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CNN Saturday Morning News
Investigators Seek Cause of Minneapolis Bridge Collapse; Bush Set to Inspect Minneapolis Bridge Collapse>
Aired August 04, 2007 - 07:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TJ HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR, SATURDAY MORNING: Hello there from CNN center. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is August 4th. Good morning to you all. I'm TJ Holmes.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR, SATURDAY MORNING: And I'm Veronica de la Cruz in today for Betty. It is so nice to see you. Thank you so much for waking up with us this morning. Thank you for waking up with us this morning.
HOLMES: I'm always here. No, thank you for being here. Thanks for helping us out this weekend. (INAUDIBLE)
DE LA CRUZ: We're going to miss her. We are definitely going to miss her.
HOLMES: Yes. Good to have you here.
DE LA CRUZ: Thank you. Here is what is straight ahead this hour.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We used to call him the James Brown of journalism, the hardest working man in journalism. Just like they say James Brown was the hardest working man in show business.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: Tributes to a reporter fatally shot. The investigation he was working on lead to his death. Plus --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two, one, zero and lift off of the Delta 2 rocket with Phoenix. A distance science outpost facing clues of the evolution at the polar region of Mars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Did you get all that? We've got an early morning launch to show you, happened at Cape Canaveral. We'll take you there live.
DE LA CRUZ: Nice. Plus, listen up. If you drive a high-end car and you get in a fender bender, get out your checkbook. We'll have the latest when it comes to crash test results. HOLMES: But we are going to start this morning with the latest on the Minneapolis bridge collapse. Here is what we do know right now. President Bush is leaving Camp David this morning. He's heading to the area to tour the damage there. Certainly talk to some of the victims, talk to that community. Linda Hamm (ph) there. First Lady Laura Bush was there yesterday. Death toll still stands at five right now, but officials warn that number could rise. The sheriff says as many as eight people are unaccounted for. Also this morning, investigators believe that they have uncovered a critical clue in the debris on the south side of that bridge. We'll be talking about that. But murky water, also swift currents making it dangerous for divers in some of the recovery efforts. Our Susan Roesgen joins us now live from Minneapolis with the latest on the happenings and the recovery and the efforts there. Good morning to you, Susan.
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning TJ. You know, after shock of what's happened here, a couple days after the terrible shock of that bridge collapse, then comes the science. The National Transportation Safety Board investigators are here now and they're looking at a super sophisticated computer model that takes input, such as stress on that bridge, traffic on that bridge, load factors, anything that might have contributed to the crash, they put that information into this computer, animated model and try to get some sense through the simulation of what might actually happen. Beyond that, the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board says that in looking at the video of the collapse, they have seen something that might be a clue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK ROSENKER, CHAIRMAN, NTSB: We noticed that the section of this part of the bridge seemed to behave differently in the video and then also, in the final way that it sat after the collapse. It appears that it has shifted approximately 50 feet to the east. And when we compare that to what we've seen in the rest of the bridge, the rest of the bridge appears to have collapsed in place. I don't want to leave the impression that we have the answer. What we have is a step forward.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROESGEN: So again, it's a tantalizing clue. It means much more to the engineers right now than it does to the lay person. The National Transportation Safety Board chairman refused to speculate on what that meant on why most of the bridge would fall straight down but the section on the southern end he said shifted about 50 feet. That's where they're going to sort of focus in the investigation right now. But he said don't make too much of it. There might be something else that comes out that disrupts their theory.
In the meantime, the divers have been in the Mississippi for three days now. The big muddy they call it and for good reason. Visibility under just seven or eight feet of water is practically zero. Those divers are trying to negotiate their way around bits of concrete, bits of jagged metal, car wreckage, car parts, very swift undercurrents. And again, they can barely see what they're doing. So what they're doing as best they can is they're going from car to car. They're trying to get up close enough to look at the license plates. Then they surface. They call out the license plate number. Then they go back down underwater to try to get in the cars and see if they can find any bodies.
They got into 12 cars yesterday. They've checked 12 cars. At least so far, they did not find any bodies. That's the good news. They also, TJ, found that some cars had their car windows rolled down which does suggest that some of the drivers or passengers in those cars actually did survive and were able to swim out. The one thing you have to keep in mind, TJ, the reason why the number of the missing and the dead might go up is that several of those cars are just pancaked on top of each other. There are cars underneath cars so crushed the divers wouldn't have any way to know if anyone was inside. TJ.
HOLMES: And that's just horrible to hear if that's the case. They are certainly up against it in that water. Susan, just real quickly, there's been some confusion back and forth about actual estimates of how many cars authorities believe are down there and how many victims are down there. What are the latest numbers that they are giving you about how many people they still think may be -- how many victims still in that water?
ROESGEN: You know they really just don't know. And the numbers are shifting. Once again, the sheriff here said he believes there are eight people missing. Don't know how many people might be dead in the water. But that there were 60 cars they believed in the water. And again, they've only been able to check out 12 of them. The police chief believes that the number is going to go higher, both the unaccounted for and the number of the dead. But right now so far the good news is that that number -- both numbers are much lower than anyone expected right away.
HOLMES: All right. Susan Roesgen for us in Minneapolis. Susan, thank you so much.
And we do know that there are at least five deaths right now. Police have identified the fifth victim of the collapse as Paul Eickstadt (ph). He was driving his struck that burst into flames shortly after the collapse that was right next to the school bus. Also identified 32-year-old native American Julia Blackhawk of Savage, Minnesota. She leaves behind two sons. Also 29-year-old Artemio Trinidad-Mena of Minneapolis. He has four children including a two- month-old daughter, 36-year-old Patrick Holmes of Mounds View, Minnesota. He leaves behind two children and also 60-year-old Sherry Lou Engebretsen who leaves behind a husband and two daughters.
Are some of America's other bridges in danger of falling as well? Tonight at 8:00 Eastern, Soledad O'Brien and CNN special investigations unit looks into "Road to Ruin, are we safe?" That is tonight and tomorrow tonight, again 8:00 Eastern.
DE LA CRUZ: Many of the photos that first came in are from you, our viewers. In fact, I-reports continue to fill our inbox this morning. Josh Levs joins us now. He's manning the dotcom desk for us. Don't get too comfortable.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know, we're doing musical chairs this morning, right?
DE LA CRUZ: We did, but don't get too comfortable.
LEVS: I'm going to do my best to fill your shoes today. Not your shoes, they're too tight on me. You're following it this week, it's history. There was real history made in this respect this week because more I-reports were sent in CNN than ever before. This tragedy happened to coincide with the first anniversary of the existence of CNN I-reports and I'll tell you, the response this week was overwhelming. We got more than 550 submissions. We're still counting. That is more than we've ever received for a single news event ever in that year.
Let's start with this one this morning. Check this out. This photo by Jennifer Bautluss (ph). It shows how the collapsed roadway crushed that steel train car there. It looks like it's crushing a tin can. That reminds you the force of this bridge. Next, Paul Vico (ph) sent us this photo of the crushed train beneath the bridge on the north side of the river. For those who know the area, that used to be the University Avenue exit over to the right.
We've also been receiving a lot of photos of the bridge before the collapse. You might wonder why do that? This is important. Federal investigators are now saying they want pictures of the bridge before the collapse because they might find valuable clues in those pictures about perhaps what went wrong. Jim Davis says he snapped these pictures in the mid of the day back in June. At the time Davis says the rust and decay that he saw there did not seem significant. But folks, now, this is the exact kind of thing investigators are looking at. There could be a clue in your pictures. One of Davis's pictures also shows a joint where a truss connects to a concrete pillar and connections like these are especially interesting to engineers. These are often the weakest parts of a structure so they're really pouring through these. It's great that you sent these in.
Chuck Green, he also sent us a picture of the truss that he took back in March. He sent it to CNN because he heard what the investigators were looking for, these pictures of the bridge before the collapse. And I'll tell you, the thunderous collapse of the 35W bridge over there in Minneapolis really sent shock waves throughout the country making a lot of people a lot more wary about bridges everywhere. And Veronica, later this hour I'm going to show people how you can learn how many bridges in your area could be in danger.
DE LA CRUZ: Right. There's an interactive map at cnn.com right now. It's so amazing to think that our I-reporters have not only helped us out with our coverage but are also helping out the NTSB with their investigation.
LEVS: I really see it as -- I don't do hyperbole a lot, I really see it as some amazing coming together in this era when you've got this era of -- integration. You talk about this era in which all this news but people out there because of the Internet can share news on their own. They send us the pictures. We sift through them, show the right ones.
DE LA CRUZ: I was speaking to one of our reporters and I asked him which moment would stay with him. There was a moment when I stepped back and I saw 40 other people standing there with their cell phone cameras, just capturing the moment so that they can remember that time in history. So it's really terrific to see people stepping forward to help out.
LEVS: It's changing the investigation and it's quite possible that what they're sending us could ultimately protect other bridges.
DE LA CRUZ: That's right. Josh Levs, good job.
LEVS: (INAUDIBLE) Make you proud.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes. TJ
HOLMES: Police are investigating what appears to be a fatal dog attack at the LA home of actor Ving Rhames. Authorities say a caretaker was found dead on the front lawn covered in dog bites. Autopsy expected on Monday to determine the cause of death. Animal control officers seized three bull mastiffs and an English bulldog. Rhames not at home at the time of the attack. You'll certainly remember Ving Rhames for such notable roles in "Mission Impossible" all those movies and also "Pulp Fiction." So a tragic story there, trying to figure out exactly what happened with those dogs.
DE LA CRUZ: Yeah. Hundreds of millions of dollars spent on one highway, while bridges in the same state are called structurally deficient.
HOLMES: So exactly what's happening here? Give you a little hint, got something to do with politics. We'll talk about that coming up.
Plus, a man who survived the bridge collapse. That is just the beginning of his story.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If you would have gotten out of your van down the ramp, you would have ended up in the river.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yeah, in my wheelchair.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With the wheelchair, you would have rolled into the river.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: This survivor's amazing story does not end there.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: And will the weather cooperate for recovery efforts in parts of the twin cities? Right now we do have some scattered showers moving into Minnesota. I'll let you know how long they're going to last. Plus, we're going to talk about the heat. It's going to be pretty big coming up towards the end of the weekend.
DE LA CRUZ: Thanks Reynolds. Plus, toys that could be toxic, getting pulled from store shelves. What parents need to know when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.
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DE LA CRUZ: A brazen killing and a police raid on a well-known bakery. In Oakland, California, police are investigating the murder of a local reporter. The police chief believes members of a black Muslim group who own the bakery are involved in the killing. CNN's Dan Simon has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Your black Muslim bakery was a well-known business in Oakland and not just for its unusual name. Its founder, now deceased, had been implicated in a rape scandal. He died a few years ago shortly before trial. More recently his son and some associates have been charged in the vandalism of bay area liquor stores. Chauncey Bailey, a 57-year old Oakland newspaper reporter had been working on a story about the shop. His boss described him as a tenacious journalist.
PAUL COBB, PUBLISHER, OAKLAND POST: We used to call him the James Brown of journalism. The Hardest working man in journalism just like they say James Brown was the hardest working man in show business.
SIMON: Bailey had recently become the editor of a community weekly. On Thursday he was gunned down, murdered in plain sight as he walked to work. Paul Cobb got a phone call from police at the murder scene, asking if he knew the reporter.
COBB: And I said, yes, he should be there covering it for us. And the police said, no, he won't be covering anything. I said, what are you talking about? And he says, well, we're talking about Chauncey Bailey. And I thought it was a joke.
SIMON: Did Bailey's investigation into the shop lead to his murder? Police wouldn't comment on the motive. But during raids on several locations including the bakery one day after Bailey's murder, investigators say they discovered a powerful link, a gun used in the killing of the veteran journalist.
ASSISTANT CHIEF HOWARD JORDAN, OAKLAND POLICE: This investigation does not involve Muslims under the leadership of the honorable Minister Louis Farrakan and the Nation of Islam. It should not be seen as an investigation of any faith tradition.
SIMON: And it wasn't Bailey's murder that led police to the store. Police had been investigating the bakery for several months. The raid had been planned well in advance. So authorities really did not know that they were going to find evidence allegedly implicating the group in Bailey's murder. Police say they had been investigating the shop and its operators in connection with two other bay area murders.
LT. ERSIE JOYNER, OAKLAND POLICE: During our investigation Chauncey Bailey was murdered and it turns out that evidence in that case also links the same individuals we were looking at in the other two prior murders.
SIMON: At least seven people connected to the bakery have been placed under arrest. Chauncey Bailey's instinct said there was a story worth chasing, had apparently been right. Dan Simon, CNN, Oakland, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DE LA CRUZ: It is 17 minutes after the hour. Time now to get a check of the weather. I understand that it's the weather maps that are killing your career this morning.
WOLF: Oh, yeah. It's a crazy morning. We're seeing all kinds of heat on those maps. It's going to pop up in parts of the Midwest. St. Louis is really going to be under the gun. We're also looking at some tricky weather for parts of the twin cities. The recovery effort today, they need great weather. Not necessarily going to happen today. Right now we're looking at the scene of the tragedy up in the twin cities. We've had a few scattered showers there's this morning, but we're going to see more of those showers come in from the southwest. As they make their way into the northeast up towards the twin cities, that's when the showers are really going to start picking up.
Also another shot that we have for you is in St. Louis where people are - they'd love to have some rain. Right now it's kind of hazy and they're expecting the heat to really build up towards the end of this weekend and by the time we get into Monday and Tuesday we're going to be near the triple digits. With the high humidity they often have there along the Mississippi, they can expect the humidity level, the heat index to be just through the roof. Well up into 102, say about 115 at times.
Let's go back to the weather maps. As we do, this is what we're talking about when it comes to the twin cities, these scattered showers moving up, nothing severe right now. But the thing is, they need pristine weather. That's not what they're going to get today. Some scattered showers are going to cause some runoff into the river and it's going to keep the water which is already cloudy pretty turbulent. That's not going to be good news for them.
The other story we've been talking about is the heat. Minneapolis is not going to have much in terms of the heat, but they are going to get the rainfall for today, also some scattered showers by Monday. If you notice the temperatures in the 70s, 80s, into the 90s by Monday. The big bubble of heat that we saw out west is going to continue to march its way eastward. Highs today in Kansas City, 93 degrees, up by Kaufman (ph) stadium and for Dallas about 97, 97 in Memphis near Mud Island and 93 in Atlanta.
Look for some scattered showers in New York with high temperatures warming up to 91 degrees. Plenty of sunshine in the great lakes and warm, Tampa with a chance of scattered storms I'd say between 3:00 and 6:00, highs will also be into the 90s. That's a look at your forecast. We're going to have more coming up throughout the morning. Let's send it back to you at the news desk.
DE LA CRUZ: Reynolds, how long is that heat wave supposed to last?
WOLF: I'm thinking it's going to last at least until Wednesday of next week. So it's going to be one of those times if you have any bottled water or tap water, whatever it takes, plenty of it, just take it easy.
DE LA CRUZ: It is summer.
WOLF: It is. It is. Last time I checked, you bet.
HOLMES: Thanks so much.
In about two hours, the House of Representatives meets for a rare Saturday session. On the agenda, a bill expanding the government's power to eavesdrop on phone calls and e-mails by suspected terrorists overseas. The measure passed by the Senate extends the authority for six months. President Bush says the bill closes critical gaps in U.S. intelligence capabilities.
He survived one near death experience, so well, now he's two for two. We're going to talk to the driver of that van precariously close to the edge. What he did not do may have saved his life.
DE LA CRUZ: And while you were sleeping this morning, NASA sent an explorer on a new 422 million mile journey. We're going to have details coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: President Bush is scheduled to leave for Minneapolis later this hour. He's going to be getting an aerial tour of the collapsed bridge. Also a briefing and no doubt be visiting with members of the community there. Probably some of the family members who have lost loved ones and also some of the survivors. CNN's Gary Tuckman spoke with one of those survivors of this disaster who has now cheated death twice in his lifetime.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCKMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Among the vehicles remaining of the wreckage of the destroyed Minneapolis bridge is this blue minivan. Its driver slammed on the brakes as the roadway collapsed but the van wasn't going to stop on time so the driver Marcelo Cruz took evasive action. In the last second you served into the wall?
MARCELO CRUZ, BRIDGE COLLAPSE SURVIVOR: Yeah. That's what I did.
TUCKMAN: That saved your life? CRUZ: Yeah.
TUCKMAN: His close call harrowing but made even more incredible because Marcelo Cruz is a paraplegic. He was by himself in the van and couldn't get out as the bridge crumbled and his fire started to rage (ph). How many cars did you see go into the water?
CRUZ: Twenty, something like that.
TUCKMAN: Marcelo has a special hand brake and can normally get in and out of his van with a ramp, but his vehicle had stopped in a severe decline. So if you would have gotten out of your van and down the ramp, the road the pointing, you would have ended up in the river.
CRUZ: Yeah, in my wheelchair.
TUCKMAN: You would have rolled into the river. While he waited helplessly he heard a woman screaming. What was she saying?
CRUZ: Help me, somebody, help me. That's -- you've got to do something when you cannot do anything for her.
TUCKMAN: He doesn't know what happened to the woman. But finely, help came for him. Who got you out?
CRUZ: There were a couple of people come and help me.
TUCKMAN: Do you know who they were?
CRUZ: No, I suppose they were working there, workers.
TUCKMAN: Probably grateful about that?
CRUZ: Yeah (INAUDIBLE) .
TUCKMAN: Marcelo keeps seeing his van on TV as he watches coverage of the disaster with his mother who was stunned when her son called her from the bridge.
TRANSLATOR: I was very scared. I was crying because I couldn't control myself. He was in so much danger.
TUCKMAN: The 26-year-old Mexican immigrant has suffered some back pain from the collapse but because he no longer has his van, he had no way to go to the emergency room so we were happy to drive him. Marcelo was left paralyzed after being shot and critically wounded by an unknown assailant seven years ago so he's no stranger to hospitals. He was relieved that doctors here told him his injuries are not serious. He feels he's a very lucky man. How will this change your life?
CRUZ: A lot. You know because now I feel like I had to tell people, you know, they have to live every day, you know, like is going to be their last day, you know, of their life. They have to really enjoy every day.
TUCKMAN: This coming from a man who says he has now had two near death experiences. Gary Tuckman, CNN, Minneapolis.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DE LA CRUZ: Such a phenomenal story.
HOLMES: I heard that from a lot of people since the story happened, these people on the streets saying you've got to live every day of your life. You never know. There is a positive development here. He said he's been seeing his van. We've been showing that video a lot. He's going to get a new van. After the story first aired, a California-based charity actually said that they were going to give him a new van, another handicapped accessible van.
DE LA CRUZ: It's not just the van. This same charity will be flying he and his mother out to California to go to Disneyland.
HOLMES: Going to Disneyland, so a positive development there on that story. He's going to be get that van and a trip to California, so a. wonderful story there.
DE LA CRUZ: Here's a question for you. What is the structural anatomy of a bridge? How easily can it bend? CNN's Rick Sanchez goes on assignment to find out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's important to note that every single time something goes over this bridge, the bridge has a little bit of movement. Not much, very little, but now imagine that movement occurring millions and millions of times. That is what causes fatigue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: Yep, definitely a report that you're going to want to check out before you ever cross a bridge again. You can join Rick tonight. That's at 10:00 Eastern, 7:00 Pacific.
HOLMES: Our coverage of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis continues. The government needs a lot of money to fix our crumbling infrastructure, but critics say it's spending your tax dollars on unnecessary roads.
DE LA CRUZ: Plus, Josh Levs at the dotcom desk this morning. Hey Josh.
LEVS: Hey Veronica. The Federal government has ordered immediate inspections of some bridges all over the country. Coming up, we're going to show you how to find out if a bridge near you is on the list. That's here when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Live picture here of Marine One just arriving at Andrews Air Force Base. Of course, Marine One carrying the president of the United States. Going to be leaving from there from Andrews Air Force Base and then heading to Minnesota, heading to Minneapolis where the president is going to get that aerial tour of the damage of the bridge collapse. Also going to be getting a briefing on the latest recovery efforts there. Also expect him to be talking to victims of this tragedy. Also the family members who have lost loved ones. The death toll there now stands at five. And certainly that is expected to rise.
So again, Marine One here just landing at Andrews Air Force Base. The president expected to meet up with the first lady who was actually there yesterday in Minneapolis. Had a planned trip there and ended up changing a few things to visit with some of the family members and victims and local officials. Got a briefing herself and certainly got a tour herself of the damage.
But as we watch here and hoping to get a shot of the president, who is just about to get off of Marine One live here he's going to board then Air Force One. And there he is, the president of the United States, stepping off there. Again, going to board Air Force One and make his way to Minneapolis. So we're keeping an eye on this. Certainly going to be following the president as he makes his trip when he lands there in Minnesota to get an update on the happenings there.
DE LA CRUZ: Mattel, Fisher-Price, well-known names now caught up in a huge recall. What you need to know to keep your kids safe. Welcome back. I'm Veronica De La Cruz in today for Betty Nguyen, who is on Africa on assignment.
HOLMES: She has made her way to Africa. Yes, she is heading that way. We're going to be without her for a little bit. But she'll be doing live reports here for us. So we're going to see her face. But thank you so much for helping out and being here with us this weekend.
DE LA CRUZ: Of course, any time.
HOLMES: And I'm T.J. Holmes. And welcome to CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
DE LA CRUZ: Well, we start with the latest on the Minneapolis bridge collapse. Here's what we know right now. President Bush has left Camp David this morning -- or has arrived, rather, on his way to tour the area. First lady Laura Bush was there yesterday. The death toll stands at five. But officials warn that number could rise. The sheriff there says as many as eight people are unaccounted for.
And this morning investigators believe they have found a critical clue in debris on the south side of the bridge. But murky water and swift river currents are making it dangerous for divers. They're up against a lot today.
HOLMES: Well, Congress close to approving $250 million to rebuild that bridge in Minneapolis. A final vote could come as early as this morning. But $250 million might be small potatoes compared to the hundreds of billions need to shore up all of the nation's bridges. So where is that money? CNN's Jim Acosta takes a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If you're wondering why America doesn't have enough money to fix its crumbling bridges, critics of government waste say, hold on to your hats and take a drive down Interstate 99 through central Pennsylvania.
That's where the federal government has spent $690 million to build Interstate 99. The largest city it will ever serve is Altoona, with a population of roughly 50,000 people. The project was spearheaded by former Pennsylvania Congressman Bud Shuster when he was the chairman of the House Transportation Committee. The state later named it the Bud Shuster Highway.
(on camera): I-99 technically is not an interstate, because it never really leaves the state of Pennsylvania. It's actually more of an intrastate, or, as one critic described it, intra-Bud Shuster's congressional district.
STEVE ELLIS, TAXPAYERS FOR COMMON SENSE: Essentially, we're deciding what is going to get funded in our infrastructure not on the basis of need, but on the basis of political muscle.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Steve Ellis is a critic of congressional pet projects, known as earmarks that are written into transportation bills. He says the Bud Shuster Highway is no different than the so- called bridges to nowhere in Alaska, which, if they're ever built, would cost taxpayers close to a half-billion dollars.
Ellis slams them all as congressional pork.
ELLIS: There are projects that are not getting funded that are critically important.
ACOSTA: Today, Pennsylvania has some 5,900 bridges deemed structurally deficient, more than any other state in the country. Spans like this one near Scranton are patched time and again.
The state's governor, Ed Rendell, is looking to Washington for help.
GOV. ED RENDELL (D), PENNSYLVANIA: The American infrastructure is crumbling.
ACOSTA: While Rendell says Congress should eliminate wasteful earmarks, he admits his state has had its fair share of Potomac pork.
RENDELL: I'm not a hypocrite. We benefited by having Bud Shuster as the chairman of transportation. And he was awesome in what he did for us. But, for the overall country, was that good or right or fair or appropriate? No.
ACOSTA: As we drove down the Bud Shuster Highway, we found that it ends just miles from the Bud Shuster Byway, which takes you to the town of Everett, hometown of, you guessed it, Bud Shuster.
That's where we caught up with the retired congressman.
BUD SHUSTER (R), FORMER U.S. CONGRESSMAN: You talk to any of the people here in central Pennsylvania, and they will tell you that this highway was needed.
ACOSTA: Shuster insists the highway has brought economic development.
(on camera): Wouldn't we have money for those bridges in this state if we didn't have the Bud Shuster Highway?
SHUSTER: Oh, that's ridiculous. That's ridiculous. First of all, you're talking about billions of dollars that are needed here. And the way you get that billions of dollars is you have to decide that you're going to dedicate more money. And to look at one highway is very simplistic. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.
ELLIS: This sort of thing is -- unfortunately, will continue to repeat itself until we actually prioritize our funding to where it's actually the most essential.
ACOSTA (voice-over): Essential may be in the eye of the beholder, or, in Washington, in the holder of power.
Jim Acosta, CNN, Everett, Pennsylvania.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, are some of America's other bridges in danger of failing? Tonight at 8:00 Eastern, Soledad O'Brien and the "CNN SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT" looks into "Road to Ruin: Are We Safe?". That is tonight and tomorrow night at 8:00 Eastern.
DE LA CRUZ: You know, this whole thing has caused a lot of people to worry about the safety of bridges where they live.
HOLMES: Yes. Josh Levs is here from the dot-com desk to explain. Got some valuable information. People can check it out for themselves about these bridges.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I mean, put this in perspective with the numbers. You have got about 600,000 bridges in the whole country overall. A lot of them are decades old. And you've got time, weather, and traffic all taking a toll. The Federal Highway Administration is estimating that about a quarter of them are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.
In the aftermath of what happened in Minneapolis, the government has ordered immediate inspections of more than 750 of them. So, to see how the bridges in your state measure up, go to cnn.com home page. You can click on a link below the lead story. And that brings you to this. It's a list of all the problem bridges, state by state, very cool. Look up yours. Also on dot-com, look for a link called "Troubled Bridges." That will bring up an interactive map of the U.S. You can roll your mouse over each state and that reveals the data for your state.
And guys, later on this morning, I'm going to show you how you find out what state authorities in your state are doing.
DE LA CRUZ: All right. Some good news -- some good information, rather, you know, in regards to all this news. Good job.
LEVS: Thanks a lot.
DE LA CRUZ: Thanks, Josh. And if you want to do more than just watch the news, if you would like to impact your world you can always head back online, cnn.com/impact. CNN is making it easy if you to do something about all of the issues that matter to you most.
HOLMES: Well, here's an issue that may be mattering to a lot of parents out there right now, issues with toys. Before your kids get up this morning, it might be a good time to go in there and check out some of their toys. A huge recall announced this week, and nearly a million popular toys made by Fisher-Price are involved. The problem here, lead paint.
CNN's Kitty Pilgrim has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lead poisoning in young children can lower IQ, affect learning ability, and damage the liver and kidneys. But there are no immediate symptoms, so parents wouldn't notice if their child was ingesting lead from a toy.
DR. JAMES ROBERTS, MEDICAL UNIV. OF SOUTH CAROLINA: Lead poisoning often starts without symptoms at all. They can be a normal child running around playing, but have an elevated blood-lead level, and you would never know it without testing them.
PILGRIM: Fisher-Price found lead paint on nearly a million Big Bird, Elmo, Dora and Diego figures made in China between April and July of this year and imported into the United States.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission says it's a particularly bad case. The lead was in the yellow paint surface coating the toys, a blatant disregard of the ban on lead paint in children's toys.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission, manned with 100 field inspectors, is struggling against rampant Chinese violations of safety standards; 80 percent of all toys in the U.S. now come from China. And, from October last year, of the 306 recalls of products, 100 percent of recalled toys were made in China.
JOAN LAWRENCE, TOY INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION: There are a couple of bills being talked about in Congress that would enhance the safety system, and we would be in favor of those. PILGRIM: While there is a ban on lead paint, there is no ban on lead content in children's jewelry. Since 2004, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled 165 million pieces of jewelry with lead that could leak out.
LORI WALLACH, PUBLIC CITIZEN: These kinds of problems where you have really unsafe imported products flooding into our homes is going to continue until we change the trade rules.
PILGRIM: The CPSC wants a total ban on lead in children's jewelry by 2008.
Kitty Pilgrim, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: We will be talking with a spokeswoman for the Consumer Products Safety Commission a little later this morning. Patty Davis is going to join us in our 10:00 a.m. hour. She'll have the very latest on what you need to know about this toy recall.
DE LA CRUZ: All right. Well, NASA on a mission to Mars this morning. David Waters is at the Kennedy Space Center.
Good morning to you, David.
DAVID WATERS, CENTRAL FLORIDA NEWS 13 REPORTER: Good morning. And the launch went very well this morning. Now in 10 months a mission will land on Mars. Coming up, we will show you what it is going to do, live on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
HOLMES: All right. We'll check in with him soon. Also, something you don't see every day in Iraq. Iraqis celebrating. What is bringing the country together that has been through so much? Got a bit of happiness to tell you about here. Going to take a closer look. Stay here.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two, one, zero and lift off of the Delta 2 rocket with Phoenix, a distant science outpost chasing (ph) clues of the evolution at the polar region of Mars.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: What a sight. And with that, the next mission to Mars is under way, the Phoenix Mars Lander beginning the 422 million- mile journey to the red planet. And I don't think I've ever seen one, nighttime launches, by the looks of it, always spectacular.
HOLMES: They look pretty cool. And like you said, 422 million miles.
DE LA CRUZ: Four hundred and twenty-two million miles. HOLMES: That takes a while to get there.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes. I would think so.
HOLMES: Actually it's going to be May of next year when this thing actually arrives. You get more now on this mission from David Waters of our affiliate Central Florida News 13. He's at Kennedy Space Center for us in Florida this morning.
Good morning, sir.
WATERS: Good morning, T.J. and Veronica. And things went very well this morning with that liftoff just before 5:30 of the Phoenix spacecraft leaving Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It's now on a 10-month voyage to the red planet to look for some tantalizing possibilities. It will land on the northern polar region. With me now is one of the Phoenix project scientists, Leslie Tamppari.
Tell us, first of all, how excited you are and what you're going to be looking for.
LESLIE TAMPPARI, PHOENIX PROJECT SCIENTIST: I'm extremely excited. This is a major milestone in our mission. And so we're very happy to be in space. We're going to be looking for the history of water, was this place that we're going to land in the northern plains ever liquid?
We're going to be looking to see if the soils are capable of supporting life. Is it a habitable zone? And third, we're going to be looking at the polar weather and climate and studying that very closely.
WATERS: And as this lander is digging through the ground and searching, if there were microbes there or if Mars ever could support that, would you be able to find it with this lander?
TAMPPARI: Well, we're not life detection, per se, but we'll be searching for organics, and organics are of course the building blocks for life. So we would really like to know if organics can survive in that environment. And because this is an icy environment, we think that that's a better place that they could possibly be preserved.
WATERS: May 25th landing date, what do you hope to find right as you land?
TAMPPARI: We hope to have a safe power stake, get our solar panels opened and we'll have our camera deployed and we'll survey the scene and we hope to see the nice polygonal (ph) train and not too many big rocks as we expect.
WATERS: Thanks very much, Leslie Tamppari there, project scientist with the Phoenix Mission. And everything going very well. The mission now well on its way, 10 months from now expected to get to the red planet -- T.J. and Veronica.
DE LA CRUZ: Ten months from now. So if it arrives next May, when does it come home?
WATERS: It will never come home, but it should send some pictures home right away within the first few hours of being on the red planet. It will start going through a checkout phase, looking around. And then we hope to see some images coming back.
DE LA CRUZ: Excellent.
HOLMES: It's one-way ticket.
DE LA CRUZ: One-way ticket, right.
HOLMES: Thank you so much this morning for that.
DE LA CRUZ: All right. T.J., listen to this.
HOLMES: All right.
DE LA CRUZ: The more money you spend on the car, the more money you could spend on fixing that fender bender.
(VIDEO CLIP OF CRASH TEST)
DE LA CRUZ: Ouch. Crash testing luxury cars and adding up all of the damage. We're going to tell you which models are most likely to cost the most and the least to fix.
Plus this...
(VIDEO CLIP OF PEOPLE CHEERING)
HOLMES: Can the world's most popular sport soften the sectarian violence in Iraq? We will take a look right here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Got a dispute to tell you about here over plans for this year's memorial service honoring September 11th victims. Some family members are upset that the service has been moved to a park near the World Trade Center. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Ground Zero is not safe of a large public gathering because of construction. He will meet with family members next week to discuss their concerns.
Also a bill to make U.S. airports and seaports safer signed into law by President Bush, and it carries out many recommendations from the 9/11 Commission. The law requires a screening of all cargo on passenger planes within three years. It sets a five-year goal for scanning all containerships for nuclear devices. A reminder, you can always stay right here with us, CNN, day and night for the most reliable news about your security.
DE LA CRUZ: Iraq's soccer team getting the VIP treatment today. The team's win in the Asia Cup finals has given Iraqis something to celebrate and it is a welcome distraction from all of the war and the violence. CNN's Dan Rivers reports from Baghdad.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Mobbed by adoring fans the second they stepped off the plane, the Iraqi soccer team arrives home as champions. Dancing for joy under the crossed swords that symbolized Saddam's fear and repression. The footballers achieving something few Iraqi politicians have ever managed, winning the genuine love and respect of most Iraqis.
(on camera): A team that has united the country has returned victorious and the Iraqis are ecstatic to see them.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fantastic.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very happy today, very happy.
RIVERS: What do you think of seeing the team?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, very happy, very happy for these people, this big happy (ph).
RIVERS (voice-over): But everywhere, heavily armed U.S. and Iraqi soldiers. The celebration was inside the Green Zone and only the privileged few could see their team close up. And everyone here knew there was a very real threat of mortar or rocket attacks. But some felt the danger was worth it.
They were simply overwhelmed by it all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So happy for this celebration. It's -- I can't speak more, but...
RIVERS (on camera): Your face says it all.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I feel so happy.
RIVERS (voice-over): With the team gone there was chaos as everyone hurried to leave. A fleeting moment of unity and happiness in a land otherwise bereaved of hope and heroes.
Dan Rivers, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DE LA CRUZ: Measuring progress in Iraq is one topic tonight on "THIS WEEK AT WAR." Join host Tom Foreman tonight, that's at 7:00 Eastern and Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
HOLMES: Well, you might assume that the more expensive the car, all that money you paid for it, the better it probably does in crash tests, right?
DE LA CRUZ: Right.
(VIDEO CLIP OF CRASH TEST)
DE LA CRUZ: Whoops.
HOLMES: Yes. Ain't really the case. The leading vehicle safety agency tested some luxury models. We will show you what happened.
DE LA CRUZ: And controversy among the Democratic candidates. A tit for tat between the two top contenders having to do with experience.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, of course, all of us have been in a fender bender or two or three or four or five.
DE LA CRUZ: Or five or six.
HOLMES: Or whatever.
DE LA CRUZ: What's going on with you? Do you have enough fingers, toes to count the accidents that you've been in?
HOLMES: No, actually, I've only been in a couple. But, Betty, my little (ph) co-worker, she has been in a lot.
DE LA CRUZ: Yes, she has.
HOLMES: But you know, of course, sometimes stuff just happens.
DE LA CRUZ: She's always speeding. She's got a lead foot.
HOLMES: You can talk about her now that she has gone to Africa.
(LAUGHTER)
DE LA CRUZ: Shh. But when you are driving a luxury car, should you have better luck when you bump your bumper? Is that a dance move?
HOLMES: I think you just had a new dance. Let me step out of here.
DE LA CRUZ: Come back here. Well, CNN's Greg Hunter takes a look at the cost of repairing these cars.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): While crashes from fender-benders like these don't look like much, the repair bills sure do. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently tested the bumpers of 11 luxury cars. At low speeds, it tested front and rear crashes and then front and rear corner crashes. The institute says the results aren't as luxurious as the cars.
(on camera): All these cars were subjected to the same test. Top speed, six miles per hour, about the pace I'm walking right now.
(voice-over): Take this Infiniti G-35, the institute's worst performer.
(on camera): Expensive car, expensive body damage.
DAVID ZUBY, INSURANCE INST. FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY: That's right, we're looking at damage that will cost over $4,000 to repair.
HUNTER (voice-over): And that was just for a rear impact. After all four tests, the cost hit nearly $14,000 in damages. Nissan, which owns Infiniti, told CNN: "We design each new model to resist low-speed collision damage and will continue to work closely with major insurance companies to keep premiums low for our customers."
The best performer, the Saab 93 at just over $5,000 in repairs. While Saab told us: "We are honored, yet not surprised with our performance in the most recent IIHS tests."
The institute says the Saab's performance isn't good enough.
ZUBY: There are three cars with less than $6,000 total damage in four tests.
HUNTER (on camera): Is that good?
ZUBY: We don't think that's good.
HUNTER: It's just the best of the worst.
ZUBY: That's right.
HUNTER (voice-over): The institute believes it's not unreasonable to expect less than $1,000 in total damages after all four tests. Take this 1981 Ford Escort, which underwent the exact same tests. It would only cost $500 to fix today.
So why can't current luxury vehicles compete?
ZUBY: The problem with all of these vehicles, with the exception of maybe two, is that the bumpers don't extend far enough to the sides of the vehicles to protect expensive parts like head lamps, hood corner and fender.
HUNTER (on camera): So metal, nothing.
(voice-over): On a good note, the institute says car manufacturers only need make small changes for some big savings on future bumper tests.
Greg Hunter, CNN, Ruckersville, Virginia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And that is why I ride Chevy. Well, for a complete list of the cars tested and the results, be sure to log on to cnn.com.
DE LA CRUZ: And a very good morning to you. From the CNN center in Atlanta, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm Veronica de la Cruz in today for Betty Nguyen.
HOLMES: And good morning to you. Thanks for being here with us. I'm TJ Holmes. Thank you all for being here. President Bush climbs aboard Air Force One on his way to Minneapolis where he's going to survey the interstate bridge collapse. We'll be talking about that enjoying (ph) pictures of the president throughout the morning. Also...
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we have actionable intelligence about high value terrorist targets and President Musharraf will not act, we will.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DE LA CRUZ: Taking action, talking to the enemy, not using a nuclear bomb. The should have, could have, and would haves on the campaign trail. Is Barack Obama getting in hot water or is he getting more attention?
HOLMES: President Bush heading to Minneapolis this morning, going to be touring the scene of Wednesday's deadly bridge collapse. Five people now confirmed dead. Officials warn that number may rise. Here you're looking at a live picture of the scene here in Minneapolis, where the recovery efforts continue under some tough conditions for a lot of those divers. For more now on the president's trip, we're joined now by CNN White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux, who's with us from DC. Good morning to you, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, TJ. President Bush is going to be leaving Camp David fairly soon. He's going to be traveling to Minneapolis as you said, first about Marine One, where he's going to get an aerial view of the collapsed bridge. And then he'll actually head on foot. We're told that he's going to be meeting with Red Cross workers, first responders, even some of the family members of the victims to provide some comfort and assistance. All of this, as you know, coming after Laura Bush, First Lady Laura Bush also went to give some comfort, to show essentially that post-Katrina, that the government can actually respond quickly and effectively to a crisis situation. It was just shortly after the bridge collapse that President Bush was on the phone with the governor as well as the mayor, offering assistance, saying that his Department of Transportation would be offering some $5 million in emergency funds and also indicating that that was just the beginning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
FIRST LADY LAURA BUSH: This just gives me a chance to tell all of thank you. I know I speak for every American who's watched you on television and empathize and sympathize with everything you're doing. And I know it's hard on you all. It's terrible for the families who have lost someone.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: This is just the beginning of the financial assistance we will make available to support the state in its recovery efforts. Several Federal agencies are on the ground aiding state and local officials, including the National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection Agency.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And some of the additional money that he's talking about, TJ, the House and the Senate yesterday working feverishly to try to come up with some additional funds, some $250 million. Today members in the House are going to be looking at ways of amending this possible legislation to move that money and to make it quickly available for those who are there. TJ?
HOLMES: And Suzanne, no doubt that the White House has been aware of how the president needs to be reacting and seen as reacting to disasters since Katrina. How have the reviews been? There have been several other tragedies the president has gone and visited and comforted. I guess one of the most recent was the tornado that hit (INAUDIBLE) Kansas. How have the reviews been I guess for the president since Katrina in dealing with disasters such as this?
MALVEAUX: TJ, it's an excellent point because, obviously, there are a lot of people who have doubts. This administration has a big credibility problem. As you mentioned, it seems, as you deal with these crises, it gets better and better. We saw the president responding to the tornadoes, to the Virginia Tech shooting. This was just a day after, he was on the phone with officials. The first lady was there. He'll be there today. Clearly, they are trying to make a considerable effort to show the American people, to try to get their faith in them once again that they are able to handle these kind of situations. What grade they give, we'll just have to wait and see.
HOLMES: All right, White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux. Suzanne, good to see you. Thank you so much.
DE LA CRUZ: Like Suzanne was saying, Congress set to approve around $250 million to rebuild the bridge in Minneapolis. But some are wondering where was the money before the tragedy? CNN congressional correspondent Dana Bash has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANA BASH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Democrats immediately called the Minneapolis tragedy a wake-up call to spend more money on infrastructure.
REP. JAMES OBERSTAR (D) MINNESOTA: We're not going to settle for a bargain basement transportation bill.
BASH: They blame the president for using veto threats to squeeze out spending.
SEN. PATTY MURRAY (D) WASHINGTON: That's going to put us in a terrible place in trying to meet the maintenance needs we have out there. BASH: But to others, it's not about more money. It's about misplaced priorities in how it's spent.
KRISTINA RASMUSSEN, NATIONAL TAXPAYERS UNION: Too much money is going to pork barrel projects. The money is there.
BASH: Just look at the latest $50 billion House transportation spending bill. It includes more than $2 billion in earmarks or pet projects for lawmakers across the country. Many have nothing to do with roads and bridges. In Minnesota, for example, Congressman Keith Ellison, whose district includes the collapsed bridge, helped secure $6 million for light rail and joined Congressman Jim Oberstar, the transportation committee chairman, in getting $10 million more for a commuter rail. Senator Norm Coleman secured $65 million for the same project, approved by the committee that controls spending in the Senate. And Oberstar also got $250,000 for a new bike path. To be fair, most Federal transportation money is sent to states and they decide how it's spent. Earmarks come from a different pot of money. Still critics say lawmakers neglect maintenance problems by steering money to headline grabbing new projects.
RASMUSSEN: Bridge upkeep and road repair is not sexy, but it is exciting to talk about your new light rail project, your new bus museum, your new bike trail. But at the end of the day, those are not critical to our transportation needs.
BASH: Congress and the White House promise to spend whatever it takes to rebuild the collapsed bridge in Minneapolis, but the bigger question is whether Congress will change the way it doles out money to fix dilapidated bridges across the country before disaster strikes. Dana Bash, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
DE LA CRUZ: So far the death toll from the bridge collapse stands at five. Police have identified the fifth victim of the collapse at Paul Ikestadt (ph). He was driving the truck that burst into flames shortly after the collapse, was right next to the school bus. Also identified, 32-year-old native American Julia Blackhawk of Savage, Minnesota. She leaves behind two sons, 29-year-old Artemio Trinidad-Mena of Minneapolis has four children, including a two-month- old daughter, 36-year-old Patrick Holmes of Mounds View, Minnesota, leaves behind two kids. And 60-year-old Sherry Lou Engebretsen, who leaves behind a husband and two daughters.
HOLMES: Are some of America's bridges in danger of failing as well? Tonight at 8:00 Eastern, Soledad O'Brien and the CNN special investigations unit look into "Road to Ruin, Are We Safe?" That is tonight and tomorrow night at 8:00 Eastern.
DE LA CRUZ: In the wake of the Minneapolis disaster, other communities now taking a closer look at their bridges. In Tampa, Florida, this bridge now shut down. Inspectors there say chunks of concrete have fallen off, exposing metal to the elements. The county must now decide whether to repair or replace the 45-year-old bridge. Florida's governor has ordered a review of all of the state's bridges. HOLMES: A journalist ambushed on an Oakland street and police now zeroing in on a bakery run by black Muslims. Oakland police raided the bakery and several nearby homes on Friday and say they seized guns, including one, they believe, is linked to the reporter's murder. Colleagues of that reporter say he was working on a story about the bakery when he was gunned down Thursday. Seven people have been arrested. Not clear yet if they're being charged with the reporter's homicide. The police say they've been investigating the group for other crimes during the past year.
DE LA CRUZ: A funeral service later this morning for one of the four victims of the Arizona news chopper collision, happened more than a week ago now. The two helicopters collided over Phoenix July 27th, killing four people. The choppers were covering a police chase. Memorial services set to begin at 10:00 Mountain time for news photographer Rick Krolak. Late Friday, aviation experts said the pilots may have been distracted by the chase of a car thief.
HOLMES: Well, high winds, big mess in rural New York. It happened near Utica, where winds uprooted storage sheds and tossed them several hundred feet. The storm also took out several trees and damaged railroad lines.
DE LA CRUZ: Yikes. But it's actually the heat that's going to be the weather word of the day I think.
HOLMES: Heat, it's a simple word.
DE LA CRUZ: But it's summer. How about two words, heat wave.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: There you go. It makes you just sweat thinking about it, doesn't it?
DE LA CRUZ: It does.
WOLF: I mean just crazy, crazy hot. We've had that big bubble of warm air that's been out west. It's been slowly crawling its way towards the east. Right now into the central plains, they're expecting that temperatures to warm up in the 90s. For Kansas City, for Dallas, not unusual in Dallas of course to have these warm temperatures. It is, after all, summertime. However, in a few spots like St. Louis, we're expecting the heat really to pile up and last for a couple of days. In fact, today the expected high for St. Louis will be around 93 degrees. Chance of scattered storms will make things cool things down a little bit into the afternoon. But check out Sunday and then Monday and then Tuesday and then Wednesday, we stay into the upper 90s but then we pile on the high humidity that you'll often have in St. Louis, it's going to feel like it's anywhere from 105 to maybe as high as 115. So you really have to take it easy in parts of the Midwest.
However, as we travel a little bit farther up into the Midwest, say into the twin cities, Minneapolis, you could have some scattered showers and thunderstorms there today. You already have some rainfall just south of the twin cities this time, light to moderate showers, nothing severe at this point. But it's the late day hours, we may see some severe weather primarily into the central and southern plains. Parts of the southeast, say Atlanta, maybe even Charleston, South Carolina, you might have a splash of that shower but don't bet the bank on it. You're not going to have a ton of rainfall for you today, maybe some scattered activity in New York. However into the afternoon, high pressure builds in. It's going to be warm for you in New York with highs into the upper 80s and low 90s. That's your forecast. Back to you.
DE LA CRUZ: All right Reynolds, so the word of the day is heat wave right?
WOLF: Yeah, that will be our thing for the day. I'll tattoo it on my forehead. H-E-A-T.
HOLMES: There you go Reynolds. We'll have a clear morning at least for our Florida launch. Check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two, one, zero, and lift off of the Delta 2 rocket with Phoenix, a distant science outpost.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That's the Phoenix Mars mission lifting off from Cape Canaveral just a couple hours ago. The Phoenix expected to arrive in late May of next year. That's a long trip that they're taking. NASA using the mission to get a better look at the northernmost section of Mars.
DE LA CRUZ: Ten months from now.
HOLMES: Yes.
DE LA CRUZ: Senator Barack Obama under fire, controversial comments making him a target for other presidential candidates. But Obama is not backing down. Hey, Josh.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: CNN.com desk this morning, you know, we have received some images that just may help investigators who are probing the cause of the bridge collapse in Minneapolis. I'm going to show you those coming up. TJ.
HOLMES: All right, thank you Josh. We'll see you here shortly and the DNA does not lie. At least two people hoping to prove that the godfather of soul is their father. That story ahead on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
DE LA CRUZ: Welcome back. In the next hour, the House of Representatives meets for a rare Saturday session. On the agenda, a terrorism surveillance bill passed by the Senate yesterday. It expands the government's power to eavesdrop on phone calls and e-mails by suspected terrorists overseas. The Senate measure extends the authority for about six months. It's designed to give Congress time to come up with more permanent legislation. President Bush says the bill closes critical gaps in U.S. intelligence capabilities.
HOLMES: Well, the CNN youtube debate we saw not too long ago with the Democrats certainly sparked a lot of discussion.
DE LA CRUZ: In fact, comments made by Democratic hopeful Barack Obama have really got people talking. When we say people, we mean --
HOLMES: His political rivals, those people.
DE LA CRUZ: Right, those people. CNN's Bill Schneider has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL SCHNEIDER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): First came the CNN youtube debate when Barack Obama said he would meet with unfriendly dictators during his first year in office.
SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them, which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration, is ridiculous.
SCHNEIDER: Hillary Clinton pounced.
SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I thought that was irresponsible and frankly, naive.
SCHNEIDER: It's called a not supposed to. You're not supposed to say you'd meet with such people without laying a lot of groundwork first.
CLINTON: Let's approach this with some real careful planning and do it right.
SCHNEIDER: The implication, Obama lacks experience in foreign policy. Obama's response?
OBAMA: It's time to turn the page on Washington's conventional wisdom that agreement must be reached before you meet, that talking to other countries is some kind of reward.
SCHNEIDER: In that same speech on Wednesday, Obama got tough with Pakistan.
OBAMA: If we have actionable intelligence about high value terrorist targets and President Musharraf will not act, we will.
SCHNEIDER: Another not supposed to. You're not supposed to threaten an ally. Chris Dodd, Joe Biden and Bill Richardson joined in the criticism -- all touting their Washington experience. Get the idea? Obama lacks the experience of his rivals in world affairs. In an interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, Obama was asked if he would use nuclear weapons to defeat terrorism and Osama bin Laden. I think it would be a profound mistake for us to use nuclear weapons in any circumstance involving civilians, Obama said. Clinton's response?
CLINTON: I don't believe that any president should make any blanket statements with respect to the use or nonuse of nuclear weapons.
SCHNEIDER: The Obama campaign responded that Senator Obama would act and is confident that conventional means would be sufficient to take the target down. Frankly, we're surprised that others would disagree. His rivals are attacking Obama as inexperienced. Obama's turning that around and arguing, my critics are prisoners of conventional wisdom. I'm fresh and new. I say things you're not supposed to. Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And the Republican presidential candidates going to be going at it coming up in the fall. Just like the Democrats, the Republicans will face your questions in a CNN youtube debate. It will be live, something you don't want to miss. Hopefully, something will come out of that maybe like the Democrats.
DE LA CRUZ: They didn't use your question.
HOLMES: What was my question?
DE LA CRUZ: For Obama. You said, hey, "B," want to play some ball.
HOLMES: Some ball. He's got other issues besides playing basketball with me, though.
DE LA CRUZ: Apparently. Well, several months after his death, two new claims that James Brown fathered more kids than he admitted, but can they prove it?
HOLMES: Also listen up, folks. Ford recalling three million Fords because of a potential fire hazard. We'll tell you what you need to know coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We're going to take time right now to acknowledge the hundreds and hundreds really of people in Minneapolis who sent us their photos and video of that bridge collapse. This was very important stuff for us in telling this breaking news. Some of the quickest pictures, fastest pictures and closest pictures even we got.
DE LA CRUZ: And Josh Levs has actually been looking through them and I understand you have some new ones.
LEVS: I do. Let me show you what we've got today. It's really interesting. We have received more than 550 photos and also video clips of this tragedy. Let's start out right here. This looks like Jeremiah (INAUDIBLE). He shows a close-up of the train, of one of the train hoppers that was crashed there by a steel beam. If you look there, you can see how it crumpled just like a tin can. It's such an incredible image of the raw forces that were at work there. We've got this photo from Chuck Green, who heard that Federal investigators are looking for photos of the bridge from before the collapse. He says he took this picture back in March and he hoped now it might be useful in finding out what went wrong.
Look at that. Some incredible I-report video now we got to show you as well. This was shot by Steve Dworak and it was just moments after the collapse. If you look at the perspective there, you can see that he was right down by the water level as he recorded emergency crews arriving on the scene during those first few frantic minutes of the tragedy. Finally, also we want to show you this. Jane Summerlin caught the sheer terror of the moment as motorists, a lot of them visibly shaken, carefully made their way off of that collapsed roadway.
I know a lot of you are also worried about the safety of highway bridges where you live. So coming up, we're going to show you how you can find out about bridges in your area. Guys, that will be a little later this morning.
DE LA CRUZ: Very important, thanks, Josh. And there's more online actually. If there is a story that you want to get involved with, find out how you can impact your world. All you have to do is go to cnn.com/impact. CNN is making it easy for you to do something about the issues that matter to you most. TJ?
HOLMES: A little dent will do you in. That's the finding of a new crash test study taking a closer look at luxury cars and how they handle fender benders. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety banged up the bumpers of 11 luxury models to see how they would do. What they found out is that none did that well at just six miles per hour. The worst, Infiniti's G35, which sustained $14,000 in damage.
DE LA CRUZ: Yikes. Ford is recalling 3.6 million cars. Apparently, there's a potential problem with a cruise control switch. And that switch has been blamed for fires in some other Ford vehicles. The recall includes different Fords, Lincolns, and Mercurys built from 1992 to 2004. You can get a full list online at cnn.com. Ford already recalled six million newer model vehicles for the exact same problem, TJ.
HOLMES: Also here caught on camera, a major fudge fix. How a woman claiming she was sexually assaulted ends up getting arrested for stealing chocolate.
DE LA CRUZ: OK. Plus this, the godfather of soul as a dad. New DNA tests could add to the Brown clan. We have those new claims. That's straight ahead.
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DE LA CRUZ: Well, in our water cooler stories this morning, papa has got a brand new bag and a whole lot more.
HOLMES: Yeah. An adviser for James Brown, the godfather of soul, says nearly a dozen people have claimed Brown is their father and they have all taken DNA tests and he says at least two of those tests have been positive. Brown, you remember, died last December. His will actually named six children.
DE LA CRUZ: I'm seeing Anna Nicole all over again, except this time we know who's the daddy.
HOLMES: We know who the daddy is. The godfather is dead.
DE LA CRUZ: I've got more of that. I'll take that story and raise you one. How about this one?
Eddie Murphy has admitted fathering a child with former spice girl Melanie Brown. Murphy is engaged to film producer Tracy Edmunds and has five children from his previous marriage.
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