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CNN Saturday Morning News

Synagogues Urged To Be Vigilant Amid Terror Plot; New Security Measures Taking Place at Airports; Celebrating Halloween, But on Which Day?; Billion Dollar Palace Overlooks Slums in India; A Different Take on Weddings; Google Maps Helps Locate Where to Vote

Aired October 30, 2010 - 06:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Good Saturday morning.

The search is still on for more suspicious packages. Meanwhile, synagogues in Chicago and around the country on alert after two packages bound for Chicago from Yemen were found to contain explosive materials.

Also this morning, get ready to get felt up. New security measures in place that will change that pat down at the airport into a bit of a rub down. I went through this just a couple of days ago. We'll be telling you more about that.

But it's 6 a.m. here in Atlanta, Georgia, where I sit; 5 a.m. in Fayetteville, Arkansas, as well as in Chicago, Illinois.

From the CNN Center, this is your CNN SATURDAY MORNING for this October the 30th. I am T.J. Holmes.

Let me tell you what we've got coming up over the next 90 minutes right here.

We're just three days now away from the midterm elections. Republicans, Democrats - yes, they want you to vote. But zombies, witches, ghouls and goblins - they want you to vote as well. We're taking a look at a group capitalizing on the spirit of Halloween to get people to the polls.

And a question we have for you this morning: What's the right day to trick-or-treat? Because this year, Halloween fell on a weekend - on a Sunday in particular. Some people are debating - you know, that's a school night. Also, that's the Sabbath for a lot of Christians around the country. So is that the right day for kids to be out trick-or-treating? Well, one town in Tennessee, they said, 'No, Sundays' not the right day.' We'll be debating about that with you this morning.

Also, the housing market - they say it's a buyer's market these days. Well, take a look at this crib in India. It's a lovely home for a family of six. Four hundred thousand square feet. The cost: $1 billion. We'll tell you who's moving in.

But first here at the top of the hour, we want to get you updated on a story you saw yesterday. There was a lot of rolling, breaking-news coverage about these suspicious packages. So now, top of the morning here, this investigation continues. We want to get you caught up on exactly what you need to know about what's going on in this investigation - an investigation now that has spanned three continents over these two suspicious packages, all a part of one credible terror threat.

This all came about after two cargo planes - or actually, I should say, two suspicious packages that were bound for Chicago from Yemen. They were intercepted in London and Dubai. Both have now been found to have explosives as a part of those packages.

They were discovered - and these two suspicious packages that reportedly contained a circuit board from a disassembled cell phone. A source close to the investigation now telling us that the explosive compound found was very likely what they call PETN. That is the same chemical component that the alleged Christmas Day - the - the underwear bomber - you remember him from last year. That was the same stuff he was found with. This is some very powerful stuff. Only a small amount can do some serious damage.

Now, back to these packages. They were allegedly postmarked - they were headed to two Chicago-area synagogues. The security scare though not over yet, because as many as a dozen or more packages may still be out there, and officials are looking for those. U.S. officials believe al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula the architect of this terror plot. Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is based in Yemen.

I want to turn now to one of my colleagues who has spent some time in Yemen reporting recently - Mohammed Jamjoom. He's joining me live this morning from Baghdad.

Mohammed, hello to you. We have been hearing a lot about Yemen - at least Americans have, with that Christmas Day bomber having connections to Yemen. Also, the Fort Hood shooter connections to a cleric in Yemen.

Remind our viewers just why we are hearing so much coming out of Yemen.

MOHAMMED JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning to you, T.J.

Let me try to set the scene a little about Yemen and why al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is being - is able to operate as they are there.

Yemen is a very poor country. It's the poorest country in the Middle East. Now, there are many problems there besides just al Qaeda. You have - you have a separatist movement that is destabilizing the country in the south of the country. You have a rebellion that's been going on in the north of the country, on the border with Saudi Arabia. You have great poverty. You have a water shortage; they may be a country that runs out of water in the next five years.

On top of all that, you have al Qaeda. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is made up of two groups that merged in early 2009: Saudi al Qaeda and Yemeni al Qaeda. Basically, Saudi Arabia got their al Qaeda problem under control, drove out their militants. But those people went to Yemen because it's easy to cross into Yemen. They were able to form this group. They've been very bold in their attacks since.

You've heard from them again and again since 2009. Attacks not just on regional countries, neighbors of Yemen, but also attacks against possibly the U.S, Europe, plans to attack other places globally. It's very concerning to the rest of the world and especially to Yemen.

I was there for almost a month just this past month. I spoke to officials. I was also there in January of 2010. I can tell you that the shift in tone from officials and how they're dealing with al Qaeda changed dramatically in that time.

At first, they were saying, 'Hey, we've got this problem under control; we're taking care of this. Yes, we need some help, but it will be fine.'

In the past few months, they've changed that dramatically. Now they're saying, 'We need help from the international community. We know this a problem. It's a growing problem.' And if this continues, Yemen could become a failed state. That doesn't help anybody. That just puts the world in more danger - T.J.

HOLMES: And - and just one quick follow-up. How - how much support is Yemen getting from the U.S. in their battle there, in Yemen, against these militants?

JAMJOOM: Well, T.J., this is something that the Yemeni government is very sensitive about.

You know, in the past year, we've known from U.S. officials, we've known from Yemeni officials, that the U.S. and the U.K. have stepped up their efforts in Yemen, that they are helping to train the counterterror programs there. They are helping with some sort of military aid.

But the Yemenis are really loathed to speak about how much they're getting, because the Yemeni government is a very weak central government. Once you get outside the capital of Sana'a, you see that it becomes quite lawless, and the government really can't operate unless they have the help from the tribes. The government is afraid that if they announce that the U.S. is helping even more, or that there are U.S. soldiers on the ground there or CIA officials, that that will really make it difficult for the Yemeni government, and it will make the tribes upset and get them even more problems - T.J.

HOLMES: All right. Mohammed Jamjoom for us from Baghdad this morning. We appreciate you, as always. Thanks so much.

Well, let's move on to now who are the - the potential targets of this terror plot. The Jewish community - again, these two packages were allegedly postmarked - supposed to go from Yemen to Chicago to two particular synagogues. A spokesperson for the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago says federal officials contacted them yesterday, told them to be on alert for any suspicious packages.

Also, the Anti-Defamation League suggesting the same for synagogues across the country, especially keep a close eye of - of what's happening in your mailrooms. An FBI special agent says all churches, synagogues, mosques in the Chicago area as well should be extra vigilant for any unsolicited or unexpected deliveries, especially those packages that are mailed from overseas.

Now, this has to do with cargo planes, this particular threat here. But still, the Department of Homeland Security has come out and told airline passengers, those of you who are going to be getting on commercial airliners, that you may need to take a little extra time at the airport, even though security has been stepped up for years, since 9/11. But telling some people - telling passengers - I'm reading a statement here. It says, "Some of these security measures will be visible, while others are not. DHS has taken a number of steps to enhance security as a precaution. The public may recognize specific enhancements, including heightened cargo screening and additional security at airports."

So even though we're talking about cargo here with this latest threat, still, some airline passengers may notice some things as well.

Now, this comes at the same time that TSA was already putting into place some stepped-up pat-down procedures for you at the airport. This - TSA is - is telling people, 'Hey, if you go to the airport, you're going to notice something a little different with these pat downs.' And I went through this this week, and I can tell you, this is different. More of a rubdown than a pat down.

So on the passengers out there who refuse advanced-imaging technology - so to resolve some of these anomalies, you might have to go through these pat downs.

Now again, you're used to a pat down - you raise your arms, they pat you here, around the waist and so on and so forth. But these are a lot different. Let me explain these to you.

They will essentially rub you along you arms, up into your private areas - yes, across your butt, across your - your crotch as well. This is just one example maybe what some of the women would have to go through. But these are very much so advanced and stepped-up pat downs.

Now, this is not for everybody. If you refuse those image scanners, you don't want to do that, you can pick this pat down. Also, if there's an anomaly they need to work out, if you keep setting off the metal detector, you might be asked to do this. You can do it out front in front of people, or they will also give you the option to go into a private area to do it.

But be warned: These are stepped-up and these are different from the regular pat downs you have seen.

Now, we are going to be talking about all of this stuff coming up in just about an hour, in our next hour, the 7:00 hour. We're going to get the very latest on this terror plot from our Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. She'll be here live with us to tell us what we know about this alleged plot and the investigation as we move forward.

Let's turn now to the other big story - oh yes, by the way, you're going to be going to the polls here. In three days, the midterm elections - the all-important midterm elections that'll be taking place you've been hearing so much about.

Right now, it seems the only suspense is whether or not the Republicans will be able to take the Senate. It seems like a lot of people are conceding and it's a foregone conclusion that, in fact, the Republicans might be able to take back the House of Representatives. But now, up in the air about what's going to happen with the Senate.

Now, against that backdrop right now, you're hearing a lot from Republicans and Democrats this last weekend. But two of the biggest political players right now are two comedians. Comedy Central's biggest stars taking over the National Mall in Washington today to host what is going to be, it sounds like, a huge rally. We're talking about Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. They're having dueling rallies is the way they've been billing it.

One is called "The Rally To Restore Sanity." The other called, "The March To Keep Fear Alive." We will be live there throughout the day, keeping an eye on what's happening in Washington, D.C.

Also, our Ballot Bowl. It's back for you. We're going to be hearing from the candidates, President Obama, former Governor Sarah Palin, all in their own words, as we count down - again, just three days away. Ballot Bowl returning, coming your way at 1:00 Eastern Time today.

Also, hurricane season - oh yes, Bonnie, all this stuff going on. There's a - a serious weather situation taking place as well. We got two storms with two names.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right. It - it is late October. The month is almost over. But we are monitoring the tropics for not one but two storms. Very unusual to be tracking to be tracking these in the Atlantic this late in the hurricane season. I'll have a look at that and what we can expect for this Halloween forecast for your trick-or-treaters tomorrow. That's all coming up.

HOLMES: Thank you, Bonnie.

And speaking of trick-or-treaters - tomorrow - are they going to be trick-or-treating tomorrow? It's a school night, first of all. But also, some people question, you know, it's Sunday. It's the Sabbath. Shouldn't the kids be, you know, in Sunday school rather than out there dressed as witches and ghouls and goblins and demons and whatnot?

A national debate has been sparked now. When should kids actually trick-or-treat? We'll be getting into that this morning.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: All right. Thirteen minutes past the hour here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

And what - what do you do? Halloween falls on a weekend this year. But not the Saturday, not the Friday - it falls on a Sunday. So it's kind of tricky sending those kids out for candy on a school night, or maybe in the middle of the World Series, or on a Sunday in a Bible state.

One town in Tennessee now decided to skip the weekend all together, just going to have it on Friday. So as you see, that's what they did. Parents were feeling this idea.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HEATHER KLEINFELD, CELEBRATED HALLOWEEN EARLY: We just said, 'No. We're going to do it Friday.' Just for - we're - we're not going to debate anybody. We're - we're going Friday.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: So they did it on Friday. When are you doing it? We'd like to know: When should we all be trick-or-treating?

We got a Quick Vote. Taking a Quick Vote on our blog this morning: When are you going trick-or-treating? Are you going on Saturday night, tonight? You going on Sunday, the actual Halloween date? Some people even talking about going on Monday.

We want you to vote in this for us. It's CNN.com/tj. We got a poll up there for you. We'd like to know. And we'll give you the results later. When should people go out and do their trick-or- treating?

Let me bring in Bonnie Schneider now.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOLMES: And speaking of Halloween, you expect the kids to knock on the door, they want some candy and then they go away. Well, be careful when you open your door this weekend. Some of those folks knocking on your door may want more than just your candy. We'll explain after the break. It's 16 past the hour here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Well, 18 minutes past the hour here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

The candidates out there, battling it out for your vote. But despite their efforts, for the most part, you're not going to go out and vote - at least going by the historical numbers. People can vote in the midterms just usually don't. But there's a group of volunteers out there - they're hoping to capitalize on this whole Halloween thing and turn this thing around.

Josh Levs joins me now.

Josh, they got a big task ahead.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: They do.

HOLMES: Because we're talking about 4 out of 10 people --

LEVS: That's right.

HOLMES: -- generally vote in general - in midterms.

LEVS: Exactly. The last midterms we had, we had about 40 percent turnout. And that was up from the previous midterm. So people out there have all sorts of ideas, what to do to try to get that vote going, to scare up the vote - ha ha ha.

Well, check this out. This group called Trick or Vote has an idea. They're going around, knocking on doors on Halloween. But instead of asking for candy, when they get there, they're just encouraging you to go and vote. It's totally nonpartisan.

And in a video on their website, they introduce a couple of the volunteers. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Three quarter at the buzzer.

Can't all be good at basketball. Everybody thinks because I'm Teen Wolf, we're good at basketball. It's not true.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You'd be surprised at how many companies don't support alternative lifestyles.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm on break.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: Well, this started in 2004 in Portland, Oregon. And since then, it has grown. And this year, they tell me that they have enough volunteers that they genuinely believe they will reach 200,000 Americans on Halloween - just on Halloween, encouraging those people to go out and vote.

You might be one of them.

I spoke with the founder and I asked him whether people take these volunteers seriously.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JEFFERSON SMITH, FOUNDER, TRICK OR VOTE: I hope people don't take us seriously. I hope they take democracy seriously. But the intent is, obviously, to mix a little bit of fun, and not just bitterness, not just negativity, not just divisiveness, but a little fun, a little levity and humor into our practice of democracy.

People are really nice. I mean, it's the season for electoral engagement. People are getting bombarded by TV ads. And frankly, I think what we have found is that, most people find it pretty refreshing that there's somebody just with a positive message, something that's a little fun, a little humorous, and they've really enjoyed it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: I am curious to hear from you. This is something we're going to be talking about a lot: the idea of turning out for midterms, and also whether this specific idea, some fun folks in costumes who aren't going to be talking issues, aren't going to be talking policies or candidates - just go out and vote, whether you think this will help you, encourage you to get out there.

There's my Facebook and Twitter pages, joshlevscnn. Here at the blog, CNN.com/josh.

What do you think about this whole idea? We'll have some of your responses late on this morning.

And T.J., I will tell you, I asked this guy - I said, why this - you know, there are a lot of people who believe something should be done. Why do you want to make a whole group out of it, create this? And he said he just fundamentally believes that in the end, this will help solve a lot of problems in America, if more voices are really heard at the polls, there's enough people who believe him, that they have hundreds of volunteers this time, all over the country.

HOLMES: Four out of 10 folks --

LEVS: Show up. I know.

HOLMES: -- will vote. So you six out there - shame on you.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: All right. Josh, we appreciate you. We'll be checking in with you throughout the morning.

Also coming up, what can $1 billion buy you in India? It can get you the fattest crib you have ever seen. MTV is going to have to dedicate a whole hour to this whole house.

Twenty-seven floors high; $1 billion is the cost; 168 parking spaces for cars. Who needs all this? We'll tell you how many people are moving into this house.

It's 22 minutes past the hour. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Ah, the White House in Washington, D.C. That's a beautiful, beautiful crib, wouldn't you all say? It's 26 minutes past the hour here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

That house you're looking at right there - guys, we can essentially call that a slum compared to the house in India.

Well, welcome back, folks. We're talking about this house - if you can call it a house. Let's show the picture of it. It's a more so a - that's a skyscraper. It is a monstrosity. It's pretty ugly, to be quite honest with you. That's not aesthetically pleasing necessarily, is it?

LEVS: It - it's just - it's different.

(LAUGHTER)

LEVS: People can love it, hate it.

SCHNEIDER: It's just so massive. Four hundred thousand square feet?

HOLMES: Yes.

SCHNEIDER: How do you live in that much space?

LEVS: And it's one man with three children. And why does he need three helipads?

(CROSSTALK)

HOLMES: It's going to be - everybody needs to own a helipad.

This is for a family of six altogether. But the richest man in India built this place - 27 stories, and it cost $1 billion. The first of its kind that we've ever heard of that costs that amount. Again, 27 floors here. But the part that got me: 168 parking spaces.

I guess if you entertain -- .

LEVS: Big parties.

SCHNEIDER: Yes, you have a lot of guests over.

HOLMES: If you entertain - but the helipads got a lot of people thinking as well. But it's six people.

LEVS: And he's naming it Antalya (ph) after this mythical island, and apparently it's a big controversy now because he overlooks all these slums and you have an incredible number (INAUDIBLE).

HOLMES: India.

SCHNEIDER: Right, India has the - you know, the wealth of - now more billionaires than they ever had before, but then you have the slums right next to it. So it's really a land of extremes. And that's where the controversy comes in.

HOLMES: And I mean, what do you do? This guy is worth - Forbes estimates about $29 billion.

LEVS: Yes.

HOLMES: He has the money to spend, throw around. This is a - what is he - an oil tycoon I believe he is. But my goodness, the place - there you go. It took him seven years, I believe they said, to build this thing. And it's about to - he's about to move in.

LEVS: His house - wealth is now literally hanging over everyone's head.

(LAUGHTER)

SCHNEIDER: Yes, you're right.

HOLMES: All right. All right.

Let's turn to Mount Everest now. I don't know if we have video of this one as well. But Mount Everest --

LEVS: Now this is cool.

HOLMES: -- this is the highest peak on the planet. Well, you can actually on some places on I-20 here in Atlanta - you can't get cell service, but you can get it at Mount Everest now.

SCHNEIDER: See, I think they did this because, once you're up there, you want to call everyone and say, 'Hey, I did it. I climbed the mountain.'

HOLMES: I'm here.

Or you might want to call and say, 'Hey, can you come get me? I'm in trouble.'

SCHNEIDER: That's true.

HOLMES: But they have put in 3G --

LEVS: 3G.

HOLMES: -- service. It's set up at the - the base there at Mount Everest. They have - they say they put this up because they have so many visitors that do come up there. And like you say - Bonnie has a good point - people get up there, and maybe you don't climb all the way, or trying to get to the peak, but people just go there anyway and go through and they want to call and get cell-phone service -- .

(CROSSTALK)

LEVS: But how does your phone not freeze at that temperature? I think a lot of phones would crack and break. So you have to get a special phone maybe.

But they - to test it, they made the world's first video cell- phone call at 17,000 feet. They say it actually worked. HOLMES: And we have done some live shots - remember the young man who was climbing - I think he was 14 years old or something.

LEVS: Oh yes, right.

HOLMES: We were able to get him on the phone and get satellite shot and all kinds of stuff.

SCHNEIDER: See, the only thing is, when you're up that high --

HOLMES: Yes.

SCHNEIDER: -- you got to be very careful not to drop your phone. Because you will never see it again.

(LAUGHTER)

LEVS: Gone for good.

SCHNEIDER: Yes.

HOLMES: Just a couple of stories we were keeping an eye on.

And this is one we were telling you about last - telling you about last weekend. Celine Dion - she's got her hands full this weekend, but she's happy to have her hands full. And she's happy to share her new little bundles of joy with the world. We're going to introduce you to the newest members of her family coming up.

Plus, three days left until the election. We can't wait until Tuesday, so we got our own polls. All we want got to do is wait three more days, and we'll know who's going to win the thing. But nah, we're going to keep sharing polls with you.

It's 30 minutes - well, we're at the bottom of the hour here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Stick around, folks.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Welcome back to this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Glad you could start your day with us. We are at the bottom of the hour now.

This story will make headlines for quite some time. The security scare that has the U.S. and the Jewish community on alert after two packages bound from Yemen to Chicago were intercepted in Dubai and the U.K.. They are found to have explosive material on it. It was the same type of material that was found on the Christmas Day bomber, the man you remember who had explosives in his under wear. The same type of explosive was found. More on this updating storing.

Also, the political front about two popular comedians. They have become quite the political force these days. Today, they are putting final touches on the new stage. Comedy Central's Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert are leading the Rally to Restore Sanity and the March to Keep Fear Alive. We'll monitor that throughout the day. Also, we are going to Boulder, Colorado. Keeping an eye on this wildfire. People had to be evacuated, 1,700 people had to be evacuated. Now, we are told this is only 5 percent contained. That was the latest number yesterday. They have high humid out there, lower temperatures as well. See if it could help the firefighters out. Right now, no injuries to report in relation to the fire.

Again, back to the terror plot. You saw so much about this yesterday. It was a developing story yesterday. This investigation that has spanned three continents over the two suspicious packages having to do with one credible terror threat. It has people in the U.S. on edge this morning, in particular, the Jewish community. I tell you what happened here.

There were two suspicious packages sent from Yemen bound for Chicago. They were intercepted in London and Dubai. Both found to have explosive materials on them. They were discovered in the packages. Reportedly, part of the packages were a circuit board from a cell phone. Sources telling us the compound found was PETN.

It may not sound familiar to you. This will sound familiar to you. It's the same component that was found on the man, the under wear bomber who was caught last year on Christmas Day trying to set off his underwear on a flight to Detroit. The same component was found in these packages.

They were postmarked to two Chicago synagogues. Security scare not over yet. As many as a dozen or more packages could be out there. Security officials are trying to hunt those down now. U.S. officials believe al Qaeda and the Arabian peninsula is behind this. Al Qaeda is known and based in Yemen.

Coming up here in about 30 minutes or so, in the next hour, we are going to talk with the homeland security secretary, Janet Napolitano about the latest scare.

The other story we have been keeping an eye on. The last chance for candidates to get their message out. It's going to be crowded out there. The biggest names in politics are making pitches.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Good morning, T.J.

Three days to go until the midterm. Let's start with the Democrats. President Barack Obama hitting three states, starting in Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Illinois. All three states, they have big Senate and gubernatorial stops.

It's not just the Democrats. Top Republicans are going to be on the campaign trail today talking about John Boehner who hopes to be the next House speaker as well as Michael Steele and a host of other top governors and Republican officials.

Where does the race stand with three days to go? Check this out. In the Poll of Polls this is a generic ballot. Would you vote for Republican or Democrat? Average them together and the Republicans have a four-point advantage now. Some of the top handicappers say the Republicans could win 50 to 60 seats in the house. They need 39 seats to reclaim the chamber. In the senate, they need to win 10 seats to reclaim that chamber.

Back to you.

HOLMES: Thanks to Paul.

He fled to Canada to avoid star whackers of Hollywood. Now, actor Randy Quaid and his wife back on U.S. soil, but not out of the woods.

First, we have a Halloween news quiz for you this morning. The jack-o-lantern, you are familiar with that, the symbol of this popular holiday. In Ireland, there are other fruits and vegetables used as jack-o-lanterns, what are they? Beets, turnips or apples? The answer after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Forty minutes past the hour.

Before the break, we asked you this question. What other fruits and vegetables are used in Ireland. If you said apples, you were wrong. It's actually both beats and turnips. Legend has out the symbol was named for a man named Jack who would not go to heaven or hell and forced to walk the Earth with only coal to light his lantern. That's no way to go. Beats and turnips, not just the pumpkins we use here.

Randy Quaid and his wife are back on U.S. soil after being detained in Canada. They were release after Canadian authorities determined she was a citizen. They had outstanding warrants for their arrest. They were caught squatting in a guest house of a residence they once owned. They are due to appear in a Santa Barbara court next week.

Let's talk baby news now. Mariah Carey is pregnant. She's 41. She's about to have a baby with her husband, Nick Cannon. She didn't say what the due date is, but Mariah Carey pregnant at 41.

And Celine Dionne who is 42 just gave birth to a couple boys last weekend. We have the names now. Eddy and Nelson are the names of her twin boys. Eddy was named after a late song writer that contributed to her first album and the other child, Nelson, they named after Nelson Mandela.

Some of us caught up in the dirty ads and name calling in this year's election. Have we lost sight of the little things like where to go to vote? We have help on the way.

It's 42 past the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Forty-four minutes past the hour here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.

A nice shot of still a dark Chicago, Illinois. You are taking a look at some of the lights there in Chicago. This is on Lakeshore Drive this morning. What you are seeing in the middle, see that building that is lit up in the front there? It's the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois. Good morning to you, Chicago.

Chicago, of course, as you know, we have been reporting a place on alert today and specifically a lot of Jewish centers around Chicago after that security scare we saw yesterday and two of the packages, suspicious packages were headed to Chicago to the synagogues there, reportedly. We will talk more about that this morning.

They were two suspicious packages headed from Yemen to Chicago. They were stopped, though, in London and Dubai. These have been found to be carrying explosives. They were found in suspicious packages in Chicago-area synagogues. More packages are sought by counter terrorism agents. It's a terror threat to the United States.

Also, we are a few hours away from a huge gathering in Washington, D.C. Not sure what this is. A lot of people are trying to figure out what to make of it. Is it a political rally? It's for comedians. Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert are having it. The Rally to Restore Sanity and the Rally to Keep Fear Alive.

Also, an alert for folks. About 40,000 bottles of Lipitor being recalled because of a foul odor. Many were recalled earlier in the year because of a foul odor. According to the drug maker, doesn't pose a health risk.

Well, you know how the saying goes, something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. We have a wedding to remember. It took place in Taiwan. We'll let you decide if it's for the right or wrong reasons. Nadia is going to bring it to us after the break. Stick around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Clearly, I am not in charge of the music. No, lovely song. Whitney Houston.

Nadia is here to bring us something interesting. We're talking a wedding. A lot of stuff to remember. The cake, the invitations, the wedding dress, the food, the venue. Don't you need the groom?

NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER Well, in this groom, a woman in Taiwan was 30.

HOLMES: Wedding with no groom.

BILCHIK: She said, you know what? Why do I need a man to be complete.

HOLMES: Come on. BILCHIK: This is what she said. It's symbolic. Look, I'm 30. If a man comes along, that's OK. Remember, I don't need a man to complete me is what she's saying.

HOLMES: OK. We are looking at this ceremony. How did it go down.

BILCHIK: She had a wedding planner, a beautiful dress, the caterer. It cost $6,000. She went to Australia on her honeymoon.

HOLMES: With whom?

BILCHIK: She said the greatest love of all. It's something I tell my children, one of my favorite quotes is you might as well like yourself because everyone else is taken.

HOLMES: Let's be serious for a second. Love is a beautiful thing. I'm a big proponent of love and finding that partner.

BILCHIK: What if you don't find the partner?

HOLMES: She's 30. She's got time.

BILCHIK: In August, we interviewed a woman and she promotes Project Husband. She created her own husband. She has the wedding planned for January, 2011. She doesn't have a man. I said what do you think of her? She said I think she's brave and creative. However, for her wedding, if she hasn't found the groom, she's going to give the wedding to another happy couple.

HOLMES: Let's go to the lady in Taiwan?

BILCHIK: There have been men in her life. No one she wanted to marry. She says, it's interesting 40 percent of women in Taiwan say they think they would be happier single. Think of the reasons historically one got married was to have a man support you. There's increased empowerment for women. She says I haven't found one, yet. I'm going to say, until I find a man, I am complete.

HOLMES: Is it possible? I just want to throw this out there. Maybe she could be the problem?

BILCHIK: You know, T.J., maybe we'll find out. Maybe she'll meet a man. What if she meets the man and Lisa gives her and the man a wedding?

HOLMES: You are putting it all together. It's always interesting to you. I have to talk to you off the air about this one. We are going to turn to Halloween in a second. Halloween sales have been dreadful over the past few years. They are actually going up. One of the big reason this is year? The Tea Party. We'll explain.

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HOLMES: All right. Look at that beautiful shot of the capital this morning. Oh. I wish things were so beautiful inside that building, sometimes. That's all right. Things are going to change in that building in the next coming days and months. It's going to change the make-up of Congress.

Got a little business news for you. This is a big deal. Millions of satellite customers won't be in the dark any longer. Dish Network and FOX ended their month-long standoff. They have a new distribution deal. The agreement will restore access to FX, National Geographic and FOX-owned sports networks for Dish survivors.

This is separate for another dispute going on between Cablevision and News Corp that owns FOX. They have 3 million of their folks up in the northeast without their FOX stations.

Also, it appears a lot of people are going to be going out for Halloween in Tea Party garb. The Tea Party revolution costume is the craze. They have seen a 50 percent increase in sales for colonial items in the past months. They attribute it to the Tea Party and the elections.

Josh Levs, we have been talking about elections and who to vote for, but a lot of people don't know where to vote.

LEVS: It's interesting how many don't know where to vote. I need to look it up. I'm going to pop in here quickly with a tool from Google that should help you.

It's Google Maps, Google Maps/vote. Type in your address, 1600 Pennsylvania, take a look what happens. When you click on your address, it zooms you into where you should vote. Zoom on directions as well. It applies to the entire country. It shows the building, the to and from. You get directions to where you should vote.

Now, something else going on online that's encouraging people to vote is this from four square. It's one of the websites that you can sign up for and tell everyone where you are. Use it sparingly. Use it carefully when you announce where you are.

For the election, they are encouraging people, once you have voted, check in on four square. It will show on the map you voted and you get an I voted badge. It will encourage people who live near you to vote for themselves.

One other thing, this is a map showing the last midterms, how many people voted, how many didn't. The darker the colors the more people showed up. Some states are very light. Very, very low turnout last time. A lot of people hoping it will turn around this time.

Everything I showed you is on Facebook and Twitter. Take a look. Hopefully, the tools will help you find what you need to get set for a Tuesday.

HOLMES: Yes, all you four out of ten people who will vote. Horrible turn out. Josh, we appreciate you. Thank you so much.

LEVS: You got it.