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CNN Saturday Morning News

Novak Zone: Interview with Rafael Palmeiro; Worker at Meat Processing Plant Kills Co-Workers

Aired July 03, 2004 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Drew Griffin.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen. Good morning to all of you. If you're just waking up on the West Coast, it is 6:00 a.m. Thanks for starting your day with us.

Here's what we've got coming up this hour.

A holiday parade for shipping out. We'll explain how a lot of ordinary folks pitched in to make it possible. And we'll talk with a couple enjoying their July 4 together before his unit goes off to Iraq.

Also coming up, the hunt for a running mate. John Kerry appears about ready to announce his final choice.

And a little bit later...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're going to wear a gas mask and ear plugs, might just as stay home and watch it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Diehard drag-racing fans love the smell of nitrous methane in the morning. Well, that's because it smells like victory.

Those stories and much, much more, that's ahead.

But first, here's your look at the headlines.

GRIFFIN: A blast at an Iraqi national guard installation south of Baghdad leaves six Iraqis dead, five others wounded. It's not clear if all the victims were members of that Iraqi national guard.

For the first time, the White House has released figures showing just how much has been spent for rebuilding Iraq. Just 2 percent of the $18.4 billion Congress has approved for reconstruction has been spent so far. Budget spokesman says the numbers are misleading because funds for many long-term contracts are not released until substantial amount of work has been done on those projects. The Pentagon is ordering all family members of the U.S. troops out of Bahrain. Sources say there's credible intelligence an attack against Americans is being planned there. There are about 4,500 U.S. service members stationed in Bahrain. The kingdom borders Saudi Arabia, where five American civilians have been killed this year.

And flags lowered to half staff for 30 days to mark the passing of former president Ronald Reagan can now be flown at full staff. The White House issuing an order Friday, raising the flags a bit early so they will fly high on the July 4 weekend. The order applies to U.S. flags flown over the White House, federal buildings, naval vessels, military buildings, and embassies.

NGUYEN: Our top story this hour is from America's heartland. Police say one man turned his workplace into a shooting gallery yesterday, killing four co-workers and apparently turning a gun on himself. Before the rampage, some described him as a man with an attitude problem. We'll have more in a live report a little bit later this hour.

Here's a look at some stories making news across America this morning.

Count on up to 40 million travelers this holiday weekend, so says AAA. And the vast majority of them will be on the roadways.

Extreme drought and wildfire risks across the West. We're talking about that as well.

Are they taking the kaboom out of the backyard Fourth of July celebrations? Communities are restricting or banning the sale of the use of fireworks. But many large municipal fireworks displays are going ahead with plans as scheduled.

And it is all in the numbers. A single lottery ticket sold in Massachusetts wins a record $290 million in the Mega millions jackpot. The numbers drawn last night in New York's Times Square were 10, 25, 38, 39, 50, with the Megaball a number 12.

The judge in the Michael Jackson child molestation case has sealed a critical defense motion. Jackson's attorney wants to keep secret a motion that seeks to dismiss charges against the entertainer. The ruling means the public will not know what grounds Jackson is being -- or is challenging that indictment. Media organizations say they will fight the decision.

GRIFFIN: Saddam Hussein getting some high-profile help on his defense team. A member of Saddam's legal team says Libyan leader Mohamar Gadhafi's daughter will come on board. She is a law professor and will be part of a group of Libyan law experts, according to the Associated Press. Several Libyan attorneys are expected to be part of the legal team, which include attorneys from Jordan, Lebanon, and Tunisia, and other countries from the West.

Now, to Afghanistan. The U.S.-led coalition investigating a new allegation of prisoner abuse there. It is the third probe into detainee abuse by U.S. jailers in Afghan prisons. A military review of how prisoners are treated in the country's 20 detention facilities is under way. An independent contractor working for the CIA at one facility has been indicted on assault charges in the death of a prisoner.

Attorneys in Washington have filed petitions to give nine Guantanamo Bay prisoners their day in court. The Supreme Court ruled Monday that those held as terror suspects or enemy combatants in military custody do have the right to challenge their detentions.

NGUYEN: Well, if you're among those playing guessing games in this year's Democratic veepstakes, you might want to stay close to your computer. Published reports say that in a first for a presidential campaign, Senator John Kerry promises he will announce his running mate on the Web. The first to find out, supporters who signed up on his Web site, johnkerry.com. Other sources tell CNN Kerry could announce his choice as early as this week.

GRIFFIN: In Kansas, police say one man is responsible for a murderous shooting spree there. Five people dead. And as their families mourn this morning, police are piecing together grim details of just what happened.

Michele Rooney of CNN affiliate KMBC is in Edwardsville, Kansas. She's been updating us all morning on this. Michele?

MICHELE ROONEY, REPORTER, KMBC-TV: Drew, the plant remains closed this morning. The ConAgra plant behind me is not usually closed, but security officials here say they are only allowing high- ranking ConAgra officials with security clearance in and out, and they've just started doing that within the last few minutes.

In the meantime, Kansas City, Kansas, police have pushed off a news briefing until 9:00 our time to relate the latest on the investigation, the victims, and the shooter. That is because they still have not been able to notify all of the family members of the victims. They continue to scramble to do that at this hour.

Now, shortly after 5:00 yesterday, police say a gunman described as a disgruntled employee here at the ConAgra meat processing and packaging plant walked into the cafeteria area carrying at least two handguns and began firing on co-workers. Officers say he killed four men and injured three others, one's still in critical condition, before turning the gun on himself.

Some describe the shooter as a man who was quiet and frustrated because of teasing at work. And some say he shot randomly. Other witnesses reported that he seemed to target his victims. Complete -- police have confirmed none of that yet, saying the investigation continues. They have still not released the shooter's name and not officially released the names of the victims either.

ConAgra is providing counseling for employees and family members throughout the day today as the investigation continues. We'll continue to update you with the latest. Back to you. GRIFFIN: Michele, as we wait for that news conference, have you learned any more about this suspect other than what you've already described, in terms of how long he may have worked at the plant or what kind of teasing he endured?

ROONEY: Some of the co-workers have said he was actually a pretty short-time employee. May have been fired or laid off at one period of time. Recently called back to work. Someone that witnesses have at least at this point preliminarily told police a man who got angry when other people used his equipment and that had complained, at least to some people, about enduring some teasing here at the plant.

But again, all of that very preliminary at this time. Police not confirming any of that at this point.

GRIFFIN: Michele Rooney live in Edwardsville, Kansas, the site of a terrible shooting there yesterday. Betty?

NGUYEN: Well, pitching in for a Louisiana homecoming, the Bayou State brought home their own before saying goodbye as they head off to Iraq. We'll talk to one of the soldiers enjoying a home-cooked meal this weekend. That is coming up.

GRIFFIN: And you could call it a home away from home for Lance Armstrong. America's cycling hero hits the road (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for his sixth straight Tour de France.

JILL BROWN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Heavy rain today. It will cause some flooding problems for the holiday weekend in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. But it's not all bad news. We have some spots that will have a lovely Fourth of July weekend. We'll talk more about that coming up when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: There's a gas problem that has some folks all revved up. Our Jeanne Moos takes us on a ride to find out more.

And our morning e-mail question. How would you spend 290 Megamillion dollars? Oh, I could count the ways, but we'll read some of your responses. That's a little bit later on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you say to the folks who made this happen?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I don't know who it was that donated the money.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We appreciate a lot. Everybody does.

(END VIDEO CLIP) GRIFFIN: It was a whole bunch of people who did this. A priceless gift for troops headed to Iraq. Money raised to send them home for one more visit, a precious visit with their families before that trip around the world. Soldiers with the 256th Infantry Brigade of the Louisiana National Guard among the troops granted leave to go home for this Fourth of July weekend before they deploy to Iraq.

There was a hitch. They had to pay their own way. And for many, that was a bit too much. Well, a lot of people they don't know came to the rescue. Sergeant First Class Brent Williams and his wife, Jean Anne, are among the several thousand military families, 3,000, really, who benefited from this good will. And they join us this morning from New Orleans, the suburb of Metaray (ph).

And who's that little guy?

JEAN ANNE WILLIAMS, SOLDIER'S WIFE: This is Conner.

GRIFFIN: Well, thank you, Conner, for getting up this morning. How are you guys doing?

JEAN ANNE WILLIAMS: We're fine.

GRIFFIN: You're in the midst of this weekend, right?

SGT. BRENT WILLIAMS, 256TH INFANTRY BRIGADE: Yes.

GRIFFIN: And you're about to go to Iraq for how long?

BRENT WILLIAMS: Well, we haven't got the official word yet, but if we do, it will probably be for a year.

GRIFFIN: And before this weekend, when was the last time you guys saw each other?

BRENT WILLIAMS: Oh, about a little over a month ago, I suspect.

GRIFFIN: So now you have your husband home for one last weekend. How, how, what does this mean for you to be able to see him and hold him just one last time before he has to go?

JEAN ANNE WILLIAMS: It's really wonderful. It's a precious gift.

GRIFFIN: We should talk about how this all came together. You guys were in Texas, is that right, sergeant?

BRENT WILLIAMS: Yes, we are.

GRIFFIN: And you were allowed to go home for the weekend, but nobody said how would you get there.

BRENT WILLIAMS: No. And, you know, in fact, they granted us some leave, and there was pretty much a time of uncertainty of how we were going to get home. But the brigade and the higher-ups were saying that they would make it happen one way or another. GRIFFIN: How it happened, in the course of about a week, $175,000 (UNINTELLIGIBLE) brought in to pay for the 59 busses that would bring you guys all back to New Orleans. Is that right?

JEAN ANNE WILLIAMS: Correct.

BRENT WILLIAMS: That's correct.

GRIFFIN: Well, what do you think about that?

BRENT WILLIAMS: It was a precious, precious gift.

GRIFFIN: What are you are going to do this weekend? And when do you have to go back?

BRENT WILLIAMS: We leave back -- probably the end of next week. We get a few more days. But we're going to be pretty much staying with family. Tomorrow we have a little get-together and actually celebrate my son's birthday. It's going to be at the end of this month. So we're going to celebrate it early.

GRIFFIN: I got to think that there's somewhat of a danger of bringing all you guys back to New Orleans for one last weekend. Are you afraid you might have to go around and scrounge up some people down on Bourbon Street?

BRENT WILLIAMS: Oh, no. We -- our unit is very coherent as far as what we need to do. I have no doubt that we will all be successful in getting back.

GRIFFIN: Jean Anne, what's your thoughts to the people who raised the money and allowed this to happen, and will possibly be supporting you guys when your husband goes on his mission overseas?

JEAN ANNE WILLIAMS: Well, for one, we're very grateful that the governor and the General Angerno (ph) made the announcement to the whole state so that all of the communities across the state would have the chance to show their patriotism and their support for the troops here, their neighbors, their co-workers, and their family, and bring them home for us.

So it was very wonderful that the military families didn't have to pay for the bus seats, and the community was able to help us to do this and to feel good about doing that. And they have. It's been really wonderful.

And we have a lot of businesses to thank across the entire state, as well as support from private individuals. And even some of the military families, grandparents, et cetera, wanted to help as well raise the money.

And we actually, you're right, did do it in less than two weeks' time, which was phenomenal. And it was an amazing amount of money. And we also will be relying on the rest of the Louisiana community for the entire duration of their mobilization and possible deployment. And it's been really wonderful to hear that they want to still continue to support all of the families and the soldiers while they're off. It's wonderful.

BRENT WILLIAMS: Yes, I would like to thank everybody. And the (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

GRIFFIN: We see on our screen the name of Pat Taylor. He's the oil man who donated the last $28,000 or so that were needed to pay for all 59 of these busses. He also released a statement saying that the rest of the community needs to step up financial support in terms of the employers of these men and women. They have been yanked from their lives, many of them leaving higher-paying jobs to take their job and their assignment in the military.

Have those employers been stepping up to the plate and covering the added cost of this deployment?

JEAN ANNE WILLIAMS: We've heard that some are. And it would be wonderful if other businesses would do the same as well. And his plea was based on his own personal experience of having supported his own National Guard soldiers, that their pay didn't equate to the same as their civilian pay when they had worked for him. And he finished out the rest of that for the families. And so it's a wonderful plea, and it would be wonderful if everyone that's an American business person would do that for their soldiers.

GRIFFIN: Well, we certainly wish you all luck. Sergeant, we wish you luck, and happy birthday to your little boy there.

JEAN ANNE WILLIAMS: Thank you.

GRIFFIN: Take care.

NGUYEN: Sleepy little boy there as well.

All right. Well, out-of-this-world images from the Cassini spacecraft, getting up close and personal with Saturn's largest moon. That is ahead right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Betty Nguyen. We want to give you a check of our top stories today.

Police in Kansas City, Kansas, saying an employee at a meat- packing plant opened fire on his co-workers yesterday, killing four before shooting himself. Three others were wounded. One is still in critical condition.

If you want to know who John Kerry will pick as his running mate, well, you want to get online. He says he'll announce his pick in a mass e-mail to subscribers to his Web site.

And the coalition says U.S. soldiers in Iraq have shut down a network of bomb-building factories in southern Baghdad. They also detained dozens of suspected militants. Among the items recovered were car bombs, grenade launchers, explosives, and other weapons.

GRIFFIN: Here's what you may have missed on the war on terror this week.

Twelve members of overseas air crews are being barred from entering the U.S. A law enforcement official says nine of the 12 had associated with terrorists or supported terrorist organizations.

Also, Tuesday, a homeland security official said truck drivers who transport hazardous materials will undergo criminal background checks and fingerprinting.

Now to American ports. The Coast Guard commandant says U.S. ports remain vulnerable to the kind of attack that crippled the USS "Cole" and killed 17 sailors. On the first day operating under a new security protocol, the Coast Guard either denied entry to or detained or removed six foreign ships of the 270 that they plan to reach port on Thursday.

And coalition forces launched an air strike Wednesday against a suspected al Qaeda safe house in Fallujah, Iraq. This is the fourth such strike targeting the network of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in two weeks. The State Department also increasing the reward for Zarqawi this week to $25 million.

American Paul Johnson was beheaded in Saudi Arabia on June 18. Still grappling with that unspeakable horror and tremendous grief, his son says he's training his attention on just one thing, finding his father's body.

David Waters of CNN affiliate Central Florida News 13 has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL JOHNSON III, SON OF PAUL JOHNSON, JR.: I'll cherish it forever. I don't -- you know, I'll cherish it forever.

DAVID WATERS, REPORTER, CENTRAL FLORIDA NEWS 13 (voice-over): It's one of the last pictures Paul Johnson III has of his dad. This one was taken in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with his wife, Num (ph). It's in the same area where he was captured and later beheaded.

JOHNSON: My father's still missing, and I don't want it to go away until he's brought home.

WATERS: Paul Johnson III's top priority is finding his father's body.

JOHNSON: I'm very angry and confused. Obviously, whatever I say, it's not going to bring my father back.

WATERS (on camera): Johnson says he wants to find the body so he can finally bury his father. He says his father wanted to be buried in Thailand, because that's where he and his Thai wife, Num, are building a new home. In fact, the whole family planned a big get- together there later this year.

JOHNSON: We were planning on it. I was planning on going to Thailand. His house is supposed to be done in November. And we were going to celebrate his house, and just -- so he could see the grand -- his grandson.

WATERS (voice-over): But he'll never see the 3-year-old.

JOHNSON: Come on.

WATERS (on camera): What does he know about all of this?

JOHNSON: Nothing. He's -- he don't know nothing. I'm glad he don't know nothing right now.

WATERS (voice-over): This may be the last picture he has, but the last memory is of this video he's seen only once. It's of his father being held captive. And he calls the video disgusting. It makes him worry about other contractors.

JOHNSON: It's a very dangerous place over there, and I don't know, sometimes I wonder if it's worth it.

WATERS: But to Paul Johnson, Jr., the danger was an acceptable risk. Johnson's son says his dad had just signed on for another three years in Saudi Arabia.

In Port St. John, David Waters, Central Florida News 13.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Shifting gears now to outer space, 900 million miles out there, scientists have found something that looks like smog. The Cassini spacecraft is sending back the first pictures of Saturn's largest moon. Experts say the images show the surface of Titan is very murky. One scientist says it appears covered in an organic goo not unlike the smog found in Los Angeles. Titan, bigger than two planets, is Cassini's first target since it began orbiting Saturn this week.

GRIFFIN: Spectacular pictures from up in space.

Jill Brown is watching the pictures from across the nation in the weather department.

JILL BROWN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) pictures, I guess you'd call it.

Taking a look at the radar first off, we were mentioning, had a lot of rain, four to eight inches of rain reported in the last 24 hours. That will definitely cause some flooding problems. That's from eastern Oklahoma to northwestern parts of Arkansas, that huge blob of heavy rain continues to slowly make its way to the south. We may see more rain in some of the same spots today. So it looks like potential for more flooding. Maybe some severe weather today, but probably not a big deal this weekend, only a few spots. So we'll watch this area of low pressure that's here. You can sort of see the spin on the satellite picture. That is going to head up across the Great Lakes. So definitely a questionable forecast for the Fourth, even today, chance of thunderstorms in places like Minneapolis, Chicago, and Detroit. But tomorrow perhaps a better chance, as that low gets a little bit closer.

But it's not all bad news. We have some nice weather on both coasts, actually. Let's take you to San Francisco, where a little bit of fog makes this obvious what you're looking at. But it may look the same out your window if you're in Washington, D.C., Ocean City, Maryland. A lot of places, really, with some fog this morning.

San Francisco, once this fog is gone, should be a pretty nice afternoon. Temperatures in the 60s, perhaps a bit breezy by this afternoon, even windy. And then tomorrow lighter winds, with looks like a little more sunshine.

So quick look at the headlines will show us the best weather this weekend will be Northeast and Northwest. Sunshine, dry, mild temperatures. Southeast still dealing with some rain. When haven't we been? And in one more spot, Texas to Arizona, very, very hot temperatures, either above 100 or feeling like it's above 100.

So Betty and Drew, on the bright note, our grass is really green here, but chances are we'll have a bit of rain this weekend.

NGUYEN: You call that blazing hot down in Texas.

BROWN: That's right. Fitting, right?

NGUYEN: Yes, fitting for the Fourth of July. It's always hot this time of year. All right, thank you, Jill.

BROWN: Sure.

GRIFFIN: Well, you never know who's going to show up in The Novak Zone, from world leaders to World Series hopefuls. Today's guest has hit more than 500 home runs, but he's hit it even bigger by landing in The Novak Zone. Rafael Palmiero joins Bob coming up.

And pumping iron takes time. Well, not with the eight-minute workout. More on that when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Getting a rush out of racing. Some fans take a drag and enjoy the ride.

NGUYEN: Welcome back. That story is coming up.

But first, here's a look at headlines at this hour.

Police are trying to figure out why an employee at a meat-packing plant in Kansas City, Kansas, opened fire on his co-workers. Investigators say he used two guns to kill four people and wound three others before shooting himself. An employee at the ConAgra plant said the man had a conflict earlier in the week with some co-workers.

An explosion kills six Iraqi national guard members and wounds five others today south of Baghdad. That blast went off at an oil storage installation facility during a changing of the guard.

The government in Sudan is promising to send troops to stop militia violence in Darfur in the western part of that country. The United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, helped convince the government to agree to the move before he left Sudan on -- or today. The country's president also agreed to work toward disarming the militias and to investigate human rights violations. Up to a million people have been forced to flee Darfur after months of ethnic violence.

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, well, he continues his campaign swing through the upper Midwest this July 4 holiday. Still no running mate in sight, but that could soon change. Kerry is expected to reveal his choice in a mass e-mailing to supporters. Sources say that announcement could come within just a few days.

GRIFFIN: The Novak Zone takes you out to the ball game today on this all-American holiday. A few moments with a big name in our national pastime. He's one of the best home-run hitters in the game.

Here is CNN's Bob Novak.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERT NOVAK, HOST: Welcome to The Novak Zone.

We're at the Orioles' park at Camden Yards in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, talking to one of the great home-run hitters of all time, Rafael Palmeiro.

Mr. Palmeiro, when you started off as a Cub, Chicago Cub, my old favorite team, you were pretty much a singles hitter. Did you ever think you would have passed Mickey Mantle at the age of 39?

RAFAEL PALMEIRO, BALTIMORE ORIOLES: Never in my wildest dreams. You know, when you first come up, and you get called up to the big leagues, all you want to do is just, you just want to have a career, a nice career. You want to make a living at it. And, you know, no one really thinks about records and home runs and career things. You just want to be able to have a nice career and make a living at it.

NOVAK: This is a beautiful ballpark here in downtown Baltimore. What are your -- do you like this ballpark? What are your favorite parks?

PALMEIRO: I love it. I mean, this is one of my favorites. You know, there's a lot of new ones around the league now that are similar to this one. But this one has the charm, you know, the downtown in the background, coziness, the warehouse in right field. It just feels real cozy and homes -- homey feeling (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

NOVAK: Any other parks you really like? PALMEIRO: Well, you know, the ballpark in Arlington, I got a chance to play down in Texas for five years. That one is nice. It's big. It's overwhelming. Colorado is very nice, Cleveland. I mean, they're all nice in their own ways.

NOVAK: It is said that the smartest fans in baseball are in New York and maybe Boston. Do you agree with that?

PALMEIRO: I don't know about that. I think that they are very passionate about their teams. There's a lot of history in Boston and a lot of history, obviously, in New York with all the championships. But I think mainly, you know, just up in the East Coast, it's where it all originated. You know, Philadelphia. It goes back to the beginning. So, you know, fans have a lot of history, and they love their teams up here.

NOVAK: You started in the National League with the Cubs, and, of course, you play interleague games. Now, is there a big difference in the play between the two leagues these days?

PALMEIRO: I don't think so. I mean, there's a little more strategy that goes on in the National League, because you have the pitcher, and, you know, it becomes a problem if your team is behind in the fifth, sixth, seventh inning, whatever, you have to do some double switches, and you don't have the DH. So I think you have to strategize a little bit more in the National League. But it's the same game. Still the same game.

NOVAK: You mentioned the DH, designated hitter. You DH much of last year with the Texas Rangers. Did you like that? Do you think it's a good idea?

PALMEIRO: You know, I think it's fine. I mean, I don't really care much for the position for myself. I still feel like I can play defense at first base at a very high level. You know, I, you add offense, obviously, to the team, to the offense. But as far as I'm concerned, I can still play defense. So I'm not too worried about (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

NOVAK: You don't think the defensive skills go before the offensive skills.

PALMEIRO: Well, I -- my defensive skills are a little bit sharper than my offensive skills right now, so I don't buy that.

NOVAK: Mr. Palmeiro, you were born in Cuba. And several years ago, the Baltimore Orioles were planning a trip to Cuba, and you said, Count me out. Why did you say that?

PALMEIRO: Well, you know, I left Cuba as a kid when I was 6 years old back in 1971. My parents didn't agree with what was going on, you know, with the communists coming in, Fidel Castro. I didn't see the reason why I needed to go back there and be a part of that exhibition. You know, my family stood for something that they believed in, and I wasn't about to turn my back on them.

NOVAK: What would it take for you to go back to visit your birthplace, do you think?

PALMEIRO: A democratic Cuba, a free Cuba. I would love to go back and help rebuild that country and help -- you know, kind of like what's going on with Iraq right now. You know, they've got a new government in place. They're trying to rebuild the country. I would love for that to happen in Cuba also.

NOVAK: You still have relatives there?

PALMEIRO: Yes, but I -- you know, it's been such a long time, I'm sure that I've got cousins and uncles that I've never met before, you know, that I've left behind.

NOVAK: What do you think -- we just had a situation where the family of the New York Yankees pitcher...

PALMEIRO: Ferris (ph).

NOVAK: ... defected. What do you think of that whole question of people coming from Cuba to play baseball?

PALMEIRO: Well, you know, I think that's fine. I wish that they could have more freedoms to be able to come and play. I know that the only way that they can get out is by, you know, defecting to another country or whatever, or getting on a boat. I wish that they had the freedoms like the Japanese and the Koreans and the Mexicans and everybody else that has that freedom to come over here and play the game, because I know Cuba has a very strong baseball history.

And I know that there could be a lot of baseball players that could come here and play in the big leagues. I'm very happy for the Contreras family. They're out. Now they've got a chance to experience life the way I did as a kid. You know, his kids are going to have a real chance in life now, and the same way that I had it.

NOVAK: And now the big question for Rafael Palmeiro of the Baltimore Orioles.

Mr. Palmeiro, there's been a lot of publicity by the media about steroid use in sports, including baseball. Have you ever seen any substantial steroid use in the major leagues?

PALMEIRO: I haven't seen it. And I think that it's been overblown. I don't think that -- you know, I'm sure that there's guys that are doing it, because I'm sure in every sport there's players who want to get the edge. But I think that it's been blown overly -- way more than guys are using it in our game.

NOVAK: Thank you, Rafael Palmeiro.

PALMEIRO: Thank you.

NOVAK: And thank you for being in The Novak Zone.

(END VIDEOTAPE) GRIFFIN: From the ballpark. You can see more of Bob Novak tonight on "THE CAPITAL GANG" at 7:00 Eastern. "THE GANG" is going to focus on Saddam Hussein.

NGUYEN: Well, if you missed news this week, we are here to help, that is. Time now to rewind.

Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein had his trip to court and the democratic exchange with the judge on Thursday. Saddam asked whose jurisdiction the court was under, claiming he is the president of Iraq. The former dictator listened as seven preliminary charges were outlined, including the gassing of Kurds in 1988 and the invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Bush administration this week over its anti-terror policies. The nation's highest court ruled that U.S. citizens and foreign nationals held as terror suspects in military custody do have the right to challenge their detentions. The cases were a test of the government's power to interrogate captives without allowing them access to a lawyer or the judicial system.

And I guess you could call it lord of the rings, and a monumental accomplishment for NASA. The international space probe, dubbed Cassini, became the first spacecraft ever to orbit Saturn this week. Cassini's four-year mission is expected to take it on several close encounters with a handful of the planet's 31 known moons.

Tomorrow, we will fast forward to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.

But grabbing a spotlight this morning, of course, is the Mega Millions. One person did win. But we're asking you, if you had won, how would you spend $290 million? We'll read your responses on the air. All you have to do is e-mail us at wam@cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: So you say you can't have time to work out and stay in shape? Well, if you have eight minutes, maybe do you. Bestselling author Jorge Cruise will tell us how to make the most of our time when CNN SATURDAY MORNING RETURNS. Hi, Jorge.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: We don't know who won, but we know where that ticket was purchased. And on the line with us right now is Jay Patel in Lowell, Massachusetts. This is a town northwest of Boston. He's with Powers Wine Company.

And sir, you guys sold the winning ticket of $290 million. Is that correct?

JAY PATEL, POWERS WINE COMPANY (on phone): Yes, sir, we did.

GRIFFIN: How did you find out? PATEL: Well, we just got notified from the lottery office, and we got notified on the machine, and we got callers coming from everywhere in the world.

GRIFFIN: And I bet you've got people standing outside.

PATEL: Yes, yes. Like media, and people too. They want to see the winner now. Everybody is calling.

GRIFFIN: I bet you want to see that winner too. Do you expect someone to walk in your door $290 million richer?

PATEL: Well, hopefully. I mean, we can't say anything, but I don't know what they're going to do. But hopefully they can come around and say, Thank you very much.

GRIFFIN: Jay, tell us about Lowell, Massachusetts, and your customers. Who were these people that were buying these tickets, and what were they going to do with the money?

PATEL: Well, I mean, I'm not sure. But it is a very good year. We just (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Lowell border, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) big (UNINTELLIGIBLE). We got all mixed public coming in to buy the ticket. And everybody hopefully yesterday -- everybody trying to win, and they want to buy.

GRIFFIN: Do you know when that ticket was purchased, Jay? Do you know what time, what day?

PATEL: I have no idea.

GRIFFIN: And what do you...

PATEL: Could be yesterday, should be yesterday, but I don't know what time or who sold the ticket or who bought the ticket.

GRIFFIN: And let's talk about your good fortune, because you guys get a little piece of the prize too.

PATEL: Well, it's not that big. We were thinking that we get 1 percent, but it's not that -- that's not the case. We got certain cap. But they just give us little bit of money, you know.

GRIFFIN: Little bit of money.

PATEL: We don't get 1 percent out of it.

GRIFFIN: Oh, well, you'll get something out of it.

PATEL: Well, we don't want to talk about that. I don't know what we're going to get, but hopefully we got something, you know.

GRIFFIN: All right. Jay Patel, he's in Lowell, Massachusetts, site of the winning ticket, with Powers Wine Company in Lowell. And the reputation of that place just got a whole lot bigger.

NGUYEN: Oh, definitely. He's definitely a happy man this morning. He's going to get a little piece of that pie.

Which brings us to our e-mail question of the day. What would you do if you had won? How would you spend $290 million?

Well, Duffer from South Burlington, Vermont, says, "Wine, women, and song. I'd probably just squander the rest." My.

GRIFFIN: "I would start a charitable organization," says Kim from Memphis, "to help the civilian families in Iraq rebuild their homes and provide quality medical care to the injured."

NGUYEN: And Mitch is a funny guy from New York. Says, "I did win. Would you stop sending me e-mails already?"

We appreciate all the responses, sending them to wam@cnn.com.

And we want to move on to losing weight. With just eight minutes, can it be true? Is it a pipe dream? Well, guaranteed, says fitness trainer Jorge Cruise. "Just Eight Minutes in the Morning for Extra Easy Weight Loss" is a best seller.

Jorge Cruise is up with us early this morning in San Diego.

Thanks for being with us.

JORGE CRUISE, AUTHOR, "JUST EIGHT MINUTES IN THE MORNING FOR EXTRA EASY WEIGHT LOSS": Hey, good morning, Betty. How are you?

NGUYEN: I'm doing great. All right, let's talk about these diets, Atkins, South Beach, a lot of people on that bandwagon. But do they work in the long term?

CRUISE: Well, here's the thing, Betty. All those diets do work short term. But exactly what you said, long term, what all the results have been showing, and I've got a lot of people I work with online and through my books and all that, the truth is, long term, they make us fat, they really do, because here's the bottom line.

They're not sustainable, because how long can you not eat bread for? I mean, it's hard, and it's human nature to have a balanced diet, where we have a variety of everything we need.

And that's the secret. And too many people nowadays, you know, we're all trying to lose weight, 65 percent of all Americans are overweight. But, you know, the thing is, the numbers keep going up even though the low-carb books keep selling. Nothing is happening. So that's the big question we have to ask ourselves.

NGUYEN: OK, but you say they make us fat. People don't stick with it. How do the two come together?

CRUISE: Well, here's the thing. What people don't realize, when you go on a low-carb diet, long term what happens is, you -- your metabolism starts to erode and atrophy, because your body uses glycogen and water to make up for the loss of sugar you're taking in from your carbs. And when you do that, it takes it from muscle, and when you lose muscle, you lose your metabolism. And a lot of people don't talk about that.

And the bottom line is, we got to eat sensible. You know, I tell all my clients, here's what you do. You got to eat every three hours. That's easy. And you eat balanced meals. I mean, you eat meals that have carbs, that have protein, and fat, and some vegetables, you know? And you eat every three hours to space it out so you keep your metabolism going. Because it's all about metabolism.

NGUYEN: Exactly. Every three hours. How big are these portions?

CRUISE: Well, here's the thing. On average, each meal is about 400 calories that I recommend to my clients. So you'd have a breakfast, say, at 7:00.

And I always tell people, imagine a plate, you know, and divide it down the middle. And the upper part of your plate's either fruits or vegetables, and then the bottom is divided in two parts. You got carbs on one side, protein on the other, and a little dot of fat in the middle. And it's easy. I mean, and then, if you're still hungry, you can have another piece of fruit or another piece of vegetables. Vegetables you can do unlimited amounts. And it's truly common sense.

And then you'd have a snacks midday, snack's usually about 100 calories. And then you have another meal, which would be another 400 calories, about lunchtime, then snack and then dinner, and you're done, you know.

And about the -- making it practical, because so many people nowadays want to lose weight, but they can't stick to it long term. And what happens is, when you go on a yo-yo diet, long term, is you lose muscle tissue. And that's my most important message to everyone out there listening, because when you go on these fad diets, you lose muscle.

NGUYEN: You need to work out, exactly.

CRUISE: Well, but...

NGUYEN: To build up that muscle?

CRUISE: Well, that's -- that would be the second step, really, because once you've stopped the destruction to your kind of your metabolism by going on a regular diet, in the sense of a healthy diet, rather than a fad one, then we need to restore the muscle that has been lost. And that is strength training. What I, you know, and that's what the eight minutes is all about.

Strength training done at home, you know, simple exercises that you don't need to go to a gym for, because I'm all about being practical here. I've got a 3-month-old baby, and, you know, my wife's busy, I'm busy, and we don't have time to go to the gym. And there's simple exercises. And the ones in the book there are real easy, I mean (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

NGUYEN: But can you do it in eight minutes? CRUISE: Well, I know, I know, and I've been on every show, and everyone says, Jorge, in eight minutes, can you really see results, where your body tones up and really gets fit? And you absolutely can. Because what we do is there -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) it's strength-training exercises, not cardio. And what strength training does is, it refirms the body.

And it can be as simple as this. Take a look at this. And someone can do this at home right now with us. You take your hands and you press in. This is an isometric chest press. You squeeze in firmly, pushing in, hold that for maybe about 10 seconds, then release, then go in again for another 10.

And these types of exercises are what I talk about in all my programs. And, you know, and it's realistic, because you can do this anywhere. I mean, you can do it if you...

NGUYEN: Simple exercises, and it just takes eight minutes. Jorge, we are out of time, but we appreciate your insights this morning.

CRUISE: Oh, my pleasure.

NGUYEN: Thank you.

CRUISE: No, no, my pleasure. And people can find out more also. I've got a little page at AOL if they want to find out more. Key word, "diet."

NGUYEN: All right. Drew...

CRUISE: So my pleasure.

NGUYEN: ... back to you.

GRIFFIN: Speaking of exercise, the Tour de France bicycle race getting under way today in Belgium. The start is actually just a short time trial of less than four miles. Five-time winner Lance Armstrong back to try for a record win, sixth win in a row. Armstrong's coach says the veteran cyclist is in much better shape than at the start of last year's race. First stage is tomorrow. Over the next three weeks, the cyclists will compete in 20 grueling stages.

As cyclists vie for the sweet smell of victory, some race car drivers and fans are taking in some sweet smells of their own.

CNN's Jeanne Moos has that report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Is it an anthrax scare? Is it a tear gas attack?

Nah, it's just exhaust inhalers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not a stink. That's an aroma. MOOS: What do you expect from a guy wearing a hat that says "Still Plays With Cars"? At National Hot Rod Association races like this one in Englishtown, New Jersey, it's not just the race that turns heads, it's the engine warm-up.

The pit crews are smart enough to wear masks, and so do drivers like the Army's Tony Shumacher. But some fans flock unprotected to experience engine start-up up close.

TONY "THE SARGE" SCHUMACHER, U.S. ARMY DRIVER: You can't breathe, and you see them choking on it. And as soon as it stops, they go, Yes! and they run to the next car.

MOOS: These 8,000-horsepower dragsters go more than 300 miles an hour. They're fueled by nitro methane.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Smell of the nitro, and when they rap that throttle, ground shakes, crowd jumps. I still get off on it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When these cars start up, they register at 2.5 on the earthquake Richter scale.

MOOS: Actually it's 2.2, but who's counting?

Protect the kiddies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see it, you can feel it, you can breathe it, and we love it.

MOOS: Some fans say gas masks are for girls.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know what? If you're going to wear a gas mask and earplugs, might as just stay home and watch it on ESPN.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We could be going to the ballet, but that's not us.

MOOS: After all, ballet dancers don't stink, smoke, or spit fire.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And we want to say good morning to Seattle. Jill Brown has the forecast in just a moment. Here is a look at the beautiful city from our affiliate.

GRIFFIN: Tacoma. Looks like Tacoma to me.

NGUYEN: Yes, a little bit of fog in the background. We'll have more on that when CNN SATURDAY MORNING is back right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: CNN's Gracie-award winning "ON THE STORY"... NGUYEN: Yes.

GRIFFIN: ... is coming up next at the top of the hour. And Kathleen Hays is in Washington with a preview of that. Good morning, Kathleen.

KATHLEEN HAYS, "ON THE STORY": Well, good morning to you as well.

We're "ON THE STORY" from here in Washington to Los Angeles and Baghdad. Jane Arraf has the latest from Iraq. What's the reaction to those pictures of Saddam Hussein in the courtroom? In Hollywood, Sibila Vargas talks about one of the brightest stars blinking out, Marlon Brando, his onscreen persona rivaled only by his offscreen life. Jeanne Meserve is on the homeland security beat, and we'll talk about how New Yorkers are upset that child killer Joel Steinberg is out of prison. I'll talk about new jobs. All coming up, all "ON THE STORY." Back to you.

NGUYEN: Sounds like a great show. All right, thank you.

Right now, we want to talk about the weather outside, because it is a holiday weekend. And Jill, lot of pressure on for some nice weather.

BROWN: Thank you, that's true. It always seems like (UNINTELLIGIBLE) we can say it's going to be sunny, and it will rain anyway.

NGUYEN: I know.

BROWN: It's the Fourth of July. Weather can be kind of tough. Let's take you to the Northeast, where we have really perfect weather. Should be 77, 78 in Boston today and tomorrow. Doesn't get much better than that, does it? And full sunshine. New York looks good, Philadelphia down through Washington looks OK as well.

In the South, get out and enjoy it, because by, chances are by this afternoon, you'll be running for cover yet again. Every day, from Atlanta, to Jacksonville, to Miami, we've had those thundershowers popping up.

But here's where we'll have more widespread rain and maybe some severe weather. It's kind of heavy in Arkansas right at the moment. We've had some flooding problems. They may persist this weekend. And then that rain will spread across the Great Lakes. So especially places like Detroit and Cleveland, better weather today than tomorrow. So enjoy it while you can.

To the west we go. In Seattle, we were looking at the picture earlier. See it again. Maybe a little fog this morning, but you should have some nice weather. We are not expecting rain. We -- seems like we're always talking rain in Seattle, but we are not expecting rain today or tomorrow, so great Fourth of July weekend for you. Temperatures are in the mid-50s now, headed for the mid-60s for this afternoon. And as you can see, maybe some sprinkles inland, but from Seattle to Portland, looks terrific.

And we will be talking about the threat of some rain and some thunderstorms as we go through the weekend, again mainly heading up across the Great Lakes. So a lot of folks will be able to get out and enjoy the fireworks. Will we be one of them? Well, Betty and Drew, I don't know about that.

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: All right, thank you, Jill.

Well, there is plenty more ahead today on CNN. Up next, it's "ON THE STORY," followed by a special Fourth of July edition of "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS," with an encore presentation of "D-Day: A Call to Courage." And at noon, "CNN LIVE SATURDAY," with a closer look at the rebuilding effort in Iraq.

That's all ahead right here on CNN.

GRIFFIN: And thanks for joining us this Saturday morning. We hope to see you again next week.

NGUYEN: That's going to do it for us. We'll be right here tomorrow morning. Have a great day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com


Aired July 3, 2004 - 09:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Drew Griffin.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen. Good morning to all of you. If you're just waking up on the West Coast, it is 6:00 a.m. Thanks for starting your day with us.

Here's what we've got coming up this hour.

A holiday parade for shipping out. We'll explain how a lot of ordinary folks pitched in to make it possible. And we'll talk with a couple enjoying their July 4 together before his unit goes off to Iraq.

Also coming up, the hunt for a running mate. John Kerry appears about ready to announce his final choice.

And a little bit later...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you're going to wear a gas mask and ear plugs, might just as stay home and watch it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Diehard drag-racing fans love the smell of nitrous methane in the morning. Well, that's because it smells like victory.

Those stories and much, much more, that's ahead.

But first, here's your look at the headlines.

GRIFFIN: A blast at an Iraqi national guard installation south of Baghdad leaves six Iraqis dead, five others wounded. It's not clear if all the victims were members of that Iraqi national guard.

For the first time, the White House has released figures showing just how much has been spent for rebuilding Iraq. Just 2 percent of the $18.4 billion Congress has approved for reconstruction has been spent so far. Budget spokesman says the numbers are misleading because funds for many long-term contracts are not released until substantial amount of work has been done on those projects. The Pentagon is ordering all family members of the U.S. troops out of Bahrain. Sources say there's credible intelligence an attack against Americans is being planned there. There are about 4,500 U.S. service members stationed in Bahrain. The kingdom borders Saudi Arabia, where five American civilians have been killed this year.

And flags lowered to half staff for 30 days to mark the passing of former president Ronald Reagan can now be flown at full staff. The White House issuing an order Friday, raising the flags a bit early so they will fly high on the July 4 weekend. The order applies to U.S. flags flown over the White House, federal buildings, naval vessels, military buildings, and embassies.

NGUYEN: Our top story this hour is from America's heartland. Police say one man turned his workplace into a shooting gallery yesterday, killing four co-workers and apparently turning a gun on himself. Before the rampage, some described him as a man with an attitude problem. We'll have more in a live report a little bit later this hour.

Here's a look at some stories making news across America this morning.

Count on up to 40 million travelers this holiday weekend, so says AAA. And the vast majority of them will be on the roadways.

Extreme drought and wildfire risks across the West. We're talking about that as well.

Are they taking the kaboom out of the backyard Fourth of July celebrations? Communities are restricting or banning the sale of the use of fireworks. But many large municipal fireworks displays are going ahead with plans as scheduled.

And it is all in the numbers. A single lottery ticket sold in Massachusetts wins a record $290 million in the Mega millions jackpot. The numbers drawn last night in New York's Times Square were 10, 25, 38, 39, 50, with the Megaball a number 12.

The judge in the Michael Jackson child molestation case has sealed a critical defense motion. Jackson's attorney wants to keep secret a motion that seeks to dismiss charges against the entertainer. The ruling means the public will not know what grounds Jackson is being -- or is challenging that indictment. Media organizations say they will fight the decision.

GRIFFIN: Saddam Hussein getting some high-profile help on his defense team. A member of Saddam's legal team says Libyan leader Mohamar Gadhafi's daughter will come on board. She is a law professor and will be part of a group of Libyan law experts, according to the Associated Press. Several Libyan attorneys are expected to be part of the legal team, which include attorneys from Jordan, Lebanon, and Tunisia, and other countries from the West.

Now, to Afghanistan. The U.S.-led coalition investigating a new allegation of prisoner abuse there. It is the third probe into detainee abuse by U.S. jailers in Afghan prisons. A military review of how prisoners are treated in the country's 20 detention facilities is under way. An independent contractor working for the CIA at one facility has been indicted on assault charges in the death of a prisoner.

Attorneys in Washington have filed petitions to give nine Guantanamo Bay prisoners their day in court. The Supreme Court ruled Monday that those held as terror suspects or enemy combatants in military custody do have the right to challenge their detentions.

NGUYEN: Well, if you're among those playing guessing games in this year's Democratic veepstakes, you might want to stay close to your computer. Published reports say that in a first for a presidential campaign, Senator John Kerry promises he will announce his running mate on the Web. The first to find out, supporters who signed up on his Web site, johnkerry.com. Other sources tell CNN Kerry could announce his choice as early as this week.

GRIFFIN: In Kansas, police say one man is responsible for a murderous shooting spree there. Five people dead. And as their families mourn this morning, police are piecing together grim details of just what happened.

Michele Rooney of CNN affiliate KMBC is in Edwardsville, Kansas. She's been updating us all morning on this. Michele?

MICHELE ROONEY, REPORTER, KMBC-TV: Drew, the plant remains closed this morning. The ConAgra plant behind me is not usually closed, but security officials here say they are only allowing high- ranking ConAgra officials with security clearance in and out, and they've just started doing that within the last few minutes.

In the meantime, Kansas City, Kansas, police have pushed off a news briefing until 9:00 our time to relate the latest on the investigation, the victims, and the shooter. That is because they still have not been able to notify all of the family members of the victims. They continue to scramble to do that at this hour.

Now, shortly after 5:00 yesterday, police say a gunman described as a disgruntled employee here at the ConAgra meat processing and packaging plant walked into the cafeteria area carrying at least two handguns and began firing on co-workers. Officers say he killed four men and injured three others, one's still in critical condition, before turning the gun on himself.

Some describe the shooter as a man who was quiet and frustrated because of teasing at work. And some say he shot randomly. Other witnesses reported that he seemed to target his victims. Complete -- police have confirmed none of that yet, saying the investigation continues. They have still not released the shooter's name and not officially released the names of the victims either.

ConAgra is providing counseling for employees and family members throughout the day today as the investigation continues. We'll continue to update you with the latest. Back to you. GRIFFIN: Michele, as we wait for that news conference, have you learned any more about this suspect other than what you've already described, in terms of how long he may have worked at the plant or what kind of teasing he endured?

ROONEY: Some of the co-workers have said he was actually a pretty short-time employee. May have been fired or laid off at one period of time. Recently called back to work. Someone that witnesses have at least at this point preliminarily told police a man who got angry when other people used his equipment and that had complained, at least to some people, about enduring some teasing here at the plant.

But again, all of that very preliminary at this time. Police not confirming any of that at this point.

GRIFFIN: Michele Rooney live in Edwardsville, Kansas, the site of a terrible shooting there yesterday. Betty?

NGUYEN: Well, pitching in for a Louisiana homecoming, the Bayou State brought home their own before saying goodbye as they head off to Iraq. We'll talk to one of the soldiers enjoying a home-cooked meal this weekend. That is coming up.

GRIFFIN: And you could call it a home away from home for Lance Armstrong. America's cycling hero hits the road (UNINTELLIGIBLE) for his sixth straight Tour de France.

JILL BROWN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Heavy rain today. It will cause some flooding problems for the holiday weekend in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. But it's not all bad news. We have some spots that will have a lovely Fourth of July weekend. We'll talk more about that coming up when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: There's a gas problem that has some folks all revved up. Our Jeanne Moos takes us on a ride to find out more.

And our morning e-mail question. How would you spend 290 Megamillion dollars? Oh, I could count the ways, but we'll read some of your responses. That's a little bit later on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you say to the folks who made this happen?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I don't know who it was that donated the money.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We appreciate a lot. Everybody does.

(END VIDEO CLIP) GRIFFIN: It was a whole bunch of people who did this. A priceless gift for troops headed to Iraq. Money raised to send them home for one more visit, a precious visit with their families before that trip around the world. Soldiers with the 256th Infantry Brigade of the Louisiana National Guard among the troops granted leave to go home for this Fourth of July weekend before they deploy to Iraq.

There was a hitch. They had to pay their own way. And for many, that was a bit too much. Well, a lot of people they don't know came to the rescue. Sergeant First Class Brent Williams and his wife, Jean Anne, are among the several thousand military families, 3,000, really, who benefited from this good will. And they join us this morning from New Orleans, the suburb of Metaray (ph).

And who's that little guy?

JEAN ANNE WILLIAMS, SOLDIER'S WIFE: This is Conner.

GRIFFIN: Well, thank you, Conner, for getting up this morning. How are you guys doing?

JEAN ANNE WILLIAMS: We're fine.

GRIFFIN: You're in the midst of this weekend, right?

SGT. BRENT WILLIAMS, 256TH INFANTRY BRIGADE: Yes.

GRIFFIN: And you're about to go to Iraq for how long?

BRENT WILLIAMS: Well, we haven't got the official word yet, but if we do, it will probably be for a year.

GRIFFIN: And before this weekend, when was the last time you guys saw each other?

BRENT WILLIAMS: Oh, about a little over a month ago, I suspect.

GRIFFIN: So now you have your husband home for one last weekend. How, how, what does this mean for you to be able to see him and hold him just one last time before he has to go?

JEAN ANNE WILLIAMS: It's really wonderful. It's a precious gift.

GRIFFIN: We should talk about how this all came together. You guys were in Texas, is that right, sergeant?

BRENT WILLIAMS: Yes, we are.

GRIFFIN: And you were allowed to go home for the weekend, but nobody said how would you get there.

BRENT WILLIAMS: No. And, you know, in fact, they granted us some leave, and there was pretty much a time of uncertainty of how we were going to get home. But the brigade and the higher-ups were saying that they would make it happen one way or another. GRIFFIN: How it happened, in the course of about a week, $175,000 (UNINTELLIGIBLE) brought in to pay for the 59 busses that would bring you guys all back to New Orleans. Is that right?

JEAN ANNE WILLIAMS: Correct.

BRENT WILLIAMS: That's correct.

GRIFFIN: Well, what do you think about that?

BRENT WILLIAMS: It was a precious, precious gift.

GRIFFIN: What are you are going to do this weekend? And when do you have to go back?

BRENT WILLIAMS: We leave back -- probably the end of next week. We get a few more days. But we're going to be pretty much staying with family. Tomorrow we have a little get-together and actually celebrate my son's birthday. It's going to be at the end of this month. So we're going to celebrate it early.

GRIFFIN: I got to think that there's somewhat of a danger of bringing all you guys back to New Orleans for one last weekend. Are you afraid you might have to go around and scrounge up some people down on Bourbon Street?

BRENT WILLIAMS: Oh, no. We -- our unit is very coherent as far as what we need to do. I have no doubt that we will all be successful in getting back.

GRIFFIN: Jean Anne, what's your thoughts to the people who raised the money and allowed this to happen, and will possibly be supporting you guys when your husband goes on his mission overseas?

JEAN ANNE WILLIAMS: Well, for one, we're very grateful that the governor and the General Angerno (ph) made the announcement to the whole state so that all of the communities across the state would have the chance to show their patriotism and their support for the troops here, their neighbors, their co-workers, and their family, and bring them home for us.

So it was very wonderful that the military families didn't have to pay for the bus seats, and the community was able to help us to do this and to feel good about doing that. And they have. It's been really wonderful.

And we have a lot of businesses to thank across the entire state, as well as support from private individuals. And even some of the military families, grandparents, et cetera, wanted to help as well raise the money.

And we actually, you're right, did do it in less than two weeks' time, which was phenomenal. And it was an amazing amount of money. And we also will be relying on the rest of the Louisiana community for the entire duration of their mobilization and possible deployment. And it's been really wonderful to hear that they want to still continue to support all of the families and the soldiers while they're off. It's wonderful.

BRENT WILLIAMS: Yes, I would like to thank everybody. And the (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

GRIFFIN: We see on our screen the name of Pat Taylor. He's the oil man who donated the last $28,000 or so that were needed to pay for all 59 of these busses. He also released a statement saying that the rest of the community needs to step up financial support in terms of the employers of these men and women. They have been yanked from their lives, many of them leaving higher-paying jobs to take their job and their assignment in the military.

Have those employers been stepping up to the plate and covering the added cost of this deployment?

JEAN ANNE WILLIAMS: We've heard that some are. And it would be wonderful if other businesses would do the same as well. And his plea was based on his own personal experience of having supported his own National Guard soldiers, that their pay didn't equate to the same as their civilian pay when they had worked for him. And he finished out the rest of that for the families. And so it's a wonderful plea, and it would be wonderful if everyone that's an American business person would do that for their soldiers.

GRIFFIN: Well, we certainly wish you all luck. Sergeant, we wish you luck, and happy birthday to your little boy there.

JEAN ANNE WILLIAMS: Thank you.

GRIFFIN: Take care.

NGUYEN: Sleepy little boy there as well.

All right. Well, out-of-this-world images from the Cassini spacecraft, getting up close and personal with Saturn's largest moon. That is ahead right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Betty Nguyen. We want to give you a check of our top stories today.

Police in Kansas City, Kansas, saying an employee at a meat- packing plant opened fire on his co-workers yesterday, killing four before shooting himself. Three others were wounded. One is still in critical condition.

If you want to know who John Kerry will pick as his running mate, well, you want to get online. He says he'll announce his pick in a mass e-mail to subscribers to his Web site.

And the coalition says U.S. soldiers in Iraq have shut down a network of bomb-building factories in southern Baghdad. They also detained dozens of suspected militants. Among the items recovered were car bombs, grenade launchers, explosives, and other weapons.

GRIFFIN: Here's what you may have missed on the war on terror this week.

Twelve members of overseas air crews are being barred from entering the U.S. A law enforcement official says nine of the 12 had associated with terrorists or supported terrorist organizations.

Also, Tuesday, a homeland security official said truck drivers who transport hazardous materials will undergo criminal background checks and fingerprinting.

Now to American ports. The Coast Guard commandant says U.S. ports remain vulnerable to the kind of attack that crippled the USS "Cole" and killed 17 sailors. On the first day operating under a new security protocol, the Coast Guard either denied entry to or detained or removed six foreign ships of the 270 that they plan to reach port on Thursday.

And coalition forces launched an air strike Wednesday against a suspected al Qaeda safe house in Fallujah, Iraq. This is the fourth such strike targeting the network of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in two weeks. The State Department also increasing the reward for Zarqawi this week to $25 million.

American Paul Johnson was beheaded in Saudi Arabia on June 18. Still grappling with that unspeakable horror and tremendous grief, his son says he's training his attention on just one thing, finding his father's body.

David Waters of CNN affiliate Central Florida News 13 has that story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL JOHNSON III, SON OF PAUL JOHNSON, JR.: I'll cherish it forever. I don't -- you know, I'll cherish it forever.

DAVID WATERS, REPORTER, CENTRAL FLORIDA NEWS 13 (voice-over): It's one of the last pictures Paul Johnson III has of his dad. This one was taken in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with his wife, Num (ph). It's in the same area where he was captured and later beheaded.

JOHNSON: My father's still missing, and I don't want it to go away until he's brought home.

WATERS: Paul Johnson III's top priority is finding his father's body.

JOHNSON: I'm very angry and confused. Obviously, whatever I say, it's not going to bring my father back.

WATERS (on camera): Johnson says he wants to find the body so he can finally bury his father. He says his father wanted to be buried in Thailand, because that's where he and his Thai wife, Num, are building a new home. In fact, the whole family planned a big get- together there later this year.

JOHNSON: We were planning on it. I was planning on going to Thailand. His house is supposed to be done in November. And we were going to celebrate his house, and just -- so he could see the grand -- his grandson.

WATERS (voice-over): But he'll never see the 3-year-old.

JOHNSON: Come on.

WATERS (on camera): What does he know about all of this?

JOHNSON: Nothing. He's -- he don't know nothing. I'm glad he don't know nothing right now.

WATERS (voice-over): This may be the last picture he has, but the last memory is of this video he's seen only once. It's of his father being held captive. And he calls the video disgusting. It makes him worry about other contractors.

JOHNSON: It's a very dangerous place over there, and I don't know, sometimes I wonder if it's worth it.

WATERS: But to Paul Johnson, Jr., the danger was an acceptable risk. Johnson's son says his dad had just signed on for another three years in Saudi Arabia.

In Port St. John, David Waters, Central Florida News 13.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: Shifting gears now to outer space, 900 million miles out there, scientists have found something that looks like smog. The Cassini spacecraft is sending back the first pictures of Saturn's largest moon. Experts say the images show the surface of Titan is very murky. One scientist says it appears covered in an organic goo not unlike the smog found in Los Angeles. Titan, bigger than two planets, is Cassini's first target since it began orbiting Saturn this week.

GRIFFIN: Spectacular pictures from up in space.

Jill Brown is watching the pictures from across the nation in the weather department.

JILL BROWN, CNN METEOROLOGIST: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) pictures, I guess you'd call it.

Taking a look at the radar first off, we were mentioning, had a lot of rain, four to eight inches of rain reported in the last 24 hours. That will definitely cause some flooding problems. That's from eastern Oklahoma to northwestern parts of Arkansas, that huge blob of heavy rain continues to slowly make its way to the south. We may see more rain in some of the same spots today. So it looks like potential for more flooding. Maybe some severe weather today, but probably not a big deal this weekend, only a few spots. So we'll watch this area of low pressure that's here. You can sort of see the spin on the satellite picture. That is going to head up across the Great Lakes. So definitely a questionable forecast for the Fourth, even today, chance of thunderstorms in places like Minneapolis, Chicago, and Detroit. But tomorrow perhaps a better chance, as that low gets a little bit closer.

But it's not all bad news. We have some nice weather on both coasts, actually. Let's take you to San Francisco, where a little bit of fog makes this obvious what you're looking at. But it may look the same out your window if you're in Washington, D.C., Ocean City, Maryland. A lot of places, really, with some fog this morning.

San Francisco, once this fog is gone, should be a pretty nice afternoon. Temperatures in the 60s, perhaps a bit breezy by this afternoon, even windy. And then tomorrow lighter winds, with looks like a little more sunshine.

So quick look at the headlines will show us the best weather this weekend will be Northeast and Northwest. Sunshine, dry, mild temperatures. Southeast still dealing with some rain. When haven't we been? And in one more spot, Texas to Arizona, very, very hot temperatures, either above 100 or feeling like it's above 100.

So Betty and Drew, on the bright note, our grass is really green here, but chances are we'll have a bit of rain this weekend.

NGUYEN: You call that blazing hot down in Texas.

BROWN: That's right. Fitting, right?

NGUYEN: Yes, fitting for the Fourth of July. It's always hot this time of year. All right, thank you, Jill.

BROWN: Sure.

GRIFFIN: Well, you never know who's going to show up in The Novak Zone, from world leaders to World Series hopefuls. Today's guest has hit more than 500 home runs, but he's hit it even bigger by landing in The Novak Zone. Rafael Palmiero joins Bob coming up.

And pumping iron takes time. Well, not with the eight-minute workout. More on that when CNN SATURDAY MORNING returns.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: Getting a rush out of racing. Some fans take a drag and enjoy the ride.

NGUYEN: Welcome back. That story is coming up.

But first, here's a look at headlines at this hour.

Police are trying to figure out why an employee at a meat-packing plant in Kansas City, Kansas, opened fire on his co-workers. Investigators say he used two guns to kill four people and wound three others before shooting himself. An employee at the ConAgra plant said the man had a conflict earlier in the week with some co-workers.

An explosion kills six Iraqi national guard members and wounds five others today south of Baghdad. That blast went off at an oil storage installation facility during a changing of the guard.

The government in Sudan is promising to send troops to stop militia violence in Darfur in the western part of that country. The United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, helped convince the government to agree to the move before he left Sudan on -- or today. The country's president also agreed to work toward disarming the militias and to investigate human rights violations. Up to a million people have been forced to flee Darfur after months of ethnic violence.

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, well, he continues his campaign swing through the upper Midwest this July 4 holiday. Still no running mate in sight, but that could soon change. Kerry is expected to reveal his choice in a mass e-mailing to supporters. Sources say that announcement could come within just a few days.

GRIFFIN: The Novak Zone takes you out to the ball game today on this all-American holiday. A few moments with a big name in our national pastime. He's one of the best home-run hitters in the game.

Here is CNN's Bob Novak.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERT NOVAK, HOST: Welcome to The Novak Zone.

We're at the Orioles' park at Camden Yards in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, talking to one of the great home-run hitters of all time, Rafael Palmeiro.

Mr. Palmeiro, when you started off as a Cub, Chicago Cub, my old favorite team, you were pretty much a singles hitter. Did you ever think you would have passed Mickey Mantle at the age of 39?

RAFAEL PALMEIRO, BALTIMORE ORIOLES: Never in my wildest dreams. You know, when you first come up, and you get called up to the big leagues, all you want to do is just, you just want to have a career, a nice career. You want to make a living at it. And, you know, no one really thinks about records and home runs and career things. You just want to be able to have a nice career and make a living at it.

NOVAK: This is a beautiful ballpark here in downtown Baltimore. What are your -- do you like this ballpark? What are your favorite parks?

PALMEIRO: I love it. I mean, this is one of my favorites. You know, there's a lot of new ones around the league now that are similar to this one. But this one has the charm, you know, the downtown in the background, coziness, the warehouse in right field. It just feels real cozy and homes -- homey feeling (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

NOVAK: Any other parks you really like? PALMEIRO: Well, you know, the ballpark in Arlington, I got a chance to play down in Texas for five years. That one is nice. It's big. It's overwhelming. Colorado is very nice, Cleveland. I mean, they're all nice in their own ways.

NOVAK: It is said that the smartest fans in baseball are in New York and maybe Boston. Do you agree with that?

PALMEIRO: I don't know about that. I think that they are very passionate about their teams. There's a lot of history in Boston and a lot of history, obviously, in New York with all the championships. But I think mainly, you know, just up in the East Coast, it's where it all originated. You know, Philadelphia. It goes back to the beginning. So, you know, fans have a lot of history, and they love their teams up here.

NOVAK: You started in the National League with the Cubs, and, of course, you play interleague games. Now, is there a big difference in the play between the two leagues these days?

PALMEIRO: I don't think so. I mean, there's a little more strategy that goes on in the National League, because you have the pitcher, and, you know, it becomes a problem if your team is behind in the fifth, sixth, seventh inning, whatever, you have to do some double switches, and you don't have the DH. So I think you have to strategize a little bit more in the National League. But it's the same game. Still the same game.

NOVAK: You mentioned the DH, designated hitter. You DH much of last year with the Texas Rangers. Did you like that? Do you think it's a good idea?

PALMEIRO: You know, I think it's fine. I mean, I don't really care much for the position for myself. I still feel like I can play defense at first base at a very high level. You know, I, you add offense, obviously, to the team, to the offense. But as far as I'm concerned, I can still play defense. So I'm not too worried about (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

NOVAK: You don't think the defensive skills go before the offensive skills.

PALMEIRO: Well, I -- my defensive skills are a little bit sharper than my offensive skills right now, so I don't buy that.

NOVAK: Mr. Palmeiro, you were born in Cuba. And several years ago, the Baltimore Orioles were planning a trip to Cuba, and you said, Count me out. Why did you say that?

PALMEIRO: Well, you know, I left Cuba as a kid when I was 6 years old back in 1971. My parents didn't agree with what was going on, you know, with the communists coming in, Fidel Castro. I didn't see the reason why I needed to go back there and be a part of that exhibition. You know, my family stood for something that they believed in, and I wasn't about to turn my back on them.

NOVAK: What would it take for you to go back to visit your birthplace, do you think?

PALMEIRO: A democratic Cuba, a free Cuba. I would love to go back and help rebuild that country and help -- you know, kind of like what's going on with Iraq right now. You know, they've got a new government in place. They're trying to rebuild the country. I would love for that to happen in Cuba also.

NOVAK: You still have relatives there?

PALMEIRO: Yes, but I -- you know, it's been such a long time, I'm sure that I've got cousins and uncles that I've never met before, you know, that I've left behind.

NOVAK: What do you think -- we just had a situation where the family of the New York Yankees pitcher...

PALMEIRO: Ferris (ph).

NOVAK: ... defected. What do you think of that whole question of people coming from Cuba to play baseball?

PALMEIRO: Well, you know, I think that's fine. I wish that they could have more freedoms to be able to come and play. I know that the only way that they can get out is by, you know, defecting to another country or whatever, or getting on a boat. I wish that they had the freedoms like the Japanese and the Koreans and the Mexicans and everybody else that has that freedom to come over here and play the game, because I know Cuba has a very strong baseball history.

And I know that there could be a lot of baseball players that could come here and play in the big leagues. I'm very happy for the Contreras family. They're out. Now they've got a chance to experience life the way I did as a kid. You know, his kids are going to have a real chance in life now, and the same way that I had it.

NOVAK: And now the big question for Rafael Palmeiro of the Baltimore Orioles.

Mr. Palmeiro, there's been a lot of publicity by the media about steroid use in sports, including baseball. Have you ever seen any substantial steroid use in the major leagues?

PALMEIRO: I haven't seen it. And I think that it's been overblown. I don't think that -- you know, I'm sure that there's guys that are doing it, because I'm sure in every sport there's players who want to get the edge. But I think that it's been blown overly -- way more than guys are using it in our game.

NOVAK: Thank you, Rafael Palmeiro.

PALMEIRO: Thank you.

NOVAK: And thank you for being in The Novak Zone.

(END VIDEOTAPE) GRIFFIN: From the ballpark. You can see more of Bob Novak tonight on "THE CAPITAL GANG" at 7:00 Eastern. "THE GANG" is going to focus on Saddam Hussein.

NGUYEN: Well, if you missed news this week, we are here to help, that is. Time now to rewind.

Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein had his trip to court and the democratic exchange with the judge on Thursday. Saddam asked whose jurisdiction the court was under, claiming he is the president of Iraq. The former dictator listened as seven preliminary charges were outlined, including the gassing of Kurds in 1988 and the invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to the Bush administration this week over its anti-terror policies. The nation's highest court ruled that U.S. citizens and foreign nationals held as terror suspects in military custody do have the right to challenge their detentions. The cases were a test of the government's power to interrogate captives without allowing them access to a lawyer or the judicial system.

And I guess you could call it lord of the rings, and a monumental accomplishment for NASA. The international space probe, dubbed Cassini, became the first spacecraft ever to orbit Saturn this week. Cassini's four-year mission is expected to take it on several close encounters with a handful of the planet's 31 known moons.

Tomorrow, we will fast forward to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.

But grabbing a spotlight this morning, of course, is the Mega Millions. One person did win. But we're asking you, if you had won, how would you spend $290 million? We'll read your responses on the air. All you have to do is e-mail us at wam@cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: So you say you can't have time to work out and stay in shape? Well, if you have eight minutes, maybe do you. Bestselling author Jorge Cruise will tell us how to make the most of our time when CNN SATURDAY MORNING RETURNS. Hi, Jorge.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: We don't know who won, but we know where that ticket was purchased. And on the line with us right now is Jay Patel in Lowell, Massachusetts. This is a town northwest of Boston. He's with Powers Wine Company.

And sir, you guys sold the winning ticket of $290 million. Is that correct?

JAY PATEL, POWERS WINE COMPANY (on phone): Yes, sir, we did.

GRIFFIN: How did you find out? PATEL: Well, we just got notified from the lottery office, and we got notified on the machine, and we got callers coming from everywhere in the world.

GRIFFIN: And I bet you've got people standing outside.

PATEL: Yes, yes. Like media, and people too. They want to see the winner now. Everybody is calling.

GRIFFIN: I bet you want to see that winner too. Do you expect someone to walk in your door $290 million richer?

PATEL: Well, hopefully. I mean, we can't say anything, but I don't know what they're going to do. But hopefully they can come around and say, Thank you very much.

GRIFFIN: Jay, tell us about Lowell, Massachusetts, and your customers. Who were these people that were buying these tickets, and what were they going to do with the money?

PATEL: Well, I mean, I'm not sure. But it is a very good year. We just (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Lowell border, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) big (UNINTELLIGIBLE). We got all mixed public coming in to buy the ticket. And everybody hopefully yesterday -- everybody trying to win, and they want to buy.

GRIFFIN: Do you know when that ticket was purchased, Jay? Do you know what time, what day?

PATEL: I have no idea.

GRIFFIN: And what do you...

PATEL: Could be yesterday, should be yesterday, but I don't know what time or who sold the ticket or who bought the ticket.

GRIFFIN: And let's talk about your good fortune, because you guys get a little piece of the prize too.

PATEL: Well, it's not that big. We were thinking that we get 1 percent, but it's not that -- that's not the case. We got certain cap. But they just give us little bit of money, you know.

GRIFFIN: Little bit of money.

PATEL: We don't get 1 percent out of it.

GRIFFIN: Oh, well, you'll get something out of it.

PATEL: Well, we don't want to talk about that. I don't know what we're going to get, but hopefully we got something, you know.

GRIFFIN: All right. Jay Patel, he's in Lowell, Massachusetts, site of the winning ticket, with Powers Wine Company in Lowell. And the reputation of that place just got a whole lot bigger.

NGUYEN: Oh, definitely. He's definitely a happy man this morning. He's going to get a little piece of that pie.

Which brings us to our e-mail question of the day. What would you do if you had won? How would you spend $290 million?

Well, Duffer from South Burlington, Vermont, says, "Wine, women, and song. I'd probably just squander the rest." My.

GRIFFIN: "I would start a charitable organization," says Kim from Memphis, "to help the civilian families in Iraq rebuild their homes and provide quality medical care to the injured."

NGUYEN: And Mitch is a funny guy from New York. Says, "I did win. Would you stop sending me e-mails already?"

We appreciate all the responses, sending them to wam@cnn.com.

And we want to move on to losing weight. With just eight minutes, can it be true? Is it a pipe dream? Well, guaranteed, says fitness trainer Jorge Cruise. "Just Eight Minutes in the Morning for Extra Easy Weight Loss" is a best seller.

Jorge Cruise is up with us early this morning in San Diego.

Thanks for being with us.

JORGE CRUISE, AUTHOR, "JUST EIGHT MINUTES IN THE MORNING FOR EXTRA EASY WEIGHT LOSS": Hey, good morning, Betty. How are you?

NGUYEN: I'm doing great. All right, let's talk about these diets, Atkins, South Beach, a lot of people on that bandwagon. But do they work in the long term?

CRUISE: Well, here's the thing, Betty. All those diets do work short term. But exactly what you said, long term, what all the results have been showing, and I've got a lot of people I work with online and through my books and all that, the truth is, long term, they make us fat, they really do, because here's the bottom line.

They're not sustainable, because how long can you not eat bread for? I mean, it's hard, and it's human nature to have a balanced diet, where we have a variety of everything we need.

And that's the secret. And too many people nowadays, you know, we're all trying to lose weight, 65 percent of all Americans are overweight. But, you know, the thing is, the numbers keep going up even though the low-carb books keep selling. Nothing is happening. So that's the big question we have to ask ourselves.

NGUYEN: OK, but you say they make us fat. People don't stick with it. How do the two come together?

CRUISE: Well, here's the thing. What people don't realize, when you go on a low-carb diet, long term what happens is, you -- your metabolism starts to erode and atrophy, because your body uses glycogen and water to make up for the loss of sugar you're taking in from your carbs. And when you do that, it takes it from muscle, and when you lose muscle, you lose your metabolism. And a lot of people don't talk about that.

And the bottom line is, we got to eat sensible. You know, I tell all my clients, here's what you do. You got to eat every three hours. That's easy. And you eat balanced meals. I mean, you eat meals that have carbs, that have protein, and fat, and some vegetables, you know? And you eat every three hours to space it out so you keep your metabolism going. Because it's all about metabolism.

NGUYEN: Exactly. Every three hours. How big are these portions?

CRUISE: Well, here's the thing. On average, each meal is about 400 calories that I recommend to my clients. So you'd have a breakfast, say, at 7:00.

And I always tell people, imagine a plate, you know, and divide it down the middle. And the upper part of your plate's either fruits or vegetables, and then the bottom is divided in two parts. You got carbs on one side, protein on the other, and a little dot of fat in the middle. And it's easy. I mean, and then, if you're still hungry, you can have another piece of fruit or another piece of vegetables. Vegetables you can do unlimited amounts. And it's truly common sense.

And then you'd have a snacks midday, snack's usually about 100 calories. And then you have another meal, which would be another 400 calories, about lunchtime, then snack and then dinner, and you're done, you know.

And about the -- making it practical, because so many people nowadays want to lose weight, but they can't stick to it long term. And what happens is, when you go on a yo-yo diet, long term, is you lose muscle tissue. And that's my most important message to everyone out there listening, because when you go on these fad diets, you lose muscle.

NGUYEN: You need to work out, exactly.

CRUISE: Well, but...

NGUYEN: To build up that muscle?

CRUISE: Well, that's -- that would be the second step, really, because once you've stopped the destruction to your kind of your metabolism by going on a regular diet, in the sense of a healthy diet, rather than a fad one, then we need to restore the muscle that has been lost. And that is strength training. What I, you know, and that's what the eight minutes is all about.

Strength training done at home, you know, simple exercises that you don't need to go to a gym for, because I'm all about being practical here. I've got a 3-month-old baby, and, you know, my wife's busy, I'm busy, and we don't have time to go to the gym. And there's simple exercises. And the ones in the book there are real easy, I mean (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...

NGUYEN: But can you do it in eight minutes? CRUISE: Well, I know, I know, and I've been on every show, and everyone says, Jorge, in eight minutes, can you really see results, where your body tones up and really gets fit? And you absolutely can. Because what we do is there -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) it's strength-training exercises, not cardio. And what strength training does is, it refirms the body.

And it can be as simple as this. Take a look at this. And someone can do this at home right now with us. You take your hands and you press in. This is an isometric chest press. You squeeze in firmly, pushing in, hold that for maybe about 10 seconds, then release, then go in again for another 10.

And these types of exercises are what I talk about in all my programs. And, you know, and it's realistic, because you can do this anywhere. I mean, you can do it if you...

NGUYEN: Simple exercises, and it just takes eight minutes. Jorge, we are out of time, but we appreciate your insights this morning.

CRUISE: Oh, my pleasure.

NGUYEN: Thank you.

CRUISE: No, no, my pleasure. And people can find out more also. I've got a little page at AOL if they want to find out more. Key word, "diet."

NGUYEN: All right. Drew...

CRUISE: So my pleasure.

NGUYEN: ... back to you.

GRIFFIN: Speaking of exercise, the Tour de France bicycle race getting under way today in Belgium. The start is actually just a short time trial of less than four miles. Five-time winner Lance Armstrong back to try for a record win, sixth win in a row. Armstrong's coach says the veteran cyclist is in much better shape than at the start of last year's race. First stage is tomorrow. Over the next three weeks, the cyclists will compete in 20 grueling stages.

As cyclists vie for the sweet smell of victory, some race car drivers and fans are taking in some sweet smells of their own.

CNN's Jeanne Moos has that report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Is it an anthrax scare? Is it a tear gas attack?

Nah, it's just exhaust inhalers.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's not a stink. That's an aroma. MOOS: What do you expect from a guy wearing a hat that says "Still Plays With Cars"? At National Hot Rod Association races like this one in Englishtown, New Jersey, it's not just the race that turns heads, it's the engine warm-up.

The pit crews are smart enough to wear masks, and so do drivers like the Army's Tony Shumacher. But some fans flock unprotected to experience engine start-up up close.

TONY "THE SARGE" SCHUMACHER, U.S. ARMY DRIVER: You can't breathe, and you see them choking on it. And as soon as it stops, they go, Yes! and they run to the next car.

MOOS: These 8,000-horsepower dragsters go more than 300 miles an hour. They're fueled by nitro methane.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Smell of the nitro, and when they rap that throttle, ground shakes, crowd jumps. I still get off on it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When these cars start up, they register at 2.5 on the earthquake Richter scale.

MOOS: Actually it's 2.2, but who's counting?

Protect the kiddies.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can see it, you can feel it, you can breathe it, and we love it.

MOOS: Some fans say gas masks are for girls.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know what? If you're going to wear a gas mask and earplugs, might as just stay home and watch it on ESPN.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We could be going to the ballet, but that's not us.

MOOS: After all, ballet dancers don't stink, smoke, or spit fire.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, reporting.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: And we want to say good morning to Seattle. Jill Brown has the forecast in just a moment. Here is a look at the beautiful city from our affiliate.

GRIFFIN: Tacoma. Looks like Tacoma to me.

NGUYEN: Yes, a little bit of fog in the background. We'll have more on that when CNN SATURDAY MORNING is back right after this break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GRIFFIN: CNN's Gracie-award winning "ON THE STORY"... NGUYEN: Yes.

GRIFFIN: ... is coming up next at the top of the hour. And Kathleen Hays is in Washington with a preview of that. Good morning, Kathleen.

KATHLEEN HAYS, "ON THE STORY": Well, good morning to you as well.

We're "ON THE STORY" from here in Washington to Los Angeles and Baghdad. Jane Arraf has the latest from Iraq. What's the reaction to those pictures of Saddam Hussein in the courtroom? In Hollywood, Sibila Vargas talks about one of the brightest stars blinking out, Marlon Brando, his onscreen persona rivaled only by his offscreen life. Jeanne Meserve is on the homeland security beat, and we'll talk about how New Yorkers are upset that child killer Joel Steinberg is out of prison. I'll talk about new jobs. All coming up, all "ON THE STORY." Back to you.

NGUYEN: Sounds like a great show. All right, thank you.

Right now, we want to talk about the weather outside, because it is a holiday weekend. And Jill, lot of pressure on for some nice weather.

BROWN: Thank you, that's true. It always seems like (UNINTELLIGIBLE) we can say it's going to be sunny, and it will rain anyway.

NGUYEN: I know.

BROWN: It's the Fourth of July. Weather can be kind of tough. Let's take you to the Northeast, where we have really perfect weather. Should be 77, 78 in Boston today and tomorrow. Doesn't get much better than that, does it? And full sunshine. New York looks good, Philadelphia down through Washington looks OK as well.

In the South, get out and enjoy it, because by, chances are by this afternoon, you'll be running for cover yet again. Every day, from Atlanta, to Jacksonville, to Miami, we've had those thundershowers popping up.

But here's where we'll have more widespread rain and maybe some severe weather. It's kind of heavy in Arkansas right at the moment. We've had some flooding problems. They may persist this weekend. And then that rain will spread across the Great Lakes. So especially places like Detroit and Cleveland, better weather today than tomorrow. So enjoy it while you can.

To the west we go. In Seattle, we were looking at the picture earlier. See it again. Maybe a little fog this morning, but you should have some nice weather. We are not expecting rain. We -- seems like we're always talking rain in Seattle, but we are not expecting rain today or tomorrow, so great Fourth of July weekend for you. Temperatures are in the mid-50s now, headed for the mid-60s for this afternoon. And as you can see, maybe some sprinkles inland, but from Seattle to Portland, looks terrific.

And we will be talking about the threat of some rain and some thunderstorms as we go through the weekend, again mainly heading up across the Great Lakes. So a lot of folks will be able to get out and enjoy the fireworks. Will we be one of them? Well, Betty and Drew, I don't know about that.

(CROSSTALK)

NGUYEN: All right, thank you, Jill.

Well, there is plenty more ahead today on CNN. Up next, it's "ON THE STORY," followed by a special Fourth of July edition of "PEOPLE IN THE NEWS," with an encore presentation of "D-Day: A Call to Courage." And at noon, "CNN LIVE SATURDAY," with a closer look at the rebuilding effort in Iraq.

That's all ahead right here on CNN.

GRIFFIN: And thanks for joining us this Saturday morning. We hope to see you again next week.

NGUYEN: That's going to do it for us. We'll be right here tomorrow morning. Have a great day.

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