave trade. So why was it important?

Even though you got "slavery" in the curriculum, the word, why -- why make that type of a change?

SAENZ: Sure. And -- and that's the point I'm making. I think there was some confusion on the part of some of the board makers (ph), and that's why there was an opportunity on Thursday to talk about that, and that's when they talked about this issue. Everyone got on the same page, voted unanimously. The process worked.

And so, that was before ...

JEALOUS: No, it didn't work.

SAENZ: ...the standards were final.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: All right. We had that debate yesterday, and we put up on our website, on Twitter, on Facebook and everything -- and our blog -- for you all to see and go look up some of these standards directly from the state Board of Education website.

I just pulled a few things directly from the standards, so you can exactly see what's in there and what all this debate was about. So there's one.

This was from the eighth -- eighth-grade curriculum, and that a lot of people were talking about. And it says, "Explain reasons for the development of the plantation system, the Atlantic triangular trade and the spread of slavery."

I'll move on and show you another one now from the high-school curriculum. It says, "Explain the impact of the Atlantic slave trade on west Africa and the Americas." So there's different language that you find in the high school vs. the eighth-grade curriculum.

Here's another that was a lot of debate, about Joseph McCarthy. It says, "Describe how McCarthyism, the House Un-American Activities Committee, the arms race and the space race increased Cold War tensions, and how the later release of the Venona papers confirmed suspicions of U.S. (sic) infiltration in the U.S. government." A lot of people took that to mean, because of these Venona papers, which show that there was some -- some argue, a communist infiltration into the U.S., that maybe Joseph McCarthy was right. That was the -- the quote that a lot of people took issue with.

I'll explain one more here for you. And it says, "Explain how the Arab rejection of Israel has led to ongoing conflict."

I'll just leave it at those few. But that's just a few that I wanted to pull out and show you directly what they say and why some of those words caused all of the controversy. A lot of people interpret those words different ways, and that's what you've been hearing in the media. But you see them there for yourselves, and you interpret them however you would like to.

Well, I want to turn to California now, where a state senator wants to ensure that no Texas standards make it into classrooms in his state. The state senator I'm talking is Leland Yee. He has introduced Senate Bill 1451. It says, specifically -- and refers to Texas in there specifically, names Texas in the legislation, and it would require the California State Board of Education to review all social- studies textbooks to make sure that those have not changed as a result of anything that happened to change in Texas.

Josh Levs, this thing has gotten a little out of control, a lot of people would say. Every state has its own right to -- to make its standards. It's a local issue, like Arne Duncan, the Education secretary says. And I know you got a lot of responses because...

JOSH LEVS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Yes.

HOLMES: ...this is such an emotional issue. But it just seems -- well, this thing has gotten going now, and it seems like you can't stop it.

LEVS: And that's just what a lot of people would say, a lot of people did say. I mean, a lot of people feel like it is getting under -- out of control.

And it's interesting, because as you were having that debate yesterday, as you know, I was online, I was interacting with all sorts of people online, talking to them about what do you think about all this.

And what I -- what I do want to show you, quotes from what people are telling us. Two things. One, I try to show the balance of both sides; but two, I got to be honest about what we're hearing. And 95 percent of what we're hearing is slamming Texas.

So -- excuse me. Here's Karen Wiseman: "I'm a proud Texas and a former history teacher from Texas. Today, I am embarrassed to be a Texan." That's my first post on Facebook.

Zelda here: "Changing the historical data to make it more palatable to right-wing parents is not going to help your kids when they leave Texas to chase jobs as adults."

What else we got? "I agree there needs to be a national standard. I teach world history, and much of what makes the books is a skewed version of the truth." Now, this is from Arietta, and this is a reference to some people yesterday saying Texas shouldn't be in the position of doing this, because if there were a national standard, each state wouldn't be making these changes.

And let's get to one more, because I think -- I think this is in support of Texas. It seems to be. From Chuck: "Makes me wants to move to Texas. No wonder the Cowboys are God's team."

Let me jump over to my Twitter page here. We have this coming in: "Why should Texas be able to change facts that kids have been learning for years? They were appropriate then. What has changed?"

And another one: "Our children are facing a changing world. Our job is to prepare them well. Texas won't do it."

Now, in addition to this, we're also interacting with you at the blogs, CNN.com/josh or /tj: "It's a no-brainer. Boycott the purchase of those propaganda books around the country, and buy what you believe are the book so integrity and credibility."

Look at this one: "Who led the committee for these changes? Archie Bunker?" That's from G. Brown.

And we got one more here: "Politicians should not be involved in writing history books."

Now, you can join in this discussion. You can also read -- T.J. was just showing you highlights from it. There's a really detailed breakdown straight from the Texas Department Board of Ed about what these changes are.

Let's show my graphic, because I want everyone to see how you can get straight to it. It's up at Facebook; it's up at Twitter, and it's up on the blog, CNN.com/josh. So go ahead and take a look there.

And once you've read them, do what these people are doing, go ahead and join in the discussion.

And T.J., you're absolutely right; a lot of people feel like it's getting out of control. A lot of people really concerned about where this goes from here.

HOLMES: Yes, politics and history shouldn't mix, if you will. I mean, just -- just should be some things we all agree on. History is history. But people seeing it different ways right now.

Josh, thank you. Yes, three hands up. Josh, thank you. We'll talk to you again here shortly.

LEVS: (INAUDIBLE)

HOLMES: I'll turn to Hawaii here, where we have seen a rare political victory there for the Republicans. Fighting between two Democrat candidates helped one Honolulu city councilman become the state's newest congressional representative.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Hello there, everybody. Bottom of the hour here on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Thank you for being with us.

Here's a look at some of the stories we're keeping an eye on this morning. The search is on right now for the flight data recorder from yesterday's Air India crash that killed 158 people. Eight people survived. A forensic team arriving today to help try to I.D. the victims; a lot of victims relatives have been asked to provide DNA help in identifying the victims because some of them were burned beyond recognition.

Also, overnight, insurgents attacked a U.S. Naval base in Afghanistan. This is in Kandahar Air Base, in the southern part of the country. Security forces were able to beat back that attack. Nobody killed here, but several civilian workers were injured. This follows an attack at Bagram Air Base in Kabul, just three days ago, that killed one U.S. contractor.

And a farewell for the Space Shuttle Atlantis. It will be undocking from the international space station this morning. Not expected back on earth until Wednesday, but still a sentimental moment because this is the last voyage for Space Shuttle Atlantis. The final schedule mission, I should say, of course, they are going to be retiring the shuttle fleet at the end of the year. So only two more shuttle missions left. Discovery taking off in September and then Endeavor will finish it up in November.

There is controversy is surrounding dispersant that is being used in the Gulf oil spill. The EPA told BP that they needed to use a less toxic chemical. Well, BP says they are going to stick with the old industry standard instead. Yes, this very one that the EPA is telling them they need to switch from. These still live pictures we are showing you from that oil gushing from that oil well; that is 5,000 feet below the surface of the water. Every minute, every day, folks. This has been happening for the past month. This stuff is leaking into the Gulf. So no slow up yet.

The president has put together a bipartisan commission to investigation the cause of this particular oil spill and try to prevent it from ever happening again. It certainly has people, all around the country, but certainly people in the region, and in Louisiana on edge, they depend on the Gulf for their livelihood. There was a town hall meeting held yesterday with some officials from BP, also a particular congressman spoke to CNN about the meeting last night.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. CHARLIE MELANCON, (D) LOUISIANA: Well, they're very frustrated, scared. Feeling of helplessness, I guess, because as discussed today, you can't physically go out there and shut it down yourself. Then of course, a lot of the unknown about what BP will be responsible for. And after Katrina went through so much with these situations around with people with misinformation that was out there, and erroneous information, and then just a lack of information.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Many residents there were victims of course, were victims of Hurricane Katrina. Now they are facing what some are saying could be a much more devastating disaster than even that.

Now we are going to turn to some politics now. Democrats, some are saying getting a bit of a wake-up call this morning, in Hawaii, of all places. They've lost the House seat they've had for almost 20 years. Who did they lose it to? That guy, a Honolulu congressman. He won Saturday's special election. There was some in-fighting that went on with the Democratic Party. Two Democratic candidates apparently split the vote, which made the way for the Republican to get the seat. Now Republicans hope to carry their momentum into November.

We get more now from our Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey, good morning to you, T.J.

Tuesday congressional Republicans unveiled the latest effort to win back control of the House of Representatives. House Republican leaders will give a sneak peek of an early draft of their agenda for November's midterm elections. It's expected to include a new website called americaspeakingout.org; which should allow people to e-mail or text their suggestions on what the GOP agenda should include.

Also Tuesday, what could be a rare moment of bi-partisanship in this town, President Barack Obama heads to Capitol Hill to have lunch behind closed doors with Senate Republicans. The big question, can the president and Senate Republican find any common ground on immigration reform and climate change. Those are the two big issues coming up next in Congress.

Later Tuesday, Mr. Obama plays the role of fundraiser in chief. He flies to the West Coast to headline a fundraiser for fellow Democrat Barbara Boxer, the three-term senator from California is facing a tough re-election battle this year. This is the president's second trip this spring to California to help raise campaign cash for Boxer.

On Wednesday, the president speaks out about issue number one, the economy. Mr. Obama is scheduled to discuss jobs at a solar energy facility in Freemont, California.

And finally, former President Bill Clinton, he is heading back to his native Arkansas on Friday to help campaign for fellow Democrat Blanche Lincoln. The senator from Arkansas faces a primary election runoff in two weeks against the state's lieutenant governor, Bill Halter-T.J.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: All right. Thanks to our Paul Steinhauser. And this morning on "STATE OF THE UNION WITH CANDY CROWLEY", Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty discuss what Tuesday's primaries mean for both parties and their outlook for the midterm elections. Again, that is "STATE OF THE UNION WITH CANDY CROWLEY". It begins at 9:00 o'clock Eastern, right here on CNN.

It's our effort here on every CNN SATURDAY & SUNDAY MORNING to introduce you to somebody who is not necessarily in the headlines, but somebody we think you should know about. Today we have a person you should know that really hits close to home for me. In fact, it hits my very home. That's right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, every CNN SATURDAY & SUNDAY MORNING, here, every weekend we want to introduce you to a person we think you should know. Maybe not some one necessarily making headlines, not a celebrity, not a star, but just someone we think you should know about. Today this story hits not just close to home but hits my home.

You know there are some professions out there where boys often follow in the footsteps of their dad. Things like firefighters, soldiers, and yes, in fact, police officers. Brandon Paudert followed in his dad's footsteps. He wanted to be a police officer, just like his dad. He became a sergeant at the West Memphis Police Department where he worked on the drug interdiction unit. Not only that, listen to this that, he got to work with the guy he grew up wanting to be like, his dad, who is the police chief at the West Memphis police department.

His dad, the West Memphis police chief, was the one who had to confirm to the public on Thursday that his son had been killed. Shot and killed when he responded to give backup to fellow officer Bill Evans who made a traffic stop. Evans was also killed. Evans father and grandfather were police officers as well. With all the dangerous things that police officers have to do, sometimes it seems that the simplest is a traffic stop. But oftentimes that's the most dangerous thing that the officers do. Because they don't know anything about who or what they are about to encounter.

You see them there. Brandon Paudert and Bill Evans, just a couple of people we thought you should snow.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. Want to turn to some weather here, at about a quart to the top of the hour. Our Bonnie Schneider keeping an eye on things.

You told me it was a bit early to be talking about tropics and the tropics season.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, a little early.

HOLMES: You also told me about, what was the name of the thing?

SCHNEIDER: Invest 90L.

HOLMES: Yes, Invest 90L.

SCHNEIDER: Catchy name.

HOLMES: Yes, Invest 90L. But you are going to explain the relevance of that I'm sure.

SCHNEIDER: I will. Absolutely.

We are looking at already, just watching the tropics. Of course, hurricane season begins June 1, we're still in May. But sometimes we get an early start to the season. The first named storm would be Alex. And what's going on right now east of the Bahamas has the potential to be Alex. Although, it doesn't look very promising at this point. This is the area here of disturbed weather, east of the Bahamas. We're getting a lot of dry air sort of working its way in from the west. That's breaking it up a bit. Also we have what is known as strong wind sheer, vertical wind sheer, and that tends to tear down the tops of thunderstorms and also disperse it as well.

But that is not to say this system is not going to do anything. Let's take a look. Some of the computer models are taking below, or Invest 90L. But the way, Invest means it is an area of the National Hurricane Center has now labeled officially as something they're investigating. They're tabulating and taking a look at all the data to determine whether or not this system will grow and where it will go.

That is what they do when they look at these computer models. It kind looks like a mess, right? A lot of scribble out there, but each of these numbers here, each of these lines, rather are individual computer models. They're taking the system generally speaking to the north. But then a lot of them are taking them further west to the U.S. or some are just taking it off to sea.

However, now we're starting to see a little bit more of consistency taking the storm closer to the U.S. coastline. And that means as we get into Monday and Tuesday we'll watch the southeast coast for the potential for winds and maybe some rain. And certainly rip tides all along the Carolina coast and down through Florida. If this system gets close enough. Now it may linger out to sea and not amount to much. But it bears watching.

Speaking of tropical development, once we get to June we'll talk more about this. We're anticipating a very active and busy hurricane season. Normally where the water temperature is warmer, 80 or warmer, it's down more towards Central America and south of Cuba in early June. When you start getting into July, August, and September, that warmer water temperature really works its way into the Gulf and just off the southeast seaboards. We get a lot more tropical activity with the first and second week of September being the peak of tropical season.

Giving you a heads up to get your hurricane plans ready just in case you live in a coastal area. Now those of you who live off into the mid-Atlantic, or into Northern New England, you are facing a little bit of we weather this morning. We have stormy conditions in Washington, D.C. this morning. Very heavy rain there overnight and overcast weather across much of New England, but temperatures are going to be warm.

T.J., as I was mentioning. It's going to be a very hot day across much of the South and a very cold day in places like San Francisco, where the high temperature today is only going to climb to about 56 degrees. That is cool for late may. Isn't it?

HOLMES: Yeah. The weather is always weird out there. It can be middle of the summer. It's 80 during the day. You go close to the water and it's like 40.

SCHNEIDER: You have to have a wardrobe that really encompasses everything, right?

HOLMES: You do. I lived out there and I always had to take a bag if I was gong out somewhere in San Francisco.

All right. Invest 90L. I'm going to be-

SCHNEIDER: We're watching it.

HOLMES: And it would be Alex if it-

SCHNEIDER: If it gets a name, but we see, as we go forward, it will be Alex.

HOLMES: But Alex is the first one.

SCHNEIDER: That's the first one. Letter A.

HOLMES: And we know what letter B is.

SCHNEIDER: We know what letter B is, right?

HOLMES: Bonnie.

SCHNEIDER: Right.

HOLMES: All right, Bonnie. Thank you very much.

SCHNEIDER: Sure.

HOLMES: Well, if you're one of those sky diver or base jumpers, you probably love like something like the Empire State building, it's 1,250 feet. The Eiffel tower is about 1100 feet. The tallest building in world in Dubai, it is about 2,700 feet. For one sky diver those are just a little too small for him. He's going to attempt to freefall from 120,000 feet, 23 miles high, to set a new record. The details coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Might as well jump, but this high? This is the mother of all parachute jumps. A man plans to jump, not from the tallest building, not from the tallest bridge, not even from a plane that is taking him way, way up in the sky, above the clouds. No, he plans on jumping from the edge of outer space. CNN's Brian Todd with this story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): He's a 41-year-old Austrian sky diver who works for Red Bull. But with NASA's future so uncertain, Felix Baumgartner might just represent the next frontier of flight exploration.

Later this year, this guy is going to try to jump out of a capsule at the edge of space, for what's basically a record shattering sky dive. (On camera): So, my first question is a two parter, are you nuts, and why the hell are you doing this?

FELIX BUAMGARTNER, STRATOSPHERE JUMPER: Well, first of all, I'm not nuts. I think it's human nature. Records are meant to be broken. I'm a competitive person. I like the challenge and to me there is nothing more challenging than working on the Red Bull's Stratus Project.

TODD (voice over): The Red Bull Stratus Project will test the limits of the human body. Baumgartner will try to break some unheard of records, the longest and highest free fall ever. 120,000 feet above sea level. That's more than 22 miles. And he'll try to make the fastest ever freefall.

BAUMGARTNER: When you step off within the first 30 seconds, you accelerate so fast that you're going to break the speed of sound, which is more than 690 miles an hour.

TODD: That's something no one has ever done outside a plane or spacecraft. Baumgartner's already based jump from the Petronas Towers at Kuala Lumpur, and the Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro. The man whose record Fearless Felix is trying to break is a consultant on this project. Joe Kittinger who jumped from 102,000 feet 50 years ago.

TODD: You're the only one who has even come to being where he's going to go. What is it like up there?

COL. JOE KITTINGER (RET.), 1960 STRATOSPHERE JUMPER: It's distant.

TODD: I would say so.

KITTINGER: And it's very hostile. It's not meant for man without the protection.

TODD: What is it about that, that feels so hostile? Is it the pressure, the speed? What is it?

KITTINGER: It's the lack of pressure. You know right outside of you is a vacuum of space and without protection of that pressure suit, you cannot live. And that's an interesting thought that you have.

TODD (voice over): Like Kittinger, Baumgartner will be taken to the stratosphere in a capsule, pulled by a helium balloon. Then he steps off. The only thing protecting him, what he calls the next generation pressure suit and three parachutes.

TODD (voice over): Are you afraid of dying on this mission?

BAUMGARTNER: Of course, I'm afraid of dying because I worked so hard to reach that level. I'm living a good life. I think the most important thing in doing something like this is to come back alive.

TODD: The ultimate scientific goal, to advance human knowledge enough so that space tourists will be able to exist outside their vehicles if those spacecraft break down.

(On camera): How does Felix Baumgartner top this? Well, he probably won't. He says this is going to be his last jump, and then he'll go back to being a helicopter pilot. It may be a bit of a let down. Brian Todd, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: All right. It's about five to the top of the hour here on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. A quick break and we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, they're back home, but they were hoping to come back home with their children. We are talking about the mothers who had to leave their kids behind in Iran. Three U.S. hikers have been detained there since last July after being accused of spying by Iran. The mothers arrived back in New York yesterday. Again, they were hoping they would have been able to bring their kids back with them, but, no. Susan Candiotti has more on their emotional journey.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): They came home alone. Sticking to a written statement and saying they were exhausted. Three American mothers said they were grateful to see their children, but leaving them behind was excruciating.

CINDY HICKEY, SHANE BAUER'S MOTHER: The pain we felt in having to leave Tehran without our children is more than we can bear.

CANDIOTTI: After only one phone call in nearly 10 months, the three Americans, Josh Fattal, Sarah Shourd and Shane Bauer, were allowed two visits in as many days with their mothers.

SHANE BAUER, DETAINED IN IRAN: We exercise a lot, read a lot, study. The last few months we've been able to do that. Have more material to do that.

CANDIOTTI: The mothers maintain if their children cross the border hiking, it was an accident. They describe their children's health as decent.

NORA SHOURD, SARAH SHOURD'S MOTHER: Shane, Sarah and Josh have done nothing to deserve their continued detention and lack of movement in their case troubles us greatly.

SARAH SHOURD, DETAINED IN IRAN: Shane and Josh are in a room together, but I'm alone. That's the most difficult thing for me. I see them twice a day.

CANDIOTTI: Before the second and final meeting with their children, Iranian-run press TV show the mothers in an arranged meeting with families with Iranians said to be detained in Iraq in 2007. The mothers did not meet with Iran's president or other officials. The Swiss diplomat who acted as an intermediary says the trip was strictly humanitarian.

For the hikers' families, including Josh Fattal's older brother, a tearful reunion on TV seemed surreal.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were in the embrace of their mothers. And they were close to the airport. It just seemed so easy, and so logical for them to just get on the plane and come home.

CANDIOTTI (On camera): Is a prisoner swap in the works? The Iranian government has said it wants one. The State Department insists it won't happen. The mothers say they're convinced the three will be home, eventually.

We thank the many friends and supporters of Josh, Shane and Sarah for their untiring efforts to make sure our children will be free. That day will come.

CANDIOTTI: The question is how, and when? Susan Candiotti, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)