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CNN Saturday Morning News
Wildfires in Florida and California; Courtroom Battle; Gas Prices Reaching Record Levels; Deadly Clashes on the Streets of Pakistan; Graduation Weekend at Virginia Tech; Hapas Are the New Faces; Iraqis Hoping American Army Will Stay
Aired May 12, 2007 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, ANCHOR, CNN SATURDAY MORNING: Well, hello to everybody from the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia. It is May 12th. I wasn't sure about that. Is that right?
BETTY NGUYEN, ANCHOR, CNN SATURDAY MORNING: I think it's right.
HOLMES: Yes, it's the 12th.
NGUYEN: I have the 12th. I mean, this isn't always right, either.
HOLMES: I was confused a bit about the date. I'm not confused about me being T.J. Holmes, though.
NGUYEN: Yes, that we do know. And I'm Betty Nguyen. We want to thank you for joining us this morning.
Well, it is already a busy one, because check this out.
Florida firefighters are trying to get the upper hand on 100 wildfires. And we are on the front lines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I was hosing off my roof and the tree, and they're (ph) like (ph), get out now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Wildfire is also driving our residents in southern California. This morning, many people are returning to their homes, anxious to see if anything's left.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're asking me what I was looking for. And what would I say? My son? And you were just giving me this smirk, knowing all the time you didn't have him. You had killed him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: Oh! Goodness. A woman confronts the murderer of her two-year-old son. The killer is the little boy's father. You'll hear more from this courtroom battle. HOLMES: Also, gas prices reaching record levels. Tips on how to save money. And a reality check. Just where does your dollar go? Dollars?
NGUYEN: Yes.
HOLMES: Many, many dollars? Where do they go? The breakdown ahead on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
NGUYEN: I don't really know, because mine are all gone.
All right, we do want to start this morning with that spreading danger across the country, and that is the growing wildfires.
HOLMES: Hundreds of thousands of acres already destroyed. Dry conditions and high temperatures igniting the tinderbox from coast to coast, from the Southeast in Florida and Georgia, to northern Minnesota - and, of course, on the West Coast, in Los Angeles and Catalina Island.
NGUYEN: Actually, mandatory evacuations have been ordered in northern Florida. Fires there stretching about 15 miles south to the state after flames crossed over this week from southern Georgia.
Now, visibility also in real danger in some areas, as well. Drivers are told to be extra careful. So far, nearly 180,000 acres in both states have been burned by this fire.
CNN's John Zarrella is in northern Florida with a look at firefighting efforts there.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT, COLUMBIA COUNTY, FLORIDA: We're standing out, literally in the middle of a pine forest. And what you see here behind me is the fire line. This is a trench that the firefighters have built to hold back the flames.
What they've done is, they dig absolutely down to the bare, organic soil. There's nothing in this soil that is flammable and will start fires.
So, what they want to have happen is have these flames burn right up to this fire line and then go out. You can see the flames burning here and all the way back up into the woods out there.
And by building this fire line, they've been very, very lucky today - lucky in that the humidity went up and the wind died down. It's absolutely still out here, but there are embers falling in the air and the sky is thick - thick with smoke. You can see the smoke rising up through these pine trees. And you can see how absolutely tinder-dry all of this is.
And all along this fire line, as we walk this fire line, you can see pockets of flames still burning, the embers still burning. But the hope is that, at least here, at this spot, deep in this pine forest, that they will be able to contain the flames. And they will be able to do that, if the winds stay down, the humidity stays up and perhaps maybe, maybe we get a little bit of rain.
Just a few miles from the fire break, a hunting camp - what remains of it. The flames raced through here, destroying everything. It is the only structure lost so far to this fire.
John Zarrella, CNN, Columbia County, Florida.
(END VIDEO)
HOLMES: We now move out in the direction of California, actually just off the coast of California there in picturesque Catalina Island - one house destroyed there, six square miles on the small island charred.
About 4,000 residents now being allowed to come back home, even though the fire just 35 percent contained. But it is isolated in an unpopulated area of the island.
People are anxious to see what's left, if anything. And they're also coming together to help each other out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The hospital's been evacuated, last I knew. So, when I get there, I'm just going to see where they need me and I'll go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What do you think about what's happening to your island?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm upset. A lot of people - my husband's lived there 40 years. Have a lot of friends, and I'm worried about my house.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, no word yet on the cause of that Catalina fire. But officials believe it may have been started accidentally by workmen.
Also, another fire front to tell you about, this one in northern Minnesota, right along the Canadian border. Nearly 50 square miles destroyed, dozens of homes wiped out and hundreds of people have been evacuated from nearby areas.
Weather is cooperating right now, as firefighters try to protect a couple hundred homes still in this fire's path.
NGUYEN: No fire here, but flooding in the heartland. The good news is the worst may be over in much of Missouri. Rain-swollen rivers are expected to crest this weekend. And so far, many areas are faring much better than expected.
There are no injuries or deaths that have been reported from the week's flooding, but a number of levees across the state did fail under all of that stress.
HOLMES: Well, also need to move on here and tell you about deadly clashes on the streets of Karachi, Pakistan. Police and intelligence sources say at least 16 people have been killed.
The violence is between pro-government demonstrators and opposition party activists. Looking at some of the latest video we've gotten on this situation.
Many of those killed are supporters of a chief justice who was suspended by Pakistan's president. Critics accuse President Pervez Musharraf of playing politics. He has accused the judge of misusing his powers.
Police and paramilitary forces report problems controlling the situation in Pakistan's most populated city.
NGUYEN: Well, a commander in Iraq is calling for more reinforcements in that country.
HOLMES: But are more American troops the answer to the escalating violence there? And is it even an option?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT, BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA: It's graduation weekend at Virginia Tech, where the Hokie community is taking time to celebrate, but also time to remember. I'm Jim Acosta with that story, coming up - T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Thank you so much. We'll see you here shortly.
And also, have rising gas prices got you over a barrel?
NGUYEN: A few?
HOLMES: There are ways to save a few dollars - a few. We'll have the advice ahead.
NGUYEN: Must be more than that, T.J.
HOLMES: Just a couple of bucks.
NGUYEN: Come on. We're going to save you some money. Don't worry. You guys stay tuned.
HOLMES: Hey, every little bit helps. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: In Ohio, two small planes collided over a suburban Cincinnati neighborhood, killing three people on board. Police say the planes narrowly missed an interstate jammed with traffic.
The planes came down in a residential area, spreading debris on roads and backyards. No injuries reported, however, on the ground, but several vehicles and one house did receive some minor damage. NGUYEN: Well, it was a moving commencement at Virginia Tech University and a graduation ceremony filled with mixed emotions, as students and parents balanced joy with grief. And it comes less than a month after that horrific school massacre.
CNN's Jim Acosta joins us now live with more on last night's big event and another smaller ceremony today.
What's happening today, Jim?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT, BLACKSBURG, VIRGINIA: Well, Betty, what's happening today is that, even though they had this commencement ceremony last night, they will be going to their individual colleges, their individual programs to receive their degrees later on this afternoon. So, in essence, this is a graduation weekend.
But last night was no ordinary graduation ceremony. While the graduating seniors took time to celebrate with their families, they also honored the fallen classmates and professors whose lives loomed large over this event.
After the roughly 3,500 graduating seniors filed into this massive stadium behind me in Blacksburg, Virginia, the crowd of some 30,000 people showed off their Hokie pride.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. JOHN PHILLIP ABIZAID, U.S. ARMY, RETIRED: Your compassion, your steadfastness under pressure, your tremendous support of one another make you a special group. And you make me know our nation is in good hands.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: But this pomp and circumstance was subdued last night as the university presented school rings and honorary degrees to the families of the victims of April 16th, as the pictures of those 32 students and faculty members were displayed on the stadium's giant screen. Also, their names read one by one.
General John Abizaid - retired General John Abizaid - who you just heard there, and the university's president, Charles Steger, both urged the audience, or urged the crowd there, to not only remember the fallen, which was obviously important, but also to remember not to let this tragedy define their lives - Betty.
NGUYEN: Let me ask you this. Now that graduation, it will wrap up today with the individual colleges, what happens to the university? I know that there was the investigation, also a memorial that was in the works.
What do you know about all of this?
ACOSTA: Well, the state actually just held its first meeting of this blue ribbon panel that is now looking at the tragedy on April 16th, and trying to figure out ways that this could be prevented in the future.
They not only want to look at the security procedures that were in place here at Virginia Tech, but they also want to come up with some recommendations that they can share with universities across the country.
In addition to that, they are planning a memorial for the campus of Virginia Tech to remember this tragedy. But it's not clear yet as to how that memorial will take shape.
People just aren't sure about exactly what this memorial should look like. And from what we understand, it's going to take some time and lots of meetings with the faculty, students, family members of the victims and the university officials to figure out exactly how they should remember the fallen - Betty.
NGUYEN: Today, it is a day of celebration as they graduate in those individual colleges.
Jim Acosta live in Blacksburg, Virginia. Thank you, Jim.
HOLMES: Well, President Bush is back in Washington today. But yesterday, he delivered a commencement address of his own amid some controversy.
The president spoke at Pennsylvania's very small St. Vincent College. The school has been riveted by talk over whether the president was the right choice, in light of his Iraq war policy.
Inside he did get a warm welcome, but outside not so warm. There were protests.
And a programming note here for you. The queen of talk is going to be talking a little later to some grads at Howard University in Washington. That commencement ceremony begins at 10, and we're going to be dipping into that and let you hear some of those remarks live when it happens.
NGUYEN: Because when Oprah speaks, we all listen, don't we.
HOLMES: Everybody listens.
NGUYEN: Well, we are getting a lot of iReports coming in from viewers on those fires. Have you been watching this? It's all across the U.S. in many parts.
Veronica De La Cruz is at the dot-com desk and she joins us now with some of what is coming into CNN.
Good morning.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT, DOT-COM DESK: Good morning to you, Betty.
Let's go ahead and start with the eastern part of the country. We've received this iReport from Clearwater, Florida. Mark Wilson sent us a photo.
It was taken by his co-worker, John Catalano. Wilson says the wildfires are 300 miles away, but the smoke is unbearable. It's even indoors. I mean, just take a look at this.
Catalano says that it looks like really bad fog, and when he's outside he can barely breathe. He's told us that, if you stand outside, it's like you are standing in front of a barbeque grill - 300 miles away.
And speaking of all that smoke, check this out. This is Tampa Bay, Florida. Jeffrey King sent us this picture of a pond in his neighborhood called the Cove. He says the smoke blew in in just 15 minutes. You can barely see that body of water as the smoke kind of hangs over it.
We've also received this video from Glenn Nakamura, showing the fire burning on Catalina Island. Just take a listen to this. Listen closely as a child describes what she sees.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look. The water's bleeding.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bleeding?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look. The water's bleeding.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: The water is bleeding. That's what she was saying there.
Now, as severe weather breaks out across the nation and these fires continue to burn, you can send us your iReports by logging on to CNN.com and clipping the iReport logo.
But please do be careful. If you're going to go out there and take these pictures, shoot some video for us, safety first, for sure - Betty.
NGUYEN: Yes. Firefighters have quite a lot of work on their hands all across the nation as these fires are sparking up, it seems like in many areas.
Thank you, Veronica.
Want to tell you about this. A woman confronts the murderer of her two-year-old son in a dramatic courtroom outburst.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now what do I have? What do I have that eases the pain? Nothing! And you just stand there! You can't say nothing. You can't (UNINTELLIGIBLE), because you're so (UNINTELLIGIBLE). (END VIDEO CLIP)
NGUYEN: We're going to hear more from that courtroom and why the killer will soon - get this - go free.
HOLMES: And also, we're going to continue to follow up on the latest conditions in the Southeast and the West, as well, all those fires burn thousands of acres.
You are watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: We are learning more about an alleged terror plot that puts U.S. facilities in Germany on high alert. A senior federal official says the plot included the use of bombs and small arms against U.S. targets.
Intelligence officials described the plotters as "Islamic extremists." Now, officials say that triggered the security alert which was issued last month.
Well, there is no bail for six men accused of plotting a massacre at a U.S. Army base. The judge says they posed a flight risk. He ordered them held without bail during a detention hearing yesterday.
Prosecutors say the suspects were planning an assault on the U.S. Army base at Fort Dix, New Jersey. The goal of that alleged plot, to kill as many soldiers as possible.
HOLMES: Well, the security crackdown in Baghdad has led to more violence in surrounding areas, as insurgents slip out of town. Now, one American commander outside of the capital is asking for more troops in his particular sector.
Our senior Pentagon correspondent, Jamie McIntyre, has more.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN SENIOR PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT, THE PENTAGON (voice-over): As the U.S. military puts the squeeze on insurgents in Baghdad, they simply pop up in other parts of Iraq where there is less American security.
Diyala province, just northeast of Baghdad, is a prime example. On Thursday, one U.S. soldier was killed, nine others wounded, on patrol - part of a recent spike of violence that has the local U.S. commander calling for another round of reinforcements.
MAJ. GEN. BENJAMIN MIXON, U.S. ARMY, IRAQ: We have put additional forces in there over the last couple of months, an additional Stryker battalion. But I'm going to need additional forces in Diyala province to get that situation to a more acceptable level.
MCINTYRE: General Mixon's request for backup has gone up the chain to Lieutenant General Raymond Odierno. We'll have to decide whether fresh troops coming into Iraq this month to complete the U.S. troop buildup should be dispatched to Diyala, or if he will need to shift troops from Baghdad or elsewhere in Iraq.
One thing is for sure. There are no additional forces available from the U.S. And despite Pentagon assurances that Iraq's 125 battalions are growing more capable by the day, none of them are up to the job either.
Speaking at Cambridge University in England, Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, conceded U.S. troops will likely be needed well into 2009.
JALAL TALABANI, PRESIDENT OF IRAQ: We hope that Congress will review this decision and help American Army to stay until Iraqi army will be ready to replace them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When might that be?
TALABANI: I think within one half - more than two years.
MCINTYRE (on camera): In just a few days, the final wave of the 30,000 additional U.S. troops will begin flowing into Baghdad. And by mid-June, the U.S. should be at full strength.
One general told CNN today that there is no real option to send even more forces, because every Army soldier is either there, headed there or coming back.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEO)
HOLMES: And tonight, on an all-new CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT, "Month of Mayhem." Michael Holmes puts a human face on the casualties of war. Plus, get an inside look at life in Iraq. Don't miss "Month of Mayhem," tonight and tomorrow at 8 Eastern.
NGUYEN: Also, we are honoring America's fallen heroes. Memorial weekend is only two weeks away and we do need your help today. What we want you to do is send us your photos and videos of loved ones that your family has lost from present and past wars. We want to tell their stories.
So, tell us about them. Let us know how your family has coped. There are two ways that you can reach us. You can log on to cnn.com/ireport, or you can e-mail us directly at ireport@cnn.com.
HOLMES: We've been keeping an eye on this story - parts of an island on fire and residents ready to defend their homes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We spent the night on the roof with a water hose, trying to be prepared if it happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: But can they now rest easy? We'll have the latest on the firefighters' efforts there.
NGUYEN: And Josh Levs joins us now with a look inside our gas tank. I'll show you what's in mine. Nothing. I'm out. Can I get a loan so I can fill it up?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: But that's because you don't need one. You guys are anchors. You get driven everywhere ...
NGUYEN: Oh, right.
LEVS: ... in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) white stretch limos, right? Oh, come on.
But the rest of us have to actually work and, you know, put that credit card into the gas machine. You know how it works.
Here's the deal, folks. Today what we're going to do, given the rise in prices, we are going to show you exactly what happens to your money at the gas pump, where every penny of it goes. We're going to break it down for you.
And that, of course, is coming up in the segment that we like to call the CNN reality check.
NGUYEN: Also, we're going to show you a few things that you can do to reduce those trips to the gas station. This is all good information. Don't miss it. We're back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Welcome back, everybody, on this SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes. We're so glad you could be here with us.
Do need to get you caught up on the wildfires that are happening pretty much from coast to coast. We're going to start out west at Catalina Island.
It's now about 35 percent contained, that fire. Thousands of residents are returning home now. The island paradise is about 20 miles off the coast, not so idyllic these days.
We get more now from Jaime Chambers of affiliate KTLA.
(BEGIN VIDEO)
JAIME CHAMBERS, KTLA-TV, LOS ANGELES (voice-over): Almost before the alarms went off, the plumes of smoke on Catalina could be seen from the mainland, signaling fire teams from Los Angeles to get ready to fight for the island paradise of Avalon.
Hundreds of firefighters coming by hovercraft joined local volunteer firefighters and residents and made a stand at the edge of town. Helicopters doused the blaze from the air while air tankers laid down fire retardant.
In the end, Avalon was saved, but one man did lose his house.
BRAD WILSON, LOST HOUSE IN FIRE: Walked up to the bottom of the road here and saw that it was fully engulfed in flames. And, you know, I called my wife and said, "It's gone."
And it's tough. You know, it's tough losing virtually all of your belongings.
CHAMBERS: Wilson says he spent two years decorating the 1930 oceanview cottage with his wife.
WILSON: It was a really cool, old beach bungalow, very nicely appointed. We had just dialed in with all new furniture, Pottery Barn loves us. Of course they'll love us again.
CHAMBERS: Six industrial buildings were also destroyed, but business owners say they will rebuild. Firefighters say the blaze started when a worker from the mainland was fixing some radio equipment. Islanders say the man was using a blow torch. Fire investigators declined to comment. Locals say they just can't wait to have things get back to normal.
MARY STEIN, AVALON RESIDENT: Oh, I'm feeling very grateful that the town is here. And gosh, I mean, we've eluded the worst of it. Hopefully now that it's daylight and they start flying again that they'll get the rest of it out.
RANDY BRADDOCK, AVALON RESIDENT: I'm a little sleepy. We spent the night on the roof with a water hose trying to be prepared if it happened.
CHAMBERS: The fire hasn't been completely contained, but with the winds down, things are looking up.
TOM KIESEWETTER, LONG BEACH FIRE DEPT: We're feeling much better. It's calmed down quite a bit. The winds are cooperating. The marine influence is cooperating. And things seem to be falling into place.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: That report again from Jamie Chambers of our affiliate KTLA there on Catalina Island. And as we said, residents are being allowed back onto the island, but the visitors still being told to stay away.
NGUYEN: Want to get you now to the southeast where mandatory evacuations have been ordered. The worst of the wildfires traveling the Georgia/Florida state line. But moving deeper into Florida, more than 550 homes in Columbia County now evacuated. The fire itself has charred nearly 180,000 acres in both states. That is about 280 square miles. Luckily, though, there have been no homes lost in northern Florida and no injuries. This fire can now be seen all the way down to Miami, some 300 miles south.
HOLMES: Three hundred miles south. Bonnie Schneider, help us make sense of that. We're hearing reports, like Betty just said there, you can see these fires and the smoke from hundreds of miles away.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: All right, we're going to turn to gas prices now, $3 used to be kind of a shock for gas. Now, we're kind of used to the threes. You're probably going to be seeing a lot of threes at the corner station. Could you see fours? Could that be in our future next? Maybe peanut butter and jelly will be in a lot of our futures if gas goes that high.
Well most Americans think yes, $4 gas is a possibility. CNN/Opinion Research poll reveals 79 percent believe it is likely gas will hit $4 a gallon this year. Twenty-one percent are a little more optimistic. If it's any consolation, $5 a gallon still seems improbable to most Americans.
NGUYEN: Don't say it because then it will happen.
HOLMES: Five dollars, only 28 percent say it's likely gas prices will reach that level this year, 71 percent, again, a little more optimistic.
There are ways to make a gallon of gas go farther. And CNN consumer reporter Greg Hunter has a bit of advice for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GREG HUNTER, CNN CONSUMER CORRESPONDENT: Well, I can't give you one tip that will save you big bucks, but I can give you a lot of little ones that can really add up. First of all, put regular gas in your car, not premium. Ninety percent of vehicles only need regular gas. You don't help yourself out buying the premium. You don't help yourself out buying the mid grade if all your car needs is regular gas.
Also the check engine light. If it's on, you're definitely using more fuel. That's according to AAA. Another good one is gas up when it's cool. That's because when it's cool, gas is denser, you get more bang for your buck.
Also, slow down. You could save up to 10 percent, the difference between 55 and 65. And if you're idling more than a minute, turn your engine off you'll save money. Less than a minute leave it run.
Tire pressure, big, especially if you have an SUV. The bigger the vehicle, the more critical tire pressure is. You can save as much as 10 percent especially on that SUV.
Also, if you have roof racks or weight in your trunk get rid of that and check gaspricewatch.com. If you want to get the lowest price, all you have to do is put your zip code in and you'll get the lowest price. Back to you guys in the studio.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: All right, so you can save a little money here and there. But ever wonder where all your gas dollars are actually going? Our Josh Levs has been looking into that and he joins us now with a "Reality Check." Yes, that's where I want to know. Where is it going?
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Where is all that money going? That's what we're checking out today because you know what, people are getting rich off of us. You know this.
NGUYEN: A lot of people.
LEVS: A lot of people are getting really rich, but do you know who all of these people are? This is what we're going to look into today. You hear about people making money off of your money. You know this, the people at the gas station, you know the people who control the oil in other countries and obviously you know about the big oil companies.
But do you know, for every dollar that you spend, there's actually a lot of parties out there getting a chunk of that change.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS (voice-over): The prices are being steadily driven up, prompting promises of action, again.
REP. STENY HOYER (D), HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER: I'm pleased that we have scheduled seven hearings in the house between now and Memorial Day.
LEVS: Meanwhile, where is your money going?
Here's the breakdown. Federal and state taxes take 15 to 20 cents of every dollar you spend at the pump. Distribution and marketing takes about 5 to 15 cents. That's money for the gas station.
Next, refining, where the big oil companies make a lot of their profits, refining takes as much as a quarter of every dollar. These amounts vary. But what generally stays the same is the biggest percentage of all, which takes more than 50 cents of every dollar.
The price of crude oil is affected by supply and demand. And set largely by OPEC, which supplies about 40 percent of the world's oil and puts a production limit on its members to keep prices at a target level.
The most prominent member is Saudi Arabia, the world's leading oil producer. Oil has long been at the core of U.S./Saudi relations. Among the 12 countries that make up OPEC, Iran and Venezuela, whose leaders are political enemies of President Bush. OPEC has condemned terrorism. Still, some U.S. lawmakers worry about what happens with the money.
REP. EDWARD MARKEY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: But the money which is then spent is used by many of these countries to finance the terrorism.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: And we're talking about a mammoth sum of money. I looked into the figure this week for how much gasoline Americans use in a year, get this guys, Americans combined use 140 billion gallons of gas.
NGUYEN: With a B and that equates to how much?
LEVS: Depends how much it's costing. Right now it would be about $450 billion.
NGUYEN: So here's the thing. We're using all of this gas and eventually folks are saying it's going to run out if we keep at this stage that we are. But I understand President Bush has been really investing in renewable energy. But what's happening with that? Where's that going?
LEVS: Yeah, good point. There's definitely a lot of talk about investing in the renewable energy programs. But when you actually look at the kind of money that's been put into it, this is interesting.
Every year in the State of the Union address, President Bush calls for more efforts to be put into renewable energy. In fact, the amount of money that's been put in every year has stayed exactly the same at $1.2 billion.
That's been his request every year, it's pretty much what's been granted every year. So when it comes to renewable energy programs throughout the last six years, there's really been a stasis. Really, we're looking at the same amount of money that's been there each year.
NGUYEN: All right and then for folks like T.J. who drive an SUV and get what, 10 miles per gallon?
HOLMES: It's a flex fuel vehicle now. I'm trying. I'm trying.
LEVS: Plus he's got to go see Charlie Davidson.
HOLMES: Hey, I'm trying.
NGUYEN: Yes you are, I commend you for that. What did you say?
LEVS: You know, he's been to Charlie Davidson.
HOLMES: That is a lie.
NGUYEN: Thank you Josh, right, Mr. Reality Check.
HOLMES: Yes, reality, don't lie. All right, thanks, Josh. We'll see you again with the truth maybe sometime. Well, stick around for this. This is really a tough moment we saw in a New Jersey courtroom, an emotional moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know how to get rid of this pain I have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: A mother breaks down in the courtroom, facing her son's killer and feeling the frustration of 16 years of loss.
NGUYEN: Plus, all these faces have something in common. They're all hapa. That's a person of mixed race, usually half Asian, and they're labeled the face of the future, but often facing an identity crisis. We'll explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We are just getting word here that U.S. military is now searching for three U.S. soldiers, not calling them missing. Officially termed duty status whereabouts unknown on these three soldiers.
But the U.S. military is looking for three soldiers somewhere in the area west of Baghdad after an attack. We don't have many details at this point about it.
And -- or the belief is that these three have possibly fallen into enemy hands. But again, it's called duty status whereabouts unknown, officially. U.S. military not saying right now that they are missing, not classifying like that, but classified as duty status whereabouts unknown are these three U.S. soldiers after an attack somewhere west of Baghdad.
There is where the search is being concentrated right now. Again, no other idea about the -- how massive of an operation, or how massive of an attack. That these soldiers and who they were with and how big of a group they were in and the attack they did come under. After that attack according to the U.S. military, they are now looking for three soldiers who are said to have their whereabouts unknown at this time.
We're certainly going to be keeping an eye on this story. We also have our Hugh Riminton in town, as well, live in Baghdad. We're going to get to him as soon as we get him up, possibly get more details about that, as well. But again, three U.S. soldiers, the search goes on for them right now, not being classified as missing but officially duty status whereabouts unknown. We're keeping an eye on this story, we're going to have our Hugh Riminton up as soon as we can.
NGUYEN: Right now though we want to take you to a New Jersey courtroom where a dramatic scene unfolded. The grieving, estranged mother of a murdered toddler confronting her killer, who happens to be the child's father.
HOLMES: Yeah, incredibly he only spent 20 months in jail for the crime. Now, a judge has set him free. Our Allan Chernoff was in the courtroom. He heard and saw everything.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The suffering of La Shawn McCoy whose two-year-old boy was murdered at the hands of his father seems unbearable.
LA SHAWN MCCOY, CURTIS MCCOY'S MOTHER: I don't know how to get rid of this pain I have. And I pray, I pray, I do, I pray that one day I could think about my baby and not feel the pain, that I can just feel happiness.
CHERNOFF: For 16 years the murder of two year old Curtis McCoy was an unsolved mystery. In 1989 the young boy was visiting the father, Curtis Williams, who lived apart from the mother.
(on camera): Williams told police that he had lost his son while shopping here in downtown Newark. When he reached back to grab the boy's hand, he said little Curtis was gone.
(voice-over): Curtis' mother couldn't believe it. She kept pressuring police. And finally two years ago Williams was charged with murder. But prosecutors saw they had little evidence. La Shawn had to know where her son's body was. So a plea was struck. Williams would reveal the burial site in return for a deal that could gain his freedom from prison.
But days of digging and sifting dirt here under the New Jersey Turnpike in Jersey City yielded nothing. Experts said the small body had probably decomposed. In court this morning La Shawn begged the judge to overturn the plea bargain to which she had agreed.
MCCOY: I need justice served, your honor. I need some kind of closure. Curtis walking out of here won't be justice served.
CHERNOFF: Then she turned to Curtis Williams.
MCCOY: Now what do I have? What do I have to ease the pain? Nothing. And you stand there, you can't say nothing? You can't shed a tear? Because you are so cold hearted.
CHERNOFF: Prosecutor Deborah Simon said she had done the best she could under the circumstances.
DEBORAH SIMON, ASSISTANT PROSECUTOR: Sometimes the strengths and weaknesses of your case require you to make a deal with the devil. And unfortunately that's the position we were in.
CHERNOFF: Judge Peter Vazquez signed off.
JUDGE PETER VAZQUEZ, NEW JERSEY SUPERIOR COURT: Suffice it to say that a plea arrangement such as this would never, never, be reached without the consent and the understanding of the victim's family. I would never have accepted this plea if that had not been represented to me.
CHERNOFF: La Shawn McCoy was distraught.
(on camera): The plea bargain. Do you feel that justice has been done?
JEFFREY JABLONSKI, WILLIAMS' DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I do, taking into account everything that has transpired in this case, absolutely.
CHERNOFF (voice-over): But La Shawn McCoy says her 18 year search for justice has been fruitless. Because tonight, Curtis Williams who confessed to killing his two-year-old son is a free man after having spent just 20 months behind bars. Allan Chernoff, CNN, Jersey City, New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: We want to turn now to Baghdad and our Hugh Riminton, who's working the story of three U.S. soldiers, who are not called missing just yet, Hugh. But please update our viewers on what's happening there with these three soldiers.
HUGH RIMINTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Official status of these three soldiers is simply that their whereabouts are unknown. They have not been technically listed as missing.
But a huge search is now under way across an area to the west of Baghdad, in Al Anbar Province after a fight this morning. A unit came under attack. The attackers are not known at this stage. The consequence of this was that three soldiers, the word is not missing, that they don't know where they are, a massive search is under way for them, at the moment.
And the military keeping its information pretty tightly held just at the moment. But, Major General William Caldwell, who was called in as the official spokesman for the U.S. military on important matters is apparently drafting a statement right now. We expect to find out more shortly.
Right now, about all we can tell you, a big search for three soldiers, whereabouts unknown. This is in an area that includes Fallujah, Ramadi, two of the hot spots in the war over the last four years. There had been reports that it was calming down a little as local tribal sheikhs were starting to take action against al Qaeda elements that had taken hold in that province.
Plainly, though, al Qaeda elements remain in there, it's not known if they're in any way involved in this, the U.S. military doesn't know who was attacking. But right now, three soldiers whereabouts unknown.
HOLMES: Our Hugh Riminton for us in Baghdad. Hugh, thank you so much.
NGUYEN: And coming up, half Asian but 100 percent hapa. So what's a hapa? Well actually, I'm one.
HOLMES: You are?
NGUYEN: So are more than a million Americans. We're going to explain, T.J., that's coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: There are 14 million Asian-Americans in the United States, and at some point just about every one of them will have to answer the question, what are you?
Well, for many that answer is simple, but for a growing group, one that's been labeled the face of the future, the answer is as complicated as their genetic makeup.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN (voice-over): Look at these faces. Do you know what they all have in common? They're part Asian. Better yet, 100% hapa. What's a hapa? Let's ask this Kip Fulbeck. He's had to answer that question all this life. Maybe that's why he inked his Chinese heritage on this back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I grew up Buddhist, she's the goddess of mercy, basically it's kind of a karma thing.
NGUYEN: Call it karma or an identity badge, this California surfer knows the meaning of hapa. It's a Hawaiian slang term for people of mixed racial heritage with partial roots in Asian and/or Pacific Islander ancestry.
Kip is the only hapa in his family. His Chinese mother had four children before her first husband died. She came to America where she married a man with European roots and gave birth to Kip.
KIP FULBECK, AUTHOR: I grew up in a Chinese household. My siblings are all full-blooded Chinese from China. I grew up as the white kid.
NGUYEN: But he wasn't just a white kid. And neither are some students Kip teaches in his identity class at U.C. Santa Barbara.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm the only half-Thai person I know.
NGUYEN: Actually there are 1.6 million hapas in the United States. There is no way to count them until the 2000 census when people were allowed to check more than one box for race.
FULBECK: For my whole life, it was always check one box, basically meant mom or dad? Pick one. You know. Like Sophie's choice. I'm not going to do it. So I want people to be able to realize that millions of people go through the same thing all the time and that's all right.
NGUYEN: But it isn't always easy. At least not for this little girl. That's me. Yes, I'm a hapa, too, a baby born of war to a Vietnamese mother and an American serviceman.
I get a lot of times, a lot of people think I'm Hispanic. Or, you know, a lot of people think I'm something -
FULBECK: Well, you've got to be down with La Raza, come on Betty.
NGUYEN: I mean, how many different cultures, nationalities have people mistaken you for?
FULBECK: Oh, my god. I get all of them. From, you know, I usually get Hawaiian, Filipino, Middle Eastern, Black, Mexican, South American, rarely, I never get Chinese.
NGUYEN: And that's why Kip traveled the country taking photographs for his book called "Part Asian, 100 percent Hapa." Everyone answered a question asked 1,000 times. What are you?
Some said, "I feel like a chameleon socially. No one questions my father's race or ethnicity but suddenly one generation later I'm not Asian? I am a daily contest to guess what I am."
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm Vietnamese and if you hear my mom speak, you'd believe me, too.
NGUYEN: Sophia means (ph) is a model who believes that she's missed out on jobs because she's not one race with one look. And yet, times may be changing for hapas.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every now and again I book work and they want a girl who's ethnically ambiguous and it's nice to see that category now. I don't think it existed before.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm the guy who says and does whatever he wants because whoever I'm with, white or Asian, just says to themselves, it's okay, he's half.
NGUYEN: Daniel Spickard (ph) is half Chinese and half Caucasian. Do you feel like that you've received some of the benefits of being a little bit of both?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sometimes I do feel a little more unique in the fact that I'm not -- it's not just another face in the crowd.
NGUYEN: They might just be the faces of the future. Already, dubbed the poster children for 21st century globalization.
In this book, I think what's fascinating is not only do they look different, but there's always this sense of, I've got to explain who I am.
FULBECK: Oh, I've got a story about that. I gave people these half sheets of paper to write their statements. And they're like, go ahead, write a statement, just respond to the question what are you. You don't like it, here's some more paper. I had one girl go through 17 pages, crumpling up, throwing it away. And I had one girl at a shoot in L.A. where she sad through the entire shoot three hours with her pen and she never made a mark.
NGUYEN: Which speaks to how many hapas are searching for their true identity. And that's why Kip created his book of faces.
FULBECK: Ultimately I think I want it to be a thing of celebration. I want people to really celebrate the diversity of hapa people so it's not like oh, I know someone who's half Asian, too. Oh, you kind of look like him. It's like a vastly varied people and I want people to be able to go put themselves out there and it have it be a real celebratory thing.
NGUYEN: So Professor Fulbeck's lesson is this, it's perfectly normal for hapas to deal with identity issues and preserved in these pages, each face tells a unique story.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And to learn more about Kip Fulbeck's book and the hapa project where he takes these photos to museums all across the nation, you can log on to www.thehapaproject.com. You can also see more of my interview with Kip on CNN.com/pipeline.
HOLMES: Well, we've got an update on the breaking news, a search for three U.S. soldiers in Iraq. We'll be live in Baghdad, plus the wildfires burning in at least four states. Live coverage continues on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Hello, there, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, I'm T.J. Holmes.
NGUYEN: And I'm Betty Nguyen. We want to thank you for starting your day with us.
Fighting wildfires on both coasts. Tourists and residents just driven out. The battle, it inches closer, and we are on the front lines.
HOLMES: Also, muddy waters in the Midwest. Floodwaters peaking this weekend, but many homes already swamped.
NGUYEN: Also, sadness and celebration at Virginia Tech. We have a live report from a bittersweet commencement, ahead on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
But first, we want to get you to that breaking news this hour out of Iraq. The U.S. military confirms to CNN that it is searching, searching for three soldiers.
Now, they've been unaccounted for since an attack west of Baghdad. Let's get to CNN's Hugh Riminton in Baghdad. And we stress the word searching, because they're not calling them missing as of yet, correct?
RIMINTON: Yeah, the official statement, Betty, these soldiers are not missing, their whereabouts are unknown, however.
And this is what has prompted an enormous search over an area west of Baghdad in Al Anbar Province, an area that was notoriously a heartland for al Qaeda and other Sunni insurgents.
There was an attack in the last few hours on a group of U.S. soldiers. The force making that attack on U.S. soldiers not known to the U.S. military. When the dust settled, three of these soldiers were, well, no one knew exactly where they were. They are listed, as I say, not officially missing, but their whereabouts at this stage nobody knows, and this has prompted an enormous search.
We expect to get a little bit more from the U.S. military soon. There will be a statement from Major General William Caldwell, we're expecting, in the next couple of hours. The fact that this statement is coming from a member of the general staff, an indication of the concerns that are currently being held for these three soldiers, whereabouts unknown, western Baghdad, Betty.
NGUYEN: Hugh, we are just getting word in from the "Associated Press" that the U.S. military says indeed five U.S. soldiers have been killed in that attack south of Baghdad, although the search is still on for those three that their whereabouts are unknown.
So this is the latest we have. Of course, you'll be getting more information as well, Hugh. We appreciate that, but let me just remind you one more time viewers, that the "Associated Press" is stating that the U.S. military says five soldiers have been killed in that same attack south of Baghdad, that attack where three soldiers' whereabouts are unknown at this hour. As soon as we get more information, we will bring it straight to you.
HOLMES: We now want to turn to a major story, major issue happening here in the U.S., wildfires. Firefighters getting the upper hand in California now. The blaze in Catalina Island now 35 percent contained.
Meanwhile in northern Minnesota, dozens of homes and other structures have been destroyed. And in Florida, fire is spreading farther south. Mandatory evacuations ordered in one area. Hundreds of homes affected. The fire, which started in Georgia, now 15 miles into Florida. It's burned about 180,000 miles so far in two states. CNN's John Zarrella live in Lake City, Florida this morning for us. Hello to you, John.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, T.J. Well you know, a little bit of encouraging news this morning. We talked to forestry officials just a few minutes ago, and you can see it's light, no wind at all here today. And the humidity is up, and that's great news, they say.
They're going to try and make hay while the sunshine -- although there is no sun really shining through this thick fog and smoke. You can see behind me here, there must be about 75 fire trucks lined up here waiting for their orders, their marching orders, where to head out to today to begin fighting these fires. They're from just about every county across the state of Florida have come here to help, and this is probably the worst of about 200 fires that are burning across Florida. This one has burned about 85,000 acres here in Florida, and at one point, fire officials told us that within a 24-hour period it had burned 60,000 acres.
Now, we had an opportunity to go out with the forestry folks late yesterday afternoon, took us out to the fire lines where they are digging, fire lines where they are digging trenches to try and stop the fire.
And the areas that we were able to get into, we were able to see that the fire is basically burning up to these fire breaks and stopping. And that's really good news for them. As long as they can keep that happening, and it will continue to happen like that as long as the wind lays down.
If the wind picks up and the embers start flying through the trees, that's a different story, but right now they've got a good opportunity.
Only one structure has been lost to this fire. The only structure lost to this fire was a hunting camp way deep out in the woods. These are for the most part pine forest and tree farms out there. This hunting camp was absolutely wiped out. The flames raced through there, destroying that hunt camp. But again, the only structure lost to this fire.
We did also have an opportunity to see some of the heavy equipment, machinery that's back in there, that's digging these fire breaks. Secondary and tertiary fire breaks in case the wind picks up and the primary fire break gets breached.
But again, T.J., very good news here, at least this morning, that they are getting an upper hand here, although they are still at this point saying that the fire is only 10 percent contained. But they are now able to work on the head of the fire because of this break in the weather. T.J.?
HOLMES: Well, that sounds good that they are getting an upper hand, even though they still have work cut out for them and only one structure destroyed, that is some good news to hear. John Zarrella for us in Lake City - John, thank you so much.
NGUYEN: Oh, but it's not over, because moving now to picturesque Catalina Island about 25 miles off the California island, fire has forced thousands of residents off that island, but some never left.
Instead, staying put to protect their homes. Those who did leave are now allowed back, and that fire is about 35 percent contained. No homes appear to be in imminent danger. Tourists and visitors are still not allowed on the island.
Well, dry conditions turning forest into tinder boxes in northern Minnesota, and that has forced hundreds of people from their homes. Many of those homes now gone. We get more from Trisha Volpe of affiliate KARE in Cook County, Minnesota.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TRISHA VOLPE, KARE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While it's possible to measure the size of a fire, more than 50,000 acres gone in just a week. It's hard to measure the magnitude of the fire's impact.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's sad to watch so many people devastated.
VOLPE: For Sarah and Anna Hamilton and hundreds of other people evacuated from the Gun Flint Trail, there hasn't been any time for all this to sink in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was never a question of whether this was going to happen, it was a matter of when.
VOLPE: These two sisters own the historic Trail Center halfway up the Gun Flint. Yesterday morning, Sarah turned on the sprinklers, the fire still miles away.
SARAH HAMILTON, GUNFLINT TRAIL RESIDENT: We're scared to lose everything, but we're not afraid at all.
VOLPE: By afternoon, Sarah was packing up the entire business.
HAMILTON: We'll figure something out.
VOLPE: With 10 minutes to evacuate, they took years of memories off the trail center's walls.
HAMILTON: We just decided if we had to lose everything, we weren't going to lose these.
VOLPE: As of this morning, the trail center was still standing.
HAMILTON: I'm more worried about the people that are losing their only homes, more than anything, my staff, their homes. That makes me sad.
VOLPE: And in these last few days there have been many tears with hundreds forced to leave their homes and cabins. Some already know their places are gone. Many are still waiting for word, like Robin and Robert Nicholson. They have a cabin on Loon Lake.
ROBERT NICHOLSON, COOK COUNTY RESIDENT: This morning we call in the phone and the phone rang, and that's a good sign. There is still a phone, there is still a cabin. So we're delighted. And hopefully, our luck will hold.
VOLPE: Firefighters are now hoping for some luck of their own with a fire driven by changing winds, burning dangerously close.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a beautiful area and we're going to try to keep it that way as best we can. VOLPE: And it's all going to depend on the weather. There is some rain in the forecast for this weekend, but because it's dry and the fire now so big, it may not be enough to make a real difference. In Grand Marais, Trisha Volpe, KARE 11 News.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: Bonnie Schneider joins us now. She is in the Severe Weather Center to tell us how the weather is going to cooperate with these fires, or if it is going to cooperate, because they do need some rain, Bonnie.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HOLMES: Well, we now want to turn to flooding in the heartland. The worst may be over in much of Missouri. Rain-swollen rivers are expected to crest this weekend and so far, many areas are faring much better than expected. No injuries or deaths have been reported from this week's flooding. A number of levees across the state failed under all the stress.
NGUYEN: Well, we are moving forward in remembering those who weren't able to. Graduation ceremonies are held for students at Virginia Tech after the tragedy there. And we do have those details coming up in a live report.
HOLMES: Also, he's back to face a judge and his son. Up next, the man who fled to Mexico after being released from jail to give his son a kidney. He returns to the states.
NGUYEN: And later in today's "HOUSE CALL," an interesting look at how race affects your health. Dr. Sanjay Gupta profiles Asian- American health issues at 8:30.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: We are still following that breaking news out of Iraq, where the search is on for three U.S. soldiers. Let's take you now to Baghdad and CNN's Hugh Riminton with the latest on the search and more information that is coming into CNN. What do you have, Hugh?
RIMINTON: Definitely, Betty, some more information coming through to us from Major General William Caldwell, an official statement on this. It certainly makes grim reading. At about quarter to 5:00 a.m., just less than 12 hours ago, a coalition force team of less than eight soldiers, including seven Americans, plus an Iraqi interpreter, were attacked. This was an at a position about 12 miles west of Mahmudiyah, which is a city just about 15 miles south of Baghdad. So this incident just to the southwest of Baghdad.
In this attack, five soldiers were killed in action, three are currently missing. Specifically, what happened was that another unit nearby reported hearing explosions. They tried to make radio contact. They were unsuccessful at this. Within 15 minutes, an unmanned aerial vehicle, what some people call drones, was sent up. It found evidence of two burning vehicles. They quickly dispatched a quick-reaction force. And when they got to the scene, they found the bodies of five soldiers killed in action, three others missing in action.
And now there is an enormous search taking place involving helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, more drones are in place, checkpoints have been placed around to try to prevent anyone moving these three missing soldiers out of the area.
There is also an effort being made immediately to enlist the help of local tribal leaders to find out anything they know, all their help. They've got great eyes and ears on the ground, to see if there has been any movement of these three missing soldiers. Their condition not known at this stage, but plainly, a major search. These three one must presume for the moment, live soldiers who are missing after a fierce firefight that killed five of their colleagues, Betty.
NGUYEN: So five dead, three still missing, and at the end of the statement that you were just talking about, it says -- "make no mistake, we will never stop looking for our soldiers until their status is definitely determined and we continue to pray for their safe return."
Hugh, please keep us posted with any information you get and when we get, it we will provide it to you, our viewers. T.J.?
HOLMES: All right, well Vice President Dick Cheney on the road again and on a mission. Today's stop on his Middle Eastern tour is Saudi Arabia. CNN White House correspondent Elaine Quijano joins us now live. Good morning to you, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, T.J., that's right.
Vice President Cheney is set to meet with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia this weekend. Already he has met with the leaders of the United Arab Emirates on this mission. He is in the region trying to gain support for the Bush administration's policy in Iraq. He is also there to try to counter Iran's growing influence in the Middle East. That continues to be a very big concern for Arab states.
As part of that effort in fact, we heard Vice President Dick Cheney aboard the USS Stennis with some talk on Iran. He bluntly warned Tehran that the United States would not allow Iran to get nuclear weapons or close off sea lanes which are so important for the transport of oil.
All of that, T.J., part of the effort to try to ease concerns among Arab leaders that Iran is growing in influence. T.J.?
HOLMES: All right, Elaine Quijano for us from the White House this morning. Elaine, thank you so much.
NGUYEN: And of course, we're still following that breaking news out of Iraq where five coalition force personnel soldiers there are dead, three missing at this hour after an attack south of Baghdad. As soon as we get more information on that, we'll bring it to you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's what we're looking for.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It's like cross-country skiing without the snow.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What's up with the sticks? You know, and I'm like no, they're poles.
COSTELLO: Those poles are the key to a joint-friendly exercise called Nordic walking.
ALEXANDRA JURASIN, EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGIST: The poles allow you to, in essence, thrust off the ground behind you.
COSTELLO: Nordic walking poles have rubber tips to grip the pavement. The length is adjustable. Instructor Alex Jurasin shows her class the proper technique.
JURASIN: You notice I'm not doing this. That's important, right? So Extend the arms out, long levers and long legs.
COSTELLO: Jurasin says Nordic walking burns up to 400 calories an hour, compared to about 350 for regular walking. The poles give you the added benefit of an upper body workout.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: At the first round, I took off my jacket, I was hot.
COSTELLO: Nordic walking got its start in Finland over 100 years ago when cross-country skiers tried to stay fit during the summer. It's new to the U.S., so don't be surprised if it gets some funny looks or teasing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Where's the snow? The mountains are that way. What are you doing?
COSTELLO: Carol Costello, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
NGUYEN: Emotions running high at Virginia Tech this weekend. It is graduation time, and the joy at commencement ceremonies is tempered by sadness over last month's senseless killings. There are more graduation ceremonies taking place at Virginia Tech today and CNN's Jim Acosta joins us now from Blacksburg. Talk to us a little bit about the emotion, because it ranges there on campus today. Many excited about graduation, but then also very bittersweet.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're absolutely right, Betty, a lot of mixed emotions here on the Virginia Tech campus this weekend. As you said, this should be a time of joy for these students, but they're also in mourning. They're still mourning these 32 classmates and professors who lost their lives.
And right now, a lot of these students, these graduating seniors, are at their individual departments receiving their diplomas in ceremonies that are taking place. And even at these individual ceremonies, the departments are taking time to honor the fallen.
And this follows last night's stirring ceremony at the Virginia Tech football stadium here on campus. And while the graduating seniors here took time to celebrate with their families, they also honored those fallen classmates and professors - 3,500 graduating seniors were inside this stadium last night surrounded by 30,000 friends, family and loved ones.
The pomp and circumstance subdued as the university presented school rings and honorary degrees to the families of the victims of April 16th. Pictures of the 32 students and faculty members were displayed on the stadium's giant screen, and their names were read one by one.
The commencement's main speaker, retired General John Abizaid and the university president, Charles Steger, both urged the crowd in attendance there to not only remember the fallen, but also to remember not to let this tragedy define them.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. JOHN ABIZAID (RET.), U.S. ARMY: Your compassion, your steadfastness under pressure, your tremendous support of one another make you a special group, and you make me know our nation is in good hands.
CHARLES STEGER, VIRGINIA TECH PRESIDENT: Revel in the joy of this day. Celebrate your accomplishments, celebrate all those lives that have touched yours in helping you to come to this point. Reach out and hug these people, if you can, and to all of our students here today, those graduating and those who will be returning, I wish I could reach out and hug each one of you.
You are the reason I get out of bed in the morning. You're my passion, the focus of my days and most of my nights. You are the future, and your achievements will be felt around the globe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ACOSTA: And what's interesting, retired General John Abizaid actually offered the university a chance to basically say, you know, look, because of the tragic events of April 16th, General Abizaid, you are no longer needed at this ceremony.
But the university wanted to have General Abizaid here, and his message to the students was quite stirring, reminding those students that -- and it sounds awful familiar to the loved ones of fallen soldiers -- that their mission now is to remember those who lost their lives, but to also move forward.
And security, because of those events on April 16th and because of the presence of the general here, was quite high last night. There were long lines outside the stadium as they were searching bags and keeping an eye on the very big crowd here. But in the end, just a little bit of rain and this event went off without a hitch -- Betty?
NGUYEN: Jim Acosta live in Blacksburg, Virginia for us today. Thank you, Jim.
HOLMES: Well, we do want to let you know that the queen of talk is talking. And when Oprah Winfrey talks, you sit down, you shut up and you listen to what she's saying!
NGUYEN: Wow, OK.
HOLMES: Yes. She's going to share her wisdom with the graduates at Howard University in Washington today and we will share that wisdom with you. The commencement ceremony begins at 10:00 Eastern. We're going to carry her remarks live when it does happen.
NGUYEN: There is much more to come here on CNN. We are following breaking news out of Iraq. Five coalition soldiers have been killed in action, another three missing. We'll get you an update on the other side of this break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We want to talk more about the breaking news out of Iraq today, where five coalition troops, we understand, have been killed, and another three now missing after they were attacked south of Baghdad. Brigadier general James "Spider" Marks on the line with us to talk about this. Spider Marks, thank you so much, always good to have you.
JAMES SPIDER MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Good morning.
HOLMES: What jumps out at you, when you hear how this happened, how the military is reporting it, what jumps out at you about this attack?
MARKS: Well, the first thing that jumps out at you is the true tragedy and the cost of this conflict.
This is a squad of soldiers, about eight or nine troops that were caught in a firefight and five of them were killed and three of them are now in a category called "dust one (ph)." That's duty and status unknown.
You don't know what they are up to, where they are, whether they've been captured, whether they've been injured, whether there was a break in contact.
So that's kind of number one. You put the human face on it, and it's difficult not to. But at the same time, you have to be very objective and you've got to verify the identities of those great soldiers that were killed and also those that now are in this status that you're going to work aggressively to go find out what they're up to and you're going to retrieve these people.
HOLMES: Does this sound like a small -- we're talking about eight soldiers here. Not sure how big a pack they travel in, but it seems like they should have had a backup close enough by?
MARKS: Well, T.J., this is about a squad, that's exactly right. And when you read the initial reports, if there is some element of truth to that, and there should be. It took a little bit of time for a response team to get into the area.
So clearly, you'd never want to have an isolation like this with a small group of troops. But remember, these guys are up-armored, probably have a lot of hardware with them. So clearly, for the circumstances, the assessment was made that they'd be able to handle themselves and fight their way out of a situation. Sadly, that wasn't the case.
HOLMES: And I know this is real early, but just from what you know, should this have been more likely that this was a target of opportunity on this attack or is this something that could have been planned as far as watching these soldiers and their movements and knowing where they'd be to attack them like this?
MARKS: T.J., it's probably a target of opportunity, but remember that within every opportunity there is a heck of a lot of preparation that went into it.
So there is very little that's serendipitous about this. The bad guys are out there planning it routinely. And they have what I would call guidance and clearance to execute on their own command. So they saw a target of opportunity, they had training and planning, and they executed the mission.
HOLMES: How crucial is it? And I guess how much time do you have? The military was trying to cordon off the area and set up checkpoints to make sure whoever might have these three soldiers were not able to take them too far outside of the area. How much time, really, do you have and how effective can that be?
MARKS: That's right. You're operating in terms of minutes. Adrenaline flows on both sides. Good guys get adrenaline flowing, as do bad guys. And if you've got three soldiers that are now in an unknown duty status, whether they've been captured, whether they're just missing -- and bear in mind, we don't know where they are.
They literally could still be fighting some place, running some bad guy down a hole. We just don't know. But it's very critical, the immediate time after an assault, an attack like this, is to isolate as quickly as possible quickly and to get as much intelligence as you can to go figure this thing out.
HOLMES: All right, Spider Marks for us, always appreciate your expertise.
MARKS: T.J., thank you.
NGUYEN: And we are going to continue to follow these developments out of Iraq. We'll have more on this breaking news story at the top of the hour. But right now, we want to join "HOUSE CALL" with CNN chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. This is already in progress.
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