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CNN Saturday Morning News
Tehran Mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Declared Winner In Iranian Presidential Run-off; Five Suspects In Natalee Holloway Case Go Before Judge Today
Aired June 25, 2005 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: It is not the news their families wanted to hear -- three young boys missing since Wednesday found dead in the trunk of a car in Camden, New Jersey.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING, the 25th day of June.
Good morning, everyone.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris.
We'll go live to New Jersey in one minute.
First, headlines now in the news.
Among the women killed in the single deadliest day for female troops in Iraq, 21-year-old Holly Charette from Cranston, Rhode Island. The lance corporal was killed in a suicide attack on a military convoy in Falluja Thursday. We'll have more live from the Pentagon in just a moment.
Call him a comeback winner that could set democracy back in Iran. Just about an hour-and-a-half ago, CNN learned the final results of the presidential runoff in Iran. Tehran Mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the hard-line conservative who will take over as president. He defeated the more moderate former president in a landslide victory. A live report from Tehran at the bottom of the hour.
The five suspects being held in connection with the disappearance of a teenager in Aruba will go before a judge today. Also, a Texas search team will use dogs to try to find any sign of Natalee Holloway, who has been missing nearly a month now. When we go live to Aruba just ahead on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
The meat supply is safe despite a second case of Mad Cow Disease being confirmed here in the United States. Officials say the infected animal never entered the food chain and that safeguards against the disease are working. However, Taiwan immediately renewed its ban on imported American beef.
You can experience the power of CNN video on your computer. Log onto cnn.com. Click on the video link and browse for the video you want to see whenever you want to see it. NGUYEN: It's absolutely free.
Here's what's coming up for you on this Saturday morning. Four U.S. women killed in Iraq. Women in the military, from behind the lines to the combat zone -- we will meet "Team Lioness" and get your thoughts in our morning e-mail.
Also, overnight, results in Iran's presidential runoff election. Will the country's new leader send the country back to the future with religious fundamentalism?
And it is still years away, but four major cities are eyeing the 2012 Olympic prize. The question remains who will get the gold?
HARRIS: Our top story this hour, there's a tragic end to a search for three boys missing since Wednesday in New Jersey.
CNN's Mary Snow is live on the scene in Camden -- good morning, Mary.
MARY SNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.
And this community in Camden, New Jersey just reeling in shock after the discovery of the three boys made last night around 7:00 p.m. One of the fathers of the three missing boys found the boys in the trunk of a car in a driveway not far from where the boys were last seen on Wednesday. Now, this was after an extensive search for the past two days that included divers, helicopters, bloodhounds and volunteers on the ground.
Now, at a news conference last night, Camden police said that initially the car had been searched and the Camden police chief is saying that logs will be checked to see which officers were at the site.
Now, at this point, investigators say that they don't know if this was an accident or the result of foul play.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VINCENT P. SARUBBI, CAMDEN COUNTY PROSECUTOR: This is a moment that the families and a city had hoped and prayed we would never have to face. We have a very fresh and active ongoing investigation in this case. We had put a lot of resources into the search aspect of this, and we will put an equal amount of resources into the investigation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SNOW: And Camden's police chief is saying at this point the department is interviewing different individuals to find out what caused the death of 5-year-old Jesstin Pagan, Daniel Agosto, who was six years old; and Anibal Cruz, who was 11 years old.
Officers also indicated that the medical examiner had been anticipated to work through the night to perform autopsies. Here in this community, not far from where the boys were found, a makeshift memorial already this early in the morning. Neighbors stopping by and paying respects, really walking around in shock. Three Teddy bears line the street with a candle and the pictures of the boys -- Tony.
HARRIS: Mary, just quickly, do we know who owned that car?
SNOW: At this point, we do not know who owned that car.
HARRIS: CNN's Mary Snow live in Camden, New Jersey for us.
Mary, we appreciate it.
Thank you.
NGUYEN: Now to Iraq and the bloodiest day for American women in combat. We know now at least four Marines, including three women, were killed in a convoy attack in Falluja. It is the largest number of women killed in one day since the war began and it renews debate on the role of women in the combat zone.
Let's go live now to the Pentagon and CNN's Ed Henry with an update -- good morning, Ed.
ED HENRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning,
In fact, what's new this morning is the fact that the U.S. military has now identified at least one female Marine who was killed as Lance Corporal Holly Charette, 21 years old, from Cranston, Rhode Island.
A military news release that came out back in May said that she was serving as a mail clerk at the Marines' Camp Blue Diamond in Iraq. This article included a photo of her carrying an M-16 rifle on her shoulder, along with a large bag of mail. She mentioned in that article the joy she felt of bringing letters from home to her fellow Marines serving in Iraq. She also said that she planned to work for the U.S. Postal Service when she came back to the United States. She was expected to come back next year.
Obviously, that dream was cut short and this incident, as you mentioned, is renewing that debate about women serving near the front lines.
Current Pentagon policy prevents women from serving in direct combat units like infantry, armor and special forces. But in Iraq, given the insurgency, especially near Falluja, in fact, it is difficult to keep women from the front lines. They are actually right there in the middle of the action, as we saw in this deadly incident Thursday evening.
Pentagon sources say that many of the Marines killed or wounded in this incident do serve in that "Lioness Team" that you mentioned, an all female unit that specializes in searching female Iraqi civilians at various checkpoints around Falluja. According to the military, this is in order to make sure that there are sensitivities, Iraqi cultural sensitivities for women, who when they are checked and searched for potential explosives that they could be carrying.
Beyond the question of women serving on the front lines, of course, the broader question right now is about the future of the mission in Iraq. With polls showing sliding support for the war in Iraq right now, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld faced some tough questioning on Capitol Hill this week about the future of that U.S. mission. That question, of course, is going to be addressed, as well, by President Bush this coming Tuesday night when he addresses the nation in a prime time address -- Betty.
NGUYEN: And I understand, Ed, we will be learning some specifics during that address.
Ed Henry, thanks for that update.
Women taking part in some operations in Iraq are often referred to as belonging to "Team Lioness." Now, coming up in the next half hour, we will take a look at American women in the line of fire in Iraq.
Which brings us to our E-Mail Question today.
Official Pentagon policy is that women do not serve in combat units. But, in Iraq and Afghanistan, anywhere can be the front lines. So, our question for you this morning -- should women in the military be on the front lines?
E-mail us now at weekends@cnn.com. We'll read those responses throughout the morning.
HARRIS: So, if you took a few detours from the news this week, let's take a minute to look into the rearview mirror and some of the big stories you may have missed.
Thursday, China's third largest state controlled oil producer put up an $18.5 billion bid for California-based Unocal. Unocal has already agreed to be acquired by Chevron for nearly $17 billion. Still, Unocal says it will take a serious look at the new offer.
Speaking of oil, Friday, a record closing for light, sweet crude oil for August delivery at $59.84 per barrel. That's after crude hit a record price of $60 a barrel Thursday before closing at $59.42.
The big worry now is whether oil consumption in the United States will threaten supply when demand peaks this winter.
And 80-year-old former Ku Klux Klan member Edgar Ray Killen was sentenced Thursday to 60 years in prison for the 1964 killings of three civil rights workers in Mississippi.
And finally, eminent domain -- a divided Supreme Court ruled this week that local governments can seize homes in working class neighborhoods and turn the property over to private, private developers. The concept of eminent domain has traditionally been used to eliminate slums or build public infrastructure like schools or highways. Now, tomorrow we'll "Fast Forward" to the week ahead and tell you which stories will grab the spotlight.
NGUYEN: With millions of dollars at stake, the Olympic Committee will soon choose the site of the 2012 Games. The Big Apple is trying to get a bite out of that huge pie. And we look at the city's odds when we take you "Beyond The Game."
HARRIS: Plus, take a look at this. We simply ask the question why did the catfish cross the road?
Good morning.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I don't have the answer to that, but catfish is good eating, that's for sure.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: We'll have your weekend forecast in about 10 minutes.
CNN SATURDAY MORNING will be right back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TIM ZAGAT: Atlanta is an interesting restaurant town. It has a great deal of diversity. And to be one of the top restaurants in Atlanta, you really have to be a standout.
Bacchanalia happens to be the most popular restaurant, according to our survey, in Atlanta. It is a restaurant that has really extraordinarily good, modern American food, really attractive, very comfortable. Bones and Chops are the second and third most popular restaurants. Both are simply great steakhouses. They are among the best known steakhouses in the country and they've earned their reputation over a long time.
We have 250,000 people voting on the restaurants in the United States and we asked them to say what's their favorite five restaurants. But we've also asked them to rate best food, best decor and best service. These restaurants do well on all of those counts, which probably explains why they are the most popular.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS:
Well, we will show it to you next hour, 8:00 a.m. Eastern here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know, there's that one word that keeps popping up lately when discussing mega star Tom Cruise. The word...
NGUYEN: What would that be?
HARRIS: Bizarre. Bizarre. It kind of feeds into a story that's coming up in just a moment or two. B, B, B, B, B.
Have you seen what happened in his latest interview? Well, we will show it to you next hour, 8:00 a.m. Eastern, here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: "News Across America," come one, come all, invites the Reverend Billy Graham. About 60,000 heeded that call, greeting the ailing evangelist with a standing ovation at his New York revival. It is likely to be Graham's last crusade. Illness has diminished his once powerful voice and left him frail.
President Bush was in the bleachers as the Washington Nationals opened a home stand. The Nats blanked the Blue Jays for their 11th straight win at home. It's Bush's second visit to RFK Stadium this season. He threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the home opener on April 14.
And a question -- why did the catfish cross the road? Well, no one seems to know, right, Tony?
HARRIS: Yes, yes.
NGUYEN: Do you know?
HARRIS: Sure. Sure. To be the biggest fish in a very small pond? Right there.
NGUYEN: That little puddle there?
HARRIS: Right, right there.
NGUYEN: All right. Well, other people don't seem to know, because this poor thing flip-flopped all across the street in Palm Bay, Florida. But it was easy pickings, as motorists -- oh, this is where it gets interesting -- as motorists stopped and took home what they wanted for dinner. Aw.
HARRIS: All right, is this the -- oh, yes, OK, here's the moment now. You know, we've had a little more wackiness for you this morning. It's going to be...
NGUYEN: And this is live.
HARRIS: Yes, this is a live picture now. We take you to, let me see here, this is Tipperary, Ireland. And the guy you see, it looks like some kind of a suit, but it's not a suit. This is Philip McCabe and that's a suit of bees, is what that is, Betty.
NGUYEN: And why exactly is he doing this?
HARRIS: Well, I have an answer for you. You see, he's got the mask on. There's a little surgical mask there to cover his nose and mouth. He's got that taped up. I guess those are glasses to cover his eyes.
What he's trying to do is he's trying to set a new record. Those are bees all over him, head to toe.
NGUYEN: Ew.
HARRIS: And he's trying to create a new record, a new world record, by having 500,000 bees land on his body.
NGUYEN: It just looks painful, doesn't it?
HARRIS: Look at that. What do you pretend to be, like a human plant or something so that...
NGUYEN: I mean they've got to be sticking -- stinging him, right?
HARRIS: You would think. So there it is. We'll keep an eye on this record setting attempt and we'll let you know if -- how do you count? What's the deal here? Anyway...
NGUYEN: Yes, right.
HARRIS: That's the story from Tipperary, Ireland right there.
NGUYEN: That could take some time.
HARRIS: Philip McCabe.
Sometimes you have to do it yourself. That's the philosophy of some people concerned about alcohol related crimes in their neighborhood. Right here, tomorrow morning, Operation Extra Eyes, a CNN investigative unit spotlight, 7:00 a.m. Eastern.
NGUYEN: I'm still thinking about that guy with the bees on him.
HARRIS: Yes, well, hard not to.
NGUYEN: Ooh, creepy.
OK, we hear summers in Moscow are simply beautiful. Well, does the International Olympic Committee think so? The city is a finalist in the Summer Games.
HARRIS: Yes, but does it have a real chance at the golden ring? Some answers as we take you -- there he is -- "Beyond The Game" with Rick Horrow.
Did we lose him?
NGUYEN: Wait, we lost him.
HARRIS: Did I go to him?
NGUYEN: There we go.
HARRIS: That's live next -- there he is -- on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
HOLLY FIRFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's pronounced pilates, a stretching, strengthening and balancing regimen developed nearly a century ago by German born Joseph H. Pilates. For decades, it was the secret weapon dancers used to stay toned. Today, it's become one of the hottest fitness trends.
Pilates improves core strength and flexibility without building bulk. But you will work up a sweat.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Push the carrot out. Long lines.
FIRFER: Another way pilates increases upper body strength is through pushups, sometimes upside down. Although this equipment might look a bit intimidating, there are easier moves for beginners. Pilates can also be taken in what's called a mat class format. The exercises are geared more toward the general population, with less emphasis on advanced and complex moves.
Christy Feig, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
HARRIS (voice-over): Imagine the bounty at stake for the city chosen to host the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. An economic impact of up to $15 billion. That's billion with a big old B. The short list of five still in the running -- Paris, London, Madrid, Moscow and New York City. And in just over a week from today, the Olympic Committee hands over the key to the treasure chest. But to which city?
The topic this morning as we take you "Beyond The Game."
(END VIDEO TAPE)
HARRIS: So whoever gets the 2012 bid will have to leap over perhaps the most obstacles in the history of the Games.
Here to guide us through the Olympic-sized obstacles is the author of "When the Game Is On the Line" and our gold medal winner -- how's that, Betty? -- CNN business sports analyst Rick Horrow.
As usual, he joins us from West Palm Beach, Florida -- good morning, Rick.
Good to see you, doctor.
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: I'll give you gold medal winner when I tee it up with you, OK?
HARRIS: That's tomorrow.
HORROW: Yes, it is tomorrow.
HARRIS: Is that when you're taking your twice monthly butt whipping? OK.
HORROW: Yes.
Yes, it is.
Go ahead.
Go on, Tony.
HARRIS: Take a look at this. All right, let's put up this full screen here. This is how the Olympic technical committee has sort of consistently ranked the short list of these cities. We've got Paris, London, Madrid, New York and Moscow.
Now, Paris has been a consistent number one on this list, Rick.
So is Paris a lock to get the Games?
HORROW: No, nobody is a lock to get the Games. But look at the perspective. You know, in 776 B.C., when the Olympic organizers contemplated the first game in Athens, little did they know that they'd have $4 billion, with a big old B, viewers watching the modern games from Athens on television. They didn't even know television existed. But they've come a long way.
China, by the way, spending $30 billion to get ready for their '08 Games. And there were 11 cities bidding for these Games in 2012, the pick on July 6.
You're right, Paris is the frontrunner. They're spending significant dollars, a $5 billion guarantee by the French government.
HARRIS: Wow!
HORROW: And Champs d'Elyse finish line, Roland Garros Stadium, pretty sexy venues.
You've got the U.K. that's committed substantial dollars, $15 billion, for infrastructure development, trying to get the Games after the '08 Games and the 1948 Games. You've got Madrid. They had the Games in Barcelona in Spain, remember, in '92. They're trying to get the Games again with their legacy.
And then you've got Moscow. The 1980 Games, remember, were boycotted by Americans and others. They're trying to reverse that legacy.
There is substantial competition across the pond, as they say, and then there's the New York bid. HARRIS: Yes, let's talk about that. You know, New York is considered a long shot at this point.
What went wrong with New York's bid?
HORROW: Well, let me tell you what the positives are for a second.
HARRIS: OK.
HORROW: There are the sexy venues, the Central Park triathlon site, for example. Imagine baseball at Yankee Stadium and imagine tennis at Flushing Meadows, the National Tennis Center.
HARRIS: That's right.
HORROW: And, also, it's the home, really, of the corporate world, many say. And $1.5 billion of corporate sponsorship would be committed if the Games are in New York.
Now, the negatives are this. First of all, Vancouver has the Games in 2010 and many people say you don't go to the same continent twice after one Olympic period. More important, they were sailing along with a West Side Olympic stadium process. Three weeks ago, the politicians derailed it.
HARRIS: That's right.
HORROW: The Mets helped them come up with a fallback plan of $800 million, which is a good plan. But at the end of the day, it may be too late. Not good, maybe, for 2012, but maybe for 2016. You know, the competition is tremendous. India is looking, Thailand is looking. Reno/Tahoe for 2014 Winter Olympics. It is a significant and major and dramatic competition.
HARRIS: You know what? I -- Eddie, quickly, can I get -- we need a reason to get Maria Sharapova up here.
Can I have 10 seconds to do that?
HORROW: Yes.
HARRIS: All right. We need...
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: Your fair ball is Maria Shara...
HORROW: I will -- I'll help you with those 10 seconds, man, because here is the deal. The fair ball is she got a $6 million contract with Canon. But the British tabloids just talked about a grunt-a-meter, which measures the grunting of these tennis stars.
NGUYEN: Oh, gosh.
HORROW: And she's led everybody with 101.2. You know what that is? That's the sound of a police siren 300 times an hour. How does that sound there?
HARRIS: As what?
HORROW: That sound OK?
HARRIS: And that's supposed to be, what, a bad thing?
Rick...
HORROW: I'll leave that alone.
HARRIS: Good to see you, man.
HORROW: Yes.
HARRIS: See you tomorrow.
HORROW: See you tomorrow.
HARRIS: All right, take care.
NGUYEN: Yes, I wonder if that was a male or a female who created that grunt-o-meter, huh?
HARRIS: Well, but it was everybody, the guys and the gals. Everybody is grunting up a storm here these days.
NGUYEN: That's kind of part of the game.
HARRIS: Yes.
MARCIANO: Right. It's all about strength.
HARRIS: Effort.
MARCIANO: Effort. Right.
HARRIS: That's it.
MARCIANO: And that was very disappearing video, by the way.
NGUYEN: Yes? What did you want to see, Rob?
MARCIANO: And they did say they were going to take out of weather, so...
HARRIS: That's right.
MARCIANO: Hey, hot today.
NGUYEN: But you would have freely given it.
MARCIANO: Yes, exactly.
I want to show you a map. It's got temperatures on it that are happening right now.
HARRIS: Already?
MARCIANO: Yes. Look at that, huh?
NGUYEN: Yikes!
MARCIANO: Seventies already.
HARRIS: Seventies, it's early, isn't it?
NGUYEN: Eighty-six in Phoenix?
MARCIANO: So, you know, we roll a little bit later on today. And look at all the red on there.
NGUYEN: Whoowee!
MARCIANO: Ninety-seven in St. Louis, 99 in Dallas, 91 in New York, 94 Boston. It'll be a little cooler here in Atlanta because of some cloud cover because of that. But the heat is on across much of the eastern two thirds of the country. And the bigger cities across the Northeast are going to see -- they're going to have some smog issues as well.
HARRIS: Yes? OK.
MARCIANO: So if there was an excuse, a day to say, you know, it's unhealthy to cut...
HARRIS: Pack it in.
MARCIANO: ... to cut the grass...
NGUYEN: No.
HARRIS: Right.
MARCIANO: ... or do any sort of outdoor chores, today is your day.
NGUYEN: You're looking out for all the men out there today, aren't you?
HARRIS: You gave me a pass.
MARCIANO: Huh?
(CROSSTALK)
HARRIS: Appreciate it.
MARCIANO: In about a half hour, we're going to talk about what you can see in the sky tonight. Some cool things happening as far as the planets go.
NGUYEN: Oh. All right, we'll be looking forward to that, Rob.
HARRIS: That's right.
NGUYEN: Well, Iran has a new political leader and the U.S. is wondering what it could mean for Iran's relations with the West. We have those details coming up in a live report from Tehran.
HARRIS: Also, why are these men so confident they can find Natalee Holloway? A live update on the search for the missing teenager is still ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: We want to welcome you back on this Saturday morning.
I'm Betty Nguyen.
HARRIS: And I'm Tony Harris.
Let's get a look at what's happening now in the news.
NGUYEN: A parent's worst nightmare in New Jersey. Three young boys who have been missing since Wednesday were found dead in the trunk of a car last night. One of the boys' father made that grim discovery. Authorities say they don't know whether foul play was involved or if it was simply a tragic accident. Medical examiners began autopsies overnight. There's no word on when they will be completed.
It's confirmed -- there is a second case of Mad Cow Disease in the U.S. However, the Agriculture Department says U.S. beef is safe and that meat from the cow never entered the human food chain. Officials first suspected the native grown cow was infected seven months ago. British tests, though, confirmed it yesterday after U.S. tested proved inconclusive.
Investigators have not yet figured out what caused that massive fire at a gas processing plant in St. Louis yesterday. The blaze sent fireballs shooting into the sky and set off a series of explosions. Look at this. All of the plant's employees and several neighborhood blocks were evacuated, but there were no injuries.
And this reminder for you. Cnn.com is offering a new way to get the headlines. All you have to do is just log onto our Web site and click on the new video link "watch" to check out the most popular stories, ranging from politics to sports. It's all free on cnn.com.
HARRIS: And let's turn now to the case of missing teenager Natalee Holloway, last seen in Aruba 26 days ago. There have been a number of significant developments over the past 24 hours.
CNN's Chris Lawrence bring us up to date live from Aruba -- good morning, Chris.
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony. You've got this Texas team of volunteers ready to come in. An advance group got here a couple days ago and got to work. But the full team arrived just last night. They've got search dogs, master divers, sonar equipment and they're ready to put it to use this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
LAWRENCE (voice-over): A team of American volunteers is on the ground in Aruba, already involved in the search for Natalee Holloway.
TIM MILLER, TEXAS EQUUSEARCH: And we've got the green light to do whatever we need to do for one reason, and that's to take Natalee home. I feel very, very optimistic that we are going to take Natalee back to Alabama where she belongs.
LAWRENCE: Texas Equusearch is trying to cover as much ground as possible on an island roughly the size of Washington, D.C.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are these areas that have been searched?
LAWRENCE: They're working with Aruban investigators, trying to find anything that may have been missed. Natalee's friends last saw her leaving this bar four weeks ago. She drove off with a Dutch teenager and his two friends, Joran van der Sloot and brothers Satish and Deepak Kalpoe.
They all told police they dropped her off back at the Holiday Inn. But now they've changed their story.
The Kalpoes' mother says Satish admitted they made it up to protect their friend Joran, and actually dropped Natalee and Joran at a beach down the road.
NADIRA RAMIREZ, MOTHER OF KALPOE BROTHERS: So I asked my son, that really, where you guys really put off her? You said the Holiday Inn. He said no, mom. That we -- he asked to leave him somewhere by the beach there, by the Marriott Hotel.
LAWRENCE: Joran van der Sloot's mother now says Joran told her he also lied, but did not hurt Natalee.
ANITA VAN DER SLOOT, JORAN'S MOTHER: Mom, I drop the girl at the beach. I walk with her. I left her because she wanted to stay there. I left and I don't know what happened.
LAWRENCE: Police turned up the pressure on the family Thursday when they arrested Paul Van Der Sloot, Anita's husband and Joran's father.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
LAWRENCE: Now, van der Sloot is a local judge, a deputy judge here on the island. But he'll be in court today as a man accused. Police sources tell us that he has been interrogated almost from the moment that he was brought in and we expect the other four suspects to also be in court later today -- Tony.
HARRIS: Chris Lawrence in Palm Beach, Aruba for us.
Chris, thank you.
Time now to go global and check out some of the other stories making news around the world.
NGUYEN: A major political turnaround in Iran. The second round of the presidential election is over and a winner has been declared.
For those details, we want to go now to Anand Naidoo at the CNN international Desk -- good morning, Anand.
ANAND NAIDOO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, thanks and good morning.
That's right, after a runoff vote, there has been a winner declared in Iran. He's Mahmood Ahmadinejad and he took 61 percent of the vote. He defeated two term former president, Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Matthew Chance is covering the election for CNN.
He joins us now on the telephone from Tehran -- Matthew, let me ask you first, the winner is described as a hard-line conservative.
What does that mean for Iranians?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, and it's something, isn't it? A competitive category, as they say in Iran, being a hard- liner, and even in the context of the Iranian political situation, he's considered as one of them. He believes in the fundamentalist principles of the Islamic Revolution of 1979. He's a former military figure. He's reported to have served in the Revolutionary Guards, helping to found the student union which took over the U.S. Embassy in 1979, at least according to his publicity Web site, that's the case. He's also reported to have served in covert operations in Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.
And so this is a person who is devoutly loyal to the supreme religious leadership of the Iranian theocracy and he's someone who's said he will fight corporation and distribute Iran's wealth, particularly its oil wealth, to the people at large. That's the message that's been very widely, it seems, received, by the Iranian people. In the votes that have been counted so far, 61.6 percent of the Iranian voters have voted for Mahmood Ahmadinejad. And there's been a 60 percent turnout. So turnout has been extremely -- or pretty high, as well, in the Iranian context, where elections are usually very popular here -- Anand.
NAIDOO: Matthew, what about relations with the rest of the world, particularly the United States? What can we expect?
CHANCE: Well, that's the big question, isn't it? But the truth is that nobody really knows what the stance is going to be of Mahmood Ahmadinejad toward the outside world. Certainly in the past he's expressed his criticism about the nuclear negotiations that have been underway between Iran and the three European countries -- Britain, France and Germany. He believes that Iran has the right to develop nuclear technology. The rest of the world, of course, particularly the U.S. and others, or many in the rest of the world, believe that it's a front for a nuclear weapons program.
But quite frankly, on that issue, he doesn't really stand apart from any other Iranian politicians. The Iranian political establishment is pretty united in believing that Iran has this right. So you may just see a question of a different style in presenting those arguments rather than a different in substance. He's likely to be more blunt when he deals with the international community.
He has been cautious about reestablishing formal ties with the United States, which were, of course, broken in 1979. And so any hopes of a rapprochement with the U.S., with Washington, pretty much in the backs of people's minds. That could well be put on hold -- Anand.
NAIDOO: All right, thanks, Matthew.
Matthew Chance there from Tehran.
And that's it from me.
Back to Tony and Betty.
NGUYEN: All right, thank you, Anand.
HARRIS: Anand, thank you.
NGUYEN: Now to "Security Watch," where we update you on the week's major developments in the war on terror every Saturday morning.
The Transportation Security Administration said this week it had used private companies to collect and store personal information on airline passengers. It was done during a test of the new passenger screening program called Secure Flight. The government said the data collected did not compromise passenger privacy.
Experts told Congress Tuesday there are several problems with methods used to detect nuclear materials at the nation's ports. Among them, dozens of daily false alarms from radiation monitors. The security manager for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said the New Jersey port, or the Jersey port, sees about 150 false alarms each day, more than 10 times the number originally expected.
And arms experts say there is about a 70 percent chance that a weapon of mass destruction will be used in an attack somewhere in the world in the next 10 years. Most of the experts polled in a recent survey believe one or two new countries will acquire nuclear weapons in the next five years.
You want to stay tuned to CNN dang for the most reliable news about your security.
HARRIS: Female troops play a valuable role in the war on terror. And as we have seen many times in Iraq, they often find themselves nose to nose with their adversaries.
Coming up, a closer look at "Team Lioness."
That's also our E-Mail Question. Official Pentagon policy is that women do not serve in combat units. But in Iraq and Afghanistan, combat can happen anywhere. So our question this morning -- should women in the military be on the front lines? E-mail us now at weekends@cnn.com.
Throughout the morning we'll be reading your responses on the air.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Actor Tom Cruise is getting a whole lot of attention these days for what some people are calling strange behavior. Take his interview yesterday on the "Today Show." We'll show you some of that next hour on CNN SATURDAY MORNING, 8:00 a.m. Eastern.
MARCIANO: And I'm Rob Marciano in the CNN Weather Center.
Here's your "Allergy Forecast" for today.
Out West, things are starting to crank up in the juniper and cedar department. A lot of grass is still pollinating, but a little bit of relief, at least, in the Southeast.
Hope you're feeling well on this Saturday.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
CNN SATURDAY MORNING will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And checking our top stories now, in New Jersey, the bodies of three young boys are found in the trunk of a car. One of the boys' fathers found the bodies last night near the house where the boys were last seen playing. They had been missing for two days.
For the first time, a cow born in the United States has been found to have Mad Cow Disease. Officials say the animal was discovered before entering the food chain and that American beef is no in danger. The only previous U.S. case of the disease was in late 2003. That cow was imported from Canada.
And all five suspects now being held in the disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba will go before a judge today. The judge will determine whether they will remain in custody. Meantime, a team of search specialists have arrived from Texas and will begin searching the island today.
We have several CNN crews in Aruba and we'll have further details on this still developing story when we take you live to the tropical island at the top of the hour. NGUYEN: Women in the United States military have come a long way in their fight for equality. But the military still says women should not be involved in forward combat. But the way the war is being fought in Iraq, that rule isn't always easy to follow.
This week, that became glaringly apparent with the deaths of three female Marines in a roadside bombing. Eleven more women were wounded in Thursday's attack, marking the highest casualty count for women in Iraq so far.
But as I found out, the dangers aren't likely to deter any of the female troops on their missions.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
NGUYEN (voice-over): When U.S. forces kick in a door in the hunt for insurgents, both male and female soldiers rush in. The women, sometimes referred to as members of "Team Lioness," search the females for weapons or explosives. Muslim culture dictates that men are not to touch a woman they do not know.
Women in the U.S. military are still technically barred from being in forward combat operations. But in Iraq, where fighting breaks out anywhere, women do participate in raids, roadblocks, security patrols and travel in convoys.
One woman who knows firsthand the dangers female soldiers face in Iraq is Sergeant Leigh Ann Hester. This is tape of an assault on troops traveling near Hester's unit. It was shot by insurgents and seized by the U.S. military after the attack.
SGT. LEIGH ANN HESTER, U.S. ARMY: We were shadowing a convoy that had become ambushed. We moved to contact, put ourselves between the insurgents and that convoy. And basically we turned down the road and flanked the enemy, firing upon the enemy the whole time. And to make a long story short, we did a great job that day and I believe we killed 27 that day and injured eight insurgents. And we took three injured ourselves in my squad, three injured soldiers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Awarded the Silver Star to Sergeant Leigh Hester, United States Army.
NGUYEN: For her bravery that day, Hester was awarded the Silver Star. She's the first woman to earn that award since World War 2.
More than three dozen female troops have been killed in Iraq.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
NGUYEN: Policy dictates that women do not serve in combat units. But in Iraq and Afghanistan, anywhere can be on the front lines.
So, our question for you this morning -- should women in the military be on the front lines?
E-mail us now at weekends@cnn.com. We'll read your responses throughout the morning.
HARRIS: And still to come, lots of buzz this week at cnn.com. Our favorite Web site is offering a new and very cool way to get the headlines. We'll point and click and get through it all when we come right back.
NGUYEN: First, though, a "CNN Extra."
The temperature is rising and so is the alcohol content. California's summer highs have risen 1.6 degrees over the last 50 years during prime grape growing season. And that's not only the heat that's changing the way that the wine tastes, but it's also boosted the average alcohol content. Some say California may eventually become too hot or dry for wine production. But temperatures continue to rise.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Cnn.com is taking some big steps to enhance your surfing, surfing ex -- I don't know what all that's about.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Clicking. Clicking, Tony.
HARRIS: Oh, that's it. Yes, yes. All thumbs.
Veronica De La Cruz from the Dot-Com Desk is here to explain -- good morning.
DE LA CRUZ: Good morning.
It's so nice to see you. I feel like I haven't seen you in ages.
HARRIS: I know. It's been a couple of weeks.
Good to see you, lady.
DE LA CRUZ: It has.
All right, well, it's been a very exciting week at cnn.com, with the launch of free video, as we've been talking about. And now, with a simple point and click of your mouse, video is on demand and it's under your command.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
DE LA CRUZ (voice-over): A new experience. Now you can read the day's top stories and watch them, too.
When you're maneuvering the site, green means go. So find it, point, click and prepare to watch what you want to see. Two pieces of video will be featured in the "watch" box. It might be a story on what's happening around the nation, international headlines or what we feel is the most compelling video we've seen all day.
You can browse, sort and search by time, category, and by what everyone else is clicking on. Our most popular tab tells you what video clips are receiving the most clicks. You can now watch video in a much larger format, in dimensions similar to wide-screen television. And don't forget to stay up to date with the headlines.
Now in the news is a fast-paced rundown of the day's top stories updated every hour on the hour.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
DE LA CRUZ: Oh, and I think she was wearing my necklace there.
NGUYEN: I was thinking the same thing.
DE LA CRUZ: Were you thinking that?
NGUYEN: Yes.
HARRIS: How did that happen?
DE LA CRUZ: Exactly.
But don't forget, to find the video, you can always log onto our Web site at cnn.com and look for the green. Click on that watch box and that's going to offer you a whole new viewing experience.
Betty and Tony, it is the coolest thing. Fourteen different categories, one of my favorites being most popular.
NGUYEN: Yes?
HARRIS: Yes.
DE LA CRUZ: And in the 9:00 hour, we're going to go over what the most popular video is.
And can you guys guess at all?
HARRIS: It's got to be the...
NGUYEN: Is it the bees?
DE LA CRUZ: It's not the bees.
NGUYEN: Oh.
HARRIS: Is it the Cruise stuff? Is it the...
DE LA CRUZ: It is.
NGUYEN: Tom Cruise?
DE LA CRUZ: It's looking like it might be Tom Cruise at this point.
NGUYEN: Wow!
But of course, right?
DE LA CRUZ: But of course. Yes.
HARRIS: Well, it's a little whacky.
All right, Veronica.
NGUYEN: But he's not wearing your necklace, so we know that for a fact.
DE LA CRUZ: No, exactly.
NGUYEN: Thanks, Veronica.
There is some stormy weather that could be headed your way this morning. Rob's forecast when we come back.
HARRIS: And then, at the top of the hour, is Tom Cruise a little out of control? Definitely out of cruise control? Wait until you see his latest interview here. That's at 8:00 a.m. Eastern right here on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: You know, some people will do just about anything to get in the record books.
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: This is evidence. This is a live look at Tipperary, Ireland, where Philip McCabe -- that's the guy underneath all these bees -- is trying to break the world record by having 500,000 bees land on his body.
And, Tony, you mentioned earlier, how do you know -- I mean are they counting these bees one by one.
HARRIS: How do you know? How do you know? How do you know? I don't know.
NGUYEN: How do you know?
HARRIS: You don't know. I mean you just -- well, OK. But the thing you do know is that he doesn't have one of those allergies to bee stings and that sort of thing.
NGUYEN: I sure hope not, because he would have...
HARRIS: Yes. Or he'd be in trouble.
NGUYEN: ... very swollen by now.
MARCIANO: What do they cover him with honey? I mean what is...
HARRIS: That's what I'm trying to figure out. Is he like this huge plant and, you know, to attract the bees for pollination?
MARCIANO: Yes.
HARRIS: What's going on here?
MARCIANO: Boxers, briefs, spandex.
NGUYEN: Oh.
MARCIANO: What, you know?
HARRIS: Yes.
NGUYEN: Something tight, I would imagine. Some kind of body suit.
HARRIS: Wow! Yes.
MARCIANO: Well, let's see. It's, in Ireland right now, it's, what, 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon? I'm sure they've been throwing down some Guinness. It's been a big party.
HARRIS: That explains it.
MARCIANO: (INAUDIBLE)...
HARRIS: That explains that.
NGUYEN: Maybe it was a bet, yes. Maybe that's how.
MARCIANO: Hey, listen, a good night to maybe take your favorite beverage and take a look out west. The western sky, after sunset, Saturn, Venus, Mercury, the past couples of days has been -- they've been lining up like this. But tonight and the next couple of nights, they're going to be really close together. You'll be able to see them with the naked eye. You won't be able to see Saturn's rings with the naked eye, but you'll first see Venus, and then Saturn and then Mercury, as well.
I mean just hold out your -- your thumb out there and your thumb will almost be able to cover up all three. That's how close they're going to be tonight and tomorrow night. So good stuff there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
MARCIANO: I dropped my clicker. I hate when that happens.
Rain across to Des Moines, Iowa and in through parts of Chicago later on today.
See, that bee story got me all freaked out. I just wanted to drop the clicker. I'm sorry.
NGUYEN: You know it's headed downhill when you drop the clicker, Rob.
HARRIS: Oh, boy.
MARCIANO: How many years am I doing this?
NGUYEN: Butterfingers.
MARCIANO: You just don't drop the clicker.
NGUYEN: Don't ever drop the clicker.
HARRIS: Honey, sticky, hold onto things. Yes.
All right, Rob, thank you.
MARCIANO: See you guys.
HARRIS: Our e-mail question this morning -- official Pentagon policy is that women do not serve in combat units, but in Iraq and Afghanistan anywhere can be the front lines. So our question for you this morning -- should women in the military be on the front lines?
We've got a couple of responses for you this morning.
From Paul in Alameda, California. He writes: "Yes, women should be stationed at the front lines. For years, women have been trying to get equal rights. Being stationed somewhere shouldn't be based on age, sex, religion, etc., but rather the ability to get the job done."
NGUYEN: And Barbara from Michigan writes: "If a man can put down his life for his country, why can't a woman? Any loss of life due to violence is a tragedy. I say let the women serve in the best way that they can. If that means as support or in combat, so be it."
We thank you for sending those thoughts and keep them coming. Weekends@cnn.com.
HARRIS: And the next hour of CNN SATURDAY MORNING begins right now.
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