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CNN Sunday Morning
One Step Closer to Sainthood; Gadhafi Son Reportedly Killed; Helping Tornado Survivors
Aired May 01, 2011 - 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: Hello, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is your CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes.
As always, we want to say a special good morning to our military men and women who are watching us right now on the armed forces network around the world. Thank you for being here. Thank you for what you do.
We do want to tell you that we do have three major stories that we are following this morning. Among them Libya -- that is where government is claiming that Moammar Gadhafi narrowly escaped a NATO airstrike.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUSA IBRAHIM, LIBYAN GOVT. SPOKESMAN: This was a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: A direct hit by NATO airstrikes and the Libyan government is outraged, claiming that members of Gadhafi's family were deliberately killed -- among them, reportedly, one of Gadhafi's sons and a couple of his grandchildren. NATO is disputing that claim. We will give you much more on this in just a moment.
Also, a major story and amazing pictures we were watching this morning out of the Vatican. Pope John Paul II is now the Blessed John Paul II. The former pope has now moved a step closer to sainthood in a ceremony that started a couple of hours ago at the Vatican and continues right now. We will take you there live in just a moment.
Also, we turn back to this country and in the South, today being declared a day of prayer in Alabama -- a response to that massive damage and loss of life from tornadoes that tore through the south just a few days ago. Right now, 339 people are confirmed dead. Many more are still unaccounted for. Crews are digging through the rubble looking for survivors and victims right now.
We do want to get you back, though, and let's start with the blessing of Pope John Paul II, a major undertaking today at the Vatican and also at Rome. A live picture we can show you right now of the ceremony that continues at St. Peter's Basilica this morning. There you see Pope Benedict actually beautifying the former pope, his predecessor.
Now, Blessed John Paul -- again, this is putting him one step closer now, Pope John Paul, to becoming a saint. Hundreds of thousands of people crowded into St. Peter's Square to witness this blessing. Pope John Paul is credited with one miracle, the nun he reportedly healed is there. She's a part of this ceremony.
Now, even though we have so many people who pushed into the square there -- you see these live pictures that we can show you, an estimated million people or more are in the streets around St. Peter's Basilica and also in Rome. There's a shot of many of the dignitaries, heads of state, members of royal families around the world who have come for this event for today. But the ceremony continues as we speak.
We do have our own John Allen, who is there for us. He's our CNN senior Vatican analyst. He is there in Rome for us.
John, good morning to you.
To our viewers here, explain what you saw this morning, and just the outpouring of emotion and response in the streets today.
JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: Good morning, T.J.
Well, first of all, I want to remind you that I told you on your air yesterday that despite the rainy, gloomy weather in Rome yesterday, that the sun would be out this morning and that's indeed what we have.
HOLMES: You sure did. You sure did.
ALLEN: We have a sun-splashed Roman Sunday.
Listen, I mean, the crowd here is just enormous. As you say, the estimate is more than a million people in and around the Vatican. There was a vigil ceremony for John Paul II that got more than 200,000. You hear just in the streets all languages, all cultures. There are flags from every point of the compass.
I mean, in some ways, T.J., this is a cross between a solemn mass and a high school pep rally. I mean, this is a pumped up crowd that came here this morning for one last -- probably not the last, but for one more chance to celebrate the life and legacy of this pope, who meant so much to so many millions of people around the world.
HOLMES: And, John, to our viewers, explain one more time, and I had you do this, sometimes we just say, OK, he's a step closer to being a saint, what is the significance of that to Catholics around the world?
ALLEN: Well, by the declaration of beautification that is saying someone is now a blessed means that they are officially, if you like, in heaven with God, and able to respond to requests for help when presented to them in prayer. So, if you like, T.J., if I could put it colloquially, what a beautification means to Catholics around the world, those 1.2 billion Catholics around the world, is, you've got a new friend in heaven.
Now, in this case, of course, it's not exactly a new friend, it's more like of an old friend and this is sort of like a reunion for more than a billion Catholics. But the pope was part of their lives for more than 27 years and now, is once more part of their life here today.
HOLMES: And, John, one of the things that you hear, even though he's a step closer to becoming a saint and this process has moved fairly quickly -- certainly one of the fastest in modern times -- it still could be a while before that second miracle is confirmed. Or do we believe that the church is going to try to push that up and try to rush that process through as well?
ALLEN: Well, I mean, unfortunately, T.J., a miracle isn't something you can manufacture. You just have to wait until it happens. However, I think the odds were good if this will happen fairly quickly, simply because part of the delay in waiting for a miracle sometimes is somebody has to pray to the saint to intercede with them with God to get a miracle. If there aren't very many people doing that around the world, then the odds go down it's going to happen quickly.
However, with John Paul II, of course, you know, this is a pope who is near and dear to the hearts of hundreds, at least tens of millions of people over the world, 1.2 billion Catholics. And so, I think there will be a vast thrall praying to John Paul for his help and therefore, the odds of one of those prayers being answered in the affirmative and that happening quickly are pretty good.
HOLMES: All right. John Allen for us there in Rome, just amazing pictures out of there, just the overwhelming response that we're seeing at the Vatican and in the surrounding areas. John Allen is going to be with us throughout the morning. John, we're going to talk to you plenty this morning. We do appreciate it. Thanks so much.
Again, as we keep a live look there on Pope Benedict right now. He is one, today, who was part and oversaw the beautification ceremony of his predecessor, something you certainly don't see that often. But a gorgeous ceremony and really just an overwhelming outpouring in the streets for Pope John Paul II.
We will get on as well what many would call the knock against John Paul. Many arguing should he really be becoming a saint, a man who, in some people's eyes, didn't respect innocent children with some of the sex scandals happening within the Vatican, within the Catholic Church. So, we'll hit on that part of his life this morning as well. But we'll leave this for a moment now.
And I want to turn to Libya. That is where the government is threatening retaliation for a NATO airstrike that reportedly killed one of Moammar Gadhafi's sons. A Libyan government spokesman also says three of Gadhafi's grandchildren were killed in the attack on the son's house in a civilian area in Tripoli. Our crews have been to the scene, unable to confirm the deaths however. Gadhafi and his wife were supposedly at the house but survived the airstrike.
NATO is responding, saying that all targets are military in nature. A Libyan rebel spokesperson also disputed the claims, calling it a desperate attempt to get sympathy.
Despite the skepticism, rebel supporters still filled the streets of Benghazi celebrating.
Reza Sayah, let me bring you in now. He's live for us in the rebel capital, if you will.
Is that fair to say, Reza, they are celebrating this news?
REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, there are, T.J. A lot of people are celebrating. But it's interesting to note that a lot of people are skeptical this morning. What they're eager to see is some sort of verification, hard evidence, that this indeed is true, that it is true that Saif Al-Arab Gadhafi has been killed in this NATO airstrike. And I think that shows you the very credibility, if any, the Gadhafi regime has here among the opposition and its supporters.
We're talking to a lot of people here in rebel-held Benghazi. They say they want to see a picture of Saif Al-Arab Gadhafi's remains. We spoke to a senior opposition official. He said this is probably a lie by the Gadhafi regime, an effort to win sympathy from the public.
Despite the skepticism, there was a lot of celebration last night here in Benghazi, around midnight -- a lot of singing, dancing in a major square in Benghazi, lots of gunfire. It's not unusual for us to hear gunfire every day here in Benghazi, but I don't recall seeing anything like we saw last night. It was a good two hours where we saw continuous heavy gunfire, artillery fire, explosions, hundreds of people celebrating, very interesting.
Very interesting, one opposition supporter leaned in to our crew and suggested the rebel fighters should save their ammunition, his way of saying that this fight is not over even if Saif Al-Arab Gadhafi has been killed -- T.J.
HOLMES: Reza, one other thing on this son -- this is not the son, a lot of people hear the name maybe. They might sound familiar. But this is not the son who has kind of been out front, who has been in front of -- done some interviews, been in front of the media defending his father.
So, how big of a blow would it be to Gadhafi, do they believe if, in fact, this is true that this son was killed?
SAYAH: As far as the opposition is concerned, first and foremost, they want Colonel Gadhafi gone. They want him ousted. But they despise all members of his family.
So, if NATO takes out any of his sons, they will welcome it. And I think they will welcome any indication that NATO is escalating this operation. And if, indeed, it is verified that NATO conducted a strike targeting a building where they know Colonel Gadhafi's family members were located, this would certainly be something that's welcomed to the rebels but it won't be without controversy. It certainly has the potential of creating rifts within the Western alliance countries that certainly don't support a more aggressive approach to this air operation -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Reza Sayah for us in Benghazi -- Reza, we appreciate you as always.
We want to turn back here to the U.S. and help that is now pouring into those states that were slammed by tornadoes -- Southern states I'm talking about, of course. Meanwhile, seven more counties in Alabama have been designated for federal disaster assistance.
Meanwhile, the death toll continues to rise. It's up to 339 now -- 238 of those fatalities in Alabama alone.
Today, in Alabama, it's been declared a day of prayer.
My partner here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING and CNN SUNDAY MORNING, Reynolds Wolf, is live for us in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
Good morning to you once again, Reynolds. What is today going to be like?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Today is going to be one of those days where I think a lot of people are still trying to wrap their minds to what has happened to them over the last 72 hours. It is still just -- you got a community here that started to gain some strength, but still, there's a little of shock. Some of the shock can be seen around you, a lot of the faces and a lot of the shock just still in some of the things you'll see.
For example, this parking lot, I want you to see this vehicle which actually tells an amazing story, T.J. What I'd love you to know about this and our friends from across America, this was -- this vehicle was actually owned by a nurse, a local nurse with two children. She showed up here moments before the tornado struck and she got shelter inside the church.
But what's amazing about this particular nurse is that her home was destroyed by a tornado just a few weeks before. So, she shows up at this church, gets shelter, she's safe and then in the ensuing hours was able to treat hundreds of people that came here with a variety of wounds. So, she potentially saved lives.
Another amazing story we're going to explore later this morning is what happened inside the church where they actually started a food bank about a month ago and that food bank -- we got food, water, all kinds of canned goods -- will now be helping other people throughout the community.
It's just an amazing story, many of them personal stories about people's faith being tested and how the resolve and strength of their faith will help them through. Let's send it back to you, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Reynolds, we're just getting started with you this morning. We're going to be checking in plenty on our friends in the South -- and Reynolds, we'll talk to you again here soon, buddy.
And to our viewers, while you were sleeping -- listen to this -- 3,000 people in Illinois were forced to leave their homes. They'd like to go home but the only way that can happen right now possibly is for them to blow up a perfectly good levee. I want you to stick around. In 60 seconds, details of this story that's pitted one state against another.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We're 14 minutes past the hour now.
The town of Cairo, Illinois, is under a mandatory evacuation order. Heavy rains there have pushed the Mississippi River to near record levels. Now, one plan to try to save the town would be to blow up part of the levee. That would relieve pressure on the flood walls. But that would then flood 130,000 acres of farmland to protect the town, but that farmland is across the border in another state, in Missouri. So, this matter has gone to court, and Cairo's mayor says he couldn't wait to issue the evacuation order.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR JUDSON CHILDS, CAIRO, ILLINOIS: I'm here to try to protect the citizens of Cairo. I care about them and I don't want them in harm's way. I would much father issue a mandatory evacuation and nothing happen than not to do it and people lose their lives.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: So, the Corps of Engineers is still trying to make up their minds whether or not they will need to blow up the levee. Again, if they'd blow up the levee, they could save this town in Illinois. But it would flood hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland in Missouri.
So, you see the issue there. You have Illinois and Missouri going head to head, and they're going to head to head in court even, and the people of Missouri have been, frankly, losing in court. A judge actually OK'd the Corps of Engineers to blow up that levee if needs be, but that decision has yet to be made.
Meanwhile, floodwaters have swallowed up parts of Missouri, engineers releasing water from the dam and lake there to help relieve flooding in Hollister, Missouri, and also parts of downtown Branson.
Let me turn to our Bonnie Schneider. She is here with me this morning keeping a close eye on weather.
Bonnie, we've been talking about blizzards yesterday; floods today. I don't even know where to start. That's always the case it seems, something goes wrong.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, this weekend is weekend of extremes for sure, T.J.
Let's start with the story that you've just been talking about, where that levee is -- because it really is right in the center between areas of Illinois and Missouri. And this area here in the New Madrid area into Sikeston, this has been terribly flooded, really on both sides of the river. That's why Cairo had to be evacuated.
So, the Mississippi River weaves right between these two states. There's Cape Gerardo, and that's another place that's also been flooded.
So, the levee will impact either state whether or not they decide to blow it up or relieve the pressure from it, it is going to impact either -- both states, because both states are under the risk for flooding as we go forward, because the flood watches continue and even warnings persist across Arkansas, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois. This is a widespread flooding situation.
And if that's not enough, we're also tracking severe weather this morning -- a tornado watch is in effect. And it's really for more of the eastern half of the suburban Dallas, Texas, and this is going to go until 12:00 today. You can see this one cell I've been watching here, frequent lightning strikes. It's actually weakened a little bit since it passed to the south and east of Dallas. But it's still something to keep in mind.
And we're also tracking very strong thunderstorms from Lexington, Kentucky, down through Memphis. Unfortunately, these storms will clip northern Alabama later this morning. That's the last place we want to have severe weather as people continue to clean up and go through all the debris across much of the tornado damaged area. This is actually working its way into eastern Tennessee and into Georgia, too.
So, I don't think we're going to see tornadoes from this system, but we are going to see severe thunderstorms that contain lightning and also strong winds. That's going to make it dangerous because any wind coming through an area that's barely hanging on from the tornado damage could cause more damage. So, we'll talk more about that later.
HOLMES: All right. Bonnie Schneider, we appreciate you being here this weekend. Thanks so much.
Well, our viewers, you probably saw last week these two men were sparring from afar. But last night, they were in the same room.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Donald Trump is here tonight.
(CHEERS)
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: Yes, the president and the Donald go at it. But only one of them actually had the microphone. In 90 seconds, you will hear the president just lay in to Donald Trump.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Twenty minutes past the hour now.
Washington, D.C. is a pretty serious place, got some pretty serious issues to tackle. But every once in a while, they take a little pause and they poke fun at themselves. This happened last night at the annual White House Correspondents Association Dinner. Seth Meyers of "Saturday Night Live," he hosted it this year.
Now, you can guess, some of the popular targets are always, go after the president, he makes fun of himself there as well, but also in the room, Donald Trump. At one point, Meyers actually said and I quote, "Donald Trump owns the Miss USA pageant, which is great for Republicans because it will streamline their search for vice president," end quote. He said it, not me, but that was just one of a number of zingers.
Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SETH MEYERS, COMEDIAN: And then, of course, there's Donald Trump. Donald Trump has been saying that he will run for president as a Republican, which is surprising, since I just assumed he was running as a joke.
(LAUGHTER)
(CHEERS)
OBAMA: My fellow Americans -- the state of Hawaii released my official long-form birth certificate. But just in case there are any lingering questions, tonight, I'm prepared to go a step further. Tonight, for the first time, I am releasing my official birth video.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
OBAMA: I want to make clear to the FOX News table. That was a joke. That was not my real birth video. That was a children's cartoon.
Call Disney if you don't believe me. They have the original long form version.
(LAUGHTER)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: OK, that's pretty good.
And again Donald Trump was in the room. The president spent, quite frankly, a surprising amount of time talking to Donald Trump about Donald Trump. You saw a couple shots there, the Donald didn't look too pleased with some of the jokes, but the president talking directly to him, said that now that this issue is over with Donald Trump can focus on more important issues that matter including how we faked the moon landing, what really happened in Roswell and where are Biggie and Tupac.
Now, they had a blast last night. It wasn't all fun and games. At the very end, the president took a moment, touched on a serious topic close to the hearts of journalists, many of them, of course, in that room. Listen to this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OBAMA: And on last months, we've seen journalists threatened, arrested, beaten, attacked, and in some cases even killed, simply for doing their best to bring us the story, to give people a voice, and to hold leaders accountable. And through it all, we've seen daring men and women risk their lives for the simple idea that no one should be silenced and everyone deserves to know the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. So, the president ended it on a serious note there, on what was, no doubt, a funny night in Washington, D.C.
Well, 23 minutes past the hour now.
We have been watching live pictures this morning. It's been going on the past several hours. But the beautification ceremony for Pope John Paul II -- he is now one step closer to sainthood. He is the Blessed John Paul now, the ceremony, the mass now wrapping up.
The estimates are that up to a million people, maybe even more, have filled into the streets or filed into the streets of Rome and also around St. Peter's Basilica. That gives you a good idea of it right there.
But the pope died in 2005, John Paul, and now, he is one step closer, only one step left before sainthood. It seems like this is moving fairly quickly -- well, it is, certainly from an historical standpoint. We're going to tell you about that in two and a half minutes, and also, another case in sainthood that got a similar boost.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, 27 minutes past the hour now. You're seeing some of the pictures coming to us out of the Vatican and out of Rome as well. It's kind of been remarkable to see the outpouring for that man, the late Pope John Paul II, who is now the Blessed John Paul II. His beautification ceremony is taking place this morning. He was beautified about two hours ago, but the mass associated with it continues right now.
But they expected this to be maybe the biggest event to take place in and around Rome since his death and his funeral service back in 2005. And it looks like it did deliver. It gives you a good idea of just people shoved in there, elbow to elbow wanting to be a part of this. We've seen people crying and smiling and enjoying the ceremony which has no doubt been a gorgeous ceremony.
Here's another shot of it. You see these people -- many of them coming from his native Poland, made the trip down to Rome and Vatican City to be a part of this. But the Vatican, as we say, he's moved one step closer to sainthood. And this is moving pretty quickly, as I bring in. We keep this picture up, Deidre, but I'll bring in Nadia Bilchik for our "Morning Passport" here.
The Vatican waived the five-year waiting period that they usually have before the beatification process. And part of that was he was so beloved quite frankly. It was the people --
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Absolutely. At his funeral, they said "Santo Subito," "Sainthood Now." So, they wanted it even quicker.
But there is a real process that needs to take place. And one understands there is a congregation for the causes of saints. So, an entire congregation that gets together to decide. First of all, there's an investigation. And then, there's an acceptance or a veneration, then, beautification -- which we are at now -- and only with the second miracle is canonization.
HOLMES: Now, we are here at this point. And, again, it sounds like things are moving so quickly. But we have no idea about that second miracle, if you will. We talked our John Allen, our Vatican analyst, earlier. He's saying, well, it's essentially people have to now pray to John Paul II and then we have to wait for a second miracle. And historically, this has taken a long time for that second miracle.
BILCHIK: Exactly, except with Padre Pio, who is one of the most famous Catholic priests and he had many, many miracles that were approved. And one of them being an 18-month-old child who was severely burnt and he goes to the child and the parents are about to send the child to the hospital, and the child at 18 months, again this is the miracle, says "I am cured, I have had the hand of Padro Pio."
But Mother Teresa is a good example, another beloved figure, who was beautified, and one looks at the extraordinary relationship she had with John Paul II, but also more people were beautified and canonized under the Papacy of John Paul II in history.
And this is why, because with the congregation for the causes of saints there was always a group that went against that became known as the devil's advocate. So the devil's advocate would take a look at the miracles.
So in the case of Mother Teresa, it was the miracle of an Indian woman who had a cancerous tumor in her abdomen. She prayed to Mother Teresa. She says she wore a locket with a picture of Mother Teresa around her neck and there were radiating light from the locket and she was totally cured. So normally there would be devil's advocate to really look into this miracle. Well, Pope John Paul II eliminated that. So although there was the congregation for the courses of saint, the whole concept, and you've heard the name devil's advocate.
So as a result, more and more people were beautified and canonized than in the combined history of any other papacy.
HOLMES: And these healings - they're usually healings, these miracles we talk about. They don't have to be necessarily, but they're specific, they investigate these. They have to be permanent. They have to be instantaneous and they have to be confirmed.
BILCHIK: Exactly.
HOLMES: That's not easy to do. But again, picture this is morning, remarkable out of Vatican City and out of Rome as well, beautification one step closer. But again, we could be waiting for some time.
BILCHIK: It will be interesting to see as you said earlier this young construction worker in Chicago whose mother prayed to John Paul II and to see if he in fact was cured and if that passes, then we will see, but the world certainly welcomes and needs miracles.
HOLMES: Nadia Bilchik, we appreciate you as always. We'll be chatting with Nadia again throughout this morning.
Also coming up, we're going to turn back to the south and all that devastation right now. They could certainly use a miracle, could use one Wednesday night when the storms rolled through.
But several communities lost so much, but they're, yes, already coming together, coming together today on this Sunday, giving thanks for what they actually have left.
Also this morning, a major development out of Libya, where the government there is claiming that Moammar Gadhafi and his family were targeted and they claim that several members of Gadhafi's family have been killed. The latest on all that in two and a half minutes. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi escape a direct hit on his compound, but the Libyan government claims members of his family were killed. Those members include one son and three grandchildren.
Again, this is all according to the Libyan government. NATO and rebel leaders are disputing these claims, but CNN's Frederik Pleitgen in Tripoli for us got to see the demolished house supposedly hit by this NATO air strike.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): After a massive air strike in downtown Tripoli, international journalists were taken to the scene. A residential compound that belongs to Gadhafi's youngest son, Saif Al Arab.
There was extensive damage and a short while later, the government made this announcement.
MUSA IBRAHIM, LIBYAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: The attack resulted in the martyrdom of brother Saif Al Arab Gadhafi, 29 years old, and three of the leaders' grandchildren.
PLEITGEN: The Libyan government claims Moammar Gadhafi himself was at the compound with his wife when the bomb struck, but escaped unhurt.
IBRAHIM: This was a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country. This is not permitted by international law. It is not permitted by any moral code.
PLEITGEN: NATO has confirmed an air strike on Tripoli, but says the target was what it called a command and control facility. The alliance continues says it's only going after Gadhafi's military infrastructure and not targeting senior members of the regime.
(on camera): The Libyan government says this is purely a residential complex that was struck here. It was obviously struck by massive ordinance. As you can see by the fact, this entire building was absolutely flattened.
It appears to us that there are several layers that go down here, which might be something like a bunker. But right now, we're just not sure what was underneath this building.
(voice-over): Saif Al Arab is Moammar Gadhafi's second youngest son and one of the most low profile children of the Libyan leader. There's no way to verify if he was killed in the strike. The only video purportedly showing him is from 1986 when Saif al Arab was 4- year-old, shown here on Libyan TV after war planes bombed Moammar Gadhafi's compound.
The news of Saif al Arab's possible death led to anti-NATO demonstrations at Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli, but people in the de facto rebel capital, Benghazi celebrated. Even though some said they believe the Libyan government is fabricating reports of Saif Al Arab's death.
The truth might be hidden somewhere under the rubble of the compound, but in the hours after the air strike. There are more questions than answers. Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Tripoli, Libya.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Help is pouring in to the tornado-stricken areas of the south, still trying to get a good handle on the enormity of the cleanup job ahead. Seven more counties in Alabama have been designated for federal disaster assistance. The overall death toll has gone up again, 339 confirmed dead, 250 of the fatalities in Alabama alone. The governor has declared the day, a day of prayer.
Let's say good morning once again to our Reynolds Wolf who is there, survivors still working. Where are you, Reynolds? Explain to me.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, right now, I'm inside of Forest Lake Baptist Church. You know, T.J. for the last couple of days we've been talking about the death and destruction of many people, not just in Alabama through throughout the region.
Now we're going to talk about the rebuilding process and that process starts in places like this church. Take a look. We've got this incredible amount of water that's all over the place, all along this wall, here also along this table. You got all kinds of goods so people who have been displaced, homes no longer exist can actually come in here and get something to eat.
Just come in, pick up a plate, get a couple items, apple or an orange and like this, a bag of funyons. When you have funyons you've got a complete breakfast. That's right. The thing you think about is these little things that may seem trivial, but it's part of getting back to normal.
People have got to eat and this church has taken steps to help people out. Believe it or not these steps started months before. Take a look at this. This is a food pantry that they did a few weeks ago and in this room you see stuff everywhere from shampoo to things like toiletries, baby food, kids' coloring books.
Over on this side, you've got things like peanut butter and what's really incredible about this is, well, this is our new friend, this is Lori McDaniel. This stuff came from everywhere, didn't it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It did. We started opening a pantry in a little plaza in the room down the hall, wanting to serve our community.
WOLF: But wait, you didn't have some huge blinking sign outside that said please bring food here. It started showing up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was a ministry that God let out of one of our women's hearts and we took the ball and rolled with it.
WOLF: So just by chance, you started stockpiling all this food and now your community is desperate for it and you said you had people from many states that have stopped by.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have. Trucks just show up. We had a couple come from Little Rock, Arkansas.
WOLF: Unbelievable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And a pickup truck full of water. They were like can you use the water? Well, yes, we were just starting, yeah, we need the water.
We got low on feeding meals the other day and ran in to start pulling peanut butter and jelly to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the workers and a truck pulls up from a restaurant in Birmingham with hot plate lunches.
WOLF: Unbelievable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just any time we get low, somebody's coming in with what we need.
WOLF: You know, T.J., the thing that's amazing about that, that's not an easy task in Tuscaloosa right now. This place is really lied down. It's very difficult to get through different road blocks to get to a place like this church. This is incredible. You said Little Rock, Arkansas came with some --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've had people also from Chicago, Illinois. I mean, just --
WOLF: Unbelievable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: -- Columbus, Mississippi.
WOLF: Amazing, just amazing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Alabama, that's close.
WOLF: Everybody helping out. Gosh.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They're just showing up.
WOLF: Well, thank you so much for the great work you're doing here. T.J. it is incredible, few from all over, but I have to tell you. Selfishly I kind of enjoyed the idea that your home state, people from Little Rock, Arkansas were helping people in my home state here in Alabama. We owe you guys one.
HOLMES: No, you guys have helped us out plenty over the years I'm sure, no matter what rivalries back and forth states have and schools and everything else, when it comes to something like this, we've been there, you all have been there and we know what you are going through, Reynolds. Good to see you, buddy.
We're going to check in with you again. Thanks so much and Reynolds there sharing us just one of many stories coming out of the south. But I want you to stick around for two more minutes because in two minutes, after this break, I want to introduce you to Angela and Clayton.
They have a story as well because just one week ago, they got married, and you know what the first challenge of their marriage is going to be? Rebuilding their home after a tornado wiped it out. I'm talking to them in two minutes. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: Well, we're a quarter at the top of the hour here on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING. We've been showing you so many stories coming out of the south, people forced to rebuild literally in some cases start their lives over.
I want to introduce you to a couple that was just starting their new life together, Angela and Clayton. Clayton Smith, Angela Kelso coming to us live from Birmingham this morning.
A couple that just got married a week ago, but, guys, the weather had other plans for you. First of all, tell me what happened to your home, and is there anything left?
CLAYTON SMITH, SURVIVED TORNADO: No, there's nothing left at all. Really the only thing left is about two interior walls and the closet that she was able to crouch down in, and that's really it. The roof, everything inside is gone now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Guys, I have to ask just what that's like. You're starting, as we know, married couples who were together 50 years, you have challenges.
This is going to be a pretty big one pretty early on in your marriage. Angela, what is, I guess, your reaction and your thoughts to having this happen just days after getting married?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, you know, you're married, this new life and now it's all new beginnings from every aspect of life. We'll pick up the pieces and keep moving with it. Sometimes things are planned the way they're supposed to.
HOLMES: You guys have to help me right now and maybe help some of our viewers because it is just so striking to be sitting here talking to you guys.
And you all seem to be, quite frankly, more upbeat and stoic and almost able to keep it together better than I can this morning, just hearing your story, because it's heartbreaking.
How are you all able to do that? What is it in your character, your upbringing or maybe even a religious background that makes you able to do that?
SMITH: Definitely, I mean, I can't tell you how lucky, first of all, for my wife to be alive. Second of all, we're just -- we're staying positive because you know, God has blessed us with a great family, and lots of friends who as soon as this happened, they were calling us, trying to get in touch with us, just to help us.
I know that we're, even though we did lose our house and everything we're a lot more fortunate than some other people in Tuscaloosa and other places in Alabama, because like I said, you know, God has blessed us with great family and great friends who just reached out. And we're having all kinds of other people just come up to us and they recognize us and they heard our situation and they're trying to help us, too, and we've never even seen them before.
HOLMES: Guys, I have to ask as well, you just got married, often sometimes people get married and people want to give gifts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: In that regard, did you have a lot of stuff in your house that was part of building a new life together, maybe some of those wedding gifts? Is that stuff gone?
ANGELA KELSO, SURVIVED TORNADO: A lot of it is gone. We were able to save a few things, a few clothes, and most important our pictures but those are just material things. They can be replaced. We're just happy to be here more than anything.
HOLMES: And I see, I think I'm seeing a picture. You were able to salvage the wedding shoes, Angela? Is that what I'm looking at?
KELSO: Those are my wedding shoes. They have made it dirty and all.
HOLMES: That is incredible, and one other thing, guys, before I let you go, I was asking you during the commercial break, have to ask about honeymoons. People get married and it's usually honeymoon time. W hat were your plans and have those plans changed?
SMITH: We were planning on going to Hawaii. We were going to leave may 15th for approximately a week, but we were waiting, having to wait a couple weeks because I'm a student at the University of Alabama and I was having to wait for the week to go or school to finish and then we were planning on, you know, taking our trip to Hawaii.
HOLMES: Guys --
KELSO: Now we just got to find a new house, put a roof over our heads.
HOLMES: Guys, I'm sure you will. I absolutely appreciate you taking the time. We are trying to make sure your story and other stories like yours are top of mind for people right now. It's going to take some time to recover there in the south.
To both of you, congratulations on the marriage, Clayton and Angela and also good luck going forward. I hope to stay in touch with you as you rebuild and get to that honeymoon as well. But really, guys, thanks so much for being here. You all take care.
SMITH: Thank you.
KELSO: Thank you.
HOLMES: All right. We're 10 minutes to the top of the hour, just amazing how people are able to keep it together and be so sure that they are going to be just fine in the wake of such tragedy. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Is it time for a presidential debate? CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser tells us what you need to keep an eye on this week.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Good morning, T.J. Congress comes back to town this week, number one on the to-do list for lawmakers, dealing with extending the nation's debt ceiling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER (voice-over): Expect a lot of tough talk from Democrats and Republicans over that and what to do about skyrocketing gas prices. Wednesday, the spotlight will be on Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels who's weighing a bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
He gives a speech right here in Washington on education and his words will be closely watched for any hints on whether he'll run.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
STEINHAUSER: The next day, the first presidential debate in the race for the White House. The big question mark, how many probable Republican candidates will be on the stage at the debate in Greenville, South Carolina. T.J. --
HOLMES: All right, and thanks to our Paul Steinhauser.
Can you imagine this moment, when a soldier's wife has to hear that her husband did not survive?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What I really wanted was for it to be a mistake, and for them to say no, that's not your husband there, sorry. Let's undo this, but that didn't happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: The bodies of eight U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan have been returned to the United States, their caskets arrived at Dover Air Force Base in Maryland yesterday.
They were gunned down earlier this week by an Afghan pilot at Kabul International Airport among the eight, Major Jeff Ausborne who had volunteered to train Afghan pilots. He considered that somewhat safe duty so did his wife. CNN's Chris Lawrence spoke to her.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The eight American troops should have been returning to hugs and kisses, balloons and signs saying "welcome home" and even as their families received the remains, some of them still wanted that to be possible.
CAPT. SUZANNA AUSBORN, USAF (RETIRED), WIDOW OF SLAIN AMERICAN OFFICER: I wanted to come to Dover to see my husband or feel his presence one last time. I wanted to salute him one last time.
I wanted -- what I really wanted was for it to be a mistake and for them to say no, that's not your husband there, sorry. Let's undo this, but that didn't happen.
And so as we got closer to his casket coming off the airplane, reality set in that it really is. It's him. He's never coming back.
LAWRENCE: Suzanna and Major Jeff Ausborn met in Kuwait as fellow Air Force officers.
AUSBORN: He was so kind, compassionate and loving and patient. That's what made him such a good instructor pilot. He embraced all cultures. I've never met anyone like him before.
LAWRENCE: She knew the risks when Jeff volunteered to deploy, but thought this sounds as safe as you can get in Afghanistan.
AUSBORN: He was going to instruct pilots how to fly their airplane. He wasn't -- he wasn't in a job where he was out in shooting at people. He was training them and he enjoyed it. And so we really felt that he was safe, that he would make it home.
LAWRENCE: The eight air force trainers and an American contractor were meeting with an Afghan officer at the Kabul Airport.
(on camera): Some reports say the Afghan disarmed and executed the Americans. NATO says no. They all had weapons and ammo, but officials say the Afghan used two guns to kill the U.S. troops that he was working with, but one of the airmen may have wounded him because he staggered out of the room and died.
AUSBORN: We were afraid, but we also felt like this assignment he was going to be safe.
LAWRENCE: Jeff Ausborn is one of the latest victims, now numbering in the dozens of NATO troops killed by Afghans they were working with and trusted.
AUSBORN: Never in a million years did it enter my mind that he wouldn't make it home.
LAWRENCE: Chris Lawrence, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Good morning to you all. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is our CNN SUNDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes.
And we are following three major stories this is morning.
One of them in Libya, where the government there is claiming that Moammar Gadhafi narrowly escaped a NATO airstrike.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MUSA IBRAHIM, LIBYA GOVT. SPOKESMAN: This was a direct operation to assassinate the leader of this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: A direct hit by NATO airstrikes? The Libyan government now outraged in saying that members of Gadhafi's family were killed and killed deliberately. NATO is disputing that claim. A lot more detail here in just a moment.
Also, a story we were watching this morning, just an outpouring for John Paul II, who is now the Blessed John Paul II. The former pope is now a step closer to sainthood after a ceremony this morning at the Vatican. That is just wrapping up. We'll take you live there in just a few moments.
Also, it is a day of prayer in Alabama -- people coming together as they're trying to deal with the loss of life and massive damage from tornadoes that tore through the South. Now, 339 people confirmed dead, many more still unaccounted for. Crews are digging through the rubble today, still looking for possible survivors, looking for other victims as well.
Let's get you back to and get you caught off on Libya. The government is threatening retaliation for a NATO airstrike that reportedly killed one of Moammar Gadhafi's sons. A Libyan government spokesman also says three of Gadhafi's grandchildren were killed at an attack on the son's house in a civilian area in Tripoli.
Our crews have been to that scene but not able to confirm the deaths. NATO responded, though, saying that all targets are military in nature.
CNN's Reza Sayah is live for us in Benghazi. That's the rebel capital.
Reza, hello to you once again.
And how is this news being greeted there?
REZA SAYAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting, T.J. A lot of people here in rebel-held Benghazi are skeptical. They say they want to see hard proof that Saif Al-Arab Gadhafi has been killed. But that didn't put a damper on the celebrations last night. It's not unusual for us to hear celebratory gunfire here in Benghazi, but I don't remember seeing anything like what we saw and heard last night, a good two hours of heavy gunfire, heavy artillery fire. It sounded as if we were in the middle of a war. Here's what some of it looked like.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAYAH; It was pandemonium late on Saturday night at the opposition capital of Benghazi, what it looked like when reports came that Saif Al-Arab Gadhafi, once of Colonel Gadhafi's sons, was reportedly killed in a NATO airstrike. Hundreds of people gathering in this major square in Benghazi, waving the revolutions flag, honking their horns, singing, dancing, lots of gunfire. Of course, the man they want gone first and foremost -- is Colonel Gadhafi, but Saturday night's news was good enough reason for these people to celebrate.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAYAH: Colonel Gadhafi and his regime have so little credibility here in opposition held Benghazi, that some people simply don't believe the news. The say they want to see verification, some sort of hard evidence, perhaps a picture of Saif Al-Arab Gadhafi's remains to believe it. One senior opposition official saying this is another attempt, a desperate attempt by Colonel Gadhafi and his regime to win sympathy, T.J.
But, again, it didn't put a damper on the celebration. A lot less gunfire today and I think a lot of people are eager to see, again, that verification that indeed this news is true.
HOLMES: All right. Reza Sayah for us in Benghazi -- Reza, we appreciate you as always.
But we want to turn now quickly to our Pentagon correspondent -- Barbara Starr is on the line with me now.
Barbara, good morning to you.
Tell me how this news is going to be greeted or maybe you're getting some reaction already. But what does the United States think about possibly being viewed as targeting and trying to assassinate Moammar Gadhafi?
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, T.J., what U.S. officials have said since last night when this news emerged is, first and foremost, they remind everyone this is a NATO separation. The U.S., of course, is probably the most prominent member of NATO, but this is a NATO operation.
And overnight, NATO issued an extraordinary statement saying it was, quote, "aware of unconfirmed media reports that some of Gadhafi's family members may have been killed." So, what NATO officials are saying and U.S. officials are saying is really the same thing they're saying in Benghazi, we need to see some proof this has actually happened. They are aware that's what the Libyans are saying and they do say that last night, they targeted military areas in Tripoli.
What's been going on, of course, for the last many days now is they are targeting command and control, communications, if you will, of compounds and targets in Tripoli, but these are targets that have multiple areas in them, and have been known to be areas where Gadhafi and his family frequent. And Gadhafi and his family know that these areas are targeted for their military utility.
So, I think it still remains to be seen -- number one, is this man dead, and these three grandchildren, and did the NATO warplanes hit precisely the target they were aiming at, on that compound? They say, of course, again, they do not target individuals, that they were only targeting a military compound, if you will -- T.J.
HOLMES: Yes. And, Barbara, like you mentioned, the U.S. tries to stress every chance the U.S. gets that yes, this is a NATO -- a NATO operation. But like you mentioned as well, many people see this as U.S.-led or the U.S. being such a prominent member. So, back to, are they concerned about how this could be viewed at least?
STARR: Oh.
HOLMES: Even though we're waiting to get more information -- are they concerned about how it might be viewed inside of Libya and around the world if the U.S. or NATO tried to take out Gadhafi?
STARR: Right. I mean, I think there's no question about that. U.S. officials told us, even last night when we started asking questions about this, that they were very concerned it would be seen as a propaganda victory for Colonel Gadhafi, that it would be seen as the U.S. was engaging in targeting and, you know, perceived as murder, that they were very, very concerned about the perceptions here. And, of course, you know, perceptions, whatever they are, will have a way of becoming reality in certain parts of the world to some people.
So, that is something that the U.S. will have to deal with, because as we're saying, this is a NATO operation but there is no question that it is seen very significantly as being led by the U.S., Britain, France -- the U.S. and its western allies in Europe. That's the perception regardless of what the technicalities are, of course.
HOLMES: All right. Barbara Starr, our Pentagon correspondent -- we appreciate you hopping on the line with us this morning, Barbara. Thank you so much.
We want to turn back to the South here. Reynolds Wolf has been reporting for us this morning from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, a really hard- hit area. He is joining me once again.
Reynolds, you're in one of those spots that's trying to help out right now. And a lot of people need it.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Oh, absolutely, T.J. You know, we've been talking, we definitely spoke about this the last time that we were on together about the need for food. When you lose your home, when you lose your place, you have to have something, sustenance. It turned they provided so many great things here at Forest Lake Baptist Church. This is all given by donations.
Food is a tremendous thing. Obviously, water is, too. And you got tons of that.
But one thing I'll tell you is out of the last couple of days, we've been walking through the debris, you'll see all kinds of things and these piles of torn trees and homes, one of the number thing you're going to see, believe it or not, is clothing -- clothing everywhere, clothing that people no longer have.
So, if they're missing a shirt, missing a pair of pants, missing some jeans, not just for themselves but for their kids, they've got to find a place to answer some of those problems. They've got to find some solutions.
Well, thankfully, we got our friend here. This is Terri Heyburn (ph) here at church.
Terri, we're going to try to wade our way back over to you. Or maybe you ought to come over here. There you go.
Let's see. Tell me about this place, Terri. When someone comes in here, this stuff is not for sale. This is just donated, isn't it?
TERRI HEYBURN (ph): This is all donations. They've been brought in from other churches, other family members that have come and brought the items -- just the public, people coming in off the streets, college kids, people wanting to help. Some have gone in and just purchased items and brought shoes, clothing, bedding, sheets, anything that they wanted to donate.
WOLF: So, they're not just giving you hand-me-downs, they're bringing new stuff, too.
HEYBURN: They're bringing new items. Exactly, they're bringing new times, thing that they wanted to participate and having some of fashion. A lot of people home has been totally wiped away here and some people have nothing. So, they can come and pick and we give them sacks and boxes, and let them come to and pick out what they need for their children, for the family members -- anything they need.
And as well, we also have baby food, baby clothing, diapers, food services that we got here. We have meals for them. So, we are a relief center for them to come and get things that they need.
WOLF: Hey, guys, check this out for just a second. Hold on a second, Terri, because I'm coming right back to you.
I was sifting through the stuff looking around and, you know, let's say you've got a young kid, a few months old and you're trying to get things started and we've lost everything. You can come to a place like this, you can get a bib, you can get a Onesie, and bam, you got a bear. How about that?
I mean, there's some things to get back you know, you got a bear. The world is your oyster. I mean, you're going to be in great shape. And if someone wanted to come by and want to donate some of these clothes, how do they do that? They just walk in? HEYBURN: They just walk in. We just - people are just walking in. We never know when they're coming. The Lord has provided for us, just having provided.
WOLF: OK. Let me ask you something different -- different from the clothing. When someone goes through a situation like this, when you have a community like this and a horrible event, it sometimes would, you would think, shake your faith. Has this solidified your faith?
HEYBURN: It solidified, definitely. We have seen the Lord provide when we've totally run out of food. Within three minutes, a new shipment of food comes in, already pre-made, already ready to go. And it's just the Lord's hand, it's the Lord's hand in everything that's going on here.
WOLF: And people who brought this stuff, they advertise everything?
HEYBURN: No advising, there was no way to get advertisement out, until -- because people's cell phones are out. Cell towers are down. It's just word of mouth. People that are coming here, are services to give us information and bring things to us, are also taking out and letting people -- letting the community know what's going on here.
WOLF: OK. I'm going to throw another 90-mile-per-hour curveball actually. Where are these people staying? We've been talking about people, you know, without homes. Where are they going?
HEYBURN: Most of them, we are having -- the National Guard has got an area set up. Hopedale Elementary has an area for people to come and stay. Central high school has got an area. And those are the only ones I'm aware of this time, right now.
But shelters are trying to be established now that roads are -- traffic can be able to get to those areas. Throughout Alberta City, they're down starting a shelter there. I think Northport is trying to work on something to get areas there as well.
WOLF: Got you. Got you. One last thing. We've got to wrap things up.
You've got America right there. If you're going to ask -- if there's one thing that you think that the community really, really needs in terms of help, what would it be? What would it be?
What is the key thing you want people to send? Is it water? Is it food? Is it clothing? What is the number one thing?
HEYBURN: Food. We need food items. Prepackaged, pre-made sandwiches, anything like that. Food already served because people are coming and getting meals.
Our working crew, our staff -- the workers that are out on the field, we're taking people food and water. Gatorade, everybody is asking for Gatorade. Powerade, they're tired of water. WOLF: Got you.
HEYBURN: So, they need a little more substance or something.
WOLF: OK. Got you.
HEYBURN: Thank you.
WOLF: Thanks so much.
Well, hopefully, let's -- if we can, let's try to (INAUDIBLE) a little bit. I know you have an amazing story, what you dealt with through the storm.
It's an amazing morning, again, T.J. It's the community, gaining some strength, starting to get things going once again and it's happening not just here in Tuscaloosa but across the state of Alabama and across the region.
Let's send it back to you in the studio.
HOLMES: That was a great last question. I hope a lot of people are getting that message.
We appreciate you, Reynolds. We'll check in with you again.
Right now, it's 14 past the hour.
I want you all to take a look at this scene -- a live picture inside St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. This is the coffin. That is Pope John Paul II. And this is where we're expecting thousands upon thousands of people to walk by and pay their respects on a day in which he has now become the Blessed John Paul II, moving him one step closer to sainthood.
We are taking you back live there to talk to our Vatican analyst in three minutes, and you will hear exactly what this day means.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Eighteen minutes past the hour.
You are seeing a live picture inside Saint Peter's Basilica. That is where thousands upon thousands are expected to file past the coffin of Pope John Paul the II, who is now the Blessed John Paul II -- as I bring in our John Allen, who is our Vatican analyst. He's in Rome for us today.
We'll leave this live picture up for you to see.
But as I talk to you here, John, we are seeing something today, him move one step closer to sainthood. This is really something that the people demanded, is it not?
JOHN ALLEN, CNN SENIOR VATICAN ANALYST: Yes, absolutely right. I mean, T.J., sainthood is supposed to be a democratic process. It starts with the grassroots conviction that someone lived a holy life. And what John Paul II, this turnout of more than a million people once again exceeding organizers' expectations, as John Paul so often did, is proof of the point.
HOLMES: Proof of the point there. So many people, so much outpouring. But, John, how much have we seen in the past few days, maybe even weeks of people who are bringing up -- hey, wait a minute, this is the same guy who didn't move quickly enough or do enough when it came to the Catholic Church's abuse scandals. How much of it has been out there in the lead up to today?
ALLEN: Hey, T.J., I think there's been quite a bit of it actually. I mean, you know, John Paul was pope for almost 27 years. And as you know, to govern is to choose. He had to make choices. And people will debate whether he made the right choices.
But I think in some ways, that's a debate for another day. Certainly, the people here in St. Peter Square and around it, more than a million people, are here to celebrate John Paul's life and legacy.
HOLMES: And, John, one more thing here -- one miracle down, he needed one to get to this point to be beautified but getting to miracle two is not always an easy thing.
ALLEN: No, that's right. I mean, you can't manufacture a miracle. You have to wait for it to happen. But there are certainly tens of thousands, if not more, people around the world praying for another miracle from John Paul II, and I think praying, too, that it may come soon.
HOLMES: All right. John Allen, again, one of the best things I heard you say this morning, a good way to put it, is that being beatified means that a lot of people have one more friend in heaven. I think that's a very good way to put it.
We're going to be talking to our John Allen plenty throughout the morning, to kind of give us a sainthood 101 this morning as well.
So, John, looking forward to that. We'll talk to you here in just a little bit.
It's 20 past the hour. We need to you to stick around because we have tornado watches that are in effect right now. Bonnie Schneider with that in just a minute.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, everyone. I'm meteorologist Bonnie Schneider in the CNN severe weather center.
We are tracking the risk for tornadoes once again today, this time in northeast Texas. There's a tornado watch in effect right now. This will go straight through noon local time. And you can see, it's just to the east of the Dallas area, but it is impacting cities like Garland and areas well into just to the area of Louisiana and clipping parts of Arkansas as well.
We're seeing severe weather rolling through Texas right now, some strong storms work their way through the Dallas area and look for more just north of the city with frequent lightning strikes and heavy downpours of rain. As you head to the east, a long line of thunderstorms are rolling through the Nashville area right now into Lexington, Kentucky. This will also bring unfortunately more rain to the flood-ravaged area of the Midwest and that's what we're tracking as well.
I'll talk more about that later on, T.J., but this rain is the last thing folks in this part of the country need right now.
HOLMES: All right. Bonnie Schneider, we appreciate you. Thanks so much.
It happens more often than you think. Can you imagine? Operating on the wrong body part? No, doc, it's this eye, not this one. It happened to a little child. You'll hear his story and how you can actually prevent something like this from happening to you or a family member.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: What a nightmare -- doctors operating on the wrong body part?
Elizabeth Cohen tells us it's happening.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: T.J., doctors call them "never events" -- they are things that are never supposed to happen in the hospital, but, unfortunately, sometimes they do.
You may have heard the story of Jesse Matlock. Just a few days before his 4th birthday, he went in for surgery to correct a lazy eye. And the surgery was supposed to be on his right eye, but instead, the surgeon did it on his left eye.
She realized her mistake quite quickly and she came out and told the family what had happened and she explained that she had become, in her words, "disoriented." The hospital now is investigating the situation and it's not quite known what's going to happen to Jesse's eye, both the one that was supposed to be operated on and the one that did end up getting operated on.
Here at the "Empowered Patient," we have a few tips so that this kind of thing doesn't happen to you or someone you love. First of all, before you go in for surgery, ask your surgeon what are your strategies for making sure that a wrong-sided surgery doesn't happen. They should have specific things that they do to prevent these kinds of mistakes.
Also, request a time-out just before anesthesia. Now, surgeons should be familiar with the term time-out. What it means is that all of the action stops, and the surgical team openly discusses: what is the name of this patient, what kind of surgery is the patient here to have, what side of the body is being operated on -- so that everyone is absolutely sure that they're doing the right thing.
Now, here at the "Empowered Patient," we have several pieces of advice for how to make sure that you have a safe surgery. Go to CNN.com/Empowered Patient -- T.J.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." starts right now.
