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CNN Sunday Morning
Two Slain Aid Workers Identified; Tourists Returning to Florida Beaches
Aired August 08, 2010 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everybody, from the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING for this August 8th. I'm T.J. Holmes.
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kate Bolduan. Thanks for starting your day with us, everyone. It's 8:00 a.m. here in Atlanta and 5:00 a.m. in Los Angeles. We have a lot of news happening this morning, so let's get right to it.
More trouble out of the Korean Peninsula. North Koreans have detained a South Korean fishing boat with seven people on board. It happened today in the East Sea, this according to South Korean state media. In March, North Korea was accused of torpedoing a South Korean ship, killing 46 sailors. That prompted joint U.S. and South Korean military maneuvers last week.
Combat operations in Iraq are now in the hands of the Iraqi army. The U.S. formerly handed over operations yesterday. The ceremony included mock maneuvers by Iraqi troops, as well as manning of checkpoints and detonating a fake explosive. The 64,000 American troops there now will be cut to 50,000 by September 1st.
And landslides triggered by heavy rain have killed at least 127 people in northwest China. The Chinese government says 2,000 more are missing. Local leaders say the water level rose more than three feet every five minutes, trapping many before they could get to safety. Those who did are stranded on rooftops and high ground, waiting for help.
HOLMES: Two escaped convicts are now being linked to a double homicide in New Mexico. State police is now asking for your help, anybody's help in identifying -- trying to track down these two men, Tracy Province and John McCluskey. The two escaped nine days ago from a prison in Arizona. Province was serving life in prison for murder; McCluskey was serving 15 years for attempted second-degree murder.
Now, authorities in New Mexico say they forensics evidence that's linking the men to two bodies found burned inside a camper in New Mexico.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
PETER OLSON, NEW MEXICO STATE POLICE: Yesterday afternoon, we developed some forensic evidence that links them to this case and we want to talk to all three of them about this evidence that we found and about the tragic -- well, we don't know for sure if it's the Haas couple, Gary and Linda Haas, that were burned in that camper. But we believe it's them, and we need to find out, we need to find these people, get them off the street and talk to 'em about the double homicide.
(END AUDIO CLIP)
HOLMES: Authorities don't believe the two men who are still on the run have left the country. They think they're still in the U.S., and there's concern now for the people of New Mexico, and anyone else who might be in the path of these men.
The two were on a part of a trio that escaped from that prison in Arizona a week and a half ago. The other man has been captured. There's also a woman believed to have helped in the escape. She is also on the run. Plus, a mother of one of the escapees was arrested and charged as an accessory yesterday.
BOLDUAN: CNN has confirmed the names of two of the 10 medical aid workers killed Thursday in Afghanistan. A Dr. Tom Little of New York, and British surgeon, Karen Woo, knew the risks, friends say, but continued to deliver -- continued on their mission to deliver humanitarian aid to remote region in the country.
We're hearing this morning from the widow of Dr. Little. Listen here.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LIBBY LITTLE, WIDOW OF DOCTOR KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN: He gave his life, the best years of his life, you know, to bring medical care to Afghan people and he'll be buried in a Christian cemetery right there in Kabul. And we'll be there, and we'll be surrounded by people that have been our family and our friends for years.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: And more details now on the medical volunteers. CNN foreign affairs correspondent Jill Dougherty is joining us now live from Kabul.
Hey there, Jill. What's the latest?
JILL DOUGHERTY, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kate, you know, you heard it from the widow of Dr. Little. And we've also had some detail of the life of Karen Woo, who was that surgeon, a specialist in women's and children's health. And these are really very dedicated people.
And now, unfortunately, they have to begin officially identifying the bodies. Ten people died, as we've been reporting. And -- so, those bodies, we now understand, were brought back just a few hours ago from that remote area in northeast Afghanistan, back here to Kabul by helicopter. And now, they are being identified, analyzed by the experts. There are people from the U.S. embassy, the consular staff. There are FBI agents who have an office here in Kabul, who are very good at identifying bodies. And then, also, people from the German embassy, the U.K. embassy and also from the Afghan Ministry of Interior.
And it's the ministry of interior that will be carrying out this investigation now that is beginning. It's a criminal investigation. And what they're trying to find out is, you know, how and why this happened.
We've been reporting, of course, that the Taliban have taken responsibility for this, and some details have come out, too, about how they attacked the convoy. And at least one Afghan -- we had been reporting two Afghans survived. It may now, according to the ministry, be just one. We will have to clarify that.
But he was allowed to survive because he told them that he was Afghan and a Muslim and began to pray from the Quran, and saying a prayer from the Quran, and his life was spared. And that could be very valuable in terms of this investigation.
Then, finally, just the past hour or so, we were at the ISAF headquarters, the international coalition headquarters, and there was a news conference on many different subjects, the spokesperson there, Brigadier General Josef Blotz, described it as a brutal, indiscriminate and absolutely deranged attack.
I believe we may have that sound from that news conference.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRIG. GEN. JOSEF BLOTZ, NATO ISAF SPOKESMAN: What it really means is -- and this is something the Afghan population has to -- has to face and has to clearly, you know, have in mind is that by these brutal, indiscriminate and absolutely deranged tactics and activities of the Taliban, international aid workers and nongovernmental organizations cannot do their job, which is so necessary for this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DOUGHERTY: So, that is the sad story, really, that the people who are really going to be hurt by this very much are going to be Afghan citizens themselves who will be deprived of the help that people like Dr. Little and others who risk their lives and gave their lives for the people of Afghanistan -- Kate.
BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Unfortunately, that is one of the messages that we're hearing from this, that these aid workers and the people that they're helping are really going to be suffering, at least, especially, even in the long term on the fallout here.
All right. Jill Dougherty, thanks so much. Thanks so much for joining us. HOLMES: We have been told that for all intents and purposes, that well that has been wrecking havoc in the Gulf for the past three months, for all intents and purposes, is dead. But still, BP and the government trying to kill it once again -- still have a couple more steps to go.
Our Reynolds Wolf is in Pensacola Beach, Florida, for us this morning.
Reynolds, you used some great analogies this morning for it. But help us understand, even though, yes, we've been told, virtually, even by Thad Allen, this thing is virtually not going to be a threat to us anymore. It's virtually dead, but they're still trying to kill it again.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely. I mean, this is basically going to seal it off for good. And the measure that they're going to undergo today is going to involve the final process of getting to what we refer to as the "bottom kill." That process today is going to be the continuation of the drilling or the digging of the relief well.
The relief well itself is something that has actually been dug right alongside the broken well. It goes down about some 17,000 feet. They're within 100 feet of where they're going to intersect the broken well with the relief well. When they get to that point, that's where they're going to inject the combination of both cement and mud into the broken well and that should just kill it off altogether.
And that is certainly something we've been wanting to see. You know, it started off first with the containment cap, that really sealed things up in the middle of July. And then, of course, we had the static kill, now, the bottom kill.
And I'll tell you, even though we're getting to the final step, for many people, that battle has already been over here along, say, the beaches here in Pensacola. Conditions are fine. The waters are beautiful, beautiful -- cobalt blue. The sand is incredible. They haven't seen any tar ball or any sheen along these beaches in this area for nearly a month.
So, things are certainly getting back to normal.
But just getting that "bottom kill" procedure is really something that many people are looking forward to.
T.J., it looks they're going to be digging through most of this week, on Friday the 13th, they should finish. That's when the two points should really have that injunction, if you will. That's where they're come together, they have to intersect. But then the process to really kill it off could take another week or so.
HOLMES: And, Reynolds, you made a great point, I thought, when I talked to you earlier this morning, last hour, about how important it was just for people over the past several weeks to not see a live picture of oil spewing into the Gulf, and that really made a difference in the psyche of a lot of tourists, people thinking about going to the Gulf, just not seeing it go out into the water any more, kind of got people back to the region.
WOLF: Yes. It's like trying to plan a picnic on a summer day and you see rain clouds, dark clouds coming in. Well, that dark cloud was that oil coming out, and now the oil, there's been no sign of it, of course, that's going to attract people. And they've really been showing up in droves.
I can tell you that a lot of the restaurants, there have been waiting lines in many of the restaurants here in the area. I can tell you that they have been stuck up any of the hotels. This hotel has been sold out over the last four nights. Tonight, it's going to be sold-out. They have a couple of weddings here.
People have really showing up as the oil has been drifting away and moving out. That's certainly the good news.
The problem is, though, when it comes to dollars and cents, and they really did miss out on the key parts of the season. They were depending on a very, very time, during the Fourth of July. And, of course, leading up to it. And, of course, that's what we had, a lot of the tar balls washing up ashore, a lot of the oil slicks. The timing could not have been worse.
HOLMES: All right. Reynolds, we're going to talk to you in a little bit. Something you do and do well. Oftentimes, you find somewhere to eat down there when we send you on assignment. But you're going to actually show us this time the meal you're having. A cool story, I've seen -- looking forward to hearing about it. But we'll bring you back here in a little bit. Talk to you soon, buddy.
WOLF: Talk to you soon.
BOLDUAN: The National Weather Service is confirming a series of tornadoes that touched down last night along the North Dakota and Minnesota state line. Let's get more on the twister -- do we call it an outbreak? I don't know.
Jacqui, do we call it an outbreak?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: No, you have to have at least 20 to have an outbreak.
BOLDUAN: Twenty? Wow.
JERAS: Yes, at least 20.
So, this was, you know, kind of isolated. But all it takes is one strong tornado, right, and it was caught on video. And this was in southeastern parts of North Dakota.
And look at that funnel, really amazing pictures. Thankfully, nobody was injured in this, and you can see the debris cloud. This thing did damage several homes. A couple made it to their basement, so they came out OK. And, you know, just tells you the true story, that have you to take cover and seek shelter and follow those safety rules whenever we have something like this taking place.
The National Weather Service hasn't confirmed how strong the tornado was, the damage scale. So, you got to see the damage. So, we're waiting for that sunup today.
And that severe weather threat is out there again, the same storm system that produced that tornado is on the move today. And we'll be watching places like Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, up towards Michigan. And tornadoes will be possible here once again today, more widespread wind damage will be possible, along with some hail makers.
We're also watching the Southeast. You know, we've had those pop up thunderstorms pretty much each and every day. We've had a few water spouts that go along with it. Well, we got this lingering area of low pressure today that's going to bring torrential downpours again.
Today and tomorrow, and particularly in south Florida, we think we'll see, you know, real complex develop here and that could create as much as inches of rain in the next 48 hours. And we are a little concerned about flooding in those areas.
And the heat, it's back. I know, you didn't want to hear it. But after a nice little reprieve, you had about two days. We're looking at 17 states under advisories and warnings again today, feeling like 105 to 115, T.J. and Kate, and unfortunately, this is going to build through the next couple days. We're not looking at any relief at least until Wednesday.
HOLMES: All right. Well, we will look forward to Wednesday then, Jacqui.
JERAS: Yes.
HOLMES: Jacqui, we appreciate having you with us this weekend. Thanks so much.
JERAS: Sure.
BOLDUAN: It's a glacier. It's a big glacier that is about 100 square miles in size. And it's broken off from an ice shelf in Greenland.
HOLMES: That's the largest ice break we have seen in five decades.
And, Josh, for whatever reason, this is one of the most popular stories on the Internet. Always interesting to see what people are interested in.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, it's not just too hot in parts of America right now, is it? I mean, this is what we're seeing in parts of the Arctic as well.
And coming up: I'm going to be telling you about the ice that scientists say broke away from this ice shelf. You need to hear how this part that broke off compares to the Empire State Building.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC)
HOLMES: Well, a massive ice break has created an ice island that could cause problems in the Atlantic.
BOLDUAN: I guess so. Josh Levs is here with the details from CNN.com.
LEVS: Yes, I'm going to talk you guys through it.
By the way, that was a nice advertisement for CNN mugs. You can get those at CNN.com through the CNN store. That was a nice close-up of your mug there.
I will tell you something. This is actually is interesting. And we're talking about that before the break.
What the most popular stories are online, and by far, the one number story right now is what's going with this glacier. We have some video of the glacier in general. Take a look at it here. It's called the Petermann Glacier in northern Greenland.
And what happened is researchers based at the University of Delaware say that 100 square mile ice island broke off from that glacier early Thursday, about half the height of the Empire State Building. And it's the biggest piece of ice to break away from the Arctic ice cap since 1962.
There are researchers saying the fresh water stored in this island, it's now it's own island that broke off, could keep the Delaware or Hudson Rivers flowing for more than two years. It could also keep all U.S. public tap water flowing for 120 days.
I want you to see where this is in the world. This is over here using Google Earth. So, you got the United States down here. We're going to zoom up and over to Greenland.
And it's in this section right here. And the concern is now that this part is broken off, where does it get to? Does it work its way eventually even in little pieces all the way through here into the Atlantic, causing potentially some problems in the Atlantic. So, this is something that now officials are going to be looking at.
One of the big stories in CNN.com, there's a whole other one I want you to know about. This is really nice and interesting piece. This is about dogs that are now refugees from the crisis, the oil spill in the Gulf.
Listen to this story from our affiliate News 12 New Jersey.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- effort by amazing people. NEWS 12 NEW JERSEY REPORTER: One hundred and seven dogs turned in by their owners on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana who could no longer keep them, and many, we're told, lost jobs because of the oil spill.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were probably turned in by families who miss them very much but who fell on hard times and couldn't take care of them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They've seen a triple, double to triple in their intake since the oil spill. So, financially, they told us a lot of people are moving to apartments, which then they can't take their pets with them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: And so, what we're seeing here is that even though the oil spill down in the Gulf, these pets, they no longer have owners and they are working their way across the countries. Some of the pets were owned by families for eight years, 10 years. Some of them are older pets that need homes now. It's interesting to see some families turning out trying to help the animals that are refugees from the Gulf.
Another story you'll find at CNN.com right now. As always, lots of good stuff there for you, and we invite you to check it out at the same time that you're watching us here in the newsroom
Guys, back to you.
HOLMES: Oh, thanks, Josh.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Well, coming up, certainly no secret, that America's first president owned slaves. It's been documented in a number of history books and by the historians.
BOLDUAN: Well, just recently, the ancestors of George Washington slaves held its 85th family reunion at George Washington Mount Vernon Estate. A CNN photojournalist travelled to Virginia with the Quander family.
(BEING VIDEOTAPE)
MELISSA WOOD, MOUNT VERNON ESTATE AND GARDENS: Washington lived here for 40 years, he called Mt. Vernon home. But during that 40 years, he was away fighting the Revolutionary War. He was up in Philadelphia and New York for the presidency.
The slaves were really running this plantation.
ROHULAMIN QUANDER, FAMILY MEMBER: Even though it was George Washington's home, it was our home, too. The Quander family is now celebrating its 85th reunion, and Quander ancestors were in service here to George Washington, from the 18th century, while he was off at Concord and Lexington and Bunker Hill, our ancestors were here in the fields tending to animals. So, this is very much a part of our legacy, as it was of his.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The memory of those who are gone before us, we will always remember to honor.
QUANDER: Slavery is over, and we have moved on, and it's time to be about the business of making America all that it can be.
GUY LARRY MITCHELL, FAMILY MEMBER: This is the greatest nation on the world that you can go from slavery to the president of the United States. That is huge.
QUANDER: So, so we need to take the strengths, and the significance of what George Washington stood for, that the Founding Fathers stood for. We need to turn it to our own advantage and see how we can use that. We need to see what all of the ancestors, what was so special and strong about them that can be to the benefit of us.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Another story we want to share with you this morning is of bystanders who watched a car plunge into a marina, but they don't just stand by.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRIS PAUL, HELPED RESCUE WOMAN FROM SUBMERGED CAR: You know, I thought I saw her last breath and she went -- she was -- we were face- to-face, and it was just horrifying.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BOLDUAN: Wow. Avoiding disaster, the remarkable story here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
It's 21 minutes after the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: Checking some of our top stories now.
More maritime troubles between North and South Korea. South Korea media reports the seizure of a fishing boat by North Korea. Not a whole lot of details. At this point, other than it apparently happened in the Sea of Japan and that the South Korean coast guard confirms the ship as missing. We'll keep you posted on more details as they come.
Authorities in western Pennsylvania say both people aboard a twin engine plane died after an aircraft struck a home near Bell Township yesterday. The home's owner was sleeping at that time but was able to escape without injury and with his dog. Crash investigators with the NTSB are expected on site later today.
And it's official. Elena Kagan is now a U.S. Supreme Court justice, with Chief Justice John Roberts swearing in the 50-year-old New York native on to the nation's highest court yesterday. She'll be the third female on the current bench and only the fourth woman in our nation's history to sit on that bench.
And a dramatic rescue of what could have been a watery grave for a 64-year-old woman in Massachusetts.
HOLMES: A car ended up in a marina in New Bedford. Luckily, some Good Samaritans were there to help pull her out. It could have been a horrible story. It had a good ending.
Kimberly Bookman with the story for us.
(BEGIN VIDOETAPE)
KIMBERLY BOOKMAN, WCVB REPORTER (voice-over): See that object sticking out of the water? That's a tip of a car trunk. Yes, an entire Buick Century submerged, and inside, its 86-year-old driver.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I dove down. I couldn't get her out. I went down again. I still couldn't get her out. I went down a third time, she came out through window. Ah!
BOOKMAN: That sigh of relief is shared by both the man who rescued her and the elderly woman's daughter.
JILL SIMMONS, DAUGHTER OF DRIVER: When she got to the hospital, she started arguing with the doctors, which is a good sign.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it is.
SIMMONS: She's your basic Yankee. Stubborn.
BOOKMAN: Well, that Yankee was driving around 10:00 Saturday morning into Pope's Island Marina -- why she was here and how she ended up 50 feet from the road in the water is still unclear.
SIMMONS: My mother has been driving forever, so she wouldn't make the mistake of hitting the wrong pedal.
BOOKMAN: Fortunately, John Conley and Chris Paul were nearby.
JOHN CONLEY, HELPED RESCUE WOMAN FROM SUBMERGED CAR: I had a mask, I had fins on the boat. So, I ran up the dock, land over to the boat, grabbed the mask and got in the water.
BOOKMAN: To get to the driver, John knocked out the rear view window, while Chris cut up his hand trying to remove the glass.
CHRIS PAUL, HELPED RESCUE WOMAN FROM SUBMERGED CAR: You know, I thought I saw her last breath and she went -- she was -- we were face- to-face, and it was just horrifying. BOOKMAN: The victim's daughter says her mom hates air conditioning and always cracks the window which turned out to be lucky on this day. The heroic duo focused on yanking her out of there.
CONLEY: Thank God she's alive. I could see her face right there. And I'm picturing, I'm going to be dreaming about this for the next 30 years if she dies. BOOKMAN: The driver's daughter ironically, a dive team sergeant herself, says these men are true pros.
SIMMONS: I can't thank them enough. I'll never be able to thank them enough.
BOOKMAN (on camera): The driver was taken to St. Luke's Hospital and her daughter tells us she's doing just fine.
The big question, however, is how she managed to go about 50 along this grass, pass those rocks and into the water. As for the hero, Mr. Conley, well, he credits a TV show, "MythBusters" forgiving him the tool for this rescue.
In New Bedford, Kimberly Bookman, NewsCenter 5.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, good to see those stories every now and again as well.
BOLDUAN: Yes.
HOLMES: Well, something we are seeing out of Iraq that maybe a lot of folks think it takes us quite a while to see. It has taken a while. But there was some history made in Iraq. Take a look here.
BOLDUAN: The last U.S. combat team in Baghdad formerly handing over control of the country to Iraqi troops. But that doesn't mean Americans will leave the country necessarily. We're headed there live. We'll be back right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, bottom of the hour here now and welcome back to the CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes.
BOLDUAN: I'm Kate Bolduan, good morning everyone.
Coinciding with the U.S. draw -- draw down of troops in Iraq, a distressing uptick in violence. Police in Fallujah tell us 10 people were hurt in a roadside bomb explosion earlier today, that's in addition to this morning's suicide truck bomb attack in Ramadi that killed eight people, two of whom were police officers.
Also in Baghdad this morning three roadside bomb blasts wounded five people, four of those were police. And then there is yesterday's trio of explosions that rocked the central Iraqi city of Basra. The casualty counts there has now been raised to 36 killed and 100 injured. It's uncertain whether the blasts were terror related.
HOLMES: Now, that violence comes at a milestone time really in Iraq. The U.S. has formally handed over combat operations to the Iraqis. It also comes as another American soldier was killed in central Iraq yesterday. Our Arwa Damon joins us from Baghdad. Arwa, first of all, as a correspondent who has essentially have been there throughout the whole Iraq war and also at a time when Afghanistan is now at the forefront of the minds of so many people, you can do this probably better than anyone.
Put in perspective what today means now that Iraqi security forces and no longer U.S. forces are in charge of security in that country?
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning T.J. Well you do also have to remember that the Iraqis formally took over control of the security portfolio here back in 2008 when the agreement was signed between them and the United States.
But what we saw happening over the weekend most certainly is significant in that the last U.S. combat brigade handed over control to the Iraqis. Remember the 50,000 troops that will be remaining here post-September 1st will have an advisory and assist role.
And we attended that ceremony and right afterwards, we spoke with America's top commander on the ground here General Raymond Odierno about how he felt the Iraqi security capabilities would be moving forward.
And we asked him a specific question with regards to concerns that we have been hearing from Iraqi civilians and some senior politicians alike. Those concerns centering around a return to violence as U.S. military boots decrease their presence here. And this is what the general had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. RAY ODIERNO, COMMANDER, U.S. FORCES IN IRAQ: Security has continued to move forward about the same, a little bit better, depending on which area you are at. So they have done it.
What I would tell them is we are still here, we have not -- we're not leaving completely. We are still very committed to Iraq.
And we're still going to have 50,000 troops on the ground for a significant period of time to continue to help them build that confidence between them and the Iraqi security forces.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DAMON: And building that confidence is going to be critical, T.J., especially after instances that we saw taking place over the last 24 hours that left dozens of Iraqis dead.
HOLMES: And it used to -- the role they're supposed to be in now, that the support role. But is it possible -- if things do ramp up, and when we get down to 50,000 by the first of September is it supposed those 50,000 that are supposed to be there in an advisory role could in some way be brought back into the fighting if need to be? DAMON: Well, T.J., when we talk about the U.S. military being in an advisory role, what that means is that they are taking a backseat in the sense that they will be partaking in military operations if the Iraqis deem it necessary.
So yes, they could find themselves in some sort of a combat role, the U.S. does of course continue to reserve its right to defend itself, and soldiers and marines can in fact defend themselves as well.
We will be seeing the U.S. more involved on things like planning out a mission and telling the Iraqis that perhaps they should be looking at intelligence in a certain way versus the way that they might be analyzing the information that they are receiving.
The U.S. very much wants to really push the Iraqis to the forefront of security here, because remember by the end of 2011, based on that security agreement, all U.S. troops are supposed to be out of Iraq -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right, Arwa Damon for us in Baghdad. Arwa, we appreciate you this morning thanks so much.
BOLDUAN: And the biggest problem -- well, we like to, I guess we could say this. The biggest problem -- Candy Crowley -- Candy Crowley is never a problem, but the biggest problem she has this week on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" is really deciding what to leave out. There is so much going on this week, especially in politics and around the country.
A preview of that, coming up next.
HOLMES: Also a little later, you just can't stop them. Down along the Gulf Coast, no matter what you do, you can't stop the chefs. They will not stop cooking and there has been a great American seafood cook off that's been going on this weekend in New Orleans. We'll take you there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Its 38 minutes past the hour. It means you are not too long away from seeing our Candy Crowley that we serve as the warm up act for here at least Sunday morning. Good morning to you Candy.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Good morning, I like to think of myself as you're closing act.
BOLDUAN: Candy is the closer.
HOLMES: Ok.
CROWLEY: That's right.
HOLMES: Well good to have you with us as always. I know you have another packed morning but there were so much that happened last week. You know I want to start with just a little tidbit here on Elena Kagan. It seems like it was on eventful and we didn't, we knew what was going to happen, a lot of people would say. But now she is in there, and now what?
CROWLEY: Well, you know, everything reverts back to what it has been in the last year and a half, really since the President took the oath Office and that's the economy. And no matter where you go, we had the Proposition 8 on gay marriage and the judge overturning that in California, we've had the immigration debate, but in the end we always come back to the economy.
This week, as you know, we had the latest unemployment figures, the economy lost jobs again, it still stands at 9.5 percent. And that's really where this fall is going to center.
This is where politicians going home, it's is what they're hearing about in this Town Hall meetings, and it's what Democrats know they are up against as they move in to what will be pretty decisive mid-terms for the President's last two year in office or last two years of his first term at least.
BOLDUAN: Yes and unemployment staying at 9.5 percent, you have governors -- the governors from Michigan and Virginia coming on the show. It was supposed to be a recovery summer -- we heard that a lot.
CROWLEY: Yes.
BOLDUAN: Leading in to this summer. It will be interesting to hear Candy, if they think that they see the recovery happening in their states.
CROWLEY: Well, and the states have been pretty hard hit.
BOLDUAN: Yes.
(CROSSTALK)
CROWLEY: You know, the states, unlike the federal government, have to balance their budgets.
BOLDUAN: Right.
CROWLEY: And you know what that means. They have to cut services, they have to lay people off. They have laid off almost -- a little over I think 150,000 state and local workers have been laid off this year. So they're hit pretty hard.
And it's -- it's really where as they say the rubber hits the road is in the states and it trickles down, and that's why we've got a 9.5 percent unemployment rate, it's not only private employment, it's public employment as well.
HOLMES: Well, Candy, another topic that was hot this week was Proposition 8 out in California.
CROWLEY: Yes.
HOLMES: It seems -- that's a kind of a -- a murky area for the President to try to navigate, because he's trying to be supportive of the gay community but at the same time this President opposes same-sex marriage.
CROWLEY: Yes and what's interesting is Proposition 8 was the vote by Californians that would have banned -- changed the California Constitution ban and would have banned same-sex marriage. A judge overturned it and said it wasn't constitutional.
The President didn't like Proposition 8, he said that all through the campaign and yet he is opposed to same-sex marriage. It's his -- he has been on top of that needle for some time trying to kind of move around it. In fact this administration has not really stressed some of the social issues.
Number one, it doesn't have time. Number two, there are just, you know, there's two wars, there is the economy. So a lot of people thought maybe this judge's decision would really mobilize the elections, maybe this would be one of the things that people go on and vote on. But again, I think we are right back to where we started and that's the economy.
BOLDUAN: And Candy before we let you go. Who else do -- are you having on the show today?
CROWLEY: Thad Allen, who you know has been the administration's point person on the Gulf. We heard this week that three quarters of the oil is pretty much been dissipated or sucked up or otherwise gone; that leaving about a quarter of the oil spilled in the Gulf. A lot of Gulf residents don't actually think that's true, so we want to talk to him a little bit about that.
HOLMES: Well, we are curious to hear that, a lot of people are scratching their heads about some numbers and how they can account for 75 percent of that oil.
CROWLEY: Right.
HOLMES: Candy, we will see you in just a few minutes. It's always good to see you this morning.
CROWLEY: It's a deal. Thank you, guys.
HOLMES: All right, keep it right here, "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley, starting in about 18 minutes, 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific right here on CNN.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: A New Hampshire group is suing New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority because it wouldn't display an ad opposing the building of a mosque near the World Trade Center site. Developers have approval to build the Islamic center near Ground Zero but as Allan Chernoff now reports, the controversy is far from over. That's today's "Faces of Faith".
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Count that vote to be 9-0 in favor of removing the landmark's -- removing this building from the Landmarks Preservation Commission's calendar.
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The vote denying this building landmark status allows the owner to pursue his vision for a new building that will house an Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero.
SARIF EL-GAMAL, CEO, PARK 51: We have worked tirelessly to realize an American dream which so many others share.
CHERNOFF: The real estate developer's American dream is a nightmare to opponents who have argued a mosque simply doesn't belong in the site of the 9/11 terror attack.
MARION DRYFUS, MOSQUE OPPONENT: I think the goal is very much to manifest control and insert and infiltrate into our culture yet more evidences of Islam and Sharia law.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can do it without hurting people. This hurts everybody.
CHERNOFF: But proponents of the planned Islamic center say, it's intent is to heal rather than hurt. They say the center will focus on helping Americans better understand Islam.
ZAED RAMADAN, PRESIDENT, CARE NY: This is a victory for freedom of religion in our constitution. People are trying to attack it through the rhetoric of fear and hate and they did not win.
CHERNOFF: For months already the building has been open as a prayer space for Muslims. New York's Landmarks Preservation Commissioners could have had authority only over the building's exterior, not its use. And now they've chosen not to assume any control.
While the developer has a design on paper, it is not final. This company says, though, it will be a modern building, rather than a traditional mosque, a community center modeled on the YMCA.
EL-GAMAL: We are Americans, Muslim-Americans. We are businessmen, businesswomen, lawyers, doctors, restaurant workers, cab drivers, and professionals of every walk of life represented by the demographic tapestry of Manhattan.
CHERNOFF (on camera): El-Gamal and the project's other leaders say they intend to build bridges to mainstream America. But given the opposition they faced over the Landmark Commission's vote, they have their work cut out for them.
Allan Chernoff, CNN, New York. (END VIDEOTAPE)
BOLDUAN: Not even the largest oil spill in history can stop it. Competition said to be heating up at the Great American Seafood Cook Off in New Orleans.
Forty-six minutes after the hour.
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HOLMES: Well, we're coming up on about ten minutes to the top of the hour. And the kitchens serving up some of the best food in the country, chefs in New Orleans; they don't mess around when it comes to their food, they take this very seriously and they compete.
BOLDUAN: They do. Fourteen chefs have sharpened their knifes and spiced up their marinades -- now I'm hungry -- for the National Great American Seafood Cook-Off.
CNN photojournalist John Bena previews their menu.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WESLEY TRUE, CHEF CONTESTANT: Hey, Chris, cut me up some scallions, please. We are doing a filleted, crusted shrimp. Get me that spicy stuff.
I found something I am good at. Not bad. I get to be creative.
My name is Wesley True, and I am the chef-owner of True Restaurant in Mobile, Alabama.
CHRIS LUSK, CHEF CONTESTANT: Shrimp on shrimp on grits; can you ever have too much shrimp? There is really no boundary on what you can do with food. I just love cooking. It's like I cannot imagine myself doing anything else.
My name is Chris Lusk. I'm the executive chef at Cafe Elle Restaurant (ph) in New Orleans.
This is a national seafood competition; we'll be competing with 14 other chefs from around the country. People come here for food, and this is my opportunity to represent our state.
TRUE: Right after the economy started to get better we had this big seafood crisis. Half of the seafood I was going to get I cannot even get anymore.
LUSK: I am a competitive person, but at this time I think it's so important to represent Louisiana.
TRUE: Personally, obviously I want to win because I am representing the state of Alabama.
LUSK: Anyone on the Gulf is going to be a challenge, because they have great seafood as well, but not Louisiana seafood. TRUE: I have been cooking 12 years now. I can't really worry about my competition. I have to worry about what I'm doing. They you cook one dish; it's like what's the best dish you've ever made? I don't know.
LUSK: There is pressure, definitely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shrimp is the fruit of the sea.
TRUE: We have all seen Forrest Gump.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can peel it, boil it, broil it --
TRUE: He mentions like 60 shrimp dishes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shrimp kebob, shrimp Creole --
TRUE: That's all based like 20 miles from here so --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Pan fried, deep fried, stir fried --
LUSK: These great tomatoes will be cut in half. We pride ourself on the freshest ingredients, and so anything coming out the water is safe and it's delicious as always.
TRUE: Maybe we can get the message across, that you know, you can still buy local seafood, so I guess there is a lot riding on it, you know.
LUSK: To be able to get up there and say, look at our seafood, it's still the greatest seafood ever. It's safe, it still tastes great.
TRUE: I don't really know what the future is going to be. I hope we can change it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: The first part of the competition wrapped up yesterday. The international shrimp peeling competition; that award was picked up by a chef that was in Florida. Wesley True from Alabama -- you just saw him in there -- came in second place.
BOLDUAN: And at 3:30 today they will have the Louisiana seafood soiree (ph). Four Louisiana culinary (INAUDIBLE) battle it out using Louisiana seafood; and part of the contest is to show that Louisiana seafood is still delicious and still safe despite the oil spill in the Gulf.
HOLMES: And Reynolds, bring him back in -- Reynolds, that's a key point. You have been there a lot so you've certainly had a lot of meals. But the food is always good, but everybody is always worried about whether or not it's safe.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: I think it's safe. You know, I mean just from what I've experienced. I know that BP's Doug Suttles mentioned the other day that he would eat seafood with his family.
I can tell you first hand that I have eaten plenty of it to the point where my blood type is now butter. Each time I sneeze, T.J., Cajun spice comes out of my nose. It's like -- you eat a lot of you know, on a dish and it goes.
Yes, it's nuts. But you know, it's not just the food on the Gulf Coast that's so incredible, there are some drinks that are pretty interesting in some of the cities. For example, in New Orleans, you have the Hurricane, which is quite good. Had a few of those professional speaking. And of course, here locally they have a drink called a bushwhacker, and I had quite a few of those. But again, just on a professional level. That's all it's about.
I mean, you have to sample these things -- strictly business. That's how it works, that's how we rolls sometimes -- guys.
Reynolds, as your friend, stop talking. It's 7 minutes to the top of the hour. Quick break -- we're right back.
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BOLDUAN: One in six Americans struggles with hunger; millions of those people are children. CNN's Jeanne Meserve reports on one program in the nation's capital that tries to bridge the food gap, a gap which grows wider when school is out for the summer.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): At the Frederick Douglas Community Center in southeast Washington, a week of summer camp ends with a bag of food. Canned soup, nutrition bars, vegetables and more will, over the weekend, fill stomachs that might otherwise be empty.
Good nutrition is critical to children's growth and development but in this city, only a fraction of the kids who need this food can get it.
DEIRDRE O'CONNOR, CAPITAL AREA FOOD BANK: Demand is very high. Currently we are serving about 700 kids in our weekend bag program, there are 3,000 kids on the wait list.
MESERVE (on camera): Why is the demand so great? Well, about 19 million American kids qualify for free or subsidized lunches at schools like this; for most of them in the summer no school, no meals.
(voice-over): Chitina Gray's two-year-old loves the raisins. Nine-year-old Shardee (ph) gobbles the fruit, her brother Diarjay (ph) snacks on the health chips. They get what they like and what they need; and it stretches the family food budget.
(on camera): You have four kids to feed. Is that tough in the summertime?
CHITINA GRAY, MOTHER OF FOUR: Yes, it's much harder in the summertime than it is on school days, because they are home more, so it's hard.
MESERVE (voice-over): In these bad economic times, charities are struggling to provide enough food for everyone in need. Right now, only about $2 million children across the nation are able to participate in summer weekend bag programs, which are entirely funded through private donations. A bill making its way through congress could provide some federal money.
GEORGE BRALEY, SENIOR V.P., FEED AMERICA: We could sure make a lot bigger dent in this problem if there were some federal resources available.
MESERVE: But for now they do what they can for these kids, to make sure the long, hot summer is not a hungry summer as well.
Jeanne Meserve, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Let's run a quick look at some of your headlines, and Candy Crowley coming your way right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BOLDUAN: "STATE OF THE UNION WITH CANDY CROWLEY" is coming up at the top of the hour, but first we should get a quick check of some of the headlines that we are watching this morning.
HOLMES: Today (INAUDIBLE) keeping a close eye on was out of North Korea, more trouble there. They've seized a South Korean fishing boat. According to a South Korean news agency in March, you may remember the South accused the North of sinking one of its war ships killing 46 sailors.
Also, we now know the names of two of the ten aid workers murdered in Afghanistan Thursday, Tom Little (ph), an eye doctor. He's from upstate New York; a Briton, Dr. Karen Woo (ph). They are both being remembered as people dedicated to helping the Afghans.
Also the U.S. has now officially handed over all combat duties in Iraq to the Iraqi military. This happened yesterday in a ceremony; you are seeing part of it here. This is just a mock drill they did during that ceremony. But by September 1st -- still on time -- the number of American troops is supposed to shrink to 50,000.
That's it for us this Sunday morning. Now time for us to hand it over to Candy Crowley.
