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CNN Saturday Morning News
Suspect Confesses to Killing Teen in Aruba; Arlene's Rains Drench Florida Panhandle
Aired June 11, 2005 - 09:01 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.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning, everyone. From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Betty Nguyen.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And good morning. I'm Rob Marciano, in for Tony Harris, who's on vacation.
It's a soggy day for people on the Gulf Coast. Thanks for starting your day with us. Let's get straight to the headlines.
CNN has learned a suspect has confessed to killing Natalee Holloway. The American teen vanished in Aruba nearly two weeks ago. We'll have a live report from Aruba in just a few minutes.
And Tropical Storm Arlene could reach hurricane force by the time it makes landfall later today. Parts of the Mississippi, Alabama and Florida are in Arlene's path. Sustained winds now 70 miles an hour; 74 miles an hour would make it a hurricane.
NGUYEN: Up first this hour, CNN has learned that one of three suspects in the Natalee Holloway disappearance has confessed to killing her. Holloway was last seen in Aruba May 30. That's when her high school classmates say she left a bar with three men, all of whom are now in police custody.
CNN's Karl Penhaul joins us now from Aruba with the latest on this investigation.
So is this the break that everyone was hoping for?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It would seem so, Betty, although police at this stage are playing their cards very close to their chest because of the extreme sensitivity of this case for the island. But shortly before midnight, a senior police officer told CNN that one of the three suspects detained on Thursday had made a confession to the killing of Natalee Holloway. He didn't say which of the three suspects had made that confession.
You'll remember that on Thursday three young men, one 17 years old and two brothers aged 18 and 21, were arrested by police. And their homes were searched, a car was taken away as evidence, along with computer equipment and some other items.
Now, the prime minister of the island has said that he, so far, has not been informed of any confession. At the same time, he says that those able to make statements about this issue are those directly carrying out the investigations. As part of the separation of political powers here, the prime minister, although broadly kept up to date with the pace of investigations, would not be kept up with minute-by-minute developments, as he has told us -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Karl, while no one wanted to hear this, people were interested in hoping to find some clue as to what indeed had happened. As you say, there has been a break in this case, but not what the parents of Natalee Holloway wanted to hear. Have you spoken with them? How are they reacting to this confession?
PENHAUL: No, we haven't been able to speak to Natalee's family at the moment, Betty. They have been staying here in the Holiday Inn, the same hotel where Natalee had been staying during her stay in Aruba.
We've seen them make a brief foray through the lobby of the hotel. That was late last night. Since then we haven't seen them to ask them about this latest news -- Betty.
NGUYEN: And what about the search for Natalee? Now that we have this confession, any indication as to whether this will lead to a search to find Natalee or her remains?
PENHAUL: There had been suggestions even as early as last night a search could get under way to look for possible remains of Natalee Holloway. The prime minister and also police officials then said that the search would not take place last night, but they did say that in the early morning, investigators would continue doing their job. They said that included the question of searching for further evidence, including possible remains -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Now, does that cause a question in your mind? Because we have a confession, but now you're saying there's no search in any particular area. Is that because maybe this confession doesn't detail where Natalee may be?
PENHAUL: We have no further details of the confession, the detail of the confession or the depth of the confession. One must remember that Aruba's police force, while they pursue this investigation very thoroughly, very enthusiastically, it is, nevertheless, a small police force, and we don't know if they are equipped to carry out this type of search during nighttime hours. And that could be a reason why up until now most search operations here on the island during Natalee's disappearance have been conducted during daytime hours -- Betty.
NGUYEN: CNN's Karl Penhaul in Aruba on the latest on this investigation. Thank you, Karl.
Well, the news this morning of a confession came as friends and family from Holloway's hometown offered prayers of hope. In Mountain Brook, Alabama, they gathered for a prayer vigil at a church after midnight. Well-wishers used a candle to light up a wall adorned with messages to the missing teen.
MARCIANO: Tropical Storm Arlene right now is closing in on the Florida Panhandle. Arlene is about 100 miles south of Mobile Bay, Alabama. Landfall estimated around 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
You're looking at a live -- well, that's a satellite picture. Here's a live look now at Pensacola, Florida. All right, here's the satellite picture.
Very intense storm. Most of the action off to the north and the east. Hurricane warnings are in effect, and some people are evacuating along the Gulf shore coast.
Those who are not packing up are stocking up. Water, ice and batteries are just some of the items on the grocery list.
Let's check in with meteorologist Bonnie Schneider, who joins us just in time for hurricane season with the latest on Arlene.
Hi, Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Rob.
We are watching a live picture right now from our Titan Radar (ph), and it shows you that we're still getting those rain bands that are coming heavy and hard to Mobile and also to Pensacola. This storm is not letting up, and it hasn't even made its way on shore yet.
Still well over 124 miles to the south of Mobile right now. And notice where we're seeing some of the heaviest rain, in Mobile Bay area. Incidentally, this is where we're expecting the landfall. So even though it's coming down heavy and hard right now, more rain will come up as this storm system works its way up to the north.
In fact, check out the latest coordinates for Tropical Storm Arlene. Right now, the movement's to the north-northwest, at 15 miles per hour, with maximum winds at 70. Gusts as high as 85.
You're probably thinking this is almost a hurricane. Well, so is the National Hurricane Center in Miami. And that's why when it comes to the forecast track for Tropical Storm Arlene, by the time it makes landfall it will be a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds at 75 miles per hour and gusts even higher than that, at 90 miles per hour.
So this is going to be a very powerful storm when it makes its way on to the land. And that will be approximately around 2:00 p.m. this afternoon, somewhere west of Mobile Bay. And as you can imagine, the rain is still coming down for much of Florida, Mississippi, Alabama.
We have hurricane warning posted from Pascagoula all the way to Destin, Florida. A hurricane warning for a storm right now that's classified as a tropical storm. So this storm, Arlene, will pack a punch just before it makes its way on land around 2:00 p.m.. Once again, most likely west of Mobile Bay.
We will be tracking Arlene throughout the day today and keep you up to date -- Rob and Betty.
MARCIANO: All right. Good enough. Thanks for much. Bonnie Schneider for us in the CNN weather center.
CNN is your best place for the very latest on Tropical Storm Arlene. We are live from the Gulf Coast today and throughout the evening as the storm makes landfall.
NGUYEN: From the Gulf Coast to the Midwest, there is other weather to talk about in news "Across America."
Check out this funnel cloud that touched down in Stocking, Kansas Thursday. This morning there is some damage from it, but no injuries after several tornadoes swept through the state.
The U.S. government is checking into a possible case of mad cow disease. One test on a cow came back positive, but another was negative. So U.S. officials are now sending samples to Britain for more testing. The meat did not enter the food chain.
And in California, six days and counting, and still no verdict in the Michael Jackson trial. The panel has actually deliberated only 28 hours. The jury reconvenes Monday after taking the weekend off.
Meanwhile, the singer shakes up his staff. Raymone Bain, Jackson's spokeswoman, has apparently -- or was apparently fired from her post. Jackson's Web site carried that announcement.
MARCIANO: Well, maybe you don't watch the news much during the week. That's OK. If you made it to the weekend without checking it out, we're here to help. Let's rewind now through some of the big stories of the past few days.
On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled the federal government has the power now to ban people from using marijuana for doctor-approved medical use. The federal ban can be enforced even in states where it's legal to grow and use so-called patient pot.
Also Monday, a 25-year-old Alabama woman gave birth to a baby girl after undergoing the first ovary transplant in the U.S. Stephanie Yarber received the ovarian tissue from her twin sister in April of last year.
And Tuesday, General Motors announced it's slashing 25,000 jobs and closing several plants during the next three-and-a-half years. The cuts represent about 17 percent of GM's workforce here in the U.S.
And Thursday, the Senate confirmed California Supreme Justice Janice Rogers Brown to a federal appellate court. Democrats had blocked Brown's confirmation for two years by threatening filibusters. But in May, 14 lawmakers broke the impasse by agreeing to take the nomination of Brown and two other judges to the Senate floor.
And tomorrow, we'll fast forward to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.
NGUYEN: What's grabbing the spotlight today, Hurricane Arlene. Where is she headed and what kind of damage is she doing?
We want to talk now with John Gaughan, a meteorologist at our affiliate station WJXT. He joins us live.
John, I see you have the umbrella still up out there, but it doesn't look as bad as it did a little bit earlier when we spoke with you. Is the rain subsiding?
JOHN GAUGHAN, METEOROLOGIST, WJXT: Well, you know what, Betty, we go through these bands of rain. And by the way, this is a special umbrella. Can you see my hand through here? Well, it's an umbrella that allows for wind flow, so we can take a little bit higher gusts.
Still, the gusts of wind up to around 25, 30 miles an hour. You can see back behind me some of the grocery stores have opened up here on this Saturday morning despite the wind and the rain.
As you look back over my right shoulder now, you can see that again. With these little gusts of wind at times up around 40 miles an hour, the causeway is still open.
It's one of those things that if there was a severe hurricane to move through here, like Ivan did last year, these would be all shut down. Last year -- you're looking right now over at the intercoastal -- with Ivan the storm surge came all the way across the bay there, all the way to about where I'm standing. That was a severe Category 3 hurricane.
For us here this morning, again, the gusts of wind up to around 35, 40 miles an hour. We are finding it to be a totally different story. Folks here are just trying to get through the morning hours and watch the storm pass on by -- Betty.
NGUYEN: And John, are you seeing evacuations? Are people taking this warning very seriously and headed toward higher ground, or are they experienced at this, especially after last year, and decided to ride this one out because it's only expected to be a Category 1 hurricane when it hits?
GAUGHAN: Well, you know, that cannot be underscored enough. This is a Category 1, or would be a Category 1 if it did strengthen to a hurricane. And there's a huge difference.
But a few people have taken precautions. They've had a lot of flooding rains here recently, not related to any tropical system. So flooding is always a potential when you have this kind of wind and rain.
But in general, I would say these folks took this one in stride. They're getting quite experienced to what they've seen here recently. And as you can see by traffic behind me, they're just trying to get on with their lives to a certain degree.
It is tourism season -- tourist season. And they want to get this thing back on track after taking quite a hit last year.
NGUYEN: All right. John Gaughan of affiliate station WJXT. Thanks for that update.
And we do want to remind you that there are shelters set up. Seven of them in Florida, one in Mississippi, and five in Alabama.
Also today, more allegations of abuse at the hands of U.S. soldiers. But this time, you won't believe who's making the charges. We go global next.
MARCIANO: And Tropical Storm Arlene is the first storm of the hurricane season, so we are on it. A live picture for you from Pensacola, Florida. The forecast is coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT O'GRADY, U.S. AIR FORCE PILOT: As soon as the missile hit, the only thing I saw was the cockpit disintegrating in front of me.
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Captain Scott O'Grady spent six days struggling to survive after being shot down in Bosnia, 1995.
O'GRADY: My heart started racing and then I heard Basher 1-1 up on the radio.
BROWN: Little did he know those six days would change his life forever.
O'GRADY: I just want to have a normal life and just continue on.
BROWN: O'Grady immediately found himself thrust into the spotlight, recounting his story for millions. And he continues to do so today, 10 years later.
He has published two books "Return With Honor" and "Basher 5-2" a children's edition of his story. After 12 years serving his country, O'Grady is now pursuing a Masters at Dallas' Theological Seminary.
O'GRADY: I believe that you shouldn't be ignorant as to what you believe. You should understand why you believe it.
BROWN: Once graduated, Scott O'Grady says he wants to dedicate his life to giving back to both his community and his country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: I want to say good morning, Pensacola Beach, Florida. Although we'll determine how good of a morning it's going to be.
Bonnie Schneider has your forecast coming up with Arlene headed your way.
MARCIANO: That is the view from the ground. The ocean getting angry. Here's the view from our radar in the CNN weather center.
You see the center of Arlene just south of Mobile. The watch box to your right, potentials for tornadoes. Bonnie Schneider's coming up with a full forecast. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Time now to check in with the international desk for some of the other stories making news around the world.
NGUYEN: There has been an explosion of violence in Iraq, and tragedy strikes a school in northeast China. For all those details, Anand Naidoo is standing by at the CNN international desk.
Good morning, Anand.
ANAND NAIDOO, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, thanks. And good morning from me.
That's right, there's been a sharp rise in the level of violence in Iraq. We'll get to the latest incidents in just a moment. But first, let's take a look at U.S. military casualties in the war.
1,692 American troops have been killed since the war began, 1,300 in hostile incidents and 392 in non-hostile incidents. Just this month alone, June, so far, 30 U.S. troops have died. It's the 11th of the month. In the latest attack, two Marines were killed in a roadside bombing near Falluja.
In Baghdad, a suicide bomber penetrated police headquarters and blew himself up, killing three commanders and wounding 17. In a separate incident, a car bombing in northwestern Baghdad killed 10 civilians, 27 others were wounded.
And police say the bodies of three men in south Baghdad were found. All were tortured and shot.
Now, we're going to stay in Iraq. And there are allegations of prisoner abuse, but this time the allegations are coming from contract workers, American contract workers in Iraq.
Several contractors were detained for three days after they allegedly fired on civilians and American troop in Falluja. Now, one of them, an ex-Marine, says they were heckled, humiliated and physically abused by U.S. Marines at Camp Falluja. The military, for its part, has denied those allegations, and so far none of those contract workers have been charged with anything.
Now to China. At least 62 children have been killed, and two adults have also been killed. They drowned in a flash flood at a school in northeast China.
The Chin Wan (ph) news agency says dozens more people are injured. Among them, 17 students. An unknown number of student -- people are also reported missing. Rescue workers are looking for them.
That is all for me for now. Let's send it back to Betty and Rob.
NGUYEN: Thanks, Anand.
MARCIANO: Thanks, Anand.
NGUYEN: Well, we are talking about Arlene today as well. It's going to be the focus throughout much of the day, and the weekend, for that matter.
When is it supposed to hit, Rob?
MARCIANO: Later on this afternoon. I think we've got Bonnie Schneider. She's our newest member of the CNN weather team.
NGUYEN: She is.
MARCIANO: A meteorologist who I used to work with in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
NGUYEN: Right.
MARCIANO: Very familiar with hurricanes.
NGUYEN: Lucky gal.
SCHNEIDER: I know. We've heard a lot of these (INAUDIBLE).
And Arlene is a tropical storm right now but is likely to become a hurricane. It's no wonder. Look at these rain bands.
The storm isn't on shore yet, and we're already seeing these rain bands working their way through Mobile, Pensacola, all getting hit hard with a lot of rain in a short amount of time. So we're looking at totals when this is all said and done between five and eight inches. That's a lot of rain. We're also looking at flood watches posted for much of the area, including Alabama and parts of Florida as well.
Let's take a look now at the track of Arlene. Tropical Storm Arlene will eventually become Hurricane Arlene as it makes its way on shore approximately around 2:00 p.m. And landfall is expected somewhere west of Mobile Bay.
That actual pinpoint of where the storm will come on land is so important because the worse of the winds, the heaviest rains, will all be to the east of the storm. So want to make sure we get that really pinpoint for you as we get closer to that time later this afternoon.
Now, once this storm does come on shore, it will be a Category 1 hurricane. And Category 1 hurricanes are very serious, indeed, even though they may not seem as potent and powerful. We can see a storm surge, we're certainly likely to see some damage in areas and maybe power outages as well.
We will keep you up to date on Tropical Storm Arlene throughout the day -- Betty, Rob.
NGUYEN: All right. Stay on top of it, Bonnie. We'll be checking with you. Thank you so much for that.
Hey, money matters, doesn't it?
MARCIANO: Oh, absolutely.
NGUYEN: Especially to the Dolans.
MARCIANO: They're entertaining and informative.
NGUYEN: They are very entertaining. But they have good information, and we'll be checking in with them coming up.
You're watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Time now to toss it up to New York and see what the DOLANS UNSCRIPTED is up to today. And I hear it's talking about blogging.
MARCIANO: Really?
NGUYEN: That's going to be interesting.
MARCIANO: You guys are that hip and savvy, huh? I didn't know that.
KEN DOLAN, HOST, "DOLANS UNSCRIPTED": Rob, it is scary how hip and savvy we are. Especially...
DARIA DOLAN, HOST, "DOLANS UNSCRIPTED": And not only -- not only are we hip, but we're talking to a hip guy by the name of Mark Cuban regarding blogging.
NGUYEN: Oh, yes.
K. DOLAN: We're going to talk about that, and we're going to talk about energy policy, property tax, money for college, getting your first job, and a news update, too.
D. DOLAN: And, of course, we will keep everybody updated on what's the latest in Aruba, as well as Tropical Storm Arlene.
K. DOLAN: We can't do it in one hour. I don't know how we're going to do it.
NGUYEN: Too much. Too much to do. And hey, when you talk to Cuban, you've got to ask him about my Mavs -- how my Mavericks are going to do next year.
K. DOLAN: We'll say hi from you, Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. Do that.
K. DOLAN: OK. Bye, Rob.
MARCIANO: See you guys later.
K. DOLAN: So long, guys.
NGUYEN: All right. We have a check of the headlines. That is next.
Plus, who on the East Coast can expect to face Arlene? Where the tropical storm is and where she is going, that is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: The latest now on Tropical Storm Arlene. You're looking at a live radar picture out of the CNN weather center.
The center, that symbol right in the middle of your screen, about 100 miles south of Mobile. And a tornado watch box out to the right.
Forecasters expect Arlene to strengthen into a hurricane before it hits land in about five hours. And here's what it looks like on the ground.
There it is. Kids out playing and taking pictures, making history. That's Pensacola, Florida, where Arlene's outer edges are soaking coastal areas with heavy rain, high winds and rough seas.
People in Pensacola and across the Florida panhandle have been stocking up on emergency supplies, and some are evacuating their homes. Parts of the region are still trying to recover from Hurricane Ivan, which was just nine months ago. So...
NGUYEN: And hurricane shelters have been set up in Florida, seven of them, one in Mississippi and five in Alabama, as people brace for Arlene to come on shore.
MARCIANO: First one of the season. Hopefully it won't be, it doesn't look like it's going to be (INAUDIBLE) too bad...
NGUYEN: Yes.
MARCIANO: ... compared to last season (INAUDIBLE).
NGUYEN: Oh, boy, last season. We don't want a repeat of that.
MARCIANO: No.
NGUYEN: All right, Rob, thanks for being here today.
MARCIANO: Oh, thanks for having me.
NGUYEN: You'll be back in the hot seat tomorrow.
MARCIANO: Yes, Tony's (INAUDIBLE).
NGUYEN: All right. We'll see you then.
We want to thank you for joining us today.
"OPEN HOUSE" is straight ahead. But first, here's a look at the headlines.
A major break in the case of the missing Alabama teenager in Aruba. CNN has learned that a suspect has confessed to killing Natalee Holloway. Three men, two brothers and a Dutch student, were arrested Thursday. Witnesses say they were the last to see Holloway alive.
Finance chiefs from the world's richest nations have struck a deal to scrap poor nations' debts. The G8 ministers have agreed to a $40 billion debt-relief package for developing countries.
I'm Betty Nguyen. "HOUSE CALL" starts right now.
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Aired June 11, 2005 - 09:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, good morning, everyone. From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Betty Nguyen.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And good morning. I'm Rob Marciano, in for Tony Harris, who's on vacation.
It's a soggy day for people on the Gulf Coast. Thanks for starting your day with us. Let's get straight to the headlines.
CNN has learned a suspect has confessed to killing Natalee Holloway. The American teen vanished in Aruba nearly two weeks ago. We'll have a live report from Aruba in just a few minutes.
And Tropical Storm Arlene could reach hurricane force by the time it makes landfall later today. Parts of the Mississippi, Alabama and Florida are in Arlene's path. Sustained winds now 70 miles an hour; 74 miles an hour would make it a hurricane.
NGUYEN: Up first this hour, CNN has learned that one of three suspects in the Natalee Holloway disappearance has confessed to killing her. Holloway was last seen in Aruba May 30. That's when her high school classmates say she left a bar with three men, all of whom are now in police custody.
CNN's Karl Penhaul joins us now from Aruba with the latest on this investigation.
So is this the break that everyone was hoping for?
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It would seem so, Betty, although police at this stage are playing their cards very close to their chest because of the extreme sensitivity of this case for the island. But shortly before midnight, a senior police officer told CNN that one of the three suspects detained on Thursday had made a confession to the killing of Natalee Holloway. He didn't say which of the three suspects had made that confession.
You'll remember that on Thursday three young men, one 17 years old and two brothers aged 18 and 21, were arrested by police. And their homes were searched, a car was taken away as evidence, along with computer equipment and some other items.
Now, the prime minister of the island has said that he, so far, has not been informed of any confession. At the same time, he says that those able to make statements about this issue are those directly carrying out the investigations. As part of the separation of political powers here, the prime minister, although broadly kept up to date with the pace of investigations, would not be kept up with minute-by-minute developments, as he has told us -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Karl, while no one wanted to hear this, people were interested in hoping to find some clue as to what indeed had happened. As you say, there has been a break in this case, but not what the parents of Natalee Holloway wanted to hear. Have you spoken with them? How are they reacting to this confession?
PENHAUL: No, we haven't been able to speak to Natalee's family at the moment, Betty. They have been staying here in the Holiday Inn, the same hotel where Natalee had been staying during her stay in Aruba.
We've seen them make a brief foray through the lobby of the hotel. That was late last night. Since then we haven't seen them to ask them about this latest news -- Betty.
NGUYEN: And what about the search for Natalee? Now that we have this confession, any indication as to whether this will lead to a search to find Natalee or her remains?
PENHAUL: There had been suggestions even as early as last night a search could get under way to look for possible remains of Natalee Holloway. The prime minister and also police officials then said that the search would not take place last night, but they did say that in the early morning, investigators would continue doing their job. They said that included the question of searching for further evidence, including possible remains -- Betty.
NGUYEN: Now, does that cause a question in your mind? Because we have a confession, but now you're saying there's no search in any particular area. Is that because maybe this confession doesn't detail where Natalee may be?
PENHAUL: We have no further details of the confession, the detail of the confession or the depth of the confession. One must remember that Aruba's police force, while they pursue this investigation very thoroughly, very enthusiastically, it is, nevertheless, a small police force, and we don't know if they are equipped to carry out this type of search during nighttime hours. And that could be a reason why up until now most search operations here on the island during Natalee's disappearance have been conducted during daytime hours -- Betty.
NGUYEN: CNN's Karl Penhaul in Aruba on the latest on this investigation. Thank you, Karl.
Well, the news this morning of a confession came as friends and family from Holloway's hometown offered prayers of hope. In Mountain Brook, Alabama, they gathered for a prayer vigil at a church after midnight. Well-wishers used a candle to light up a wall adorned with messages to the missing teen.
MARCIANO: Tropical Storm Arlene right now is closing in on the Florida Panhandle. Arlene is about 100 miles south of Mobile Bay, Alabama. Landfall estimated around 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
You're looking at a live -- well, that's a satellite picture. Here's a live look now at Pensacola, Florida. All right, here's the satellite picture.
Very intense storm. Most of the action off to the north and the east. Hurricane warnings are in effect, and some people are evacuating along the Gulf shore coast.
Those who are not packing up are stocking up. Water, ice and batteries are just some of the items on the grocery list.
Let's check in with meteorologist Bonnie Schneider, who joins us just in time for hurricane season with the latest on Arlene.
Hi, Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Rob.
We are watching a live picture right now from our Titan Radar (ph), and it shows you that we're still getting those rain bands that are coming heavy and hard to Mobile and also to Pensacola. This storm is not letting up, and it hasn't even made its way on shore yet.
Still well over 124 miles to the south of Mobile right now. And notice where we're seeing some of the heaviest rain, in Mobile Bay area. Incidentally, this is where we're expecting the landfall. So even though it's coming down heavy and hard right now, more rain will come up as this storm system works its way up to the north.
In fact, check out the latest coordinates for Tropical Storm Arlene. Right now, the movement's to the north-northwest, at 15 miles per hour, with maximum winds at 70. Gusts as high as 85.
You're probably thinking this is almost a hurricane. Well, so is the National Hurricane Center in Miami. And that's why when it comes to the forecast track for Tropical Storm Arlene, by the time it makes landfall it will be a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds at 75 miles per hour and gusts even higher than that, at 90 miles per hour.
So this is going to be a very powerful storm when it makes its way on to the land. And that will be approximately around 2:00 p.m. this afternoon, somewhere west of Mobile Bay. And as you can imagine, the rain is still coming down for much of Florida, Mississippi, Alabama.
We have hurricane warning posted from Pascagoula all the way to Destin, Florida. A hurricane warning for a storm right now that's classified as a tropical storm. So this storm, Arlene, will pack a punch just before it makes its way on land around 2:00 p.m.. Once again, most likely west of Mobile Bay.
We will be tracking Arlene throughout the day today and keep you up to date -- Rob and Betty.
MARCIANO: All right. Good enough. Thanks for much. Bonnie Schneider for us in the CNN weather center.
CNN is your best place for the very latest on Tropical Storm Arlene. We are live from the Gulf Coast today and throughout the evening as the storm makes landfall.
NGUYEN: From the Gulf Coast to the Midwest, there is other weather to talk about in news "Across America."
Check out this funnel cloud that touched down in Stocking, Kansas Thursday. This morning there is some damage from it, but no injuries after several tornadoes swept through the state.
The U.S. government is checking into a possible case of mad cow disease. One test on a cow came back positive, but another was negative. So U.S. officials are now sending samples to Britain for more testing. The meat did not enter the food chain.
And in California, six days and counting, and still no verdict in the Michael Jackson trial. The panel has actually deliberated only 28 hours. The jury reconvenes Monday after taking the weekend off.
Meanwhile, the singer shakes up his staff. Raymone Bain, Jackson's spokeswoman, has apparently -- or was apparently fired from her post. Jackson's Web site carried that announcement.
MARCIANO: Well, maybe you don't watch the news much during the week. That's OK. If you made it to the weekend without checking it out, we're here to help. Let's rewind now through some of the big stories of the past few days.
On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled the federal government has the power now to ban people from using marijuana for doctor-approved medical use. The federal ban can be enforced even in states where it's legal to grow and use so-called patient pot.
Also Monday, a 25-year-old Alabama woman gave birth to a baby girl after undergoing the first ovary transplant in the U.S. Stephanie Yarber received the ovarian tissue from her twin sister in April of last year.
And Tuesday, General Motors announced it's slashing 25,000 jobs and closing several plants during the next three-and-a-half years. The cuts represent about 17 percent of GM's workforce here in the U.S.
And Thursday, the Senate confirmed California Supreme Justice Janice Rogers Brown to a federal appellate court. Democrats had blocked Brown's confirmation for two years by threatening filibusters. But in May, 14 lawmakers broke the impasse by agreeing to take the nomination of Brown and two other judges to the Senate floor.
And tomorrow, we'll fast forward to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.
NGUYEN: What's grabbing the spotlight today, Hurricane Arlene. Where is she headed and what kind of damage is she doing?
We want to talk now with John Gaughan, a meteorologist at our affiliate station WJXT. He joins us live.
John, I see you have the umbrella still up out there, but it doesn't look as bad as it did a little bit earlier when we spoke with you. Is the rain subsiding?
JOHN GAUGHAN, METEOROLOGIST, WJXT: Well, you know what, Betty, we go through these bands of rain. And by the way, this is a special umbrella. Can you see my hand through here? Well, it's an umbrella that allows for wind flow, so we can take a little bit higher gusts.
Still, the gusts of wind up to around 25, 30 miles an hour. You can see back behind me some of the grocery stores have opened up here on this Saturday morning despite the wind and the rain.
As you look back over my right shoulder now, you can see that again. With these little gusts of wind at times up around 40 miles an hour, the causeway is still open.
It's one of those things that if there was a severe hurricane to move through here, like Ivan did last year, these would be all shut down. Last year -- you're looking right now over at the intercoastal -- with Ivan the storm surge came all the way across the bay there, all the way to about where I'm standing. That was a severe Category 3 hurricane.
For us here this morning, again, the gusts of wind up to around 35, 40 miles an hour. We are finding it to be a totally different story. Folks here are just trying to get through the morning hours and watch the storm pass on by -- Betty.
NGUYEN: And John, are you seeing evacuations? Are people taking this warning very seriously and headed toward higher ground, or are they experienced at this, especially after last year, and decided to ride this one out because it's only expected to be a Category 1 hurricane when it hits?
GAUGHAN: Well, you know, that cannot be underscored enough. This is a Category 1, or would be a Category 1 if it did strengthen to a hurricane. And there's a huge difference.
But a few people have taken precautions. They've had a lot of flooding rains here recently, not related to any tropical system. So flooding is always a potential when you have this kind of wind and rain.
But in general, I would say these folks took this one in stride. They're getting quite experienced to what they've seen here recently. And as you can see by traffic behind me, they're just trying to get on with their lives to a certain degree.
It is tourism season -- tourist season. And they want to get this thing back on track after taking quite a hit last year.
NGUYEN: All right. John Gaughan of affiliate station WJXT. Thanks for that update.
And we do want to remind you that there are shelters set up. Seven of them in Florida, one in Mississippi, and five in Alabama.
Also today, more allegations of abuse at the hands of U.S. soldiers. But this time, you won't believe who's making the charges. We go global next.
MARCIANO: And Tropical Storm Arlene is the first storm of the hurricane season, so we are on it. A live picture for you from Pensacola, Florida. The forecast is coming up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SCOTT O'GRADY, U.S. AIR FORCE PILOT: As soon as the missile hit, the only thing I saw was the cockpit disintegrating in front of me.
AARON BROWN, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Captain Scott O'Grady spent six days struggling to survive after being shot down in Bosnia, 1995.
O'GRADY: My heart started racing and then I heard Basher 1-1 up on the radio.
BROWN: Little did he know those six days would change his life forever.
O'GRADY: I just want to have a normal life and just continue on.
BROWN: O'Grady immediately found himself thrust into the spotlight, recounting his story for millions. And he continues to do so today, 10 years later.
He has published two books "Return With Honor" and "Basher 5-2" a children's edition of his story. After 12 years serving his country, O'Grady is now pursuing a Masters at Dallas' Theological Seminary.
O'GRADY: I believe that you shouldn't be ignorant as to what you believe. You should understand why you believe it.
BROWN: Once graduated, Scott O'Grady says he wants to dedicate his life to giving back to both his community and his country.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: I want to say good morning, Pensacola Beach, Florida. Although we'll determine how good of a morning it's going to be.
Bonnie Schneider has your forecast coming up with Arlene headed your way.
MARCIANO: That is the view from the ground. The ocean getting angry. Here's the view from our radar in the CNN weather center.
You see the center of Arlene just south of Mobile. The watch box to your right, potentials for tornadoes. Bonnie Schneider's coming up with a full forecast. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: Time now to check in with the international desk for some of the other stories making news around the world.
NGUYEN: There has been an explosion of violence in Iraq, and tragedy strikes a school in northeast China. For all those details, Anand Naidoo is standing by at the CNN international desk.
Good morning, Anand.
ANAND NAIDOO, CNN ANCHOR: Hey, thanks. And good morning from me.
That's right, there's been a sharp rise in the level of violence in Iraq. We'll get to the latest incidents in just a moment. But first, let's take a look at U.S. military casualties in the war.
1,692 American troops have been killed since the war began, 1,300 in hostile incidents and 392 in non-hostile incidents. Just this month alone, June, so far, 30 U.S. troops have died. It's the 11th of the month. In the latest attack, two Marines were killed in a roadside bombing near Falluja.
In Baghdad, a suicide bomber penetrated police headquarters and blew himself up, killing three commanders and wounding 17. In a separate incident, a car bombing in northwestern Baghdad killed 10 civilians, 27 others were wounded.
And police say the bodies of three men in south Baghdad were found. All were tortured and shot.
Now, we're going to stay in Iraq. And there are allegations of prisoner abuse, but this time the allegations are coming from contract workers, American contract workers in Iraq.
Several contractors were detained for three days after they allegedly fired on civilians and American troop in Falluja. Now, one of them, an ex-Marine, says they were heckled, humiliated and physically abused by U.S. Marines at Camp Falluja. The military, for its part, has denied those allegations, and so far none of those contract workers have been charged with anything.
Now to China. At least 62 children have been killed, and two adults have also been killed. They drowned in a flash flood at a school in northeast China.
The Chin Wan (ph) news agency says dozens more people are injured. Among them, 17 students. An unknown number of student -- people are also reported missing. Rescue workers are looking for them.
That is all for me for now. Let's send it back to Betty and Rob.
NGUYEN: Thanks, Anand.
MARCIANO: Thanks, Anand.
NGUYEN: Well, we are talking about Arlene today as well. It's going to be the focus throughout much of the day, and the weekend, for that matter.
When is it supposed to hit, Rob?
MARCIANO: Later on this afternoon. I think we've got Bonnie Schneider. She's our newest member of the CNN weather team.
NGUYEN: She is.
MARCIANO: A meteorologist who I used to work with in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
NGUYEN: Right.
MARCIANO: Very familiar with hurricanes.
NGUYEN: Lucky gal.
SCHNEIDER: I know. We've heard a lot of these (INAUDIBLE).
And Arlene is a tropical storm right now but is likely to become a hurricane. It's no wonder. Look at these rain bands.
The storm isn't on shore yet, and we're already seeing these rain bands working their way through Mobile, Pensacola, all getting hit hard with a lot of rain in a short amount of time. So we're looking at totals when this is all said and done between five and eight inches. That's a lot of rain. We're also looking at flood watches posted for much of the area, including Alabama and parts of Florida as well.
Let's take a look now at the track of Arlene. Tropical Storm Arlene will eventually become Hurricane Arlene as it makes its way on shore approximately around 2:00 p.m. And landfall is expected somewhere west of Mobile Bay.
That actual pinpoint of where the storm will come on land is so important because the worse of the winds, the heaviest rains, will all be to the east of the storm. So want to make sure we get that really pinpoint for you as we get closer to that time later this afternoon.
Now, once this storm does come on shore, it will be a Category 1 hurricane. And Category 1 hurricanes are very serious, indeed, even though they may not seem as potent and powerful. We can see a storm surge, we're certainly likely to see some damage in areas and maybe power outages as well.
We will keep you up to date on Tropical Storm Arlene throughout the day -- Betty, Rob.
NGUYEN: All right. Stay on top of it, Bonnie. We'll be checking with you. Thank you so much for that.
Hey, money matters, doesn't it?
MARCIANO: Oh, absolutely.
NGUYEN: Especially to the Dolans.
MARCIANO: They're entertaining and informative.
NGUYEN: They are very entertaining. But they have good information, and we'll be checking in with them coming up.
You're watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Time now to toss it up to New York and see what the DOLANS UNSCRIPTED is up to today. And I hear it's talking about blogging.
MARCIANO: Really?
NGUYEN: That's going to be interesting.
MARCIANO: You guys are that hip and savvy, huh? I didn't know that.
KEN DOLAN, HOST, "DOLANS UNSCRIPTED": Rob, it is scary how hip and savvy we are. Especially...
DARIA DOLAN, HOST, "DOLANS UNSCRIPTED": And not only -- not only are we hip, but we're talking to a hip guy by the name of Mark Cuban regarding blogging.
NGUYEN: Oh, yes.
K. DOLAN: We're going to talk about that, and we're going to talk about energy policy, property tax, money for college, getting your first job, and a news update, too.
D. DOLAN: And, of course, we will keep everybody updated on what's the latest in Aruba, as well as Tropical Storm Arlene.
K. DOLAN: We can't do it in one hour. I don't know how we're going to do it.
NGUYEN: Too much. Too much to do. And hey, when you talk to Cuban, you've got to ask him about my Mavs -- how my Mavericks are going to do next year.
K. DOLAN: We'll say hi from you, Betty.
NGUYEN: All right. Do that.
K. DOLAN: OK. Bye, Rob.
MARCIANO: See you guys later.
K. DOLAN: So long, guys.
NGUYEN: All right. We have a check of the headlines. That is next.
Plus, who on the East Coast can expect to face Arlene? Where the tropical storm is and where she is going, that is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MARCIANO: The latest now on Tropical Storm Arlene. You're looking at a live radar picture out of the CNN weather center.
The center, that symbol right in the middle of your screen, about 100 miles south of Mobile. And a tornado watch box out to the right.
Forecasters expect Arlene to strengthen into a hurricane before it hits land in about five hours. And here's what it looks like on the ground.
There it is. Kids out playing and taking pictures, making history. That's Pensacola, Florida, where Arlene's outer edges are soaking coastal areas with heavy rain, high winds and rough seas.
People in Pensacola and across the Florida panhandle have been stocking up on emergency supplies, and some are evacuating their homes. Parts of the region are still trying to recover from Hurricane Ivan, which was just nine months ago. So...
NGUYEN: And hurricane shelters have been set up in Florida, seven of them, one in Mississippi and five in Alabama, as people brace for Arlene to come on shore.
MARCIANO: First one of the season. Hopefully it won't be, it doesn't look like it's going to be (INAUDIBLE) too bad...
NGUYEN: Yes.
MARCIANO: ... compared to last season (INAUDIBLE).
NGUYEN: Oh, boy, last season. We don't want a repeat of that.
MARCIANO: No.
NGUYEN: All right, Rob, thanks for being here today.
MARCIANO: Oh, thanks for having me.
NGUYEN: You'll be back in the hot seat tomorrow.
MARCIANO: Yes, Tony's (INAUDIBLE).
NGUYEN: All right. We'll see you then.
We want to thank you for joining us today.
"OPEN HOUSE" is straight ahead. But first, here's a look at the headlines.
A major break in the case of the missing Alabama teenager in Aruba. CNN has learned that a suspect has confessed to killing Natalee Holloway. Three men, two brothers and a Dutch student, were arrested Thursday. Witnesses say they were the last to see Holloway alive.
Finance chiefs from the world's richest nations have struck a deal to scrap poor nations' debts. The G8 ministers have agreed to a $40 billion debt-relief package for developing countries.
I'm Betty Nguyen. "HOUSE CALL" starts right now.
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