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CNN Saturday Morning News
Former First Lady Betty Ford Dies at 93; South Sudan Celebrates Its First Independence Day; Atlantis on The Way to International Space Station
Aired July 09, 2011 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUSAN HENDRICKS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. This is CNN SATURDAY MORNING. It is July 9th. Great to have you with us. I'm Susan Hendricks in this morning for T.J. Holmes.
Here is the latest for you. She is being remembered as an incredible woman, an extraordinary first lady. Betty Ford dies at the age of 93. We'll take a closer look at her life.
And while the country's unemployment line got longer last month, we have some positive job news this morning. Ford is hiring at one of its plants. Plus this.
Celebrations are in the air, the world is welcoming its newest country today. We will take you to South Sudan live.
We begin with this. The death of former first lady Betty Ford. She was 93-years-old. Ford was surrounded by family when she passed away last night. She became first lady when her husband Gerald Ford became president in 1974.
Following the resignation of Richard Nixon. Betty Ford made headlines when she revealed her battle with breast cancer. Then in 1978, she entered a rehab center to deal with alcohol addiction. It was just a few years later that she opened a now famous Betty Ford Center. It became the place for celebrities and others to get the much needed help they needed to fight their addictions.
President Obama speaking out. He said this. "Mrs. Ford helped reduce the social stigma surrounding addiction and inspired thousands to seek much-need treatment. While her death is a cause for sadness, we know that organizations such as the Betty Ford Center will honor her legacy by giving countless Americans a new lease on life." Again, that's from President Obama.
This from former President George W. Bush saying, "Laura and I are deeply saddened by the passing of Betty Ford. We admired her as first lady and valued her as a friend. She made countless contributions to our country, and we especially appreciate her courage in calling attention to breast cancer and substance abuse. Because of her leadership, many lives were saved. Tonight our prayers go out to Mrs. Ford's entire family."
Nancy Reagan is calling her an inspiration. George H. W. Bush said she is a great friend and a courageous first lady. Ford was awarded at Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. Both prestigious civilian honors as you know. But her crusade against addiction maybe her greatest legacy.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHERRY BEBITCH JEFFE, POLITICAL ANALYST: She educated a generation that needed education, that needed support in how to deal with these problems. It made it unnecessary to hide the reality of substance abuse. And I think that was a contribution that Betty Ford made.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENDRICKS: Countless people were helped by Betty Ford. Coming up, more on her extraordinary life later on the show.
Well, the government latest job numbers are out and they fell well short of expectations. Only, 18,000 jobs were added. Experts thought we would see about 80,000. Take a look at the chart here. The nation had several months in a row of encouraging jobs numbers. While the 18,000 for June is an increase, it's not enough to keep up with losses. The unemployment rate actually rose from 9.1 percent to 9.2 percent.
Here is President Obama on that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: With the recovery that is still fragile, and isn't producing all the jobs we need, the last thing we can afford is the usual partisan game playing in Washington. By getting our fiscal house in order, Congress will be in a stronger position to focus on some of the job creating measures I've already proposed. Like putting people to work, rebuilding America's infrastructure or reforming our patent system, so that our innovators and entrepreneurs have a greater incentive to generate new products or making college more affordable for families. And businesses that may be holding back because of the uncertainty surrounding the possibility of the default by the United States government will have greater confidence to end that.
REP. CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS (R), WASHINGTON: Republicans have maintained there can be no increase in the national debt limit unless it's accompanied by serious spending cuts and reforms. To be truly serious, these cuts should exceed the amount by which President Obama wants the debt limit increased and there can be no job crushing tax hike on families and small businesses.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENDRICKS: Jobs, the economy, and the country's debt ceiling are the top issues facing Washington right now, in Congress and on the campaign trail. Let's go inside the numbers a little bit. Here are some interesting tidbits about it. Here's how it breaks down by gender. Men are right at about average while unemployment for women is at about eight percent right now. Here is how the unemployment rate breaks down by race. The rate for whites went up to 8.1 percent. African-American unemployment is the highest. But it did not change last month. We will have much more on the political impact of these numbers a little bit later on in the show.
How about this? South Sudan is now the world's newest country. The new nation is celebrating its Independence Day today. The people voted overwhelmingly earlier this year to break away from Sudan. South Sudan is about the size of Texas. Here's a listen to a bit of a new country's national anthem. Take a listen.
(SOUTH SUDAN'S NATIONAL ANTHEM)
Also today, South Sudan's president is raising the flag in the capital. We will have much more on South Sudan's Independence Day with a live report. Don't miss that. That's in about 30 minutes.
The British royal couple are spending their first full day in California. That is today. Prince William and his new wife Kate arrived yesterday. They spent time at a couple of events promoting British business interests.
And soccer star David Beckham was among the guests at one of the events. Today, they will mix business with pleasure on the agenda as a charity polo match in Santa Barbara and a star-studded British film and TV event in Los Angeles. We'll have much more on the visit later in the show.
More, arrest him, in news of the world scandal in Britain. British Prime Minister David Cameron's former press secretary turned himself in. He was released though. He was editor of the paper at the time of the scandal before being hired by Cameron. He quit his job earlier this year, his government job.
Employees of the tabloid newspaper hacked into the voicemail account of a murdered girl and erased messages. This week, owner Rupert Murdoch shut down the paper. The paper's former royal correspondent was also arrested yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: We ask that each of you join the athletics, the Texas Rangers and all of Major League Baseball, as we observe a silent moment of reflection and respect for Brownwood, Texas firefighter Shannon Stone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENDRICKS: Such a devastating story here. Shannon Stone was a firefighter from Brownwood, Texas, who fell to his death from the stands at a Texas Rangers baseball game earlier this week. He was trying to catch a ball for his 6-year-old son that was thrown in the stands by one of the Rangers players. Stone was honored with a moment of silence last night. The Rangers also set up a memorial fund for his family. So sad.
A man who flew across the country by using someone else's boarding pass has now been indicted. Nigerian Olajide Oluwaseun Noibi is being charged with being a stowaway and for trying to enter a secure area at the airport. He got through security with an expired ID and someone else's boarding pass. Flew from New York all of the way to L.A. He got caught but he was let go. Then he tried to do it again in Los Angeles. That is where he was finally arrested.
A jail break caught on tape. This happened at the Walker County Jail in Huntsville, Texas, last month. But the video just being released here. Take a look. Two inmates attacking the jailers. One of them got away to a car waiting outside the jail. But he was caught three days later. I want to show you this.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: The benches cleared in Boston during a game between the Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles. Here it comes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENDRICKS: And there it is. Few punches thrown. It doesn't look like any of them connected though, right? Thrown at the air. The Red Sox David Ortiz took exception to being hit and yelled at by Orioles pitcher Kevin Gregg. They yelled very close, don't they? They both ended up getting thrown out of the game. It's never just one guy who gets off the bench. It's kind of a team thing there.
All right. Let's check at the weather this morning. Reynolds is here for that. There's no crying in baseball but there's fighting in baseball, right?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: First impression though. You know, what's funny about it, Susan, is whenever you see one of this fights take place, you realize instantly why they are baseball players and not boxers because they rarely ever land a punch. Very, very rarely. Unbelievable. Hey, something that is also unbelievable is the heat. The heat is continuing for parts of Texas into the desert southwest. It's going to be intense day. Also, there will be the potential, some intense thunderstorms across parts of the central plains and the upper Midwest. We'll going to talk more about that coming up. Thank you, Susan.
HENDRICKS: All right, Reynolds. Thanks.
You know the crew aboard shuttle Atlantis is spending its first full day in space. We are taking a live look at NASA TV. You don't want to miss it. Still to come, NASA says, this really is not the end. Robots could be taking the place of humans in space. We'll have more on that coming up.
And could you imagine this blowing over your head? That is a massive dust storm. Reynolds will be back. He'll explain how this happens.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HENDRICKS: Welcome back. It's 11 minutes past the hour. Time for a check of the weather with meteorologist Reynolds Wolf. Reynolds joins us. Hey Reynolds, how is it going?
WOLF: Hey, it's going to be a pretty nice day for us. Still going to feel like summer. I mean, it's getting very warm in a few places. Chance of thunderstorms may be some severe stuff, too, especially in the afternoon. Now, the place we are most likely to see severe weather is going to be in the upper plains, parts of the Midwest and the central plains. In fact, take a look. Here you go. The thing is really going to cause the big catalyst, that's going to cause the storms to ripple be your daytime heating and the moisture that continued to stream in from parts of the Gulf Coast.
Also in parts of the South Texas. The heat is going to be just relentless. We're talking about places like down to (INAUDIBLE) Texas, back into Austin, it's going to be very warm for you. Even in places like San Antonio and Austin. In the four corners, a mix of some of those, the highs. The high altitude showers can be expected. Bur for much of the west coast, very dry conditions for you. Along the east coast, little more of the hodgepodge. Some of the showers developing into the afternoon. Again, same recipe, your sea breeze, your daytime heating will make your things little unstable. Anyone taking to fly down to Atlanta and heading towards parts of the eastern seaboard. You may have rumbled, maybe a few bumps here and there in the flights, you just be prepared for that. Same story for you from Boston back in New York. And of course up towards Maine.
In places like Minneapolis, that's one of the areas of concern because of the potential of storms in the afternoon. We get a live image for you right now in Minneapolis, St. Paul. And so far, conditions look pretty good for the time being. This thin veil of clouds above into the afternoon. I'd say between the hours of three, maybe even early evening. Maybe as late as 6:00. That's when things really should get under way in terms of your heavy rainfall fall and the potential for some strong thunderstorms.
High temperatures from Minneapolis, 85. Which we'll get to that. But the rain moves in. The temperatures will begin to fall. Eighty eight, you're high in Denver, 90 degrees in Kansas City, 102 in Dallas. It is going to be warm there. Ninety four in Houston, 93 in New Orleans. Back to Washington and Atlanta, some low 90s, 85 in Boston, 87 in New York. Out west, we go, 66 in San Francisco, 96 now in Albuquerque, 74 in Seattle and 79 in Portland. That is a quick snapshot in your forecast. Susan, of course, we got so much more to chat about.
HENDRICKS: Yes.
WOLF: Coming out throughout the morning.
HENDRICKS: 102 in Dallas.
WOLF: Yes. Very warm. And then when you have the humidity of course, it's going to feel even warmer, so.
HENDRICKS: Yes. I went to school in Arizona. They would always say it's a dry heat. That was 110, it was still. WOLF: Yes. When you're walking across the street and you almost vaporize through the high temperatures.
HENDRICKS: Doesn't matter if it's dry or not.
WOLF: It's so true.
HENDRICKS: Speaking of Arizona. You have to see this. Remember the movie "Independence Day," Reynolds?
WOLF: Oh, yes. Absolutely.
HENDRICKS: Oh, yes. Take a look. Here's the scene that a bit reminiscent of that. It isn't Science fiction or special effects. That is a dust cloud, a massive one. Why many folks in Arizona, they saw it on Tuesday, July 5th, the day after Independence Day celebrations. They looked up to that. Here's another look at it. It rolled through the Phoenix area. It's a monsoon storm, Reynolds, it kicks up desert dust. It's rarely this big, right?
WOLF: Very much, so.
HENDRICKS: In some reports, the cloud was 60 miles wide. It shut down the airport. As you can imagine why. You can't see anything. Knocked out power to thousands of folks that are still cleaning up there.
WOLF: Yes, the way that was things were created is we have these high-base thunderstorms and then the thunderstorms begin to collapse. It creates, and then it refers to us a dust front. And it picks up all the particulates. All of your dust, all your dirt. And of course, you see it push out ahead of the storm itself. Very common in parts of the Middle East, parts of Africa. You see it quite a bit. But in Phoenix, not every day and that's a good thing. It is frightening to see though, isn't it?
HENDRICKS: I can't imagine. In Arizona, you were used to the monsoons coming in and out but nothing like this. When you look at shots of it, I can't imagine.
WOLF: It's all different.
HENDRICKS: They're still cleaning up. Reynolds, thanks.
WOLF: We are digging deeper inside the latest jobs numbers. We'll tell you which groups are having a harder time finding jobs. That's coming up after the break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HENDRICKS: Welcome back on this Saturday morning, July 9th. In business news, companies will release their latest earnings reports next week. Poppy Harlow tells us about that. But first, Alison Kosik details the latest jobs numbers for you.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Susan.
The June jobs reports stunned Wall Street this past week. A mere 18,000 jobs were created last month. Wall Street expected up to 125,000. The report was filled with other negative signs. The unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent.
Average hourly earnings dropped and so did the average workweek, which means people with jobs are working fewer hours and making less money.
Breaking unemployment down by race. African-Americans are having the hardest time with a 16 percent jobless rate. The rate for Hispanics is in the double digits as well -- Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Thanks so much, Alison.
Well, second quarter earnings season kicks off next week with Alcoa, GP Morgan Chase, Citi Group and Google, all reporting their numbers. In the first quarter, nearly 70 percent of companies in the S&P 500 posted earnings that beat estimates. We're looking for that to continue, but the big question really is whether these companies that will use some of that cash to hire more workers.
As for the economic calendar, we'll get the minute from the Fed's last meeting. Policy makers downgraded their view of the economy at that meeting and this is going to give us a lot more insight as to why. Also ahead, reports on inflation, retail sales and jobs are due out.
We'll follow it all on CNN Money. Susan, back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HENDRICKS: All right. Poppy, thank you.
And this, while the nation's unemployment figures rose in June, there is one bright spot to report. Ford says, it is hiring 1800 workers, that its Ford escape, SUV assembly plant, that's in Louisville, Kentucky. The carmaker says a lottery system will be used to select job candidates.
How about robots in space? That is just one of the things NASA is planning for the post-shuttle era of space travel. It's not completely over. We'll have more on the future, next. But first, do you know how many shuttle missions have taken place over the last 30 years? Can you guess? I'll have the answer right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HENDRICKS: OK. Here we go. Love that music, don't you? Before the break I asked you, how many shuttle missions have taken place over the last 30 years? Do you know? Well, here it is. Drum roll, please. There have been 134 missions covering a half billion miles of flight. The current and last mission, as you know, 134. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NASA ANNOUNCER: Two, one, zero, and liftoff! The final liftoff of Atlantis on the shoulders of the space shuttle. America will continue the dream.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENDRICKS: The site of history, there it goes. Atlantis, the final shuttle mission lifted off yesterday morning. There are four astronauts on board. They call themselves the final four. The shuttle will link up with the international space shuttle tomorrow morning. It's certainly a sight to see.
So, the final mission is under way. And in 30 years of shuttle flights, so what is next for NASA? Our Josh Levs is here to show us the future. And Josh, they're not closing up shop just yet.
JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They're not and the message that NASA is trying to get out there is that they're still working to send people to space. They're insisting that the United States is still going to be sending astronauts into space.
And here, take a look at these pictures. I mean, they're talking about the new technologies that they're working on. This is one of them right here. NASA is saying, this thing right here is the flagship of its next generation space fleet pushing the envelope of spaceflight far beyond low-Earth orbit.
This thing you're looking at. It's called a multi-purpose crew vehicle. It could fit four astronauts and take them on 21-day missions. So, they're working on that. They're also working on new technologies to get people all of the way out to Mars. The NASA's saying is absolutely committed to this as a goal. Take a look at this video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BOBBY BRAUN, NASA CHIEF TECHNOLOGIST: What we're doing is we're investing in a broad portfolio of technology. Some of those technologies are risky. Some of them will pan out. Others will not. But in the end, we'll have the technological capabilities to go places and to explore, both with robots and humans, that we can't do today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEVS: What you just heard them say right there was robots and humans. And that is another part of what NASA is working on. Take a look at this next video here. Robonauts. This thing they're called, robonauts. They're developing them with GM. And right now, it's just a torso. So, it's sort of a robonaut. But they're working to add leg and wheels. They say, it's going to help to have this designed like people because things on the space ship and at the space station are -- not spaceship, rather the space station and all our shuttles were designed for people.
HENDRICKS: Look at the complexities of that.
LEVS: I know.
HENDRICKS: Just the fingers and the hand. That is amazing.
LEVS: It's amazing. And think about when they start adding legs and wheels. They are saying that these robonauts can ultimately explore terrain, kind of like a person, so you would get some sense of what it would be like to have a human body out there. And they actually have one already at the space station. Take a look at this next video. You're going to see them unpacking a torso robonaut that made it up there earlier this year. See, it's a little bit freaky.
(LAUGHTER)
HENDRICKS: I'm thinking, robonauts are going to be roaming CNN. Who's that? Oh, that's a robonaut.
LEVS: You know, what? These things will be able to walk around, they're going to be able to do all sorts of things and it will be controlled from all the way down here on Earth which is pretty amazing. But I will tell you. Even with all this going, a lot of people out there Susan still feels that the U.S. is absolutely going to lose its dominance. That ending these space shuttle missions and also others cuts and funding is ultimately going to damage the U.S. efforts to try...
HENDRICKS: We talked about it earlier today. And I was lucky enough, honored, actually, to meet Buzz Aldrin as I was presenting with him at the New Jersey Hall of Fame. And he was not happy that this was ending but it doesn't mean it's shutting down completely.
LEVS: Right. But you know, and also part of what's happening here is a battle for the image. Every nation wants to come across as being in control of the future, being in control of space. NASA is in a very difficult situation right now because they are losing funding. So, the question is, how far can we really go as a country to keep exploring farther and farther and farther while the funding is starting to disappear? Potential by the billions. This whole battle and where is technology standing up? With my Facebook and twitter pages, you can see the screen right here. And what I've done is I have shown you on my pages how you can link to all the technologies that are coming in space.
But also, some of the serious questions that are out there about, seriously, how far can this possibly go? One more thing I want to show you, just because this is so cool. Take a look at this video. This is kind of amazing.
Right now, OK, that's real video taken just a few days ago. I'm not going to tell you folks what it is. But if it's still dark where you are, you can step out in the sky right now and see something that will look like a star to you. It's actually something else. And we have a spacecraft that's going to be getting there in like one week. A first in the history of space. I'll be telling you about that in our 8:00 a.m. hour today. HENDRICKS: OK. So, you're not telling us what it is. We need to wait.
LEVS: You've got to wait. 8:00 a.m. Eastern hour. Something that you'd never seen before. Something that you can't see with the naked eye, unaided right now if it's still dark outside. But you don't get to know what it is. You have to stick around until 8:00 a.m.
HENDRICKS: Is it connected to the robonauts? That's my question.
LEVS: Is it connected to the robonauts? No, but it is connected to a piece of new technology I just showed you.
HENDRICKS: At the edge of my seat, literally. Josh, thanks.
LEVS: OK. You got it.
HENDRICKS: All right. This is the first pictures as a spacecraft that has been approaching it in recent weeks. There it is, right? Josh is going to tell us what it is.
LEVS: You got it.
HENDRICKS: So, I'm not going to tell you. You look up at the sky, you will see it.
LEVS: It's coming right up at 8:00 a.m. hour. You got it. Be around.
HENDRICKS: All right. So, the space shuttle Atlantis, astronauts are spending their first full day in space today. Weather problems, they almost takeoff yesterday including a lightning strike that threatened to delay the launch. At the news conference yesterday, NASA officials spoke about how they made that decision to go ahead and launch. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE LEINBACH, SHUTTLE LAUNCH DIRECTOR: We met in my office before the MMK meeting, we flipped the coin, that's how we really make those decisions.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: It's a big dart board.
LEINBACH: Big dart board. You know, now the programs are how we can develop some of our secrets.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HENDRICKS: Why not? We flip a coin.
LEVS: Some people will believe that.
HENDRICKS: I know. LEVS: Watch out.
HENDRICKS: The NASA guys are just having a little fun obviously on their last mission.
She will be out of jail soon but she is apparently not out of anger. At least not for her mother Cindy Anthony. The latest on the Casey Anthony saga, next in the NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HENDRICKS: It is 30 minutes past the hour. Welcome back. I'm Susan Hendricks, in on this Saturday for T.J. Holmes. Thanks for starting your day with us.
While you were sleeping a new nation emerged. I'm talking about the Republic of South Sudan. Juba is the capital. It is epicenter of independence day celebrations. Earlier this year, the South Sudanese people overwhelmingly voting to succeed from the now northern neighbor Sudan, after years of intense fighting with the Khartoum-based government.
CNN's Nima Elbagir is live in Juba with some background and perspective on the world's newest country.
Nima, take us there. How is it?
NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: What you can hear behind me is the actual moment of the proclamation of independence. It has taken over half a century of conflict to get here. The Southern Sudanese are now firmly in charge of their own fate.
And the party started once the clock stuck midnight. I will be amazed if anyone in Juba or anyone in the whole south got any sleep last night. Even now, while these festivities-the official festivities-are happening behind me in the public part of the parade ground is pretty much just been one long party since we got here at dawn this morning, Susan.
HENDRICKS: And, Nima, I was reading a quote-I don't know if you can hear me, it's pretty loud there-from a man who said I lost many relatives and today was a dream from my late father, but the nightmare is finally ending.
Nima, do you find that there that the people are so relieved that it finally happened now?
ELBAGIR: Many of the people we've been speaking to have said that even when they went to vote at the referendum, even when they knew this day was being counted down to, they really didn't dare believe it would ever arrive. There were rumors and speculation that there would be a coup somehow, at the last moment. That dream would be snatched away from them.
It was a really moving moment earlier on when they helped up the war veteran on to the stands behind it. And then those who were more able, who had been through the war, actually paraded past us. This really is their moment more, than any other today, Susan.
HENDRICKS: Yes, Nima, a former refugee saying what makes me happy is I finally don't have to say I'm from Sudan anymore.
Tell us about the U.S. involvement in this.
ELBAGIR: Well, this was an area very close to the heart of the Bush administration because of his support base within the evangelical movement. The church network in this space has been incredibly active here.
Many of the refugees that we have been speaking to here in Sudan, who came back for this, said that in the States a lot of what they were doing when they first arrived in the United States was going to church group meetings and telling people that their experiences. And that snowballed into letter-writing campaigns to represent (AUDIO GAP) and a sense and outrage as people saw what was being perpetrated here within South Sudan.
And the U.S. administration needed to get involved. It was under the Bush administration that the 2005 peace agreement, which gave Southern Sudan the right of determination was signed. And form Secretary of State Colin Powell is actually here today to celebrate with the people of Southern Sudan, Susan.
HENDRICKS: All right, South Sudan is in celebration mode. You can hear it behind Nima.
Nima, thanks so much. We appreciate it.
We are checking the top stories for you on this Saturday morning.
New signs of unrest in the Egyptian capital where tens of thousands of protesters return to Tahrir Square last night. They are not pleased with the speed of expected government reforms after the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak earlier this year. Some pledged to stay in the square for 18 days, the length of the revolution that toppled Mubarak.
The Federal Aviation Administration wants FedEx fined more than $689,000. The shipping company is accused of breaking federal rules on transporting hazardous materials on cargo planes. A FedEx spokeswoman said all the cases involved paperwork errors that never put the aircraft in any danger. Last month, the United Kingdom's transport ministry banned FedEx from bringing cargo due to security issues.
In Orlando, appears the family feud between Casey Anthony and mother Cindy is still going. A spokesman for the Orange County jail said Casey denied her mother's request to visit last night. On Tuesday, the 25-year-old was acquitted of murdering her two-year-old daughter Caylee. Casey Anthony is due to be released from jail a week from tomorrow.
Former First Lady Betty Ford, the widow of late with Gerald Ford, died last night. Beyond her public battle with breast cancer, Mrs. Ford's lasting legacy may be the substance abuse treatment center that bears her name. President Obama says the former first lady was someone who helped reduce the social stigma surrounding addiction. She certainly did. Betty Ford was 93.
The changing of the Sudan flag right now. You're looking at live pictures. We just heard from Nima there. You heard the celebrations, a day that has finally come. Again, a former refugee saying what makes me happy when people ask me where I'm from I do not have to say Sudan. And that certainly says it all. Live pictures for you.
Thirty years of American space history compressed into less than 2 1/2 minutes. It is next in the NEWSROOM. Stay close.
There have been five different shuttle orbiters. Can you name all of them? I'll have the answer after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HENDRICKS: We are quizzing you bright and early on this Saturday morning. Before the break I asked you if you could name the five shuttle orbiters that flew missions for NASA. Did you get all of them? Here they are: Atlantis, Challenger, Columbia, Discovery, Endeavour.
Thirty years, 135 flights, and it all came to a head just before noon yesterday. We're talking about the last launch of NASA's space shuttle program, the liftoff of Atlantis.
It almost didn't happen, Reynolds, because of the weather. It was touch and go, right?
WOLF: It really was. And they just saw one window in the weather that was favorable for a launch and they went ahead and went for it. Conditions were incredible. They took off. What a beautiful sight to see.
We're going to now take a look, a sort of fast forward view of the past 135 launches. We're going to do it in 135 seconds.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: T minus ten --
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: -- nine --
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: -- eight --
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: -- seven --
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: -- six --
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: We have engine start.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Five --
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: -- four -- NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: -- three --
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: -- two --
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: -- one.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: And we have liftoff!
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: And lifting the largest astronaut crew is on its way.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Space lab two --
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Shuttle has cleared the tower.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Rollover initiated.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Houston controlling now.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Roger, roll, Challenger.
(SILENCE)
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Americans return to space as Discovery clears the tower.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Liftoff of Columbia and the first dedicated medical research flight.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Six-man crew on a Department of Defense flight.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Climb to 28.5 degree inclination orbit.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Atlantis speed now 500 miles an hour.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Banking on the dynamic pressure on the vehicle in the lower atmosphere.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Burning engines at 100 percent.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Well, the vehicle's rate of speed will virtually triple.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Flight controllers standing by for burnout and jettison of the twin solid rockets.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Three main engines, second stage.
NASA MISSION CONTROL: Columbia, Houston. Performance nominal.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: On a heads-down position, on course.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Space Shuttle Columbia, with the micro- gravity science laboratory.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Start out about one G vertical acceleration.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Send the photo now.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: All systems onboard are continuing to perform well.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Good solid rocket booster separation.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Houston now controlling the flight of Columbia, the international research mission finally underway.
(SILENCE)
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: And liftoff of Space Shuttle Discovery, beginning America's new journey.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: Atlantis begins its penultimate journey to shore up the International Space Station.
NASA LAUNCH COMMENTATOR: The final liftoff of Discovery.
SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR: Houston, Endeavour. All program.
NASA MISSION CONTROL: Roger, roll, Endeavour.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WOLF: Amazing. Just amazing to see, I mean, you basically you have a crew of humans that are strapped to something like a giant bomb.
HENDRICKS: They are true heroes. Really, it is. That's a great analogy. I was watching Brook Baldwin out there yesterday. She said she went to space camp growing up.
WOLF: Heck, yes, she did.
HENDRICKS: Can you imagine that?
WOLF: Oh, yes.
HENDRICKS: Heck, yes she did?
(LAUGHTER)
WOLF: Of course, she did. That's Brooke. Brooke is one of those adventurous people I know. You're right. It's amazing to see. Yes, we all grew up with this. So many of us did. This is the thing. As incredible and as dramatic as the liftoff is in some respects I have to think-you know, I think many people might agree. Landing is even more impressive.
I was speaking with Tenisha Bell (ph), she is our executive producer, about this yesterday. When one of these things lands and it goes back into the stratosphere it is moving at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour, it's a glide ratio of 9 to 1, which basically means it is rock with wings. And when it lands, when it comes in, it has one chance. Because it's not powered. It can't go past the three-mile strip of pavement where it's going to land in Florida. It has one opportunity.
HENDRICKS: Wait a minute. You know glide ratio. Did you go to space camp?
WOLF: No, I did not. But I wish I had. I feel like I missed out.
HENDRICKS: You can still do it.
WOLF: Got to try.
HENDRICKS: Thanks, Reynolds. Appreciate it.
WOLF: You bet.
HENDRICKS: How about this, the new unemployment report is now giving Republican presidential candidates even more ammunition against the president? We'll take a look next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HENDRICKS: Welcome back.
It's about to be crunch time in negotiations to raise the nation's debt ceiling. President Obama meets again tomorrow with congressional leaders at the White House. Live shot there of the White House for you. GOP leaders say Friday's poor jobs report supports their argument tax hikes can't be part of this deal. Democrats and Republicans are trying to reach a deal to raise the debt ceiling by August 2nd.
The new jobs report just added to the debate over what to do with the debt ceiling and the economy. Fewer jobs were added than unexpected. The unemployment rate is 9.2 percent, up from 9.1 percent.
CNN's Jim Acosta has more on how the jobs numbers are being seen and used on the campaign trail now.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Susan, based on this jobs report Republicans are feeling a bit more optimistic about sending President Obama to the unemployment line.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA (voice over): Reactions from the GOP field to the June jobs report shot up like a space shuttle.
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Clearly the president's policies haven't worked. It's a failure. And I wish it was otherwise, but it has not worked.
ACOSTA: Republican front-runner Mitt Romney released a web video seizing on comments made earlier this week by one of President Obama's top political advisers David Plouffe, who said, "People won't vote based on the unemployment rate."
In a statement Romney said, "If David Plouffe were working for me I would fire him and then he could experience firsthand the pain of unemployment."
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The Republicans are engaged in a primary campaign to get some media attention.
ACOSTA: Sensing the opening just handed to Republicans the White House still defended Plouffe's comments.
CARNEY: I don't know where the voters that some other folks might be talking to, but most people do not sit around their kitchen table and analyze GDP and unemployment numbers.
ACOSTA: But history has shown as the jobless rate ticks up, chances for re-election go down.
DAVID GERGEN, CNN POLITICAL CONTRIBUTOR: We've had four times in the last 35 years when a president has run for re-election with unemployment above 7 percent, three out of four times the president went down.
RONALD REGAN, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Are you better off than you were four years ago?
ACOSTA: In 1980 Ronald Reagan framed the choice in pocketbook terms. No president since Reagan has won re-election with an unemployment rate higher than 6 percent. Reagan did get a second term in 1984, when the rate was 7.2 percent. But Democrats point out it unemployment was already at 7.6 percent when President Obama took office. Even then, he was feeling the pressure.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: If I don't have this done in three years, then there's going to be a one-term proposition.
ACOSTA: Which means the president will have to fight harder in battlegrounds like Nevada, Florida, Michigan, and North Carolina where the jobless rate is higher than the national average and where outside political groups are already sharpening their message.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I supported president Obama because he spoke so beautifully, but since then things have gone from bad to much worse.
GERGEN: There's been a deteriorating sense about Obama, you know, what's the plan B here? And we don't see one. But there's not yet a confidence level in the Republican alternative.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: The man who would like to be that alternative, Mitt Romney, is accusing the White House of turning the audacity of hope into, quote, "the audacity of indifference." But for that line to work, voters will have to believe that Romney, to borrow the phrase from another president, "can feel their pain," Susan.
HENDRICKS: Jim Acosta, thank you.
It is that time of year again in Spain when it seems like a special group of people have lost their minds. Right? Are you brave enough? Testing their courage, their legs against the crazy stampede of bulls and people. That is next, don't miss it on our morning report.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HENDRICKS: Nadia Bilchik joins us on this "Morning Passport."
Nadia, you see them every year, the running of the bulls. You got to wonder, who does this? Why? But then we were just talking during the commercial break about adrenaline. The adrenaline rush.
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN PRODUCER: Absolutely.
HENDRICKS: And you think of bungee jumping, people jumping out of planes. And this, I think this aligns with that.
BILCHIK: You're quite it. That's exactly why people do it, to get that thrill. You aren't looking at any bull running. This is THE bull running in Pamplona, in Spain. It is the San Fermin Festival. This is the most famous bull running in the world made famous by Earnest Hemingway in "The Sun Also Rises." And he speaks so vividly about this incredible bull running.
But again, it dates back hundreds and hundreds of years. The history is that during the time there was no transportation for bulls, how were they going to get them from the countryside to the markets for slaughter, or to the arenas? They had to literally goad them through. And what people realized is that through fear and excitement, the bulls would run faster. So, it became sport for people.
Originally it was only men and became very macho. Can we outrun the bulls?
And you asked me earlier, do women do it? More and more women are starting to do it to get that very thing you spoke about, that absolute adrenaline.
You notice they are wearing white and red. There are a couple of reasons. The San Fermin Festival, Saint Fermin, is this in tribute to the saint and also the red was supposed to be his martyrdom. Others say it's simply dress like the butchers. I do want to tell you, bulls are color blind.
(LAUGHTER)
HENDRICKS: So, no need to wear the white and red.
BILCHIK: Exactly.
HENDRICKS: But it's part of the tradition there.
BILCHIK: You're watching not only the bulls. So what happens is 8:00 o'clock, every single morning of the festival the gun goes off and the people start running. A few seconds later they let six bulls out and then six steers. The steers are the castrated bull, who are going to be less aggressive than the real bulls. You want to say you went bull running next to a steer. You want to say you outran the bull.
HENDRICKS: But there is a risk because every year it seems that someone gets hurt, or worse.
BILCHIK: Right.
HENDRICKS: Right?
BILCHIK: And on Thursday, an Australian tourist was gored in the right thigh and literally pierced. But what he had done is gone through the running of the streets into the arena and then he was head butted by the bull.
But since they started documenting this in the 1900s they say about 15 people have been killed. Every single year, so in this week of the festival about 200 to 300 people will be injured. And what we're seeing now is once they're in the arena, this is where the Australian was injured, in the actual arena. But again, it's better to be trampled than to be gored.
HENDRICKS: We're learning so much this morning. Is there a technique to this? Because it seems like when we watch it over and over again, OK, if you stay on the side you can say you ran with the bulls, but kind of edged over. Is there some kind of --
BILCHIK: There is a technique. Believe it or not you can find it all on an iPad app called bullruntrainer. And it will tell you exactly what to do to get that adrenaline surge. I spoke to a couple of people yesterday who had run with the bulls many times and they say there is nothing like that moment when you literally start running, and you outrun the bull. And then you say you survived this near death experience.
HENDRICKS: I think it's a specific type of person, male or female, both, but I would rather watch it at home. Wouldn't you?
BILCHIK: Susan, I think you and I would rather be watching than running. But it's certainly interesting to see. And many questions surrounding, you know, in terms of animal rights. How safe it is. The actual running of the bulls doesn't seem to harm the bulls as much as once they get into the arena. And then you know the chances, they are going to be die and be sorted and eaten.
HENDRICKS: It's interesting to me, what you spoke about in the beginning, the tradition of how it all started. That's fascinating. Nadia, thank you. We'll be one of the ones watching it on TV, right, every year. Appreciate it.
BILCHIK: And reading Ernest Hemingway.
HENDRICKS: Exactly, that sounds much better.
Here is one I bet you haven't heard before. You could call it a reversal of the food chain. I had to read this one twice. A banana is on the loose in Ohio after attacking a gorilla-a banana. I'll explain next.
But first, weekends are a great time to catch a movie, right? When enough of us buy tickets a few actors and actresses get paid. "Forbes" has released the list of highest paid actresses. Who son the list? Julia Roberts ranks fifth, earning $20 million between May of 2010 and 2011. Her most recent released "Larry Crown," co-starring Tom Hanks, hasn't helped her much though, getting off to a slow start at the box office.
And Reese Witherspoon is one step higher on the list at $28 million for the year. She is tied with Jennifer Aniston who also made $28 million. There is another tie at the top of the list. I'll show you which actresses got paid the most. It may surprise you, right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HENDRICKS: All right. Here it is. "Forbes" has released its list of the highest paid actresses for the past year. Two big names are tied for the top spot. It may surprise you. Perfume sales woman and "Sex And The City" star Sarah Jessica Parker; she pulled in $30 million last year. She is joined at the top of the list by actress, writer, and director, Angelina Jolie. Her 2010 "The Tourist" did not do well in the U.S., but made millions around the world.
Time for a look at the stories making headline "Across The Country" in Miami Gardens, Florida, a hearse shuts down part of the Palmetto Expressway for more than five hours yesterday as police investigate a suspicious package found inside. A bomb squad later determined the vehicle was safe.
A dramatic rescue by helicopter is captured on tape. This in California. Two hiker were pulled from the Tahu (ph) National Forest yesterday. One of them shot this video from a rescue with a chest- mounted camera. Pretty neat, right? They posted the video online in support of rescue workers at a time when counties are considering cutting costs. Certainly worked there.
And a banana is on the loose in Ohio after attacking a gorilla. Police say a man dressed as a banana attacked another man in a gorilla costume at the Verizon Wireless Center. Yes, it's true. Police believe it was all a stunt. The store manager still can't believe what happened.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BRANDON PARHAM, VERIZON STORE MANAGER: A kid just emerged out of the bushes, out of nowhere in a banana costume, and started sprinting as quickly as he possibly could at our gorilla. Bizarre, I guess? Not normal of the food chain. I mean, that's not rally how it works, right? A gorilla should have won.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
