Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Saturday Morning News
Shuttle Atlantis Landing Delayed; Memorial Day Weekend at Arlington National Cemetery; President Obama Could Announce Supreme Court Choice This Week;
Aired May 23, 2009 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING on this Memorial Day weekend. Hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.
ALINA CHO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, T.J.
HOLMES: Good morning.
CHO: Good morning, everybody. I'm Alina Cho. Betty has the morning off. Thanks so much for starting your day with us.
And take a look at this. It is what Memorial Day is all about. You are looking live at Arlington National Cemetery on a weekend set aside to honor men and women in uniform and those who paid the ultimate price.
HOLMES: Also this morning, an emotional mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi -- the first black mayor of that town that was once a hotbed of racial violence in the civil rights era.
Also, developing, a moving target early this morning for the Shuttle Atlantis. It was supposed to be re-entering the earth's atmosphere right about now. But, astronauts are being told to take another lap around the earth. Bad weather forced NASA to scrub this morning's first landing attempt.
There is another window for landing at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a little more than 2 1/2 hours from now. Edwards Air Force Base in California may be the better option at this point. But it would cost a little bit of money. It costs about $2 million to piggyback the shuttle back to Florida from out there in California.
NASA spokesman George Diller is joining me now on the phone to talk about these options. Sir, give us the very latest update about the next window of opportunity to land the shuttle.
GEORGE DILLER, NASA SPOKESMAN (via telephone): We're right on the edge of making a decision whether or not we're going to try to land here today. The odds just do not appear to be in our favor for that so if that decision is made very shortly and it appears that it will be, then we have to decide do we want to stay up another day and try again tomorrow or do we want to go out to Edwards Air Force base today?
We could stay up and try again tomorrow but the weather does not look all that better tomorrow here at the cape. It might be a little better. So that means have we got anything to gain by staying up another day? So right now that's what they're doing is talking about all of that to decide which of the options that they're going to pick here very shortly.
HOLMES: So it sounds like you all are about to make a decision to really just scrap Florida for the day and then California would be the only option for today.
DILLER: If they decide that we're going to land today, it appears likely that that's the way it would go because the weather here in Florida has just been very, very wet. It's been monsoon and we see it shaping up again here today to be something like that. We have thunderstorms right offshore.
We got rain showers developing over the land not too far from the shuttle landing facility, so we don't see a whole lot to gain by trying to land here today. They haven't called it off yet, but it certainly doesn't look like the forecast is going to favor an attempt here. So now they're trying to see, well, is it going to be any better tomorrow? It means it would be worthwhile to stay up another day.
HOLMES: And sir, explain to our viewers one more time here, just how much you all essentially hate having to land in California.
DILLER: Well, California -- the good thing about it is that the weather is almost always good plus they've got an infinite amount of room out there in the middle of the desert. But on the other hand it means that it costs us about a week's time to go out there, to ferry the shuttle back on the 747 and that costs us a million dollars or more to do that. And we're trying to get "Atlantis" ready for its next mission this fall.
So while we built in that time into the schedule, it really means that there's a lot of extra effort involved to bring the shuttle back and it's not without risk either. But we would certainly rather land here because we would like to have the Hubble space telescope hardware that we've brought back here available to take out of the payload bay.
HOLMES: And essentially, sir, is it nothing left, if you will, for the astronauts to do in terms of mission. They're essentially just hanging tight right there in a holding pattern and circling the earth.
DILLER: That's what they're doing, but all indications are that they are enjoying that. They really do like to have a little bit of extra time to just sort of relax and look out the window and they've been taking advantage of that. And they certainly have been able to see all the bad weather over Florida so there's no question there that they know why we're waving them off. And we've had over 16 inches of rain here in the last three days.
HOLMES: All right. And the last thing, I'm going to let you go but, again, the next official attempt time or landing possibilities, time wise, would be what? DILLER: At 10:54 this morning here at the cape if we land here.
HOLMES: All right. And then after that?
DILLER: That would be it for KSC -- I take that back. We do have one more at 12:33, but I don't think they're considering that actively.
HOLMES: OK. And the first option at Edwards is what?
DILLER: Edwards would be at 10:45 this morning Eastern time, that would be 7:45 Pacific time.
HOLMES: All right. Well, sir, we are watching closely. We know we'll probably be talking to you all again plenty this morning but good luck with everything. Thank you for your time. We'll talk to you here soon.
DILLER: All right. We're right on the edge of a decision here in the next few minutes I think.
HOLMES: Thank you, sir.
DILLER: You bet.
CHO: We certainly hope he comes back to tell what's that decision is. As we said and you just heard, two more windows of opportunity to land at the Kennedy Space Center today. The next one being in the 10:00 hour. Of course there's another opportunity at Edwards and then there is always tomorrow. CNN is on the ground at the Kennedy Space Center.
Joining me now on the phone is CNN journalist John Couwels. So John, we just heard from NASA there, monsoon-like conditions. What is it like where you are right now?
JOHN COUWELS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is the clouds are completely overcast. There was a -- I actually can see the sun for the first time which was not seen in central Florida for the last six days. It has been raining constantly, particularly here on the east coast along the Daytona, Cocoa Beach, up to Jacksonville. Right now the weather is completely overcast everywhere.
A little peek in the clouds with the sun coming through and NASA announced a few minutes ago that administrator Lauren Knight (ph) is in a decision group discussion on whether Kennedy Space Center is going -- will be a go for their next attempt at 10:54. The astronauts are suited up so it's a good indication that NASA wants to bring the shuttle home today. Weather conditions do not improve for Sunday or -- Sunday is particularly worse here on the east coast of central Florida.
CHO: So they're looking at potentially California, Edwards Air Force base, which isn't the first choice obviously. But as we heard from NASA the weather always better. But they seem to be very, very close to making a decision on what they're going to do with the shuttle today so you should stay with CNN. But, John, just remind our viewers this was a very important mission for the shuttle "Atlantis" involving some fixes to the Hubble space telescope and so forth. So give us a sense of what these astronauts have been doing over the past several days.
COUWELS: The shuttle crew had gone and had been training for years to go back to the Hubble space telescope to service it for the fifth and final time. Hubble space telescope has lasted double the amount of time in its life expectancy and it was a golden opportunity for them to go back in to install new batteries (INAUDIBLE) camera.
And it's going to give the Hubble space telescope so many more capabilities than it was ever originally designed. So much has been learned from what the Hubble has been able to see. It's been able to see galaxies reforming, planets forming. Textbooks around the world have been rewritten because of what Hubble has been able to teach.
CHO: All right. John Couwels, we thank you so much for your perspective, giving us some insight on what they've been doing the past several days as we look at these pictures. Of course it's interesting to note, T.J., as you were saying earlier when you were talking to NASA, that we always think these astronauts want to get home after a long trip. They were saying they want to enjoy the view out there for a couple more days, at least another day if they can, which isn't such a bad thing. They don't get up there too often, right.
HOLMES: Been up there since May 11 and the work is done. So this is almost that down time, I guess, at the end of a long day's work, if you will. They just want to check it out. But the weather a huge problem.
CHO: That's right. Always the biggest factor when you're talking about a shuttle landing. Reynolds Wolf, of course, is watching that part of it for us. It's not looking good in Florida, is it?
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It really isn't. They were talking about seeing some scattered showers off the coast and that has been the situation. We're seeing the rain is falling right near Kennedy Space Center, right along Titersville (ph), even in the Banana River and along the coast. Showers continue to fall and hopefully things will improve for the launch, or rather for the landing, later on today.
Hopefully, it will happen. We often get so caught up in the launch and the launch is spectacular but the landing is just amazing. When the shuttle lands it comes in anywhere between 213 to 226 miles an hour and the landing strip at first glance just seems like landing at any airport but you have to remember coming in at high speed the landing is going to be different.
When a regular say commercial airliner lands, it comes into the glide slope around 3 degrees. But for the shuttle itself, well it comes in around 20 degrees. It's a tremendous difference. So the whole purpose of that is to allow this thing to slow down and just the landing strip itself is 15,000 feet long. For comparison's sake say at LAX, the longest strip they have is right at 12,091 feet. We're talking about a much different landing strip and of course the speed is so different and when that shuttle comes right across Florida you hear not one but two sonic booms.
Remember, they have got one chance, once they commit and they're going down, they have to land. It can't just touch and go and take off and go around for another time. Once they make that commitment to land, it is full bore. It is an amazing thing to see and it's great pilotship (ph) and it's going to be fun to watch this land. Hopefully won't land at Edwards. Of course we talked about the issues they have there and the expenditures, but still an amazing thing to see regardless of where it decides to touch down, where they decide to land and so amazing to watch.
Back to you guys.
CHO: I've never been to a landing. I've been to a launch.
WOLF: They're so cool. They are so cool.
CHO: I've been to a night launch and, boy, that sky just lights up. It is incredible.
WOLF: A lot of pageantry too it. It's an incredible thing, earth shattering, earth shaking.
CHO: It is. Reynolds, thanks.
HOLMES: We will turn to the president now. President Obama reportedly using this holiday weekend to mull over his choice for the Supreme Court. Sources telling CNN a final choice could be announced as early as next Tuesday.
CNN's Elaine Quijano joining us now live from the White House, Elaine, always good to see you. There's been a lot of speculation, conjecture, just flat-out guessing about who and about when. What do we know right now?
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, we know that he is closer, T.J., to announcing a Supreme Court pick. Here is what we know. A top aide to the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent out an e-mail to Democrats saying get ready. President Obama's Supreme Court pick could be coming, could be coming as early as next week. Now this is, of course, a panel that ought to know. This is the committee that's going to be handling the nomination for the person that the president chooses to replace retiring Justice David Souter.
We know that this weekend could be decision time for President Obama. A top aide to the president says he is mulling things over right now and he's going to be able to do that far away from reporters. The president is at Camp David this weekend. So that means not only can he think in private, if he wants to meet with any potential candidates he'll be able to do so away from reporters and away from cameras. So, T.J., again, bottom line the latest buzz now is that the Supreme Court pick, an announcement could come as early as next week.
HOLMES: Let's just say what if here, Elaine. If we don't get this pick by Tuesday, besides reporters going crazy, pulling their hair out for another week or so, what exactly happens? What happens to the process then if we don't get it in the next few days?
QUIJANO: Well, if it doesn't happen in the next few days, then conceivably this could slip to early or even possibly mid-June and that's because in a couple of weeks, President Obama is heading overseas on an international trip. He's going to Egypt and he'll be visiting Europe and so there really is a great deal of pressure to get this announcement out there and to get the ball rolling basically on the confirmation process before then.
Aides are hoping that they could get the confirmation hearings started in July because Congress is heading out for recess in August. So if this thing slips and it slips, let's say, to September, that could really jeopardize the chances, T.J., of getting a Supreme Court pick in place before the Supreme Court begins its next session in October T.J.
HOLMES: All right, Elaine Quijano from the White House this morning with what we do know. Elaine, thank you so much.
QUIJANO: Sure.
CHO: Announcing his Supreme Court choice would definitely be a high point in the week ahead. So here's a look at the president's schedule so far. On Monday President Obama comes back from Camp David to lay a wreath at the tomb of the unknowns, a long tradition. Later in the week, he's going to head west for a pair of fund-raisers in Las Vegas for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and then in Los Angeles for the Democratic National Committee, the DNC. Then it's back to Washington on Thursday for a White House meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
HOLMES: We're going to turn to an effort to help young people get a handle on their future. Josh Levs following this for us this morning.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: (INAUDIBLE) tons of student debt and now they are unemployed in huge record numbers. This group wants Congress to change that through some new spending. I'm going to show you.
CHO: And looking for a cheap weekend getaway or during the week after we worked the weekend, we're going to have some tips just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Huey Lewis and "Working for a Living."
CHO: We've heard about the high unemployment in America stands at nearly nine percent. Now imagine if you double that. That's happening in a certain sector of America. HOLMES: In certain places, certain cities and it's also happening to the nation's youngest workers. A new group says it knows how to change that now. Josh Levs to explain this one to us. Good morning again Josh.
LEVS: Good morning to you guys. It really is incredible when you look at these numbers, how incredibly much unemployment there is among the nation's youngest workers. This is the Web site I was just mentioning. It's 80millionstrong.org. And what they're doing is creating this organization that went up actually after the election and they're working on Congress. Those kids are meetings on Capitol Hill. They've already had meetings with celebrities.
I spoke with the head of it and I asked him what is this all about?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW SEGAL, CO-CHAIR, 80 MILLION STRONG: Eighty million is significant for the 80 million members of the millennia generation born roughly after the year 1980. We are three million larger in numbers than the baby boomer generation at 77 million and the purpose of our coalition is to convene a grouping of some of the largest youth organizations in the country to come together and propose solutions towards the youth unemployment crisis and to do this we'll convene a summit in July where we can create legislation.
LEVS: I know you're focusing really on legislative efforts. Let's go to a graphic here, because I was really interested in a few points that your group points out. We were just talking about the unemployment there, check this out, undergrad average debt coming out of college $27,000.
Young people already burdened this way and then you also point out that a lot of young people have been targets for predatory lenders. Some people say it's been irresponsible young people. You can say that about people any age and you have seen that that's a big problem for people your age, right?
SEGAL: Well, for one, young people even prior to college, are targeted by credit card companies to basically put everything on credit and this is not a matter of irresponsible spending. I mean, if you look at the $2,000 in credit card debt that young people average by the age of 24, a great deal of that is for things like textbooks, for room and board for college, heck, even groceries are a large cost of the debt so these are not superfluous shopping sprees that young people are spending irresponsibly.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEVS: What they're arguing here is that there's been all this spending in this stimulus funding, but they say it's really been for these shovel ready projects not things like cyber security, young entrepreneurship, thing that could really benefit young people. So that's what they're doing, they're pushing through here and we want to hear from you. Let's go to this graphic. From you out there, what are your thoughts on this? What are your experiences? Are you a young American who is trying to get a job right now? This is the various ways you can reach us. You got the brand new CNN newsroom blog, cnn.com/newsroom. You've got my Facebook page, Facebook.com/joshlevscnn, Twitter.com/joshlevscnn.
We're going to be sharing some of your stories here on the air. T.J. and Alina, it really is interesting to focus on this sector. We got all these kids with all this debt. They can't get a job. All they can do is let that interest compound and ultimately that hurts the whole economy.
CHO: All right. Thank you.
LEVS: Thanks.
HOLMES: We turn to weather, a lot of weather. We're focusing on a lot of weather having to do with the shuttle today. Reynolds Wolf, where do you want to start now?
(WEATHER REPORT)
WOLF: Speaking of weekends, a lot of people want to get out there and get a little bit of a break. Here's some ideas for a nice, inexpensive weekend getaway.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WOLF: A gateway to a great getaway is St. Louis.
MARK ORWOLI, TRAVEL + LEISURE: Most of the major attractions in St. Louis are inexpensive or even downright free.
WOLF: At the St. Louis science center it costs nothing to open the door to your imagination.
BETH MCCLURE, ST. LOUIS SCIENCE CENTER: Visitors can have their (INAUDIBLE) be programming a Web site and you can clean actual dinosaur fossils. We pride ourselves on offering programming that appeals to not only families with young children but teenagers and adults without kids, too.
WOLF: At the art museum the doorway reads dedicated to art and free to all.
CHARLOTTE EYERMAN, ST. LOUIS ART MUSEUM: We have paintings, sculpture, works on paper, art works from every culture and every time period and also great surprises.
WOLF: And in St. Louis, beer could be considered an art. Brewery tours are free.
DAN KOPMAN, CO-FOUNDER, ? BEER: The local brands, they identify with their local communities. They make their local communities unique. They are a reason for visiting a place like St. Louis. (END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Looks like you're going to St. Louis, huh?
HOLMES: I've been actually.
Still ahead, we got a national security showdown we saw this week as CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser talking with us about the feud over detainees and what may lie ahead next.
CHO: It's nice to get Paul's perspective. And of course it's Memorial Day weekend. We're going to take you to a little known area of Arlington National Cemetery for those who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. 1ST CLASS CHARLES TOLIVER, U.S. ARMY FROM CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS: Hello, everyone. This is Sgt. 1st Class Charles Toliver (INAUDIBLE). I'm with first cavalry division from Baghdad, Iraq. I just want to wish everyone at home a wonderful memorial weekend and I hope that you all enjoy everything that God has blessed you with and once again, we just bring you greetings from Baghdad, Iraq with the Army first cavalry division where we live the legend.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: It really hits home when you hear from them overseas. The well wishes.
HOLMES: I hope their families are watching.
CHO: We certainly do. Memorial Day is a time to remember those who have died in service and nowhere is that more tangible than in Arlington National Cemetery. There are more than 300,000 grave sites there and this weekend all adorned with American flags.
HOLMES: There's a special section there as well. It's called section 60. Our Barbara Starr visited this area known as the saddest acre in America.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Captain Marissa Alexander brings Avery and his twin sister Aleah (ph) here to visit the father they never knew. Staff Sgt. Leroy Alexander was killed before they were ever born. This is section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery. It's been called the saddest acre in America. More than 500 troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are here.
CAPT. MARISSA ALEXANDER, WIFE OF FALLEN SOLDIER: They need to know what their father was about, have that connection with him.
STARR: Marissa is trying to make section 60 part of her children's lives.
ALEXANDER: Myself and the children came here and we (INAUDIBLE) and we explained the story of how he passed.
STARR: Family, buddies, friends come here. They mark their visits, leaving stones, notes, pictures, some items reminders of memories we do not know. Angie Capra, widowed with five children is visiting husband tech Sgt. Tony Capra's grave.
ANGIE CAPRA, WIFE OF FALLEN AIRMAN: We got the news that day. I had talked to him about 12:30 my time. And by 3:30 my time they were knocking on the door.
STARR: Today a drawing and Yoda has been left. Tony was a "Star Wars" fan. With her youngest Adrianna, Angie is now part of the section 60 family.
CAPRA: Other widows will come by and put something on for me if they don't see me out there. It's kind of a community.
STARR: Lieutenant General Benjamin Freakley just attended a funeral for a fallen soldier. He has other men buried here.
LT. GEN. BENJAMIN FREAKLEY, U.S. ARMY: They're still standing shoulder to shoulder with their brothers and sisters at ranks (ph).
STARR: A place of grieving but a place for young children to learn of parents they never knew.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Knowing that this place gives them a happy remembrance of their father rather than something that's so tragic and so sad that they feel very comfortable to come here and be able to have that time with him and his memory.
STARR: Barbara Starr, CNN, section 60, Arlington National Cemetery.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: We'll have more from Arlington National Cemetery, more on Memorial Day weekend throughout this weekend.
CHO: That's right.
HOLMES: Up next though, I'll introduce you to a new mayor who is boasting that he now has the keys to a city that once locked him out. He's the first black mayor of a city made famous in the civil rights struggle.
CHO: A city that is predominantly white. It is really extraordinary. So you'll want to hear that story.
And also for women who have lost their husbands in war a project, a very special one, to help them cope and reach out to one another. We want to introduce you to the women behind a new documentary and a Web site, a real big project that's aimed at helping families left behind. That's ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: The political world hasn't seen a showdown quite like this in a while. President Obama defending his plan to bring Guantanamo Bay detainees to American prisons while former Vice President Dick Cheney called the Obama policies, "recklessness cloaked in righteousness."
CNN's deputy political director Paul Steinhauser joins us now from Washington, D.C. Paul, hello to you. First, just set this scene. How dramatic of a scene was this to see these back-to-back dueling administrations and dueling speeches in Washington, D.C. this week?
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: T.J., you painted a great picture there. This was extremely unique. And there was some high drama this week when the current president and the former vice president basically went toe to toe. First Barack Obama followed, minutes later by the former Vice President Dick Cheney. And as you said, these two men don't see eye to eye on the war on terror and on specifically closing that detention center at Guantanamo Bay. They were pretty crystal clear at how they felt about each other and those policies, T.J.
HOLMES: All right, well, a couple things. I guess the two highlighted things of course on enhanced interrogation. The two sides don't agree, but also like you mentioned on Guantanamo Bay. So highlight that difference on Guantanamo Bay.
STEINHAUSER: Yeah, the president's saying that having the detention center in Guantanamo Bay in the first place, which was instituted under the Bush administration, he's said that's made us less safe in the war on terrorism. And that's why he wants to close down that detention center. The former vice president saying just the opposite, criticizing this new administration for undoing what the Bush administration had done to keep the U.S. safe in the early years in the war on terror, T.J.
HOLMES: And some strange details, if you will here about who exactly might be transferred to a U.S. prison. You know, that's what a lot of people are concerned about. Well, we don't want these guys on our soil. So what is the president saying about I guess who could and couldn't be imprisoned here in the U.S.?
STEINHAUSER: He laid out different categories of prisoners. And of course, the most dangerous he said would not come to the U.S. He would never allow that to happen. If anybody too dangerous, there would actually be, you know, a danger to this country, they would not come here.
He laid out different categories and he was pretty firm on that, but I don't know if he gave details, the specific details that many in Congress want to hear from him. As former vice president again disagreeing with this new administration, saying that their policies of undoing what the Bush administration has done is very dangerous. HOLMES: Now you know not necessarily surprising anybody is that the vice president, the former vice president and the current president don't agree on policy and keeping the country safe maybe, but also somebody else, or a lot of folks not agreeing with the president on this. That's up on Capitol Hill, not giving him the money he needs to close that prison.
STEINHAUSER: Yep, in fact the president's speech on Thursday came one day after the U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly, I think it was 90 to 5, to not fund the closing of Guantanamo Bay. The House of Representatives doing it last week as well.
This started with Republicans, but it spread to Democrats as well, T.J.. And you've had pretty uniformly both sides in Congress saying no to the president. We're not going to give you that money to close down the detention center until you give us greater details. And I don't think a lot of members of Congress got the details they wanted from the president in his speech this week.
Again, this started with Republicans, but it spread to Democrats. It's kind of that not in my district, not in my state mentality. They don't want these detainees in their states or districts.
HOLMES: All right, as always, another fascinating week in Washington, D.C. Paul Steinhauser, always a pleasure. Thank you so much, buddy.
STEINHAUSER: Thanks, T.J.
CHO: It is Memorial Day weekend, of course. And as people plan their barbecues and enjoy the weather, we almost always have to remember that we are also remembering those who lost their lives, paid the ultimate price during war.
You are looking live there at Arlington National Cemetery. That is in Arlington, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington. More than 4 million people a year visit the cemetery. And remember, it is a day, a weekend, a three-day weekend, to honor American soldiers who died serving the country in wars.
It was originally called Declaration Day interestingly enough, something I learned just a few days ago. Remember, it is a risk that every soldier's spouse takes knowing there is always a chance your loved one may not return from war. But for many widows there is now a way to share their grief with others who know their pain all too well. It is called the American Widow Project.
And joining us now, co-founders Taren (ph) Davis and Nicole Hart. Thank you guys so much for joining us. Brave of you really to talk about this because it is so personal.
Taren, I want to begin with you. You know, we have just crossed the two-year anniversary of your husband Michael's death. I was really struck by how you were notified about this, because that really propelled you to take action. So tell us what happened? And tell us what you did as a result? TAREN DAVIS, WIDOW: The way I was notified, it was like any other day. I got up at 7:00 in the morning to talk to Michael on the Instant Messenger, which was our main form of communication. I told him I loved him more than life itself before he got off. And about an hour and a half later, a 2,000-pound bomb went off underneath their vehicle. I was at my mother's house that evening when my neighbor called and told me I needed to get home immediately, but he would not tell me why. And as we turned that last corner to my house, I saw the two men in the uniform.
So I actually had to get out of the car and sit down so they could walk up to me. And it was very surreal. Four months after I was notified I just didn't feel like people were talking about Michael anymore. I wasn't feeling as if the emotional aspect and the needs for me, you know, weren't being met.
And I called the only widow I knew whose husband had been sitting behind mine. And I said, hey, I have this idea. I want to know everything. I want to film you just telling me everything from how you met to the notification to how you told your son to what you're doing now to continue his legacy but live life again.
And in the midst of that is when we started the nonprofit as well, the Web site. And I ended up interviewing six other women. We created the documentary and we're actually distributing that free of charge to all military widows.
CHO: That's fantastic.
DAVIS: And then we have the Web site. We've done events. The Web site has everything from what to do with his belongings when you get six black boxes and have to basically inventory every pair of socks that your husband had.
CHO: Yeah, I was really struck because you actually -- and, Nicole, I want to get to you in just a minute. But one thing that really, really struck me was that you said when you received those boxes, the one thing that you wanted to do right away was go to the clothes, smell them and just smell him. And the clothes smelled like Tide.
DAVIS: Yeah.
CHO: Everything had been washed. And that really struck me. But I think it's wonderful what you're doing.
DAVIS: Thank you.
CHO: Nicole, I want to talk to you a little bit about how you got involved. You met your husband, David, when you were 12-years- old. Really the love of your life. So I can just imagine what you were going through when you lost him. I read that you said you felt alone, you felt you were going crazy. So how did you find your way to the American Widow Project? And what have you learned as a result?
NICOLE HART, WIDOW: I searched the Internet over and over and over, time and time again. And it was actually this time last year where I went onto a chat group. And I finally posted my name and age and who my husband is.
And that's when a woman noticed my age and said, hey, I heard of this organization called the American Widow Project. She gave me the Web site. And she said that the founder was about my age. So that's when I went on the Web site, clicked on the about us section and saw Taren and Michael. And I knew that finally I had seen my reflection, which is what I was looking for. I was looking for someone my age.
CHO: Well, because I think, Taren, you know, you think about widow and you think of somebody much older, but you two are in your 20s or 30s or?
DAVIS: I was 21 when I was notified.
CHO: Oh, my gosh.
HART: 22.
DAVIS: And I think that's a great point. There's a stigma that goes along with that word. And like you said, preconceived notions when you hear it. You don't think of a 20-something single mother who's walking through Walmart and think widow. And that's why I think it's important that we're out there.
And we make these widows know that the titles that they have as a military widow is an honorable title, because it signifies their husband's sacrifice. And so they should be proud to introduce themselves as a military widow. And they should be proud to grasp on to what's happening in their lives. Because as much as their life has been shattered, they're survivors. And I think that needs to be recognized.
CHO: And it is a fantastic way to memorialize, to remember your husbands David and Michael. Taren Davis, Nicole Hart, I know that both of you are right around the two-year mark. I lost my sister about six years ago, seven years ago now. And I know that the two- year mark is important because you somehow -- it does get just a little bit easier around this time. So I certainly hope that that's happening with you.
DAVIS: Thank you.
CHO: And I thank you so much for sharing your stories.
DAVIS: Thank you.
HART: Thank you.
CHO: Thank you so much. T.J.?
HOLMES: Well this just in to us. We've been giving you updates about the space shuttle "Atlantis." It is not coming home today. They have been trying to get it back on the ground, but bad weather has prevented it. It was supposed to land yesterday. That got scrubbed because of weather. Try it again today, had a few times set, but not going to happen because of those clouds you see down in Florida. That is the preferred landing spot.
Now they're going to try to do this again tomorrow. And they're going to try, of course, to have it at the preferred landing spot there in Florida. However, they may have to go to California, another landing spot out there, at Edwards Air Force base.
So the shuttle, we've been getting some times that are moved around here and there, but they are not coming home today. Again, do not have -- want to take any chances with this shuttle. Weather can prevent this thing. And like Reynolds was telling us a short time ago, once this thing comes back in the atmosphere, it's going essentially not into the (INAUDIBLE) any more. It's just floating essentially.
CHO: Right.
HOLMES: So you've got one opportunity to do this.
Hey, How are you doing there?
CHO: Hey, Reynolds, how are you doing?
HOLMES: Reynolds doesn't hear us. I don't think he doesn't know he's on TV. We'll get him set up in a second, but another bit of information I do want to pass along on the same note about NASA, a new administrator, the president announcing he is going to be putting Charles Boldin (ph) is his name in charge of the agency. Been looking for a new administrator. And I believe this man would be the first African-American to head up the NASA agency. A lot of NASA news today. He was trying to time that announcement to go with the landing...
CHO: Of course.
HOLMES: ...of "Atlantis."
CHO: Sometimes it doesn't always work out so perfectly.
HOLMES: We don't know when Atlantis is going to land.
CHO: Yeah.
HOLMES: But the news is scrapped for today. Going to try it again tomorrow.
Should we try Reynolds again?
CHO: Reynolds, are you there?
WOLF: Guys, I am indeed here. Yeah, I was doing something else.
CHO: Hey!
WOLF: Did not have you guys -- did not hear you at all. We got a lot to talk about.
CHO: Yeah.
WOLF: We're going to be talking about, of course, some scattered showers, things that are now working. And we're also going to be talking about what we can expect as we get into the holiday weekend. Looks like we could see some rain along the Gulf Coast and great conditions for parts of the country. We're going to show you who's got what coming up in just a few moments.
CHO: All right, Reynolds, thank you.
WOLF: See you in a few.
CHO: We look forward to it.
HOLMES: Hey, me, too.
CHO: A busy day for you.
Also just ahead, a Memorial Day tradition, the Indy 500.
HOLMES: Uh-huh.
CHO: Is that coming up again? Sports/business analyst Rick Horrow is going to join us to talk about whether this year's race will give Indianapolis an economic boost.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, a lot of big news -- big sports news stories this week including, of course, the release of NFL quarterback Michael Vick. He's now at home doing the last of his sentence. Possibly going to be going back to the NFL. Also, one of our car racing's premiere events this weekend, the Indy 500 happening tomorrow. Also, the French Open. Rick, do we care about the French Open? We'll get to that in a second.
Our Rick Horrow, sports business analyst here to talk to us right now. Good to see you, sir. Let's start with Michael Vick. There has been a heck of a debate about whether or not it's a right or a privilege to play. Aside from that, if someone does decide to get him back on their team, what are they looking at? Is it a good business move?
RICK HORROW, CNN SPORTS BUSINESS ANALYST: Well, it's a good business move for the NFL to talk about it and get it past us. $8 billion a year of revenue at the NFL. The Atlanta Falcons are now worth $1 billion. They don't need him quite clearly, because they've got Matt Ryan, the rookie of the year last year.
HOLMES: Yeah.
HORROW: And Arthur Blank, the owner, says that Michael Vick is not going play for them, but they have his rights. The bottom line for Michael Vick, by the way, a couple of big dates. June 9 is the day where the bankruptcy judge finds out whether his $20 million of debt can be restructured.
HOLMES: Yeah.
HORROW: And then July 20 is when Roger Goodell, the commissioner, will consider his suspension because that's the day his sentence is officially over.
HOLMES: OK, and one more on Vick here. Is it going to be bad for or image wise for the team that possibly picks him up as well as the NFL? Or is it just specifically the team that might get some backlash if he ends up in the NFL again?
HORROW: He's working with the Humane Society. He seems genuinely contrite. Nobody knows what's in his mind. Everybody says give people a second chance. Let's see how the second chance is defined.
Hey, at the end of the day, there are 32 teams in the NFL. There are seven or eight that need a quarterback at any one point in time. You measure his humanity against his ability to throw a tight spiral.
HOLMES: All right. Let's turn to Indianapolis. Are they going to get a good boost this weekend. A lot of cities could use a big boom like this, but Indianapolis looking forward to this one.
HORROW: The second biggest city in Indiana for the day tomorrow. 9,000 jobs directly related to the motorsports industry...
HOLMES: Wow.
HORROW: ...on a regular basis. 135 percent of the average wage. So they're big-paying jobs. Now remember, the NFL is coming to Indianapolis, with the Super Bowl, and the Final Four as well. But the Indy 500, my friend, is a half billion dollars of economic impact...
HOLMES: Wow.
HORROW: ...every single year. Every single year.
HOLMES: Every year, a half a billion dollars for a weekend?
HORROW: Well, direct and indirect impact. You got 250,000 people there. And you also have the vendors, the suppliers, everybody else. You know, Danica Patrick is a huge draw, but she's only won one race.
Tiger, by the way, everybody says she's like Tiger, 76 tournaments. So she is the face of the Indy 500 and the Indy racing league and that whole industry. We'll just happen to see if she draws those sponsors and races well this week.
HOLMES: And one more quickly on this. Are people -- are Americans behind this league? It's certainly not like NASCAR, but are they behind the Indy series? HORROW: Well, they're not as much as they had been before, but it seems to be coming back. There was this big civil war. Now everybody's together again. Back on Patrick really quickly. Her brand value last year was $15 million in one race. She finished 22nd. So they're behind her. They're behind the racing industry. She's just got to win.
HOLMES: OK, well, I got to let you go. We didn't get to get to the French Open but like you were saying, nobody really cares anyway.
CHO: That's not true.
HORROW: Well, but that's not the way to do it. OK? So all right, so everybody's going to care when we talk about it next week.
CHO: Oh.
HOLMES: When we will talk about it next week. All Rick, always good to see you, buddy. We'll see you later. I know there are some tennis fans out there.
CHO: Yeah, I'm among them.
HOLMES: But here in the -- a lot of times don't pay attention because there's not a big American star playing. People here won't watch is the point I was making.
CHO: People want to know if Federer and Nadal's going to, you know, that's a big duel. I'm just saying. I'm just saying.
HOLMES: I know and I get it. But people...
CHO: OK.
HOLMES: ...and Americans want to follow the Serenas...
CHO: OK.
HOLMES: ...and the Venus and the Agassis of old. All right. Let's move on to you other tennis fans.
We're going to talk more about the big story at 10:00 this morning. Is he going to be able to transform his image? That question we're going to be putting to sports and entertainment attorney Marshawn Evans is going to be joining us live. 10:00 Eastern, right here in the CNN Newsroom.
Also still ahead, a candid conversation with ABC correspondent Bob Woodruff, also his wife Lee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEE WOODRUFF, WIFE OF BOB WOODRUFF: ...leads to a divorce or a break-up of a family. We got so lucky with Bob's injury and it did bring us closer together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And we talk about Bob Woodruff's brain injury covering the war in Iraq and what this Memorial Day means to them.
CHO: He's just had a remarkable recovery. And coming up at 10:00 Eastern, gas prices. This Memorial Day weekend, we're all paying attention to that, right? So where are they at? And how do you get around on the cheap? We'll tell you.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back, everybody. The annual list of best beaches is out just in time for Memorial Day. Hawaii has something to crow about.
HOLMES: You know, I want to say every beach in Hawaii should be on the top 10, right? But the top of the list, you see Hanalei Bay there in Kauai. It's where they filmed some scenes for raiders of "The Lost Ark" actually I didn't know that. Number two on the list last year. This year's number two, Siesta Beach in Sarasota, Florida. And number three on the beach on this list is one you have heard of a time or two.
CHO: Yeah, Coopers Beach in Southampton, New York. You know, if the weather's cooperating, I've got lots of friends out there right now.
HOLMES: Right now.
CHO: So hello to all my -- well, maybe not right now, but maybe in a few hours. But hello to all my New York friends.
HOLMES: (INAUDIBLE)
CHO: It is a beautiful beach and great cantaloupe.
HOLMES: Great cantaloupe? I will take your word for it.
CHO: Yeah, great cantaloupe and great ice cream.
(WEATHER REPORT)
CHO: Lots of news to talk about including this shuttle landing that was scheduled for today, a couple of attempts scrubbed yesterday, a couple of attempts scrubs today. It turns out there's just too much bad weather in Florida. And I think they're going to try tomorrow. Right?
HOLMES: They will have to try it tomorrow. So the best possibility now they will arrive two days late. So the next try is tomorrow morning some time around 10:00 Eastern. We are following that story. We'll be talking live with NASA a little later this morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CHO: As a child he lived in fear. Now he's been chosen to lead the very community where he grew up scared. A Mississippi town that served as a backdrop of the hit movie "Mississippi Burning" now has its first African-American mayor.
CNN's Ed Lavandera reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAYOR JAMES YOUNG, PHILADELPHIA, MISSISSIPPI: An average Joe citizen, as we say.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): James Young is on a victory lap. He's the newly elected mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi.
YOUNG: Thank you, man. We did it!
LAVANDERA: They call him mayor but Young doesn't quite believe it.
YOUNG: Who would have thought a little country boy like me would be mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi, in '09? I couldn't even wrote that in a fairy tale.
LAVANDERA: As you'll see the emotion of this moment will soon sink in. James Young is the first black mayor of a town tormented by a legacy of racism.
JIM PRINCE, PUBLISHER, "NESHOBA DEMOCRAT": Philadelphia, I am resolved, will always be connected to what happened here in 1964.
LAVANDERA: That year three civil rights workers were murdered driving down a country road. The savage attacks were a defining moment of the civil rights era and immortalized in the movie "Mississippi Burning." Newspaper publisher Jim Prince says the scab from that wound is finally falling off.
PRINCE: This city is 55 percent white so the fact that Philadelphia, Mississippi, with its notorious past, could elect a black man as a mayor, it might be time to quit picking on Philadelphia, Mississippi.
YOUNG: Hey, how are you doing?
LAVANDERA: Young says he won by shaking hands and knocking on doors but he only beat the white incumbent candidate by 46 votes. Young knows that for every hug he gets, some still look the other way.
YOUNG: We have some very small population that will never change. That's what we got to deal with.
LAVANDERA (on camera): Some of James Young's memories of growing up in this house in Ivy Street are fearful nights listening to the Ku Klux Klan roam through these neighborhood streets in the middle of the night, his father sleeping on the sofa in the living room with a gun on his lap. But the new mayor of Philadelphia hasn't left that far behind. He lives now just across the street.
(voice-over): Young was nine years old when the civil rights workers were killed. He was one of the first black students to integrate white schools here. He worked as a hospital housekeeper until a white boss recommended he become a paramedic. Young worked his way up to become the city's EMT director. That catapulted him to his first elected job. Now he's mayor.
YOUNG: It's beginning to sink in. The places that we were locked out, I'm going to have a key. The places that we couldn't go, I've go to keep.
LAVANDERA (on camera): Why are you so emotional?
YOUNG: When you've been treated the way we've been treated - excuse me. I guess maybe that's what's been boiling up and it finally comes to the surface.
How are you all doing?
LAVANDERA (voice-over): James Young believes it now. He can call himself mayor.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Philadelphia, Mississippi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Hello there from the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING on a Memorial Day weekend. I'm T.J. Holmes.
CHO: Good morning, T.J. Good morning, everybody. I'm Alina Cho. Betty has the morning off. Thanks so much for starting your Saturday with us.
And this change of plans for the space shuttle "Atlantis." The crew was set to land 45 minutes from now in California. Now they're going to have to cool their jets, so to speak. In fact, we want to go live now to Cape Canaveral. Our reporter Dan Billow of CNN affiliate, WESH. So, Dan, what's the latest from where you are?
DAN BILLOW, WESH REPORTER: Well, the latest is here at the Kennedy Space Center where NASA hoped the shuttle would land this morning is we got light rain and you can see heavy clouds in the background. Now if the space shuttle would try to fly through heavy clouds, tall clouds like this, there are ice crystals in those clouds and it would kind of sand blast the exterior of the space shuttle. Obviously that would be very bad. This is the second day in a row that they have called off the landing for the space shuttle.
Edwards Air Force Base in California is the backup landing site. Weather was good there but NASA much prefers to bring the shuttle back here where it lives, if it can, and despite that fact that the forecast for tomorrow for the Kennedy Space Center here in Florida is not too good. They're going to go ahead and just have the astronauts wait until tomorrow, see if they get lucky and try to land here.
CHO: So ...
BILLOW: Go ahead.
CHO: Yes, what is the outlook then for tomorrow, Dan? What could we potentially see happen tomorrow? We got to see a landing, right?
BILLOW: We'll definitely see a landing and probably, I think, in California tomorrow. The outlook for the Kennedy Space Center tomorrow is more clouds and showers. There may be some breaks in that rain. So they may get lucky and land here. But in all likelihood it's Edwards Air Force Base and all those landing times are right around 10:00 Eastern tomorrow.
CHO: Dan, I just got a quick question for you because -- this just in to CNN and I'm not too sure if it's too early to get reaction there, but President Obama has announced that General Charles Bolden will be his nominee for the new NASA administrator, the first African- American to hold that post. I'm just curious whether there's any early reaction from the Kennedy Space Center on that.
BILLOW: I know very well that that is a welcome announcement here in Florida. Charlie Bolden, who flew on the space shuttle four times, is well known here at the Kennedy Space Center and well known in central Florida as well. He is considered a booster of manned space flight of astronauts flying in space and of course that's what the Kennedy Space Center does. So they're happy about this.
CHO: All right. Dan Billow of our affiliate WESH. Dan, we thank you for that report. Appreciate it.
HOLMES: And we can turn to our Reynolds Wolf now. Weather has been giving them fits, Reynolds. And you can explain to us now, you can show us exactly why this landing is not possible today.
WOLF: Yes. So I'm going to go back to the showers and storms that you have falling right off the coast. I mean, keep in mind that when the shuttle lands, you have your launch facility right about here. Let me do some hard work but right here in this area, you got the banana river, of course, the Atlantic Ocean. What you need is you need about a 30-mile space where the space shuttle can make that landing. And if you have any storms that pop up that are close by, it's just not going to happen.
And it looks like it may be a bit the same for tomorrow, more scattered showers, more thunderstorms may be in the mix. But as we get to tomorrow's forecast out going towards places like say Edwards Air Force base issuing much better in the high desert of California. Today's forecast is relatively dry there in the high Californian desert and certainly for the west coast as we make our way back towards the east.
The same rainmaker that has been giving us those showers near the landing facility is also going to bring some heavy rainfall to parts of Florida, Alabama, back into Mississippi, even into Louisiana. It is all due to this area of low pressure that at one point looked like it might become something bigger, maybe a depression. Maybe, maybe a tropical storm. But right now, it does not seem that it's going to be in the cards at all.
Very quickly, let me show something else. The rainfall that we're seeing in parts of the coast we're going to be seeing in Mobile and back into Birmingham, possibly some heavy rainfall. We can't rule out the possibility of also getting some flash flooding. So it's certainly something to watch out for.
Now, coming up, we're going to take a look at your holiday forecast. That it's going to be just a short while away. Let's send it right back to you at the news desk.
CHO: Yes, the rain is not enough, there's flash flooding to add on to that. OK. Great. Thank you, Reynolds.
HOLMES: Reynolds, we appreciate you buddy. Talk to you soon.
WOLF: Anytime.
HOLMES: Well, it looks like, it sounds like, could it be President Barack Obama may be announcing who's going to be his Supreme Court nominee. It looks like he's preparing to make a big announcement anyway. CNN has learned the president could name his Supreme Court nominee as early as next Tuesday.
CNN's Elaine Quijano joining us now live from the White House. Elaine, what do we know?
QUIJANO: Well, we know that a top aide to the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent out an e-mail to democrats saying get ready, President Obama's Supreme Court pick could come -- could come as early as next week. And this is a committee that ought to know. It's the panel that is going to be handling the nomination for the person that the president chooses to replace retiring Justice David Souter.
Now we also know that this weekend could be decision time for President Obama, one of the top aides says that President Obama is mulling things over right now and he's going to be able to do that away from reporters. The president is spending the weekend at Camp David, the presidential retreat in suburban Washington, and so not only can he mull things over in private, he could also potentially meet with possible candidates if he wanted to one-on-one away from the media, away from the cameras.
So the president's thinking is, could make an announcement as early as Tuesday as you noted but if he doesn't make an announcement over the next few days, it could slip to perhaps mid-June because the president is heading overseas on an international trip to Egypt and Europe. And so the thinking is it could be mid-June but they don't really want it to slide too far past that. Basically they want to get these confirmation hearings rolling as soon as possible.
HOLMES: Well, all eyes on Tuesday. Elaine Quijano for us from the White House. Thank you so much.
CHO: Well, you know if a nominee is picked it would surely change the focus of the president's agenda next week. Here's a look at the schedule so far post-Memorial Day. On Monday the president will come back from Camp David to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns, a yearly tradition, of course. Later in the week, he's going to head west for a couple of fund-raisers in Las Vegas for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and then in Los Angeles for the Democratic National Committee, the DND. Then it is back to Washington on Thursday for a White House meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
HOLMES: Well, maybe a lot of flight delays this weekend for you traveling for your Memorial Day. Flight delays as well for NAS astronauts. Can't come home today either. They've got to stay up there at least another day. Weather conditions making things difficult for "Atlantis."
CHO: That's right. In fact, NASA says the next landing opportunity will be at the Florida, Kennedy Space Center at 10:11 a.m. Eastern tomorrow. Stick around.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAJ. JEFFREY O'DONNELL, U.S. ARMY FROM PHILADELPHIA, PA.: Hi. My name is Major Jeff O'Donnell. I'm stationed down here in Minstiki(ph) in Baghdad, I'd like to give a shout out to my wife and kids in Germany for Memorial Day and I always like to wish my wife an early 10th anniversary. I love you and miss you all, take care.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: An emotional game on a baseball field. The son of a swine flu victim actually stepped up to the mound and pitches a no-hitter. How about that?
HOLMES: That was a cool story. That's just one coming to us from our affiliates around the country. Josh Levs taking a look. Good morning, Josh.
LEVS: You saw that one, T.J.? You saw that?
HOLMES: Love that story.
LEVS: Yes. It's a great story. Beautiful. And it's nice to hear. In fact, let's zoom in. I'll show everyone. CNN.com U.S. has a lot of neat stories coming to us from our affiliates and the main story right now is about this young man, Jordan Wiener, whose father was assistant principal. His father had contracted the H1N1 virus. Also had an underlying health condition and ended up dying on a Sunday.
Well, a few days later he went and he pitched that no-hitter game. We have some sound from him. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JORDAN WIENER, SON OF VIRUS VICTIM: I think he's smiling down on me right now. My dad was not only my father, he was my number one fan and a big supporter. He drove me to all my games and watched every game, coached my little league career. He was a big part of my sports life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: That came to us from WABC.
We also have some video from the school where they actually took shots of him pitching there. Obviously, a lot of people really proud of him there. I encourage to you check out the story. It's beautiful. It's nice to hear. He also talks about the fact that he says his dad would want him to show up and keep pitching.
Quickly, I want to show you a couple more of the neat nuggets that we have on this page for you. This one is totally a different change of pace here. This prom dress is made of Coke cans, tops. Take a look at this. This one is locally from WSB here in Atlanta. I love it. Way to save money during the economic crisis.
This girl, Miranda, here in Atlanta made her dress entirely out of those little tabs on the top of soda cans. People donated 3,000 of them to her and apparently she used some sort of -- maybe Alina can help me with this. The story says plush ribbon. I guess it's just some kind of ribbon.
CHO: I don't know how to make it. I just know how to wear it.
(LAUGHTER)
HOLMES: Oh, my goodness, Alina.
LEVS: Well, you are known as the fashion plate around here.
CHO: No. I'm just saying. I like to wear clothes. But I'm not good at making it.
LEVS: Would you wear this? Not so much on the air.
HOLMES: OK. Alina, you can say it. No, she wouldn't, Josh.
LEVS: No, apparently not. But if you were in high school and you're having some fun, you might ...
CHO: It's innovative.
LEVS: It is.
CHO: Definitely.
LEVS: I like that. It is innovative. Anyway, just another cool story to check out, CNN.com/us. Visit anytime and see what you like (inaudible) a lot more traffic and we'll show some more stuff right here.
HOLMES: All right, Josh.
CHO: Josh, thank you. Good stuff.
HOLMES: Coming up here, a one-on-one -- one on two, I guess you would say with ABC correspondent Bob Woodruff and his wife, Lee.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
L. WOODRUFF: Many times a brain injury ultimately leads to divorce or the breakup of a family. We got so lucky with Bob's injury and it did bring us closer together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: You'll want to hear these two talk about recovery and how his brain injury brought them closer together. Also what Memorial Day means to them and how their lives -- they're hoping to change the lives of other American soldiers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPC. ANDY ARTHUR, U.S. ARMY, FROM FORT RILEY, KANSAS: This is Specialist Andy Arthur from 118. I'm in Baghdad. I just want to say happy memorial day to my lovely wife, Stephanie Arthur, and my loving daughter, Evelyn Arthur. I hope you guys have a great Memorial day. I love you and I hope to see you soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. A live picture this morning from Arlington National Cemetery. Taking a look as we see the traditional flags being laid out. A lot of people are going to be visiting there this weekend remembering the men and women who have and who are still serving this country in the military.
So much more to come and more pictures to show you this morning and the rest of the weekend here on CNN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY MORNING.
Also, a story here for you of strength, courage and come back. ABC news anchor Bob Woodruff was badly injured when a roadside bomb struck his vehicle in 2006. He was reporting in Iraq. Now, he's co- founder of the Bob Woodruff Foundation, and he and his wife are turning to twitter this weekend to help raise funds for injured service members, veterans and their families. His program called Tweet to Remind.
In an interview, the couple told me Bob is doing well. They also said Bob's ordeal helped bring them closer together.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: It is so fun to watch you guys interact, and I just want to ask, a lot of people don't see what's going on off camera while we're getting ready for the interview but you guys tell me what has the whole experience done to you guys, done to your marriage, and now going through what you're going through with this campaign. Certainly some strains it will put on a couple but I can imagine it would bring a couple together in ways you never imagined as well.
B. WOODRUFF, ABC NEWS ANCHOR: I have to say that I'm more in love with her now than I ever was before. I certainly didn't hate her before.
L. WOODRUFF: But I did pay him to say that. You know.
B. WOODRUFF: She's my caregiver. What could I do?
L. WOODRUFF: I think for so many families, and Bob and I have gotten the opportunity to meet so many of our military families, many times a brain injury ultimately leads to divorce or the breakup of a family. We got so lucky with Bob's injury and it did bring us closer together and that's why we want to focus the attention on all these families out there that didn't get quite as lucky as we were. We've also been married since, I don't know, Methuselah was born. You know, so what's the point of breaking up now.
B. WOODRUFF: We just had our 20th anniversary on 9/11 of all dates. But that's what got us through.
L. WOODRUFF: Yes. I'll hold your hand now.
B. WOODRUFF: Who would have thought we'd make 20 years?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHO: They had to take that show on the road.
HOLMES: They made 20 years and it was so funny when I first asked them, when I first sat down, like, what would you say you guys are today, how are you? At the same time, one of them said we've never been more in love, the other one we were this close to divorce.
(LAUGHTER)
CHO: It's great. Well, you know, they talked about, you know, how giving is not democratic. There are so many black tie fund- raisers you pay $500 to $1,000 to get a seat, to get a rubber chicken dinner. And this is really a democratic way of doing it, you know, anyone can help. You go on-line and you just give a couple of dollars. You know, they're asking $5. $25. It's just a great thing.
HOLMES: They actually mentioned how many politicians, and specifically Barack Obama tap into that where you get these $1, $2, $5 donations, and how that really adds up. You can see the rest of that interview, the complete interview with Bob and Lee Woodruff later this morning here on CNN, coming your way 11:00 Eastern, 8:00 Pacific. CHO: Still ahead, stick around because we have a story about a plane leaking fuel at 30,000 feet. A passenger takes pictures and alerts the crew. We have the story.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHO: Welcome back. Amazing video of a plane in distress.
HOLMES: You don't want to see this when you look out a window. This was all captured by one alert passenger who feared his fellow travelers could be in pretty serious trouble.
CNN's Brian Todd with this one.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You're looking at a serious problem at 30,000 feet. Jet fuel spraying out the wing of a huge passenger jet, not a standard fuel dump. This is a big leak. It happened on a flight from Chicago to Tokyo last month, more than 300 people on board. A concerned passenger named Bartek Bachleda took this video and took action, first trying to alert a flight attendant.
VOICE OF BARTEK BACHLEDA, PASSENGER: When I initially hit the call button, she thought maybe I wanted something and she said, sir, we're waiting on drinks. I'll be right back with you.
TODD: He waited, realized this wasn't going to stop on its own and got her attention again. This time he says ...
BACHLEDA: She took me very seriously. She listened to what I had to say. She took the camera and she proceeded to go up front and within minutes I think the first officer or the captain came down.
TODD: After the pilot surveyed the leak, he made a left turn somewhere over either the north central U.S. or Canada and headed for San Francisco where the plane landed safely. Bachleda calculated they were losing about 6,000 pounds of fuel an hour.
BACHLEDA: I decided to, hey, if the captain does not know this before we hit the oceanic, meaning, once we fly over the ocean, leaking and losing that fuel, this is going to be a bad day.
TODD: How did he know all this? Bartek Bachleda happens to be an Air Force staff sergeant stationed at Cadena Air Base in Japan. He also happens to be a refueling specialist. Bachleda was reluctant to name the airline in question but we were able to independently verify that it was a United Airlines flight. Contacted by CNN, a United spokesman issued a statement saying our captain was aware of the situation.
Could this plane have run out of fuel? Looking at the flight path from Chicago to Tokyo, it's over 6,000 miles. United tells us this plane was a 747-400 which holds about 372,000 pounds of fuel. If it leaked 6,000 pounds of fuel an hour as Bachleda says it was, it would have only lost about 20 percent of its fuel over the entire nearly 13-hour flight.
TODD (on camera): A former NTSB official tells us the plane still would have had to divert because they have to have enough extra fuel to be able to divert anywhere in the Pacific or to circle at their destination but United says this isn't an issue because the pilot was aware they were losing fuel and there's no way this plane would have continued over the Pacific.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHO: Wow. Serious stuff.
HOLMES: You don't want to see that out the window.
CHO: No, you don't.
HOLMES: All right. Well, we have a lot going on this morning. Of course, Alina will be back here with more news live at the top of the hour at 10:00 a.m. but right now it's time to hand it over.
CHO: That's right. "YOUR BOTTOM LINE" with Gerri Willis starts right now.
