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CNN Saturday Morning News
Ex-IMF Chief Out on Bail; Predicting the Apocalypse; River Cresting in Mississippi; Afghanistan, Pakistan Hit By Multiple Suicide Attacks
Aired May 21, 2011 - 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 morning, folks.
We are following several developing stories this morning. One of them being that one of the most powerful and most wanted drug runners in Mexico responsible for bringing drugs into this country is now under arrest. And would you believe where he was caught? His own birthday party.
Also, from Rikers Island to a luxury Manhattan apartment. Dominique Strauss-Kahn left jail yesterday. So, what now for the former head of the IMF?
And today is it, folks -- Doomsday. The start of the apocalypse right now, or at least according to the Family Radio Network which has spent millions of dollars to warn you that the end is here and it is today.
Hello, from the CNN Center. This is my final CNN SATURDAY MORNING on this Doomsday, Saturday, May 21st. I'm T.J. Holmes.
We'll get back to Doomsday happenings throughout the morning. People are certainly are taking it seriously. You should know, though, so far, so good around the world.
But, first, let me tell you about Dominique Strauss-Kahn -- out of jail now. He's staying at a luxury Manhattan apartment for now. He's the former IMF chief released yesterday.
Now, it wasn't easy getting out. He had to put up $1 million cash, also had to give up $5 million in insurance bond. It was secured by his wife, Anne Sinclair, who is staying with him in New York.
CNN's Susan Candiotti picks up some of this now and tells us more about the living arrangements, including why he couldn't stay at his first choice of apartments.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A plan to release him hit a snafu when the place where he was planning to live wouldn't let him stay there. That led to a court hearing to discuss the issue. The judge agreed to allow the former IMF chief to live in a temporary location for a few days until a more permanent apartment can be arranged.
Why wasn't he allowed to stay at the first place? Here's Strauss- Kahn's lawyer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM TAYLOR, STRAUSS-KAHN'S ATTORNEY: The reason that he had to move is because members of the press attempted to invade his private residence and interfered with his family's privacy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: The only reason he can leave this place is for a medical emergency. Now, he'll be a little less restricted when moved to a permanent location and then at that point, he can leave only if he gives prosecutors six hours notice of his plans. And there will be constant monitoring of his whereabouts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. Thanks to our Susan Candiotti there. Strauss- Kahn is accused, as you know, of sexually assaulting a hotel maid last week. He resigned from his post at the IMF. The organization says, though, he got a $250,000 separation payment and will draw a modest pension.
Well, listen to this name. Gilberto Barragan Balderas, a name you probably have never heard of. But he is a big deal -- at least in the Mexican drug cartels. And now, he is under arrest.
You'll see him in some of these pictures wearing a Budweiser shirt. There he is in the red.
He was captured in Mexico just across the border from McAllen, Texas. He was a suspected member of the powerful Gulf Cartel, responsible for bringing a large amount of drugs into the United States.
In fact, the U.S. State Department had a $5 million reward out there for information leading to his arrest. Mexican police picked him up at a birthday party -- his birthday party.
Well, who do you believe? Well, depending on who you believe, this will be my last CNN SATURDAY MORNING because, yes, for some today is the beginning of the end of days, the apocalypse, Doomsday, the rapture -- all that, May 21st starts today, at least according to one Family Radio Network.
Family Radio Worldwide Network -- is what they're called -- spent some $100 million, though, to get their message out. So, they are taking this very seriously. That message is that the world ends today. At least the first parts of the apocalypse will happen.
The leader of the Family Radio Worldwide, Harold Camping, he says the time line is in the Bible. He did the math and came up with the date of today. He also did math back in 1994 and he predicted the same thing would happen.
So, who's taking him seriously and should we all be taking him seriously? (BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I definitely do not think the world will end tomorrow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I say just chill. Let the days go. I don't think anything is going to happen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not worried. I've got to go to work. I'll enjoy my weekend.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is going to happen. Jesus is going to come back, but not on tomorrow. I mean, he could come back tomorrow. He could come back any day, but the Bible does not predict an exact date. And when somebody does predict an exact date, they are usually wrong because the Bible warns us not to try to predict a date, but instead just to be ready.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
HOLMES: All right. Well, so far so good. The end was supposed to start at least with earthquakes in New Zealand at 6:00 their time. That time came and went. No issues. Maybe we can breathe a sigh of relief, even though we had a major technical issue here in the studio a short time ago. I don't know if that's a sign of anything.
We're going to have more on this Doomsday prediction a little later in the show, including this man, Harold Camping, who is behind this current message.
Also, tell you something else happening right now. We're getting more and more information in about this -- but an explosion inside the main Afghan military hospital in Kabul. Sources there are telling us there are casualties but we don't have many more details at this moment. We're being told it was a suicide bomber who set off his explosives inside the mess hall there.
And there may be a second suicide bomber hiding in the 400-bed hospital. Again, a developing story there. We'll bring you those details as we continue to get them.
Also, famed pro wrestler macho man, Randy Savage, has died. His jeep slammed head on into a three in Seminole, Florida. His wife was injured in that accident as well, but has since been released from the hospital. Police say Savage suffered a medical event before that wreck. His brother telling TMZ it was a heart attack.
The police say an autopsy is being done. Savage's real name was Ralph Poffo. He was 58 years old.
Well, there are already victims of the storms and now, they could be victims of a new phone scam. People are trying to take advantage of people in east Tennessee. The FBI says people report getting phone calls asking for personal information, like bank account numbers. The voice on the phone says the bank lost the records because of computer problems during the storms. Anybody who gets one of these unsolicited calls should contact the FBI.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
HOLMES: Well, nice moments here for 200 service members injured in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is them arriving at the airport in Houston yesterday. They are taking part in the fifth annual Warrior Weekend.
It's a good day for it. This is Armed Forces Day. Many of the veterans are headed out for a weekend of fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.
Also, for you folks who like to fly Delta Airlines, how about this? They are going to give some passengers a little extra leg room. Yes, though, it will cost you.
They are calling this now economy comfort. That essentially means you are in coach still but you get four more inches of leg room and also it's costing you between 20 and 40 bucks an inch up to $160 extra per ticket on overseas flights.
Well, we're talking about the end of days today. May 21st. Some call it Doomsday. Could zombies end up walking around after Doomsday?
Well, the CDC wants you to be prepared. Yes, for zombies. They have put up a zombie emergency preparedness plan on their Web site -- and, folks, I am not joking with you. This is for the zombie apocalypse.
Now, why would they do this? It's a little tongue in cheek, but they do give you legitimate emergency plan tips. Essentially, they want to draw your attention with the zombies and you get your plan together that would work for other natural disasters. You see where they are going to this?
We're going to be talking to the CDC's man behind the zombie idea next hour and ask him what in the world were they thinking, and is this what it has come to to get people's attention to get them prepared.
Well, of course, as we know, millions in the central U.S. have been dealing with a real life disaster that hit too close to home. Historic flooding up and down the Mississippi River and its tributaries, and the forecast gives those in the flood zone even more reason to worry.\
It's eight minutes past the power.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Take a look at some of this here. No means high and dry in south central part of the U.S. There are a few signs of recovery along the Mississippi River despite historic flooding we have been watching an aerial view here. This is in the port of Natchez, Mississippi.
Further north in Tunica, a couple casinos -- listen to this great news -- have reopened. But in nearby Vicksburg, flooding is still a big deal. Forecasters say it will be until mid-June before waters recede below flood stage there.
Let us say good morning right now to Karen Maginnis. She's in for weekend for -- in today for Reynolds Wolf.
All of this talk of the end of days and Doomsday -- anything particularly worrying out there necessarily?
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, we've got some pretty heavy rain that's going to fall across the swollen region of the, yes, central and southern Mississippi River Valley, already big storms rumbling around this morning. And according to the Storm Prediction Center, they are saying this is where we could see the concentration of heaviest storms as we head on in towards the afternoon. We're looking across Midwest.
However, because of the heavy rainfall, not just for today but also into tomorrow, we're going to add to this river basin. So, some of these areas may get bumped up again as far as their crests are concerned, but these are the areas that we've been watching from Vicksburg to Natchez, to Red River Landing and into the Baton Rouge area, also, for New Orleans. And these are the levels above the flood stage that they would typically see.
So, this is going to be lingering at least for some time now. It looks like over the next week or so and some of these areas the river is not going to fall for the next several weeks.
All right. What do we have to watch out for as we head in towards the afternoon? Look at this bull's eye area across lower Ohio River Valley and Mississippi River Valley. Looks like from St. Louis southward toward Dallas, we could see that rumble of thunder, could see the possibility of strong and gusty winds, frequent lightning, definitely some heavy downpours and the possibility of an isolated tornado or two.
I'll be back in just about 20 minutes or so, and we'll tell you about what the outlook for the hurricane season is going to be. It's kind of interesting. Back to you, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Karen Maginnis, always good to have you here with us. Thank you so much.
Well, Ronald McDonald, you know him and know him well. He has been an icon in this country for so long, but you know what? He's making children sick. And in 90 seconds, I'll tell you who says that and who is now trying to force Ronald McDonald to retire.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, at 14 minutes past the hour on the CNN SATURDAY MORNING, we'll tell you about business now.
Next week, Chrysler could pay off a big chunk of the government bailout funds it received -- big step in the automaker's path to financial recovery. Poppy Harlow will tell us all about that. But, first, Alison Kosik tells us about the latest moves in the battle over the debt ceiling, also a big change in the way we read books.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, T.J. The government hit its legal spending limit this past week, $14.3 trillion. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is buying lawmakers some time by cutting back investments in federal retirement funds. That gives Congress until August 2nd to decide whether or not to raise the debt ceiling. If they fail to do so, the government will default on its debt payments.
LinkedIn's public debut made a big splash with one of the biggest tech IPOs since Google. Shares of the social networking company were initially priced at $45 a share and doubled on the first day of trading.
Ebooks are officially the king of the literary world. Amazon said it's selling more eBooks than hard cover and paperback books combined.
Poppy Harlow has a look at what's coming up next week -- Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Thanks so much, Alison.
Well, Chrysler may take a big step next week towards paying off the $7 billion bailout that it received in 2009. The automaker is lining up bank loans and bond sales to raise cash, and that would allow the Italian automaker Fiat to boost its stake in Chrysler to more than 50 percent later this year.
Also coming up next week, Barnes & Noble set to launch a new e-reader. Amazon's Kindle currently dominates that market, but Barnes & Noble's Nook is picking up speed. So, that will be a fun race to watch. We'll follow it all on CNN Money.
T.J., back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, thanks to Poppy and Alison this morning.
Well, some doctors ganging up against Ronald McDonald. They say the fast food giant, McDonald's, is making children sick and they want them to retire their beloved icon. More than 500 physicians have signed a letter to McDonald's CEO and it is showing up in newspapers. The doctors say it's unethical to use the icon to attract children and try to market that junk food as they say to the kids, especially with one in three children in the country is being overweight.
McDonald's says Ronald McDonald is not going anywhere.
Well, May 21st, today is the end. We are 16 minutes into the show. So far, so good. We'll see if we make it to the end of the show.
But, a lot of people, would you believe, are spending a lot of money and spending a lot of time and a lot of resources traveling around this country warning you that today is it. We'll show you this group that truly believes. Now, this got us to thinking. Is this really the first time that somebody's prediction like this got all of this attention? Well, people have been predicting the end of the world for a long time. All those last days have come and gone. We're still kicking it.
Let's look at some of the most memorable predictions. In the 1830s that a Baptist preacher by the name of William Miller predicted the end of the world would occur somewhere between March 21st, 1843, and March 21st, 1844. Of course, it didn't happen. The date was then recalculated to October 22nd, 1844. That didn't happen either.
And then there this one, a woman with alias "Marian Keech" said she received a message from aliens that a flood would destroy the city of Chicago on December 21st, 1954. Can't believe this one turned out not to be the truth. She said her followers would be beamed up to safety. No aliens, no beaming, no massive flooding happened on earth.
But in 2 1/2 minutes, I got the doozies for you. Stay with me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, 20 minutes past the hour. We're still here. A lot of people have been making apocalyptic predictions for the last few centuries and the latest has everyone talking.
It's coming to us from the Family Radio Christian Network out in California. They say the beginning of the end is today, May 21st, 2011. According to their biblical calculations, a monster earthquake will start at the International Date Line and work its way around the world, hitting each time zone at 6:00 p.m. Now, we have checked in with New Zealand. The time has come and gone and they are still standing.
Now, all of this starts today but will end with the earth's complete demise, we're told on October the 21st. So, we've got a bit of a window there, if you will.
Now, some of those who believe the end is near take this quite seriously. A lot of people have been tongue in cheek with this, having fun with this. But, listen, some people have actually left their homes, their jobs, and their families to travel the country and spread the word about this.
We actually traveled with some of those believers on a leg of their journey. Check this out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DARRYL KEITT, PROJECT CARAVAN MEMBER: I would beg to differ that this is some sort of cult.
My name is Darryl Keitt. I was raised in Newark, New Jersey. I'm currently a member of Project Caravan. We travel to as many states as possible, to proclaim the fact that May 21st, 2011, is the day of the Lord's return. When we caravan, we see people that give us the thumb. They say thumbs up. We also see people that, unfortunately, give us the other -- the other finger.
We are on our way to Tampa, Florida, to be a part of some sort of traditional festival.
We will be distributing as many tracks as possible.
Good afternoon, ma'am. We're going out this track.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.
KEITT: God bless you.
Anybody got any coffee?
OK. I'm going to pass some tracks. People here today are -- they're here to party. We understand that. When we say judgment day, they get a little upset.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: May 21st, judgment day. Yes, right.
KEITT: Most of the people in the costumes, they just don't want to take to tracks. We understand that.
It's free. It's free. There you go. Will you take a track?
We're not a bunch of crazies. We're not a bunch of kooks. We're just like anything else.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: So, what happens if today comes and goes like any other day? The group is not exactly answering that question.
But, again, the man who made the prediction, the man who put the math together from the Bible some kind of way, his name is Harold Camping. He's the man behind the Family Radio Network and the prediction that today is the beginning of the end. He says he's gone through the Bible and done the math, kind of a complicated equation, if you will. But he has figured out exactly this date.
But it's not the first time we have heard from this man. Let me take you back now to 1993 and listen to what he told our Larry King.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAROLD CAMPING, FAMILY RADIO NETWORK: When we lay out all of the history of the world, beginning with Genesis Chapter 1, "In the beginning, God created heavens and earth, and God shows how that beginning it was."
(CROSSTALK)
LARRY KING, HOST, CNN'S "LARRY KING LIVE": How do you get 1994? CAMPING: All right. We lay out the whole time plan. There's all the milestones. And we see that it's not a random pattern, it is a very, very precise pattern, and the paths focus on 1994.
KING: And do you know when in 1994?
CAMPING: I believe it will be sometime in the month of September.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: OK. So, we've been here before. He told us that the world would end in September of 1994. He said, in all likelihood, though, the end would come then. He didn't necessarily guarantee it.
So, exactly, who is this guy? He's actually 89-year-old retired civil engineer. He founded the Family Radio more than 50 years ago. And now, his religious programming is heard on 150 stations around the world.
OK. A lot of people have been having a little fun with this, making light of it. Plenty of people in this country do believe in the rapture, however. A lot of Christians do and that Jesus will come back.
But, as a matter of today being Doomsday, we wanted to know your thought on this. What if it was the end of days today? What would you do with your last hours on earth? We'd like to know.
Go and answer this for us at my blog: CNN.com/TJ. Also, you know where to find me on Twitter, which is simply @TJHolmes. Also on Facebook @TJHolmesCNN.
Curious to hear your responses and we will share some of the best ones a little later in the show.
Also, we have some weather to tell you about. We're looking at predictions for a really busy Atlantic hurricane season. All those details are coming up.
Also, acts of revenge. A convoy of U.S. vehicles attacked in Pakistan, and today, a warning from the U.S. military's top general there about violence. A live report from the region is just five minutes away.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. We're at the bottom of the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Welcome back, everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes. Glad you could spend part of your last day on earth here with us.
Getting a look now at some of the stories that are making headlines:
For the first time on his arrest on attempted rape charges last weekend, the former managing director of the IMF, Dominique Strauss- Kahn wakes up this morning in a New York City apartment and not in a Rikers Island jail cell. The 62-year-old was released on a $1 million bail yesterday over the objection of prosecutors who say he is still a flight risk.
Strauss-Kahn denies charges that he sexually assaulted a hotel maid.
Mexican authorities say they slapped the cuffs on one of the leaders of the notorious Gulf drug cartel. Forty-one-year-old Gilberto Barragan Balderas was arrested last night on the border city of Reynosa. That's him on the red shirt there, in the middle. Police say they got a tip he had been at a birthday party, swooped in, and grabbed him. The U.S. had a $5 million bounty on his head.
Some signs of recovery along the Mississippi River despite the historic flooding. An aerial view you are seeing of Natchez, Mississippi, right here. The U.S. Coast Guard has closed parts of the river to traffic due to debris and hazards hidden in floodwaters. More severe weather could impact the area this weekend.
The Taliban claiming responsibility for a suicide bomb attack on a military hospital in the Afghan capital. This was happening this morning, a developing story here. We need to bring in Mohammad Jamjoom who is joining me from Afghanistan, from Kabul, this morning.
Good morning to you. Give us the update. What exactly happened at this hospital?
MOHAMMAD JAMJOOM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, T.J.
The latest information we have as far as casualty figures from intelligence officials here, they say six killed, 26 injured when a suicide bomber attacked a military hospital here in Kabul. That was a little bit earlier this morning. Now, we've also heard from other intelligence officials but they say there's a concern that there's a second suicide bomber that's running around in that hospital and may try to detonate himself. They are trying to catch that suicide bomber.
The Taliban, as you mentioned here, has claimed responsibility for this attack but they have a different version of events. They say two of their members went to this hospital. One of them did accomplish his mission of blowing himself up. The other one, they say, was shot by security forces and their mission is over. Although the Taliban is saying that 51 people were killed as a result of this attack. A lot of rapidly moving developments this morning, still and a lot to find out in the next few hours. But the officials we spoken with here do believe that casualty figures will rise dramatically throughout the day, T.J.
HOLMES: Mohammad, if you can, a little perspective for our viewers. We hear a military hospital. What is this place? And would there have been any reason for Americans to have been there?
JAMJOOM: T.J., as far as we know no reason for Americans to be there, just Afghan security forces. This would be a place where injuries sustained during wartime, security operations, Afghan security officials and security officers would be there. That's as far as we know right now.
Not a surprise that it would be a target of the Taliban. They are trying to undermine the government here. They are going after high profile security targets. In fact, in the past few days the Afghan Taliban, which is having its spring offensive right now actually carried out a spectacular attack on a bus carrying police officers in another part of the country. Many dead and injured as a result of those attacks.
As I said, they're in the spring offensive. They are trying to show how emboldened and resurgent they are right now. In fact, just a few weeks ago in the southern city of Kandahar they had a two-day attack. Again, many people killed, many people injured. Taliban here saying they are very strong and they are not going away. And they don't want to be a part of peace or reconciliation effort with this government, T.J.
HOLMES: Mohammad Jamjoom for us in Kabul. We appreciate you as always.
Let's turn now to what we're hearing from Army General David Petraeus. He is issuing a warning today telling the international and American forces under his command in Afghanistan to be aware of the potential for high-profile attacks over the summer. The warning comes a day after a convoy of U.S. consulate vehicles was attacked in northwest Pakistan. Taliban claiming responsibility there, saying it was payback for killing of Osama bin Laden. One person killed there, 11 others were hurt, all Pakistanis.
President Obama, meanwhile, with CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia yesterday thanking the agency for its role in taking out Osama bin Laden. We turn now to CNN's Stan Grant. He is live for us in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Stan, what are we seeing? Is there reason to believe that the Taliban is increasing attacks in retaliation for bin Laden's death?
STAN GRANT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. We've seen that, T.J., over the past couple of weeks since bin Laden's death. There have been several attacks. Now, just yesterday they targeted a convoy of U.S. vehicles that were traveling on a road just outside the Peshawar. There was 50 kilograms of explosives packed into a car by the side of the road. It was detonated by remote control. Luckily in that case the casualties were low. One person killed who was a bystander, 11 injured including two foreigners, but no one seriously.
But an indication of just how the Taliban are able to strike. And, once again, they said that was in retaliation for killing of Osama bin Laden. We've also heard, T.J., from the second in command of the Pakistani Taliban and he's been very explicit. He says they will continue to target NATO and American targets, as well, and also going after the Pakistani military. And once again, as I say, linking it directly to the killing of Osama bin Laden. This is what he said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) WALI UR REMAN, DEP. CMDR., TALIBAN IN PAKISTAN (through translator): We love his mission, which is not dependent on any one man. We loved him because he was courageously fighting against America and its allies. We have to continue his mission because we love his mission more than the man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GRANT: As you are hearing there, they love the mission even more than the man, who of course they revered. And just today another indication of how serious they are. They targeted one of these NATO convoys on the way from Pakistan through to Afghanistan. Of course, crucial to the U.S. effort there. One of the trucks was -- there was an explosion, a bomb at one of the trucks, ultimately killing 16 people including five children. Those people were killed after the fire broke out when they actually went closer to try to retrieve some of the fuel that had been spilled on the roads, some of the free fuel.
And in early hours of the morning, another, about a dozen other trucks also exploded with another remote control bomb, up near that Pakistan/Afghanistan border, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Our Stan Grant with an update in Islamabad. We appreciate you. Thank you so much.
To our viewers now, we have just seen what historic tornado outbreak just a few weeks ago. We now see historic flooding. You know there's something else we now need to get ready for. A busy Atlantic hurricane season. In two minutes, we've got the forecast.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, 38 minutes past the hour now. Karen Maginnis here with us. Always a pleasure to have you.
KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Thank you, T.J.
HOLMES: OK, after we went through what we went through with tornadoes, what we went through with flooding-oh, yeah, hurricane season is coming.
MAGINNIS: I know. It's just around the corner. June 1, the National Hurricane Center always releases what their expectations are for the season.
HOLMES: So?
MAGINNIS: Looks like it will be pretty active.
I would say there are two primary reasons for that. One is because the water temperatures are really warm now. I don't mean like several degrees. It could be half a degree or one degree, but they also look at different oscillations across the Atlantic Basin, Pacific Basin, in particular La Nina.
Let's go ahead and show you what's happening. According to NOAA, this is what they said. We could have about nine-six to 10 hurricanes. Now, what's typical for us in a given year might be around nine. The average is about six. Over the last 60 years we average about six hurricanes in a season.
However, National Hurricane Center says this year six to 10. They are upping it. They are being a little bit more aggressive when it comes to forecasting the number for the year. All right. We look at the 2010; yes, 2010 was an active year. But you think we didn't really see any landfalls across the United States, a couple near misses or brushes.
Remember the Gulf spill? We were worried about all of the activity in the Gulf of Mexico. Very worried. In fact, most of the hurricanes or tropical systems that did evolve either off the coast of West Africa or right around the Caribbean Basin, most of those affected the Yucatan Peninsula, Central America, also Southern Mexico, extreme southern Texas.
Look at the major hurricanes that we saw in 2010. There were five. Colorado State said we expected about four. A little bit of there. And for NOAA, three to seven. A little bit more aggressive than Colorado State.
What we also get are the names for the hurricane season. I'm looking here and I don't see T.J. anywhere on this list.
HOLMES: That's always good to stay off that list.
MAGINNIS: Exactly.
HOLMES: All the names we have to look forward to.
MAGINNIS: Yes, it begins June 1st and goes for six months.
HOLMES: All right. We've got enough problems. Hopefully it will be quiet. Karen Maginnis, always good to have you with us. We'll check in with Karen plenty throughout the morning.
I want you to stop and look at the TV screen for a second. You might be just listening to the TV, but look at it for a second. That's not what I wanted to show you. But look at it anyway, hey, Karen. There she goes.
All right. There we go, that's what I wanted to show you. You can't make this out that well. What you are looking at is a tombstone. And this tombstone actually holds a secret about President Obama's past, a past that he didn't even know about. In 90 seconds, the mystery will unfold.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: It is 42 minutes past the hour.
President Obama leaves for Europe tomorrow night. Here's a quick look at his itinerary for this trip. He'll arrive Monday in Dublin, Ireland. Scheduled meetings with leaders there and expected to travel to Moneygall, Ireland, which is where his great-great-great grandfather comes from. More about that in just a second.
Also on Tuesday, heads to London for lunch with the queen there. She just got back from Ireland herself. So that is something they can chat about. The president will also meet with British Prime Minister David Cameron. After a state dinner the president spend the night at Buckingham Palace. Then on Wednesday it is another day with Prime Minister Cameron, before heading over to parliament. The president will speak to both houses of parliament there.
Then Thursday it is onto France, where the G8 summit is taking place, it is in Duveal (sic). And also Friday it is more G8 business, including meetings with representatives from Tunisia and Egypt. The president boards a plane to Poland after that. Then he wraps up the trip Saturday in Warsaw, the agenda there is Russia and keeping U.S. warplanes on Polish bases.
Well maybe a high point of the president's trip likely one of the first stops he makes. While in Ireland he's expected to visit the small town of Moneygall, that I just mentioned. That is where the president's great, great, great grandfather lived before he immigrated to America. The president had no clue about his Irish roots until it was discovered by an Ancestry.com genealogist by the name of Megan Smolenyak. That was back in 2007. I got a chance to talk to her this week. She said it took some four months and 150-year-old tombstone, also a bit of luck, to connect the dots.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MEGAN SMOLENYAK, GENEALOGIST: It was pretty easy to march back the first few generations and find out, OK, there was this fellow named Fulmoth Kearney, who came from Ireland in 1850. The challenge was finding the exact location. Irish genealogy can be quite challenging. It took a bit of luck. It took two months of research, but it also took a pair of tombstones in Ohio to tell me where to look in Ireland. That's how I discovered it was Moneygall.
HOLMES: OK, make that connection for me. Because Moneygall, like you just said, tombstone to Moneygall, how did you do that?
SMOLENYAK: I found this other Kearney family and it seemed like he fit into them. I wanted him to belong to that family because the father, Joseph's tombstone, and brother, William's tombstone both said they were from Moneygall. So, it was a matter of fitting the puzzle piece, the Fulmoth, into this family. And once I was able to do that I knew that's where he was also from. Then I did some work across the pond, reached out to a number of churches over there to find who had the corresponding marriage and baptism records for this family that wound up in America.
HOLMES: Now, how sure are you that you have this right. And you've got this town, and they're not over there celebrating for naught.
(LAUGHTER)
SMOLENYAK: 100 percent, 100 percent. Other people have piggybacked off of that research and taken his roots back further, so you will find roots also in Shinrone, and Kilkenny and Dublin, everybody, of course, wants to claim their piece of Obama. But Moneygall is the most immediate destination I'm absolutely sure of it.
HOLMES: Are you sure it's warranted, as well. We see how they are celebrating. People writing songs about him and putting up American flags.
SMOLENYAK: Right.
HOLMES: He is 1/32 Irish. Do you still get it and say they have a right to celebrate over there?
SMOLENYAK: You know, I'm half Irish-American myself, so I may have a bit of a bias. It's almost a tradition, isn't it, for American presidents to claim their Irish heritage and Ireland loves to claim their native sons, as well. So it works both ways. I think it's a win-win situation.
HOLMES: You plan on heading over. Do you have any plans to meet up with the president? He's going to Ireland. We think he'll stop by Moneygall. We believe, or a lot of people hope he will, at least. Do you plan on possibly seeing the president and saying, hey, I'm the one who put it together for you?
SMOLENYAK: I sure hope so. I have one of the treasured passes into Moneygall, so my odds are pretty good. So, I sure hope so.
HOLMES: You sure hope so. Well, ma'am congratulations on the work you were able to do in putting this together. Enjoy your time over in Ireland. We appreciate you taking time out with us.
SMOLENYAK: Thank you so much. I appreciate it.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: We'll turn now to the race for 2012 and a big day for Republican hopefuls. Our Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser has the latest travel plans. Plus, another candidate making it official.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Good morning, T.J. It is a busy weekend in the race for the White House. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is in South Carolina today. He'll talk about the economy with small business owners in South Carolina. It's the former Massachusetts' governor's first trip this cycle, to the state that holds the first Southern primary in the race for the White House here. Romney has all but declared his second bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
Meanwhile, John Huntsman gives the commencement speech at Southern New Hampshire University today. Former Utah governor and former U.S. ambassador to China is in the middle of a five-day swing through the state that holds the first primary on the presidential calendar. Huntsman is likely to announce his bid for the White House in coming weeks.
But not waiting any longer to make it official is Herman Cain, the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza and radio talk show host. He formerly declares his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination just a few hours from now at Atlanta's Centennial Park, T.J.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
All right. Thanks to our Paul Steinhauser as always.
Now we are going to try to help make sense out of this. We have a pretty high unemployment rate in this country that means a lot of people are out of work, and would like work. But at the same time, there are 100,000s of jobs available right now that have been available but there's nobody to fill them. How does that make sense? In 2 1/2 minutes, you're going hear from a man that you probably recognize. The Discovery Channel's Mike Rowe. You know? The "Dirty Jobs" guy? He is going to piece that together for us and help us understand why we in this country have a problem now with blue collar work.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: On this week's CNN "In Depth", we are looking at the job hunt in America. And one man who says it is time for America to get dirty. You probably know him, Mike Rowe, from his TV show "Dirty Jobs". He is the creator and host of that show. But Mike Rowe has another job as well, as head of a foundation called Mike Rowe Works. He says there is a skills gap in this country and that hundreds of thousands of jobs are out there and they still go unfilled because American workers aren't being trained for them.
Here he is even testifying on Capitol Hill about getting Americans back to work. I talked to him yesterday about why he thinks there are thousands of jobs going unfilled even with unemployment high.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MIKE ROWE, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER & HOST, "DIRTY JOBS": The skills gap really is just a reflection of what we value. What we value in this country has shifted over the last 30 or 40 years. We no longer encourage kids to take the time to learn a skill and master a trade. At the same time, we've actively discouraged people from getting dirty. You know, blue and white collar jobs are the traditional factor in the way we separate our workforce.
But you can't have separate and equal. It really doesn't work with anything. And the reality of that is we've just been focusing on a different sort of job in terms of what we aspire to. And right now, again, not an expert, but right now it seems to me that we're just reaping the consequences of that.
HOLMES: Mike, you talk about the shift there. I know there's a big push and they say we'll not have enough kids who have training in those STEM fields, you know, the science, technology, engineering and math. We're going to have a shortage of those folks as well, so they are trying to focus on getting those folks trained. We've shifted to that. Do you think we need to shift back to those jobs where people get dirty? Or we need to find a better balance?
ROWE: I think we have to stop looking at clean jobs over here and dirty jobs over here, and white collar over here, and blue collar over here. We have to realize that they are two sides of the same coin. The facts are pretty clear. A year or two from now, an hour with a good plumber is going to cost more than an hour with a good psychiatrist, at which point we're probably going to need both.
(LAUGHTER)
We're out of whack. Look, and if you really think about it, 40, 50 years ago, college needed a PR campaign. We needed more people to get excited about the notion of really digging in and studying. The PR campaign that college got was so effective, it wound up happening at the expense of a lot of other very basic and very fundamental jobs.
Look, this isn't about the poor tradesmen not being represented. This is about society not being tended to in four or five years. I don't want to make a speech, but right now in Alabama, I mean, it's bad. It's not because of the tornadoes down there. They have a third of their workforce north of 55, they are retiring fast. There's nobody there to replace them. So some pockets in the country are more problematic than others but on the whole, we're just seriously out of whack.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. Have you heard what comedian Lisa Lampaneli did last night? Did at a concert in Topeka, Kansas? She promised to donate $1,000 to a gay charity for every member of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church who picketed her concert last night. Well, stay with me and in just a moment I'll tell you how much money she is donating and also I'll share with you a Tweet she sent out about it, a Tweet that needs to be bleeped.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: As we get close to the top of the hour here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Take a look at stories making headlines across the country.
Comedian Lisa Lampaneli has turned the tables on the Westboro Baptist Church. Members of this controversial church had threatened to picket her concert last night in Topeka, Kansas, because of her outspoken position on gay rights. Well, Lampaneli said that for every church member who showed up, she would donate $1,000 to the Gay Men's Health Crisis, the oldest AIDS organization in the country. Well, here is what she Tweeted after the show.
Thanks to these (EXPLETIVE DELETED), $44,000 will be donated to GMHC. So, apparently, 44 people showed up to protest last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love it. Oh, honey. Honey, oh.
HOLMES: Let me explain this moment to you here. This is after a tornado tore through this woman's home in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. That was three weeks ago. Two of her cats survived. One hadn't been seen since the storm. But that all changed as you see. It was caught on camera. I believe she was doing an interview with a local television station there. The lost cat came out of nowhere and of course, was welcomed to what was left of home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is crazy. Everyone's ball-
HOLMES: OK, this is crazy here. This was at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. Some of these high-tech warriors of the future took part in low-tech battle of dodge ball; 4,000 cadets took part in this big dodge ball fight. They were hoping to set a Guinness World Record. Academy officials say a couple of cadets came up with the idea. They were just trying to blow off some steam. And they did have to use 1,000 dodge balls in the game.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Good morning to you all. Top of the hour here now on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
We are following a number of developing stories -- including the guy you are seeing there. He is one of the most powerful and wanted drug runners in Mexico. Now, he's under arrest. And would you believe he was picked up at his own birthday party?
Also, from Rikers Island to a luxury Manhattan apartment, Dominique Strauss-Kahn got out of jail late yesterday. So, what now for the former head of the IMF?
Also, today -- so far, so good. We've been on the air an hour and we'll continue until the world ends because today as you know is Doomsday, the start of the apocalypse -- at least according to the Family Radio Network, which has spent a lot of time, energy, effort and, in fact, money -- millions of dollars -- to try to warn you that the end is here.
Hello to you all on this final CNN SATURDAY MORNING for this May 21st. I'm T.J. Holmes. We'll get back to that in just a moment.
But, first, need to tell you about a developing story happening right now. There has been a suicide attack inside the main Afghan military hospital in Kabul. Our correspondent in the Afghan capital told us moments ago that at least six people were killed, more than two dozen injured.
Taliban is taking responsibility here. They claim 51 people have been killed. Taliban spokesman says a second suicide bomber was shot to death before he could set off his explosives.
Now, this military hospital is a 400-bed hospital. It serves Afghan military personnel. No Americans are believed to be hurt.
Well, Dominique Strauss-Kahn waking up today not in Rikers Island, for a change -- at least for the first time since he was accused of that sexual assault this week. This is his new place, a Manhattan apartment, cost about 4 grand a month to stay there. He's not expected to be there for long -- that long, at least.
The former IMF chief, like I said, was released yesterday. And in order to get out of jail, he had to put up $1 million cash and also a $5 million insurance bond. That was secured by his wife, Anne Sinclair. She is staying with him in New York.
CNN's Susan Candiotti has more on his living arrangements now, including why he wasn't able to stay at his first choice.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: A plan to release him hit a snafu when the place where he was planning to live wouldn't let him stay there. That led to a court hearing to discuss the issue. The judge agreed to allow the former IMF chief to live in a temporary location for a few days until a more permanent apartment can be arranged.
Why wasn't he allowed to stay at the first place? Here's Strauss- Kahn's lawyer.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM TAYLOR, STRAUSS-KAHN'S ATTORNEY: The reason that he had to move is because members of the press attempted to invade his private residence and interfered with his family's privacy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: The only reason he can leave this place is for a medical emergency. Now, he'll be a little less restricted when moved to a permanent location and then at that point, he can leave only if he gives prosecutors six hours notice of his plans. And there will be constant monitoring of his whereabouts.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Strauss-K is accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid last week. He resigned from his post at the IMF. But the organization says he got a $250,000 separation payment and will draw a modest pension.
Well, have you heard the name Gilberto Barragan Balderas? Maybe not. But he is a big deal in the Mexican drug cartels. Now, he's under arrest and that is a big deal to American and Mexican authorities.
Show you some video here. That's him in the redshirt. You'll see him again in a second. But he was captured in Reynosa, Mexico, just across the border from McAllen, Texas. He's a suspected member of the powerful Gulf Cartel, responsible for bringing a major amount of drugs into the United States.
The U.S. State Department had a $5 million reward out for information leading to his arrest. Mexican police picked him up at a birthday party where they were celebrating, you guessed it, him. It was his birthday party.
Well, who do you believe? Well, if you believe some, this will be my final broadcast here at CNN. This will be the final CNN SATURDAY MORNING, because today is it, folks -- the end of days, the apocalypse, Doomsday, the rapture. It all gets cracking today.
That's according to the Family Radio Worldwide Network. They spent time, energy and money, yes, on a campaign. Some $100 million by some estimates to get the message out that the world ends today. Well, not completely. It starts today, the first parts of the apocalypse.
The leader of the Family Radio Worldwide, Harold Camping, says that the timeline is in the island. He has a pretty complicated system of mathematical equation he put together to come up with this date, May 21st. However, he has been wrong before. So, should we believe him this time?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I definitely do not think the world will end tomorrow.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I say just chill. Let the days go. I don't think anything is going to happen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm not worried. I've got to go to work. I'll enjoy my weekend.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is going to happen. Jesus is going to come back, but not on tomorrow. I mean, he could come back tomorrow. He could come back any day, but the Bible does not predict an exact date. And when somebody does predict an exact date, they are usually wrong because the Bible warns us not to try to predict a date, but instead just to be ready.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
HOLMES: All right. Just to be ready. But we can report so far so good. The end was supposed to start.
Now, it's still supposed to start on the East Coast here in the U.S. at 6:00 tonight. That's Eastern Time is when it's supposed to start. But it was supposed to start with earthquakes in New Zealand at 6:00 p.m. their time.
Now, we called them this morning to see if New Zealand was still there. At first nobody answered the phone. We got a little nervous. But somebody finally picked up. New Zealand is still there. Everything is fine right now, folks, at least for now.
We'll have more on the Doomsday prediction later in the show, including more on the man behind this message. I mentioned, he's been wrong before. He predicted the same thing back in 1994. And, yes, we're all still here.
Six minutes past the hour. We're heading to the flood zone next, Natchez, Mississippi, where they are dealing with that flooding, but also getting some nasty weather right now. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Eight minutes past the hour.
Let me bring back in Karen Maginnis, keeping an eye on the weather.
And you were just telling me here in the break and it was surprising to me. I'm like, I thought that cresting had hit some places. No, not yet?
KAREN MAGINNIS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. It's going to get bumped up just a bit more, just a very slight amount. The river looks at Natchez is 61.7. It looks like by the noontime today, it will be 61.8. So, just a little bit.
But, you know, for folks that have been dealing with it --
HOLMES: Yes. This is way, way above flood stage.
MAGINNIS: The record is 58 feet. That's the record. So, this goes three feet beyond that.
All right. Let's go ahead and show you what's happening as far as the moisture is concerned. We got a lot of it right across the lower Mississippi River Valley, exactly where they are not excited about this rough weather.
We did have some storminess further back across east Texas, now moving toward the east in this lower Mississippi River Valley. They could see some pretty heavy amounts. That's the reason for this little bump up as we go up into about noontime today.
I want to show you what's happening as far as river is concerned, as we look into the river levels right now. We take a look at Natchez, Baton Rouge, also for Vicksburg -- these are levels.
This is not river level. It's how many feet above the record setting levels that we have seen -- not record setting, but the typical crest across this region. For the Red River Landing, it's now in excess of 14 feet above where it should be.
Well, what we will expect across the Ohio River Valley and lower Mississippi River Valley, another chance of severe weather as we heading in toward the afternoon -- could see three to five inches of rainfall. We'll keep you updated on that -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Karen Maginnis, we appreciate you as always.
We also have our Jeanne Meserve who is out. We have been trying to get her -- some nasty weather out there, Jeanne, where you are. You are there to cover flooding, but you got a weather situation out there as well.
Tell me where you are exactly and what's happening?
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're in an area called Under the Hill, in Natchez. We're expecting rain to come in around noon. It's obviously arrived very early and it has been very heavy.
And we have watched it flowing down the street and if you can take a look, you see the water flowing down this boat ramp into the Mississippi, which is the last thing the Mississippi River needs right now. You just heard Karen talking about how this river here is already well above records that have been previously set.
Natchez is going to fare pretty well because there's only a small number of structures that are at river level, but the rest of the city is up on a block (ph). But, of course, situation is not the same up and down the river.
Yesterday, the commandant of the Coast Guard, Robert Papp, was here. He took an aerial flight. We have some of that footage.
And as you can see from the air, what you see is water, water, water, and then more water. And amongst the places affected -- the Coast Guard station here in Natchez, which is itself in the middle of a flood situation. The parking lot quite deep -- deep enough that some of the Coast Guard men stationed there who wanted to greet the admiral had to wade out through the water to shake his hand and say hello -- quite an unusual picture.
Here's a bit of what the admiral had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADM. ROBERT PAPP, COMMANDANT U.S. COAST GUARD: Sixteen people struggling not only to keep the ship afloat but also to keep the building from going under here. And that's until they can get back on the river and start putting the river back together. So, a lot of work going on by our Coast Guard people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MESERVE: The rain here has let up for the moment at least. We're expecting more to come in later today -- all of that bad news as they keep an eye both on the river and on the sky.
T.J., back to you.
HOLMES: All right. All bad news. Jeanne, we appreciate you. I know it was some effort out there, some nasty weather, and you are out in it just to get that signal up and get you on TV was a process and a task. And we appreciate you. We'll be check in with Jeanne more throughout this morning.
Meanwhile, I need to let you know about a phone scam that's out there. People are trying to take advantage of people who are already victims, particularly in east Tennessee, victims of recent storms. The FBI is saying that people are reporting getting phone calls asking for personal information like their bank account numbers. The voice on the end of the phone says the bank lost the records because of computer problems during the storms. Anybody who gets one of these unsolicited calls, you need to call the FBI.
The Delta Airlines is trying to help you out, going to give passengers a little extra leg room. That sounds like a good deal. It comes with a price, of course.
Now, they call this economy comfort. That means you are in coach, but it means that you get four more inches of leg room. Also costs you in some cases between 20 and 40 bucks an inch because on some overseas flights, at least, that means about $160 extra dollars per ticket.
Well, with all we have to worry about right now with the weather, the end of the world, you also need to worry about zombies. Do you know what you need to be ready for the walking dead? Don't think I'm joking here, because the CDC has put out an action plan.
You heard me right. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention want you to be ready for zombies. CDC spokesman here to explain this, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Seventeen minutes past the hour.
You're taking a look there at Pope Benedict, of course. But he's talking and we're going to be able to show you the picture in a second of who he's talking to. He's actually having a conversation as we speak. This is happening live -- having a conversation with the astronauts at the International Space Station.
Now, we're at the mercy of NASA TV as they switch back on these feeds. But he is actually having this conversation. This gives you a better view of it as you see there. They are sitting there in space at the International Space Station and they are getting a call this morning from the Pope.
There are two Italians who are on the International Space Station. I'll have you know. Also, as you know, Endeavour just took off. They are up there on a, I believe, a 12-day mission.
But a lot of people, part of that mission that's a last for Endeavour, but a lot of people -- part of this story as well. As you see right there, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords' husband, the commander of shuttle Endeavour. They are speaking back.
Let me listen to his answer actually.
MARK KELLY, REP. GIFFORDS' HUSBAND: Kind words, Your Holiness. And thank you for mentioning my wife, Gabby.
It's a very good question. We fly over most of the world and you don't see borders, but at the same time, we realize that people fight with each other and there's a lot of violence in this world and it's really an unfortunate thing. Usually, people fight over many different things as we see in the Middle East right now. It's somewhat for democracy in certain areas. But usually, people fight for resources.
And it's interesting in space -- you know, on earth, often people fight for energy. In space, we use solar power and we have fuel cells on the space shuttle. But on the space station, it's -- you know, the science and technology that we put into this space station to develop a solar power capability gives us pretty much unlimited amount of energy. And if those technologies could be adapted more on earth, we could possibly reduce some of that violence.
HOLMES: Wow. Listening there, and we'll try to cue that part back up. But you heard his answer at least. Mark Kelly, the commander of space shuttle Endeavour, responding to the question we didn't hear from the Pope. But, apparently, the Pope mentioned Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords this morning. We're going to find that piece and recue that and make sure we hear that.
But, again, him thanking the Pope, you heard there, for mentioning his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, who, of course, is still recovering after being shot in the Tucson shooting earlier this year. We'll get back to that.
Well, let's turn now to zombies. Seriously, folks. Everybody out there loves a good zombie flick. Let's go back, 1978, "Dawn of the Dead." This is one people are a big fan of.
There have been a whole lot of others over the years, especially recently. But, now, the government is jumping in on this zombie bandwagon. I'm talking about the CDC. The agency, you know, that is supposed to protect public health and safety.
Well, apparently, they believe zombies are a threat to the public health in safety. They have put up this Web site. It's not a joke, folks. Put this up, telling you how to prepare for the zombie apocalypse.
It was the brain child of this guy who is with me now, CDC spokesman, David Daigle. He is here to defend his work.
Now, explain this to me. OK. You are the brain child. Is this -- OK, why did you come up with this idea in the first place?
DAVID DAIGLE, CDC SPOKESMAN: Well, there's a team of three of us.
HOLMES: OK.
DAIGLE: And we were kicking around ideas about hurricane preparedness, which starts, the hurricane season, in one June. And we though, every year, we do this campaign. We're wondering, does anybody listen, or read, or pick up on it.
And so, one of my colleagues mentioned during a Twitter session on Japan and the reactors, someone asked zombies and radiation, and the interest spiked. So, I thought, zombie preparedness. And I walked into my boss' office, ands I said, "We're going to do something with zombie preparedness. I don't know what." And he didn't throw me out.
HOLMES: OK. Let me share, I'm going to put up a graphic here that gives people an idea of what you all are actually doing. And it's important to say, the CDC does not think that zombies are about to take over the earth, correct?
DAIGLE: No, we do not.
HOLMES: OK. Now, let me switch -- now, that gives some of your zombie emergency kits people -- things people should have. But I have a quote -- if you can, Deidre, switch to the other graphic that I want to put up and show.
And it says, I'm pulling this directly from your Web site, it says, "Once you made your emergency kit, you should sit down with your family and come up with an emergency plan. This includes where you should go and who you would call if zombies started appearing outside your doorstep. You can also implement this plan if there's a flood, earthquake or other emergency."
This is just an attention grabber and then they get the good information once they get there.
DAIGLE: That was our goal.
HOLMES: Is that what it takes? Are we so immune and tune it out so much that it takes you to bring up zombies?
DAIGLE: We don't know for sure. But we also knew that we would reach a new audience through the social media demographic. And it has been astounding.
HOLMES: OK. Help us understand. Just how astounding? What's the reaction been like?
DAIGLE: So, we typically get one to 3,000 hits on this blog over a 10-day span.
HOLMES: OK.
DAIGLE: On Wednesday the server crashed with 30,000. We now have over 1 million hits to that blog. And we're just amazed.
HOLMES: OK. Now, I have to say here as well, you didn't get permission necessarily before you did this from the folks you're supposed to get permission from, the higher ups. What are they saying now?
DAIGLE: I think we got -- our director, he said, "Well done." Everybody else seems to be very encouraging and supportive. HOLMES: Encouraging. What do you with this now? I guess you've learned a lesson here in how maybe you should get your message out.
DAIGLE: We're learning a lot. And, actually, we're going to sit down and take a hard look at this afterward. One of the things we want to do is evaluate -- did we actually affect behavior? Did more people do plans and make kits? So, we're going to take a look at this because it's been a wild ride.
HOLMES: It's been a wild ride. That is interesting to say.
Now, just in general, are you a zombie fan?
DAIGLE: I am. I am. "World War Z," "Walking Dead." I've always been a fan.
HOLMES: OK. And as you know, today is the end of days.
DAIGLE: It is. The rapture is at 6:00, I guess.
HOLMES: The rapture is at 6:00. All right. So, people, we get the information out and you can still get prepared for, I guess, rapture preparedness will be next for us.
David Daigle, good to see you.
DAIGLE: My pleasure. Thank you.
HOLMES: No, really, it's kind of tongue in cheek. People are having fun with this. But, still, it's an interesting way to go about getting the message out, the serious message. Congratulations on what you did.
DAIGLE: Thank you, sir.
HOLMES: All right. We are 23 minutes past the hour now.
Earlier, we asked you to weigh in on Doomsday. The question was: what actually would you do with your final hours on earth if you actually believed today was it? What would you do? Your responses have been overwhelming and interesting.
Here's one from Heather says, "I guess I'd hula hoop in the backyard, have cocktails with my husband and family, and maybe let my cats roam outside." Setting the bar pretty high there.
Also, Craig simply says, "Pray, pray, pray."
Clearly, this one is from Ann, however.
Another one from Tyler says, "A simple plan, probably eat at McDonald's and watch CNN. Grab a big muffin. I'm here all morning."
Now, as much as we are proud of our work at CNN, you can find better thing to do with your final hours. Also, this one from Ann says, "I'm preparing to pick up all of the things people walked away from. Cars, diamonds, money, they can't take it with them."
All right. We appreciate you for sending some of those in.
Well, again, at 24 minutes past the hour. We got some news we are just getting, some disturbing stuff out of Oklahoma. A manhunt is under way right now. This is near Oklahoma City. Police are searching for two suspects in the shooting death of a 25-year vet of the sheriff's department.
Again, this information is just coming in to us. We're going to check the computer. Quick break and I'm right back with the details.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Twenty-six minutes past the hour now.
Telling you about this shooting. A manhunt is going on in Oklahoma right now. And my apologies, the shooting took place, but I'm told that the deputy who was shot in Oklahoma -- he was shot, we're told now and that he has not died. This is a massive manhunt under way in Oklahoma City right now.
They are looking for two suspects in the shooting of an off-duty sheriff's deputy. He's a 25-year veteran of that force. Police say he was getting extra work as a security guard, carrying a bank deposit around at midnight and he was attacked. We're told this was all caught on security cameras that they are going through right now.
We're trying to get an update on the condition of this sheriff's deputy who we're told right now is shot. We'll get an update on his condition but a developing story right now -- massive manhunt under way. We're following this breaking story.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: A medical breakthrough could revolutionize treatment for paraplegics. Would you believe, after five years, suddenly, this guy could get up, he could stand up again? Well, that's when an accident paralyzed five years ago Rob Summers from the chest down. Doctors said he would never stand again. Well, after years of failed physical therapy, a medical team implanted an electric stimulator in his spinal area, and just a few days, Summers got up on his own, and in months was taking assisted steps on a treadmill.
Well, I'll be back at the top of the hour with more live news here. "SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." starts right now.
