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CNN Saturday Morning News
Greek Wildfire; Michigan Flooding; Pit Bulls Seized
Aired August 25, 2007 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ALINA CHO, CNN HOST, CNN SATURDAY MORNING: From the CNN Center in Atlanta, we're so glad you're with us on this Saturday morning. I'm Alina Cho. Betty is on assignment. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN HOST, CNN SATURDAY MORNING: We're so glad you are with us, Alina Cho, visiting in Atlanta. Good to have you.
CHO: Thank you.
HOLMES: Good morning to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
We want to start out with these pictures in Athens, Greece. Arson investigators on the scene trying to figure out if forest fires sweeping across southern Greece were deliberately set. Officials say at least 41 people have died in the fires. Numerous houses destroyed. Firefighters and soldiers battling dozens of blazes. None of the famous sites we know about Greece, Acropolis, Parthenon, none of those are threats by these fires. Counterterrorism officials will be helping arson investigators. Officials say this is the country's worst fire season ever, and a sweltering heat wave is only making it harder to gain control of these fires. Journalist Anthee Carassvas is joining us now live on the phone from Athens. Please give us an update about what is happening there.
ANTHEE CARASVAS, JOURNALIST (via telephone): Well T.J., the Greek prime minister is calling this an unspeakable national tragedy. Flags are flying at half mast on government buildings, 37 people have been killed in more than 170 forest fires that have engulfed most of southern Greece on the Peloponnese Peninsula in the last 24 hours. The unofficial death toll is ten more, raising the number to 47.
None of these forest fires have come under complete control. In fact, in the last hour, a massive fire, massive flames have engulfed the northern outskirts of Athens, and this is the third fire to close in on the capital, where half of the population lives in less than a month and a half. Hardest hit has been now the area of the Peloponnese in the town of Zaharo where 12 people were burnt trying to escape the flames, among the victims, a mother and four children.
Authorities telling us the 37 water bomber aircraft are battling these flames. They've called on the European Union to send in assistance, and we're expecting France to send in two firefighting aircraft within the day. T.J.
HOLMES: And, Anthee, you said they're not under control yet, of course, but are they making any headway with these fires? Are they making up any ground, or are these things burning out of control and officials are not able to get any kind of a handle on them?
CARASVAS: Well, in the words of one official that I've been speaking to throughout the day, he said that however well prepared we may be and have been, we are facing the savage forces of nature at this point. What's happening is a combination of high winds, and drought has caused an upsurge in forest fires since June, 3,000 of them, in fact. But recently, today, suspicion has fallen on extremists as more than an estimated of 20 of these forest fires sparked simultaneously along parts of scrubland in the southern Pelopibbese. So the authorities are considering this, in fact, a criminal act.
HOLMES: Anthee, thank you so much for keeping an eye on things there in Greece for us. And actually says this is being called right now by officials there a national tragedy, as many as 41 deaths being blamed on these fires. We'll keep an eye on it.
CHO: Another developing story we're watching. Pakistan reportedly has test-fired a missile this morning. The Reuters News Agency is reporting that Pakistan has successfully tested a new air launched cruise missile. Reuters cites an army statement which says the missile has a range of 220 miles and is capable of carrying all types of warheads. CNN is working on getting independent confirmation. T.J.
HOLMES: Meanwhile, the Midwest still water-logged this morning. Some rivers starting to recede, but there's been more rain. So drying out has been a bit difficult. Hundreds of people in several states forced from their homes by the flooding. They're hoping to return soon. CNN's Jim Acosta live in Antioch, Illinois, where people are trying to hold off the rising water. Are they having much success, Jim?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not just yet, T.J. This sums it up right here. We're in Antioch, Illinois, standing in the middle of the Fox River, the swollen Fox River that has basically rolled into this community just north of Chicago. This sums it up right here. This is Jan Todd, and this is her home. She asked for assistance a few moments ago. She's waving to us holding her little dog in her arms. She asked us a few moments ago if she needs to wave the white flag. We hope not just yet. Her home has essentially become an island as these floodwaters have just completely engulfed a couple of blocks of this community here. You can just look back beyond Mrs. Todd's home and see how far this water stretches.
It goes to the next block. And so right now, as you can see, these residents just down the street here, they've hooked up a water pumping machine. They're trying to pump that water, as futile as that looks, from this road that we're standing on back into the Fox River, which is now almost on top of this wall of sandbags that residents built overnight. This is essentially all moving downstream, downriver from flooded communities up in Wisconsin.
Yesterday we were in southern Wisconsin yesterday, where they've had record rainfalls for the last month in many parts of that state. And that water, as it's receding in southern Wisconsin, is essentially moving down the Fox River and into neighboring communities in northern Illinois and then also moving its way towards the Chicago suburbs. So this is going to continue to be a major headache for people across the Chicago area over this weekend. Although there is some positive news in the forecast, from what we understand from weather forecasters, the sun should be out tomorrow, and the expectation is that these waters will start receding over the next 48 to 72 hours.
T.J. HOLMES: Well, we certainly hope that's the case. Forecasters keeping an eye on it so is our Bonnie Schneider; we're going to be checking in with her shortly. Jim Acosta for us in Antioch. Thank you so much, Jim.
CHO: Violent weather also causing major damage in southeastern Michigan. At least one tornado hit the town of Fenton. The weather service looking at reports of several more touchdowns in the state. Numerous homes have been damaged, and people who live there, well, they're just now starting to clean up. Joining us now from Fenton, David Custer, of affiliate WNEM-TV. David good morning, what's it like where you are?
DAVID CUSTER, WNEM TV: Good morning Alina. We're actually in the heart of downtown Fenton, Michigan, one of the areas hardest hit by these storms. I actually want you to take a look around behind me here; this is the river park area. You can see all of these trees are down and split. There's actually debris everywhere in the streets. There were several other areas in and around the downtown Fenton area that received extensive damage. A wall actually collapsed on a tractor supply store.
Several homes were hit with falling trees and debris. The miracle in all of this is that officials say no one was seriously hurt. There were some minor injuries from traffic accidents when the storms moved through. Still though this morning thousands are without power, there was no estimated time of when it will be back on as the energy company is still assessing the damage here because there were so many power lines actually down in and around this area.
Now, the roads to this downtown area are blocked off by police, and Red Cross is assisting those displaced by the storms and actually helping the emergency personnel here. We are awaiting word from officials who will be holding a press conference in the next half hour on just how bad this area is from their standpoint. So for right now, the main focus is just cleaning up this downtown area here in Fenton, Michigan, and getting everything back to normal. Alina.
CHO: David Custer of affiliate WNEM-TV watching all of that for us. David, thank you very much.
HOLMES: So the big question Bonnie has to answer for us this weekend. Any relief in site? Bonnie Schneider for us in the Weather Center. Good morning to you Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning T.J. and Alino. We do have some good news. Some of the rivers are starting to level off. We still have the flood warnings in place for places like Des Plaines in Illinois. But looking at the latest numbers, we're starting to see the crest occur. Slowly, the waters will recede. It's going to take a while because it really depends on the topography of the river, and, of course, additional rainfall doesn't help matters. We have rain sweeping across Illinois into Indiana at this time and into Michigan. Because of that additional rainfall that's expected and the remaining rainfall, you know, we've had between four and ten inches of rain over the past few days across some of the states you see with the green boxes here. So really it's going to take a while to kind of just lose some of that moisture in such saturated ground. So the flood watches and warnings still extend straight through tonight into tomorrow.
And we also have heavier rain right now sliding into southwest Missouri. So Branson, you're getting hit with thunderstorms, and a lot of that rain is pushing into Ft. Smith, Arkansas, at this time. As we head to the north across Lake Michigan, where we had the violent winds earlier on Thursday, we had some strong winds and storms across Michigan as well, but we're watching just for rain at this point.
The other big story in weather is the heat, excessive heat warnings in effect starting at noon today, Philadelphia, watch out for heat advisories in Boston, New York, and Washington D.C. It's going to be hot, feeling like 104 today.
CHO: Good thing I flew from New York to Atlanta.
HOLMES: Yes.
SCHNEIDER: Same thing here.
HOLMES: Same thing here, right?
SCHNEIDER: Hot here too.
HOLMES: Bonnie, we appreciate you. We'll see you soon.
CHO: Bonnie thanks.
A suspension and an admission for NFL star Michael Vick. In a written plea, Vick has admitted to operating and funding a dog fighting ring but denied placing bets or taking any of the winnings. Vick also admitted he was involved in the killings of six to eight dogs that did not perform well in so-called test sessions.
After the admission, the NFL suspended the Atlanta Falcons quarterback indefinitely without pay. His plea will be heard Monday in federal court in Richmond, Virginia. We'll have much more on Michael Vick coming up in our next hour. We're going to talk to Dr. Joe Profit, president of the NFL Alumni Association of Atlanta. So stay tuned for that.
HOLMES: There's another celebrity caught up in a controversy involving dogs. This time it's rapper DMX. If you know anything about his music, a lot of it is laced with dogs barking, and he really emulates dogs, calls himself the dog in a lot of his music. Even has a dog on the cover of one of his albums. Authorities in Arizona have now removed several dogs from the rapper's home. Kara Finnstrom is on this story. She joins us live from Cave Creek, Arizona. Tell us what's happening out there? KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're about 30 miles north of Phoenix. This is the home of rapper DMX that sheriff's deputies raided. The big question in this community is whether any dog fighting took place on this property. At this point, sheriff's deputies say it's too early in their investigation to tell whether that occurred here. They also say it's too early to say whether rapper DMZ may face any charges or what those charges would be.
Here's what we do know. They actually received a tip from this community, from someone that some dog fighting -- or actually, rather, that some dog neglect may have taken place here. So they came out here and they checked into that. What they did was took away 12 different dogs that are a mix of Pit bull and English Mastiff. They say those dogs were dehydrated and they say the dogs were also poorly fed. They took those dogs toe a nearby makeshift shelter.
They also found the bodies of three dogs on this property buried, and they say one of those dogs does appear to have been burned, and they found some drug paraphernalia, some drugs, as well as some weapons. And they say all of this leads them to a couple of different investigations that are under way. Here's the sheriff.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOE ARPAIO, MARICOPA CO. SHERIFFS DEPT: We're in a preliminary stage of investigating possible, several different types of violations here. Right now we have animal cruelty investigation, and we're going to develop and see what other violations that he may have been involved in, especially with all these weapons.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FINNSTROM: DMX's real name is Earl Simmons. He's a 36-year-old actor and rapper, and you mentioned, T.J., a number of his albums out there that do involve dogs. We're told by his attorney that he says he was unaware that these dogs were not being well cared for, that there was a care taker that was supposed to be taking care of them because he's been in New York.
HOLMES: All right. Kara Finnstrom reporting for us live in Arizona. Another interesting story involving dogs. Kara, thank you so much.
CHO: Another story we're watching. Dramatic 911 calls. You'll hear what happened as the emergency unfolded in the Minneapolis bridge collapse.
And more severe weather to tell you about. Bonnie Schneider watching all of that for us.
HOLMES: Also, how would you like to take a trip across the galaxy? Take a seat at your computer, grab your mouse, and get ready for blast off, destination space on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
Let's say good morning to that young lady, Veronica De la Cruz.
VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, DOT COM DESK: And, T.J., you were saying you could find that on your computer?
HOLMES: That's what I was told. Do I have bad information, Veronica?
DE LA CRUZ: That's it. Coming up, we'll find out. Something else that you can find on your computer. A new way to see if your car will stay safe on the road. We have crash test results online. It is all coming up next on CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Continue.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back to CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Desperate calls pouring in. Dispatchers just beginning to realize the scope of the disaster. Newly released 911 tapes from the Minneapolis bridge collapse reveal what happened in those first frantic minutes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(911 OPERATOR) 911, do you have an emergency, or can you hold?
(CALLER): Yes, I need everything you got. The whole bridge over the river fell down. There are cars all over the place.
(911 OPERATOR) Where, sir?
(CALLER): I want to say 35W, over the Mississippi, down by the "u." There are hundreds of cars. I'm in the river. Bring everything you've got. I'm not kidding.
(911 OPERATOR OK): OK sir. We're getting them started. OK?
(CALLER) Oh, hurry up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: The Minneapolis Emergency Communications Center released tapes and transcripts from about 40 calls. Thirteen people died in the collapse.
HOLMES: All right. Many government car crash safety tests available online. People familiar with those crash tests and the video and all that good stuff. But people are using that now as part of the buying process.
DE LA CRUZ: The Internet has made buying a car easier than ever before. Not only can you research the price before heading to the showroom, but -- ouch. This is so difficult to watch, isn't it?
HOLMES: It's a nice car. That hurts me actually.
DE LA CRUZ: I know. It does. It hurts to watch. Now "Consumer Reports" posted hundreds of government crash tests on its site. If you're interested in Audi A-4, you can watch the crash test. Or if you're looking for a mini van such as the Dodge Grand Caravan, you can watch the crash tests as well. Jeff Bartlett who you just saw is deputy editor at "Consumer Reports." He narrates each test T.J. and shows why they received a good, acceptable, or a poor rating. It's hard to watch. I watched you cringe there.
HOLMES: Hate to see a nice car like that.
DE LA CRUZ: If you're itching to buy one, you owe it to yourself to check out these crash test results. I was looking at my own car, and I hate to say it, didn't fare so well. Poor is what it received.
HOLMES: Be careful driving out there.
DE LA CRUZ: Consumerreports.org/crashtest results. You can find all of this online.
HOLMES: Thank you so much, ma'am.
Well, topping $300 million. Happening once again, one of those multi state lotteries fuelling really rich dreams. A live report straight ahead.
CHO: Including yours, T.J.
And the universe at your fingertips. You've heard about Google Earth? Well, Google is going to help you map a trip to a galaxy far, far away. And this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Travel the galaxy, and, yes, you can be home in time for dinner.
CHO: How about that? Google is going to show you how. Here's CNN's Phil Black.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): First there was Google Earth, pick a destination, say Buckingham Palace, and it takes you on a ride around the globe. Zooming through space for a close-up aerial view of the queen's house. Now Google has taken the same idea and turned it upside down.
ED PARSONS, GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGIST: We can use that same basic technology a bit in reverse and look outwards and use the imagery the astronomy community has created and use a really exciting new tool.
BLACK: That new tool is Google Sky. It's designed to explore what lies beyond Earth, starting with the backyard view of space from anywhere on the planet. The stars and constellations as you would see them above.
PARSONS: From that point, you can then start to zoom, and as you zoom out, we'll bring in imagery NEVILLE: at may have been produced from NASA from the space telescope, from Treftial telescopes, and show you pictures of Nebuli, show you pictures of a distant galaxy. Show you the planets as they move throughout the year.
BLACK: The images and information are all available elsewhere. But Google says this the only way you can collect humankind's collective knowledge of space on one location. Scientists say this is exciting, because throughout human history, people have stared into space and wondered. Now they hope having all this information available so easily in one place will inspire a new generation to look up and study what lies beyond.
DR. FRANCIS DIEGO, UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON: There are no limits. When you put this in the hands of millions of people literally to the great public in a way that has never gone before, has never gone before, this is public outreach for science in a way that is going to be very revolutionary.
BLACK: Like Google Earth, the sky software delivers a different view of existence to your desktop but without the same potential for voyeurism.
Phil Black, CNN, London.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GARY NURENBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Life is hard, and you can't always get what you want. So why not dream and spend a buck on a Power ball ticket? A $300 million dream. More when CNN SATURDAY MORNING continues.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Check those tickets. These were the winning numbers of last night's $206 million mega millions lottery drawing. Nobody won the big prize, but 12 tickets matched five of the numbers. Those were worth $250,000 each. The jackpot for Tuesday's drawing could reach $250 million.
CHO: $250 million is just small potatoes for those ling up for Power ball tickets. The multi state Power ball lottery jackpot now up to $300 million for tonight's drawing. The Powerball, by the way, is played in 29 states plus the Virgin Islands and in Washington D.C. That's where our Gary Nuremberg is stocking up on tickets, by the way. Not in the Virgin Islands, he is in D.C. Hey Gary good morning.
NURENBERG: We are at the mini market in Washington D.C. Lottery officials tell us this is the busiest lottery location in the city. Not far from the Maryland line. A lot of people come in from out of state to buy the tickets. We wanted to give you an idea of how good a chance you have of winning the power ball. Your chance of winning, 1 in about 146 million. Compare that to being killed by lightning, 1 in 2.3 million. And according to our researcher Brandon Ray at CNN, winning an Oscar, 1 in 11,500.
Winning a New York Times bestseller, 1 in 220. So even though the chances are pretty good if you buy a ticket, you're not going to win. The state government says sponsor Power ball most likely are going to win. Jeanette Michael is the director of the lottery here in D.C.
JEANETTE MICHAEL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DC LOTTERY: Each state has a beneficiary. Here in District of Columbia, it goes to the general fund. But in many other states it goes for education and other states for the elderly and the environment. It all depends on the state.
NURENBERG: And it depends on your luck. This is what I've done with $2 today. T.J. and Alina, get out your pens. T.J., your numbers are 8, 26, 28, 35, 48, power ball 33.
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