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CNN Saturday Morning News
The Murdoch Scandal; L.A.'s Traffic Nightmare; Minnesota Shutdown Nears End; Behind the Murdoch Empire; Sears Damage Control After Offering $69 iPad; Southern California: The 51st State?; Keystone Crusaders: More Than Meets the Eye
Aired July 16, 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.
You are looking live at one of the busiest highways in the country, but it's eerily empty this weekend. It is closed for construction and expected to cause a traffic nightmare so bad that it's been dubbed "Carmegeddon."
Also, listen to this. iPad 2 for $69. Yes. Sears was offering that deal yesterday. Today, they're offering an apology. The big mistake that had people thinking they had gotten the bargain of the year.
I want to start now with another apology today. This one from Rupert Murdoch responding to the "News of the World" tabloid hacking scandal in the U.K. I'm going to show you something. I want you to listen to it and watch it carefully.
And what this shows you, this tape, it's Murdoch going into a meeting, meeting with the family of a murdered British teenager. It was that teenager's hacked voicemails that really sparked the entire outrage into the scandal. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Shame on you. Shame on you. Shame on you. Shame on you. Shame on you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mr. Murdoch, will you tell us what you said to Milly Dowler's family?
RUPERT MURDOCH, CHAIRMAN OF NEWS CORPORATION: Oh, stop pushing. If you just keep silent for a minute. It was a totally private meeting.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Keep your head down, mate.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you tell us exactly what you said?
MURDOCH: I'm the founder of the company. I was appalled to find out I apologize. I had nothing more to say.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: Had nothing more to say at that moment. But he actually did have more, he went on to say. Today in particular, Murdoch posted an ad, this one you're seeing in seven British newspapers. It appeared this morning. And in that apology, he says, quote, "We are deeply sorry for the hurt suffered by the individuals affected." The "News of the World" was in the business of holding others to account. It failed when it came to itself.
Now, Rebekah Brooks, she was in charge of News International, that's Murdoch's company that oversaw the "News of the World" tabloid. She has resigned. That's her with the red hair. Also resigning, Les Hinton. He was head of Dow Jones. That's another of Murdoch's companies. He was actually the chief at News International when the hacking first took place.
Now, in a few minutes, we'll take a closer look at the man behind News Corp and News International. Of course, we're talking about Rupert Murdoch. You've been hearing that name a lot lately. More on him including how he got his start in Australia. That's coming up in just a few minutes with our Nadia Bilchik.
We turn now to Washington, D.C. and the debate over raising the debt ceiling. No debate talks are scheduled for this weekend after a week of talks we saw this week. The U.S. actually hit its debt limit in May, but we have a deadline of August 2nd now. That is the deadline for getting it raised because that's the day they say we wouldn't be able to pay some of our bills here in the U.S.
Now, the stumbling block in these debates right now - taxes. Republicans say spending cuts are only the way to go. That's the only option. Democrats say, however, you need to do away with some of the tax breaks for wealthier people. But the president speaking in his White House address this morning again called on Republicans to compromise combing - or cutting some of those - or combining spending cuts with ending tax breaks on the wealthy.
Also, we got a response from the Republicans this morning, saying we've been down this road before and Republicans will not go down it again. In 1990, Congress and the president struck a deficit reduction deal that combined spending cuts with tax increases, unfortunately while the tax hikes remained, the spending restraint did not and our debt has only marched higher.
Meanwhile, also something on the president's schedule today, he will meet with the Dalai Lama at the White House. China is calling on the president to cancel the meeting with Tibet's spiritual leaders saying it will harm U.S.-China relations. A White House statement says the meeting is being held to support dialogue between China and Tibetan leaders.
We turn to California now and their expected traffic nightmare is under way. Now, they're this Carmageddon. You've heard the name by now. Also, some are calling it Carpocalypse.
Basically, what's happening here crews have shutdown a Los Angeles highway in both directions this weekend so they can work on a bridge. But the highway is not just any highway. It's the 405, one of the busiest in the country. Five hundred thousand cars pass through the construction area on an average weekend.
Now, all those drivers need to find a different way around. Officials there are telling people just stay home. Don't even try it. But some people are having a little fun with this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "COLBERT REPORT": This weekend in Los Angeles, a short stretch of the 405 Freeway will be closed for repair. Is everyone - is everyone OK? We prayed this day would never come.
Sure, Californians have survived earthquakes, wildfire, Lakers' victories, even alien invasions. But this is the big one, folks. Increased traffic on two off-peak days.
You know what that means? Someone might have to walk someplace. Think of the children. Pray for them.
JAY LENO, HOST, "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": The best way to beat this? Remember, balloon boy? That's what I'm doing.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If you want to avoid the 405 this weekend, I suggest cutting through Cold Water Canyon.
Just pull over and crawl down the embankment. Once you're down, make your way through the tall grass, to the old Beverly Bridge.
Once across, jump in Deer Creek and swim through the underwater cave. This will take you to the main sewer line, which brings you out to the 101 Freeway.
It's as simple as that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That is outstanding. Well, the construction company that's working on this project, they hope to have the work done before Monday's 6:00 A.M. deadline. That's what they've been given. And they could be fined $72,000 an hour if they don't get the work finished on time.
Well, here are your options. You can quit or you can be fired. So that is the warning from Atlanta's new school superintendent to teachers implicated in the massive cheating scandal. A hundred and seventy-eight teachers and administrators were sent a warning letter and they're being given until Wednesday to resign or they will be fired. Investigation found that teachers falsified standardized test results or at least looked the other way while others cheated.
Well, NASA, you know, they've got "Atlantis" going on up there, but something else is celebrating right now. Their Dawn Spacecraft has reached its destination. A massive rock called Vesta. Now, this is the first time NASA has been able to orbit an object in the Asteroid Belt between Jupiter and Mars. Dawn will take pictures of Vesta, which is technically a minor planet, not exactly an asteroid. It's about 330 miles across. It took almost four years for NASA to reach Vesta.
The TSA can keep using full body scanners at airports. A Federal Appeals Court rejected a suit claiming the scanners violated fourth amendment's protection against unreasonable searches. The court also said the TSA should have given the general public a chance to comment on the screening program before it went into effect, but that did not happen. The TSA wants to double the number of full body scanners in airports to a thousand by the end of the year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANIEL RADCLIFFE, ACTOR, "HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART 2": Come on, Tom, let's finish this the way we started - together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, did you see the new Harry Potter movie? If not, you're one of the few who didn't it appears. The final movie is setting box office records already after opening its first day here in the States. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2" made $43.5 million after opening at midnight on Thursday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CROWD: Harry! Harry! Harry! Harry!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yes. This is - I don't understand it. People lined up for hours to see the midnight screenings of the movie. This is the eighth and we're told the last Harry Potter flick. Together all of these movies have brought in some $6 billion worldwide.
Let me say good morning to Reynolds Wolf. Reynolds, are you a fan of this? (INAUDIBLE) but have you seen these things?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Your forecast today looks pretty good there. No. You know, I've never - I've never read one of the books or been to one of the movies. I'm sure they're great. I'm sure it's wonderful. But I - I don't know. This is - this is the last one they say, though?
HOLMES: They say this is the eighth one. They say it's the last.
WOLF: You promise? I'm just teasing. I'm just teasing. You know, the greatest thing about it, though, whether you like or not, it's encouraged kids to read.
And today, speaking of reading, we're going to be reading temperatures that are going to be ridiculous. T.J., we're talking about highs that are going to be into the 80s, 90s, 100s. With the high humidity, it's going to feel even, even warmer in parts of the country.
We're going to talk about that coming up in just a few moments. Plus, we're going to talk about the slight chance of severe weather across parts of the Northern Plains, straight ahead, T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Reynolds, appreciate you, buddy. We'll see you here in just a second.
And Minnesota State government shutdown. It's now threatening to hit people where it really hurts - at the bar. We'll tell you why the beer may not be flowing because of the shutdown. That's next.
Stay with us on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Nice touch this morning. Eleven minutes past the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Great shot.
We have the most beautiful shots of Washington, D.C. often times with some of the ugliest back and forth going on in that town, certainly some of it happening right now. Debate talks that's happening in that place, the White House this week. No talks scheduled for this weekend in Washington, D.C. on raising the debt ceiling. We'll see what comes maybe early next week.
But it looks nice there. But some of these temperatures we're talking about getting into the 100s with the heat index, not really in the places we're used to seeing some of those temperatures.
WOLF: You're absolutely right. We're getting to the point where it's not just heat. We're talking about this thing as a dangerous condition for a lot of people. And literally as the people - especially people who are susceptible to hear, some of your younger children, some of your senior citizens, it's really time to watch out for a lot of people.
Especially, as you mentioned, T.J., in places where we don't normally see this kind of heat, mainly in the upper Midwest. Just on the face (ph) of it, you'll get some of these temperatures, it's warm. It's summertime. Checking the table, the expected high today in places of Minneapolis where it's 93; 94 in Kansas City; 88 in Chicago; 101 in Dallas. That's not unusual.
What is unusual is when you bring in that high humidity, it's going to feel much warmer. In fact, everything you happen to see on this map, there is a pink or red or even oranges, we have a warning to watch or the advisory, we're going to have the heat indices, which is the combination of the air temperature with your high humidity. It's going to feel like it's anywhere from 110 to possibly 120 degrees in many spots.
Here is the reason why. We've got a big ridge in our jet stream. And that is going to allow a lot of moisture to come on up into parts of the Central Plains and into the Midwest. It's going to make you feel like 104 in Oklahoma City today; 102 in Kansas City; 90 in Minneapolis.
We fast forward into tomorrow, it's going to be even warmer - 115, T.J., in Minneapolis is the heat index for tomorrow; 109 in Kansas City. And still we expect this is going to continue well into the start of next week. Into Monday, basically the same deal, possibly the hottest time for you in Minneapolis is 117; 101 in Chicago.
Into Tuesday, we see things beginning to drop a little bit in terms of the intensity. Some places cooling down just a little scorch here and there, especially in spots like Chicago at 96 degrees; 99 in Dallas; 104 is what it's going to feel like in Atlanta. And maybe even by Thursday, things cooling down just a little bit, but not much.
In terms of your severe weather, well, we could be seeing some of that across parts of the Upper Midwest today. We're going to touch on that during our next weather update.
But, again, T.J., the top story again is going to that heat and it's going to be the big story, big focus on our weather for some time to come.
HOLMES: Yes. It's not just hot, it's dangerous heat. And when was it? Was it last summer or the summer before when it got so hot in Chicago and a number of people died in that heat wave there? So we - just please -
WOLF: Scary times.
HOLMES: Scary times there.
Thirteen minutes past the hour. I think we've figured it out. We've talked about the Minnesota shutdown. That's two weeks ago, we had some of those players on. We may have found a reason why they decided to compromise.
Now, to our viewers, a deal close now that would end the government shutdown in Minnesota. The Democratic governor says he'll accept the Republican proposal with a few modifications, say he'll call a special session to hammer it out next week to try to end this two - two-week shutdown. Closed state parks. Twenty-two thousand state workers went home.
This might have been the thing that got them to the bargaining table - beer. The makers of Miller Beer and Coors are victims to the shutdown because their liquor license expired. And the problem here is, Reynolds, to get it renewed, they need state workers who process the renewal paper work to be on the job. They haven't been on the job. You don't have your license to sell the beer. People can't get your beer.
So the state says they have to stop shipping to Minnesota and take the beer off the shelves. We're talking about 40 different beers.
WOLF: Wow! HOLMES: This news came out just a few days ago, and sure enough about 24 hours later, we hear news we've got a deal between the Dems and the Republicans.
WOLF: Isn't it funny when the fog lifts in stories like this and you find out what's - what's happening underneath that veil is pretty funny what comes to light and they sense that.
HOLMES: You have to make a little light, got to find a little light, if you can, in the story, but it's been unfortunate for a lot of people there in that state.
We will be talking about that more a little later this morning. We have the Speaker of the House there of the assembly will be joining us live once again. We'll be talking to Reynolds here throughout the morning on your weather.
But now, let me turn at quarter past the hour to Netflix. Renewing your subscription to Netflix might be a tough sell right now, because the company has announced a 60 percent hike in prices. A lot of people are outraged over this. And you'll see some of that outrage when we turn to Facebook.
But first, parking in a big city can be a huge hassle and it could be expensive. Here's a list of the cities where it's going to cost you most. You could probably guess some of these cities. Seattle, first of all, averages $24 a day. Or if you pay by the month, you're going to shell out about $294. Philly is next at $26 a day, $304 for the month. And according to Collier's International, the third most expensive city in the U.S. for parking is San Francisco, $26 a day, $375 a month.
I will give you two guesses as to what's number one. You'll probably only need one. I'll have that for you after the break - quick break. We're right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Seventeen minutes past the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
Before the break, I was telling you the most expensive cities in the country to park your vehicle, Seattle, Philadelphia, San Francisco. You see the prices it costs you per day or per month.
Now, let me tell you the ones that will really cost you. This was put together by Collier's International. Number two on the list, you folks in Boston, Massachusetts, it costs about $34 a day, $438 a month.
And as you might expect, Midtown Manhattan is number one the list, costs you about $41 a day or $540 a month to park your vehicle. That is why everybody walks or takes the train or something, and nobody has a car. That's an extra car payment right there folks.
Now, London, let's turn to them, if you work or live there, a parking spot will cost you on average $1,000 a month. So maybe we shouldn't complain so, so much.
Let's say we turn to some business news now. The government's new Consumer Financial Protection Agency opens next week. Our Poppy Harlow has more on that.
But first, Alison Kosik has the latest home foreclosure numbers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Hi, T.J.
The number of homes headed into foreclosure plunged during the first six months of this year. RealtyTrac says filings dropped a whopping 30 percent from last year. But the report comes with a warning. The decline is actually because many banks are delaying many foreclosures pushing them into next year or the year after. RealtyTrac estimates there are one million homes in this situation and the housing market likely wouldn't recover until the glut of foreclosures are brought to a manageable level - Felicia.
FELICIA TAYLOR, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Thanks, Alison.
A growing number of retailers are now offering shoppers the option of getting an electronic receipt sent to their e-mail account. They say data receipts are more convenient for consumers who tend to lose their paper receipts, and more environmentally friendly to boot.
But not all shoppers agree. Some see it as a ploy by retailers to invade their privacy or spam their inboxes with sales announcements and discount coupons - Poppy.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Thanks so much, Felicia.
Well, a long awaited watch dog agency in Washington opens its doors this week. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will inspect books of the country's biggest banks and further abiding by current credit card laws in response to consumer complaints.
But the new sheriff in Washington is actually without a sheriff. The White House has yet to appoint the CFPB's director (INAUDIBLE) in Congress. Elizabeth Warren has been a frontrunner for that position, but the White House has yet to make an appointment - T.J.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. Thanks to our Poppy Harlow, Alison and Felicia, as well.
Hey, here we go folks. This may be your outrageous story of the day. It sounds good. An Apple iPad 2 for $69. You heard me right. $69 for the iPad. That would be a great deal if it was true.
It was a big mistake, however, on Sears website last night. The iPad, many of you know, starts at $699 for the iPad 2, not $69. A lot of people saw this deal $69 and they jumped on it. Took advantage. Wish somebody would have called me. Sears is not saying exactly how many people jumped on the deal before they noticed the mistake and they cut it off. Apparently it went about 20 minutes to half an hour that people were getting this deal. All Sears is saying is that a third party messed up when they posted the price online. Now, Sears is not honoring the price. It's giving people their $69 back and no iPad in the mail.
Well, subscribers to Netflix, they have a decision to make now, accept the company's new pricing plan that means a nearly 60 percent jump in costs for streaming video and DVDs or you can go somewhere else. If the Netflix Facebook page is any indication of customer reaction, thousands of Netflix current users are looking for an alternative before the price change goes into effect later this summer.
Well, Casey Anthony spending her last weekend in the Florida jail, but after nearly three years behind bars, they'll tell you about concerns for her safety once she resumes life on the outside.
Also, News Corp, the owner, Rupert Murdoch came a long way to get to where he is today. We'll take a look at the story behind the man "Forbes" Magazine called the 13th most powerful.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We're 25 minutes past the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
Rupert Murdoch's media empire in damage control right now after the phone hacking scandal shut down his British tabloid, "News of the World." This week, its chief executive has apologized and resigned. The boss of Dow Jones, also owned by News Corp, also resigned.
And now, an apology letter from Rupert Murdoch himself. Here is part of it. It appeared in some British newspapers today. He says, "The "News of the World" was in the business of holding others to account. It failed when it came to itself. We are sorry for the serious wrongdoing that occurred. We are deeply sorry for the hurt suffered by the individuals affected. We regret not acting faster to sort things out. I realize that simply apologizing is not enough."
Still, we'll get more details about the scandal I'm sure in the coming days and weeks. Even Nadia Bilchik is here with me.
More on the man himself, though. Rupert Murdoch, he has built an empire.
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: An empire.
HOLMES: And in the sense of the word, sometimes we throw that around, he truly has an empire.
BILCHIK: And on many continents. And this is a man - this must be one of the hardest times in his 80 years.
And it all began in Adelaide, Australia. He was born in Adelaide. He was studying at Oxford and came back prematurely to take over his father's newspaper. So, all started with a small newspaper in Adelaide. But Mr. Murdoch had great visions. He was always very driven.
And yesterday, I spoke to biographer, William Shorecross. He's written about Murdoch. And he said this is a man, who even from a little boy, loved to build things. Now, his father had died early. His mother is 102 and still alive -
HOLMES: Wow.
BILCHIK: -- living in Adelaide.
HOLMES: Oh, wow.
BILCHIK: So - and he says that Murdoch really was a combination of the two grandfathers. The one was a very modest priest from Scotland and the one who he takes after more was the swashbuckling gentleman, very debonair and somewhat of a womanizer.
But he went on to day that Murdoch, you know, as I say, could read a balance sheet at a glance and always wanted to own things. So he went from Australia, then we know to England. There was "The Sun," the "Sunday Times" and all of the publications in England. He owned something like 37 percent of all newspapers in England.
HOLMES: Wow.
BILCHIK: That gives him huge political power. And then in America, he started FOX News and "The Wall Street Journal," et cetera, et cetera. So he has had enormous success.
What's going on now is very difficult for him. One of the things, a major crisis in his life right now is not being able to acquire BSkyB. This was something he wanted to own. They say if Rupert Murdoch, if he doesn't own it's because he didn't want it.
So right now facing this enormous crisis, as you know, he's going to be appearing in Parliament with his son, James, on Tuesday.
HOLMES: Which is not going to be fun.
BILCHIK: And this story is changing day by day. I mean, you mentioned Rebekah Brooks. She only resigned yesterday. On Thursday, there was no sign of her. So the story changes all the time.
He has also had another failure in China. He wanted to take over the media in China. Well, the story goes he lost a fortune in China, but he found a wife. He's married to someone who's 42 years younger than him, Wendi Deng. He had an affair with her for many years.
HOLMES: Right.
BILCHIK: Divorced his second wife Ann, who he'd been married to for 38 years. Then married Wendi after only 17 days of being divorced. HOLMES: Seventeen days. Hey, when you know, you know sometimes, right?
BILCHIK: Exactly. He has two small children. But, you know, Rupert Murdoch is 80. He has an 8- and 10-year-old child. But right now he's certainly facing probably the toughest period in his life.
HOLMES: Now, was it always his - his thought? I mean, he took over a newspaper initially, but this was a businessman who was business minded versus a journalist. I mean, he - he saw newspapers and journalism as a business and a way to make money.
BILCHIK: Certainly. But he has a passion for newspapers. And with all this criticism that has been meted out against him, many people also attribute him with reviving and maintaining the newspaper industry. So a controversial man indeed.
And as I say, speaking to William Shorecross, he speaks in a very laudatory way about it -
HOLMES: Yes.
BILCHIK: -- a balance to what we're hearing about the Murdoch scandal. But this is just the beginning. This is tip of the iceberg. We're going to see lots of heads roll and much more scandal and intrigues to come - T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Nadia Bilchik with our first "Passport of the Morning." We will see you again here in just a bit. Thank you.
Well, we are about at the bottom of the hour now. And we've got a plan to carve out a 51st state out of Southern California.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm talking about a secession plan from the State of California. So sometimes you have to do some pretty outrageous things to get people's attention.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, this might be a bit outrageous. But the idea is actually being taken seriously by some people. We're looking at the plan to give us our 51st state. That's next on our CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, we are at the bottom of the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Welcome back. I'm T.J. Holmes. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with us.
Part of the weekend we will see Casey Anthony walk out of jail a free woman. I say we are going to see it. We likely won't see it. She was at the center of one of the most watched and talked about trials in the country. The Florida jury found her not guilty of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee. Our David Mattingly is in Orlando with us this morning.
David, good morning to you. I said there, as I was saying, we will see something this weekend. Actually, we are not going to see it. It doesn't seem like there is a chance we will actually see her walk out of the jail.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the big questions of where, when and how have not been answered. It is possible we won't know those answers until after the fact. We know that there has been some arrangements made for three journalists to essentially embed at the jail. We are talking about a video photographer and a still photographer and a reporter from the Associated Press. All three will be incommunicado, embedded inside the jail to observe Casey Anthony's departure from the facility.
It is a sprawling facility that you see behind me. There are probably a half dozen different ways she could depart from the property. We do know that those three journalists will be able to observe her departing. And after the fact, some time after she has left the property and officials determined she is safely away, that is when they will let the three come out and show everybody what they saw. Again, it may be after the fact that she has departed from here that we actually know how she was able to leave this facility.
HOLMES: David, we are told that tomorrow is the day that she could actually or she will be released. Is there any chance that they could be toying with the media here a bit? Is there any chance that they could let her go sometime late tonight? Or will they for sure not let her go until after midnight tonight, technically tomorrow?
MATTINGLY: We do know that those embedded journalists will be brought into the jail possibly sometime today. Possibly sometime early tomorrow, if that is any kind of indication at all. At this point, everything has gone by the book. Her sentence dictates she not be released from custody, presumably from this jail here, not be released until tomorrow. That could happen at one minute after midnight. That could happen at 11:59 p.m. tomorrow. We just don't know.
Again, it could be after the fact after she has already left that we know for sure how she was released, and how she was able to leave the property. Authorities here have been very clear that they feel responsible for her safety only up until the point where she departs from the parking lot. After that, she will receive the same sort of attention from police that any other citizen might. At this point, they want to make sure that she at least departs custody and departs the property of the facility behind me safely and then gets on with her life, whatever that may be.
HOLMES: All right, David Mattingly, we have more questions for you. We will be checking in with you again this morning. We will see you again soon. David, thank you.
It is 36 minutes past the hour. We'll give you a look at some of the stories making headlines. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch is apologizing today to the British public with a full page ad in seven national newspapers.
Yesterday, he personally apologized to the family of the murder victim Milly Dowler. Her phone was hacked by journalists working for one of Murdoch's newspapers. Also, since the scandal broke out, two key News Corp executives have resigned.
(VIDEO CLIP -- DEMONSTRATORS SHOUTING)
HOLMES: Well, this was in Jordan yesterday. Riot police attacked demonstrators on the streets of Oman. Some cases punching, kicking and beating them with sticks. Police captains who spoke with CNN told us officers only used appropriate force. The government spokesperson said the police were trying to calm the situation between two separate demonstration groups.
And in Bleaton (ph) Libya, a massive turnout yesterday in support of long-time ruler Moammar Gadhafi. This, even as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the United States now recognizes Libya's main opposition group as the legitimate governing authority in Libya. Reportedly, in an audio message Gadhafi belittled the U.S. decision.
Also, take a look. It might not look like it in this picture, but that, folks, is one of the busiest highways in the country. And not a car on it. This is what is called Carmageddon-or this is what is going to cause Carmageddon. This is a stretch of Highway 405, again, one of the busiest in the country. This is in the Los Angeles area. It is shutdown this weekend for a construction project. That project will cause fits for people trying to find their way around or find another route. It is going to be a mess. This is set to reopen early Monday morning.
All right. Updating you now on a story we first told you about a couple of weeks ago here on CNN SATURDAY AND SUNDAY MORNING: A plan to cut out a chunk of southern California and make it the country's 51st state. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez has more on the plan and the problems.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
You really have to try hard. You really have to be an idiot to screw up the state of California.
JEFF STONE, RIVERSIDE COUNTY SUPERVISOR: We have hit a nerve with citizens that are fed up with business as usual in the state.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You want us to secede the State of California. I sure hope you don't want to be governor.
THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is this kind of citizen outrage in Riverside, California that is fuelling one of the radical political ideas to recently surface in the Golden State.
STONE: I'm talking about a secession plan. GUTIERREZ: That is right, a 51st state, called the state of Southern California. County supervisor Jeff Stone says secession may be the only way to get Riverside County and 12 other largely politically conservative counties back on track.
STONE: What the state has done is they have been balancing their budgets on the backs of our local coffers. They have been stealing our sales tax, or property tax.
GUTIERREZ: Stone says the state has turned its back on his constituents who have been hit hard by a tough economy.
STONE: The bottom line for me, and my constituents, is jobs. We are sending jobs out of the State of California by the train load. We have some areas of this county that have 25 percent unemployment. The average in Riverside County is about 15 percent. Foreclosures? We are the foreclosure capital of the world.
GUTIERREZ: If the state won't work with local government, Stone says he will rally the troops to part ways.
ROBERT MELSH, POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR: Insanity. I mean, this is major surgery where maybe we need a Band-Aid.
GUTIERREZ: Political science professor Robert Melsh says secession will not fix a thing and will cost a fortune to take to the voters.
MELSH: It takes millions of dollars to get the signatures necessary to put up an initiative. And more millions to sell it. Where is that money coming from? He hasn't addressed the cost of the establishment of a new government. Where will we put the capital? Disneyland?
GUTIERREZ (on camera): Even when you came up with the idea of secession, you had to have known it was a radical one.
STONE: Yes.
GUTIERREZ: For which you would be criticized.
STONE: Right. Listen, I knew I would be criticized. I have learned in my tenure of being a public official of 19 years, that sometimes you have to do outrageous things to get people's attention. Now, listen, I'm not discounting the fact that succession is a possibility.
GUTIERREZ (voice-over): Judging by the pile of e-mails, Jeff Stone showed me overwhelmingly in support f his idea, he may have hit a nerve with disenchanted Californians.
(on camera): So, what is next for the proposed State of Southern California? Riverside County will hold a summit and invite locally elected leaders throughout the state to try to come up with solutions.
Supervisor Stone says if that doesn't work, he will take the issue to the voters who have heard it all before. At one time the states of Western California and Coastal California were proposed. Different regions have tried to secede from the state at least 27 times since the 1800s, to no avail, T.J.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: We have a treat for you coming up on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. And a first for me, at least, I get to interview real life superheroes. There they are. I don't know their identities. They don't want you to know their identities. But we will explain what they are doing that is quite frankly superhero-like even if they don't have the super powers. Stick around for that one.
Also, Atlantis astronauts are snapping photos for the NASA's photo album. They capture pretty amazing image. We have to show it to you. Oh, we have some good stuff for you on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
(MUSIC PLAYS)
BEYONCE, ENTERTAINER: Good morning, Atlantis. This is Beyonce. Sandy, Chris, Doug and Rex, you inspire all of us to dare to live our dreams.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, Jay-Z wasn't the only one to get a wake-up call from Beyonce this morning. The astronauts got one this morning. The call actually came at about 11:30 last night. Do I had this time right? Again, in the nighttime for them. NASA e-mailed saying crews fixed a broken latch. This is the shuttle's final mission. They often times get these wake-up calls. A nice one there from Beyonce. Not just the song, but they actually had a message from her.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: To have her wake you up has got to be pretty cool. It would be a dream come true. With all respect to Mrs. Wolf, obviously, but when Beyonce wakes you up, it is a life-altering event. I think that she took the time out to do that it is very cool.
HOLMES: That is very cool.
WOLF: You have to admit that.
HOLMES: This is the last mission. I'm sure she is honored as well, to be able to do this for the crew.
Now, I needed to bring Reynolds in for these next couple of stories. We have a picture here of the shuttle's last trip into space. Take a look here. If you are wondering, there is a green strip. Do we have this picture up? A green strip that seems to be hovering over the Earth's atmosphere. What is this, Reynolds? What are we looking at?
WOLF: Those are the Southern Lights, just the opposite of the Aura Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. It is basically the same thing. You have solar flares that go out. That actually strikes the Earth's atmosphere and it gives it this greenish kind of hue. But a beautiful thing to see and not something you see every day. You know, not every day you have Beyonce wake you up. Not every day you get to see the Southern Lights.
HOLMES: Now, they took this picture Thursday, while they were visiting the International Space Station. But this is story now, Reynolds, I really needed your help on. Because on Neptune. We have known about Neptune for quite some time, correct?
WOLF: Since 1846.
HOLMES: OK, so why is it that Neptune is just having its first birthday?
WOLF: We are reducing it in Earth terms. We are thinking of it in one year. We think of one year that the Earth orbits the Sun. Well, for Neptune to have one orbit translate to Earth years takes 146 years. It takes a long, long time. So if you are on Neptune, Christmas is a long wait. You have a long way to go. But days last 16 hours. You see the information. Seasons last 40 years. You think this summer has been long? Try summer on Neptune. It is a also a very big planet. It is the fourth largest planet in the solar system. The mass is 17 times greater than that of the Earth. So you know.
HOLMES: Before Reynolds sat down before the commercial break, he said I can ask him anything about the solar system. You weren't kidding were you?
WOLF: No, I can. Bring it on I'll talk about it. I am a vacuous blob of useless information. Occasionally you shake it up and something somewhat interesting comes up.
HOLMES: Something good comes out.
WOLF: Occasionally.
HOLMES: We appreciate you. We will see Reynolds here plenty throughout the morning. He has your forecast. It will be a hot one, dangerously hot. He will have that throughout the morning.
Meanwhile, a day of action for President Obama. He is looking ahead for the 2012 election. We have a political update for you next. It is 47 minutes past the hour.
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HOLMES: It is 10 minutes to the top of the hour. Big day on the campaign trail. The Republican hopefuls are spread out from Iowa to Alabama, but our CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser explains the biggest turn out may be for the president.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Good morning, T.J..
President Barack Obama's re-election campaign is taking to the streets today. Campaign aides say they are launching what they call a major day of action across the country to help register new voters to beef up their grassroots network of Obama supporters.
This week the president's re-election team announced some eye- popping fundraising figures. The Obama victory fund brought in $86 million in the last three months. With $47 million going t the re- election campaign and the rest to the Democratic Party.
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R-MN), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is so great to be here in Iowa.
STEINHAUSER: Congresswoman Michele Bachmann of Minnesota campaigns today in neighboring Iowa. Doing well in the state that holds the first contest in the race for the White House is crucial for Bachmann's hopes of winning the Republican presidential nomination. She is trying to build up support in advance of a crucial before the straw poll in the state next month. Bachmann is on top in three new polls of likely Republican caucus goers in Iowa.
She is not the only candidate on the trail this weekend. Mitt Romney is in New Hampshire. The perceived front-runner in the GOP nomination is spending a lot of time and effort in the state that holds the first primary. The former Massachusetts governor is far ahead of the Republican rivals in the dash for campaign cash.
So why do we spend so much time talking about money. Well, you know, until voters actually start voting in the primaries and caucuses, public opinion polls and fund raising figures are two of the best indicator of how the candidate is doing, T.J. (END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. Well 10 minutes to the top of the hour.
This is one we are all excited, coming up, to show you. I want you to stick around for this one. We have superheroes right here live for you. There they are, Commonwealth, Vigil and Armistice. . Now most superheroes you may know of, they go out and they fight crime. Not these three. They are fighting something else. It is a story you want to hear. I'm talking to them live here next. Stay with me.
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HOLMES: Good morning. Good morning, everybody. Nice shot there from WPVI this morning.
I want to take you to something else as we look to the song, "Help Somebody." we are talking about superheroes this morning who are cleaning up the streets of Pennsylvania. They are doing this literally. Take a look here at the Keystone Crusaders. That is what they call themselves. They are dressed up, yes. You don't know their identities, but these are not vigilantes, or out there fighting crime. No, of course, they don't have super powers, but they are doing something that some will tell you is pretty super special.
These crusaders are here with me this morning. Let me bring in, Commonwealth, that is him on the left. That is Vigil, sitting in the back. She is not miked up. We won't be hearing from here, but she still there in support. Then there is Armistice on the right.
Thank you all for being here. And Commonwealth, I will let you start this off. A lot of people are looking at the screen and thinking what in the world are they doing? First of all, tell me the whole idea. What is the point of the Crusaders?
COMMONWEALTH, KEYSTONE CRUSADERS: Well, the point of the Keystone Crusaders is pretty much to inspire goodness out of others by going around and doing good things, like picking up garbage and giving food and water to homeless. Random acts of kindness. Helping anybody out in any way they need it.
HOLMES: Armistice, helping people out? You talk about picking up garbage and handing out food and water. And doing these acts, but also this includes sometimes, maybe just dropping money into a parking meter of somebody whose parking meter has expired?
ARMISTICE, KEYSTONE CRUSADERS: Yes, of course. Commonwealth carries around a roll a big roll of quarters. If we can save someone a $15 ticket with a quarter, then that is a very good thing we can do. That could be rent money or their food money for that week.
HOLMES: Now, Commonwealth, you all could have done this by walking around the streets and doing it in plain clothes. What is with the superhero get up? Why go that route?
COMMONWEALTH: Well, you know, the superhero idea really comes about when a person sees a superhero, they see more than a person. They see an idea. They see something that may inspire them, that in the future, go out and do something good themselves. Not necessarily in a superhero costume, but just to be good people. Children see Spiderman and they know that is initially good. The idea of being a superhero is we can inspire goodness in others.
HOLMES: Now, Armistice, I have to say, and tell our viewers, you all take this quite seriously, at least the part about keeping your identity hidden. There is no way I can get you to lift up that mask this morning, is there?
ARMISTICE: No way.
(LAUGHTER)
COMMONWEALTH: It is not that we feel any real need to, it is more on principle. If you see someone that you don't know who they are doing this, it could be anyone. If it could be anyone, there is no reason why it couldn't be you.
HOLMES: What is the-Commonwealth-I guess, what is the idea here? It sounds like you are trying to inspire children with some of the get up and what they see. And you say, like Armistice just said. If you don't know who it is, it could be anybody. That could be you. How far do you want to take this thing and keep it going?
COMMONWEALTH: You know, believe me, one day I would love to retire the helmet and cape. But as long as the city needs us; as long as the people feel like they need somebody out there to help them. That is how long we want to keep going. As I say, until our legs give out. This is something we feel our City of Harrisburg needs, and-just the people, itself, they need it. You can see it in their faces. Since from when we began to now, their attitudes have completely changed.
HOLMES: Armistice, it is important to note here, and people might be wondering, when do you do this? You all do have day jobs.
ARMISTICE: We do it whenever we find free time that we can put together. The Commonwealth is a retail manager. I work in retail. We always just have to organize our schedules together.
HOLMES: Are you recruiting?
ARMISTICE: Anyone who really wants to help out. Vigil, here, has only been out with us twice now. She is the latest person to join. There are some more people are getting ready. Anyone who wants to join us, why not? You do not need to be wearing a costume to be a good person, is that what you want to do?
HOLMES: And the last thing here to you, Commonwealth. You went through some struggles of your own. You are out helping the homeless now and doing what you can. You had struggles of your own. You probably wished a superhero would come along and help you out?
COMMONWEALTH: You know what I had my own personal superheroes; people in my life that just gave very generously without asking anything in return. They did not wear costumes, they were just genuinely good people. They are part of the inspiration for this. Their amount of generosity for no reason at all, they gained no benefit from helping me. You know, through their help, I was able to get out of what I was in, and find myself-you know, now I'm a superhero. I'm going out and paying it forward.
HOLMES: Guys, thank you so much for being here. This story got a lot of our attention. At first, when we see the outfits and people jump to a conclusion. But once you dig into it and hear the story and hear why you are doing it. It really is a cool thing you are doing. Maybe, really, it will inspire some folks whether they are in superhero costumes or not. Thank you all so much for taking the time. Keep doing what you are doing. We will see you down the road.
ARMISTICE: Thank you.
HOLMES: All right. We are getting up on the top of the hour here. I'm going to run and put on my superhero outfit. I'll have that for you right after the break.
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