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CNN Saturday Morning News
American Abducted in Pakistan; Iowa Straw Poll: Big Vote for GOP Contenders; Philly Curfew Crackdown; Texas Town Turning Sewage into Drinking Water; Girl's Dying Wish Inspires $1 Million in Donations; Duchess Willing to Lose Billions for Love; A Trip on a Tank: Virginia Area Travel Spots; Entertainers Band Together For Somalia Relief
Aired August 13, 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 Saturday morning.
An American has been kidnapped in Pakistan. A live report from Pakistan in moments as we are digging for details about exactly who he is and why this American might have been targeted.
Also, you heard a lot about this Ames Straw Poll. Yes, it's just a straw poll, but it is a big deal because today's vote in Iowa could be important in deciding who will stay in and who will have to get out of the race for the Republican presidential nomination.
Also, dozens of people arrested in Philadelphia last night, but we'll explain to you why they were all between the ages of 14 and 17.
But at the top of the hour here, we need to start with that breaking news out of Pakistan. The U.S. Embassy is saying that an American was abducted from his home in Lahore. That's in the Eastern part of that country.
CNN's Reza Sayah joins me now from the capital of Islamabad. Reza, what do we know about this American?
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, T.J., this is the third time in nearly a decade that an American has been kidnapped in Pakistan. So they're rare, but the way this kidnapping happened is unprecedented. I don't think we've ever seen assailant's kidnappers actually ever break in to a home to target American. The police say that's exactly what happened.
The victim of this kidnapping, according to the U.S. Embassy here in Islamabad and Pakistani Police, is an American citizen by the name of Warren Weinstein, a development worker. According to Pakistani Police, around 3:15 A.M. this morning, in the City of Lahore, eight to 10 assailants broke into his home in an upscale neighborhood in Lahore, according to police. Some of these kidnappers forced their way into the front door. Others scaled the walls.
Police say this house was being guarded by three very well trained security guards. Actually, they're saying they are retired military commandos. And that's why police are convinced these assailants, these kidnappers were well trained themselves to be able to overpower these three security guards and get to Warren Weinstein and leave with him. A nearby security guard, a neighbor's guard told police that he saw these assailants leave with at least two vehicles.
We know a little bit about Warren Weinstein. He works for a company headquartered in Virginia by the name of J.E. Austin. This is a development company. There's a lot of them out here in Pakistan, T.J. They do economic development and social development basically here helping create jobs for Pakistan.
HOLMES: And at this point, no one is taking responsibility? Haven't heard a peep from them?
SAYAH: You know, at this point, no one is taking responsibility. We should note, kidnappings are on the rise here in Pakistan. A lot of people are inclined to think that they're linked with Islamists, the militants and Taliban. It's really not been the case.
A lot of times it's criminal gangs who are involved who want to make some fast cash. They kidnap these westerners for ransom. But at this point, it's not clear who is involved in this particular kidnapping.
HOLMES: All right. Reza Sayah, on the story for us. We appreciate you.
And now at three minutes past the hour, let's turn back to politics here in this country. Yes, the election is some 15 months away, but today is a big deal. Today is a make-or-break day for some of the Republicans hoping to make it to the White House. Why? We are talking about the Iowa Straw Poll. It's a poll, a straw poll in Iowa.
Maybe they don't sound like the sexiest thing, but if you have a bad showing there today, it could mean the end of the road for you. Now, let me tell you who's going to be there today. You see these three, they will be on the ballot even though they are not actively participating, not actually going to be in Iowa. Their names still will appear on the ballot.
But there are another six candidates who will be there in Iowa participating in the event speaking at the event. Now, after today, we'll see who will live to go on and fight another day. But, certainly, more so than others, many of them do need a very strong showing.
Meanwhile, our CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser reports that the Iowa Straw Poll, like I said, not just about the winners, it's also about the message this could send to the losers.
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey. Good morning, T.J.
The Republican Presidential Straw Poll is in Iowa. I'll tell you, there's no other straw poll like it. This is really a spectacle. It's part vote, it's part party and it's part fundraiser for the Iowa GOP. And here's how it works. The campaign is going to actually bring supporters in, as long as they live in Iowa or students in the state, they can - they can pay for them - their tickets and have them vote for their candidate.
The candidates also have tents all around outside the coliseum where the main event takes place. There is food. There's entertainment. There's partying. There's music. It really is a party atmosphere.
But there's some serious stuff about it as well, because there's a lot at stake for some of the candidates. And that's why I want to bring in to you, Hamby, our political reporter. For some of these candidates, there's a lot on the line. What do you think?
PETER HAMBY, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Absolutely. I think there are three candidates that people are keeping an eye on today. They're looking at Ron Paul, the Texas congressman. They're looking at Tim Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor. And they're looking at Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. Republicans out here in Iowa think they're going to finish in the top three.
Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, could play around that third or fourth spot. Things might have changed after last night's debate. But that's what we're looking at. You know, Pawlenty really needs to finish one or two to kind of prove the naysayers that his campaign is still viable, because he's been out here for a year and he is still mired in single digits. While Bachmann has kind of just stepped in and surged to the front of the polls.
STEINHAUSER: Thanks, Peter. Appreciate it.
You know, this - this straw poll has a history of bringing some candidacies down. It was just four years ago that former Governor Tommy Thompson did not do well at the straw poll. He stepped out of the race just a few days later. I think we may - we may have that again, a repeat of that with some candidates this time around.
T.J., back to you.
HOLMES: All right. And stay with CNN for live coverage of the Iowa Straw Poll results when they come in. It will be a little later today. You can join our Don Lemon and Candy Crowley for our CNN SPECIAL REPORT, "The Iowa Straw Poll," 7:00, Eastern tonight.
Also, one person not participating in Iowa still playing kind of a big role there. Texas Governor Rick Perry, he is done playing the waiting game. And some would say the teasing game with a lot of conservatives out there hoping he would get into the race. But he is going to make it official today. He'll have an appearance in South Carolina a little later.
Now, you've been hearing this name, Texas Governor Rick Perry. Exactly who is this guy? He's been governor of Texas now for longer than anyone in history. He took office in 2000 when then Governor George W. Bush became president. He won the election three times since then. He wasn't always, however, a fiscal conservative.
In 1984, he was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in as a Democrat. Even campaigned for Al Gore back in 1988. But in the next year, he switched parties and became a Republican.
Now, he will announce his bid for the White House at 1:00, Eastern. CNN will bring you live coverage of that. That's happening in Charleston, South Carolina.
Now, Perry immediately becomes one of the frontrunners in the race. Take a look at this latest poll, CNN Poll here. There's Perry, he's at number two on the list of Republicans, just behind Mitt Romney.
As for Mitt Romney, he seems to say, hey, a little competition, that's OK. He was out in an event in New Hampshire and he welcomed the news of another challenger and said that any of the current candidates on the GOP side would be a step up from the guy who has the job right now.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If Rick Perry or frankly anybody else on that stage last night were our nominee, I'll be out there working hard for them. Because any one of the people on that stage, as well as Rick Perry, would do a heck of a lot job - heck of a lot better job leading this country than the current president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, also, Mitt Romney there, his campaign released his net worth to the Federal Election Commission, saying it's somewhere between $85 and $264 million. That's about the same amount the former Massachusetts governor was worth when he ran for president four years ago.
Now, there were dozens of arrests overnight in Philadelphia as police enforced a new stricter curfew for teenagers. The curfew expired just minutes ago, actually. This is a 9:00 to 6:00 A.M. curfew - a 9:00 P.M. to 6:00 A.M. curfew in response to several high profile incidents of mob violence in parts of the city. Curfews in big cities not really something new, but a lot of cities are looking to Philadelphia now to see how this move works out.
Our Sarah Hoye joins me now this morning from Philadelphia. Sarah, how do they think it worked out last night?
SARAH HOYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (via telephone): Well, hey. Good morning, T.J.
I do believe that law enforcement thinks it did work out well. There were dozens of arrests overnight and the police were definitely out in force making their presence known. So for - for tonight or this morning, rather, it's a tangible difference.
HOLMES: -- well, why it wasn't that much of a change? Because there was already a curfew in place there for teenagers and they just moved this up by I believe an hour and a half. Why that hour and a half do they would make such a big difference?
HOYE: You're right. They did move it up. And the hour and a half difference is that a lot of these incidents, these flash-mob attacks, were happening right after curfew. So, in certain areas of the city, the two areas in particular, they bumped it up hoping to kind of curtail that activity at that curfew hour, that golden hour, if you will.
HOLMES: All right. Sarah Hoye for us from Philadelphia. We appreciate you as always. It sounds like the curfew did what it was supposed to do at least last night.
Well, at nine minutes past the hour now, let's turn to Berlin where today they are observing kind of a somber anniversary there. It was actually 50 years ago today that construction started on the Berlin Wall. The wall split the city in two, the country in two, really. Communists East and the Free West that became the symbol of the Cold War struggle before finally being torn down back in 1989.
Well next month, President Obama will present the Medal of Honor to a Marine for his actions in Afghanistan or Iraq. Sergeant Dakota Meyer, he's seen here, he's kind of speaking at his high school, his former high school in Columbia, Kentucky.
He repeatedly ran through enemy fire to recover the bodies of three Marines and a Navy medic in Afghanistan's Kunar Province in September of 2009. Meyer had shrapnel wounds in his right arm. He will actually be the third living Medal of Honor recipient from the Afghan and Iraq wars and he will be the first living Marine from those two wars to be honored with that medal.
Also, another Medal of Honor recipient, he was on the mound at Safeco Field in Seattle yesterday. And that wasn't him throwing out the first pitch. That was his son. You see him, though, Sergeant Leroy Petry, but his 17-year-old son actually threw out the ceremonial first pitch, that's because the Army Ranger lost his right hand when he grabbed an enemy grenade during a firefight in Afghanistan.
Well, at 11 minutes past the hour now, let us say good morning to Reynolds Wolf. Reynolds, how are you doing this morning?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, T.J. Doing great, man.
We've got a lot to talk about, weather-wise, as always. Always it seems like on the weekends, T.J., we've got something big and we got the possibilities of strong storms across the Ohio Valley and at the same time the tropics are getting very active. We're going to show you what's happening, coming up right here on CNN SATURDAY. See the (INAUDIBLE). Stay tuned.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WOLF: These are scary moments, you know? Like basically in the dark like that. That's pretty weird.
HOLMES: It's kind of nerve racking.
WOLF: The lights are on. Thank heavens.
HOLMES: Hello to you all, again. Thirteen minutes past the hour.
I'm joined by my buddy, Reynolds Wolf. And it's not - I can't call these tropical storms. They're tropical something of interest.
WOLF: Well, you know, you're right. There is one tropical storm.
HOLMES: One tropical storm.
WOLF: And then the other three areas of - let's just call them areas of concern. The National Hurricane Center has kind of put a little bit of a bull's-eye on just to watch, just monitor these.
HOLMES: All right.
WOLF: And, you know, we're getting to the point this season, T.J., where we - the things really start heating up. This is the time where things get really active in the tropics. So, again, it's not unusual to see this happen out here.
What we're talking about plain and simple, is if you look at this big picture of the Atlantic Ocean, a huge body of water, not quite as big as the Pacific, but still ample enough and certainly right along the Intertropical Convergence Zone we're seeing a little bit of development. Everything you see in these yellow boxes, these are few places where they possibly about a 30 percent chance in the U.S. of becoming a named storm. One name sort of we do have is Tropical Storm Franklin, which is going to continue to move a bit more to the north. No threat expected to the United States, whatsoever. That's the good news.
Something else that is going to be great news today, believe it or not? There you go, rain in Texas. We needed rain there for quite a long time. And sure enough, we're seeing some scattered showers and embedded thunderstorms there. And, really, it may be a little bit too late because of the heavy drought they've had. But still, it's better to get it than not get it at all.
And sure enough from Dallas back over towards parts of Lubbock, we're seeing some heavy rain. Then, when you get to Lubbock, it kind of fizzle out a little bit. But we might see the potential of more that rain driven - eventually moving over to Shreveport, perhaps even as far south as to Austin and I-35, maybe even into San Antonio before the day is out.
But, the chance of rain and the chance of storms is also going to pop up across parts of the Ohio Valley. Best chance that will occur later in the afternoon, even into the early evening, because that's when the atmosphere really tends to destabilize. Anyone who has a plan maybe to fly to Chicago, maybe going to Detroit, maybe Indianapolis, you might have a few delays to deal with there. And across much of the southeast, there could be a boom of thunder in your day, especially - you got it - by the afternoon, perhaps even in Atlanta and parts of Alabama, even in Mississippi and into Florida.
Back out to the west, plenty of sunshine for you on much of the West Coast, including the Pacific Northwest. However, if you look up here you can see the area of low pressure, another frontal boundary. Within hours, as that gets closer, with it you're going to see some clouds develop and by tomorrow, probably a big change in the forecast, more cloud cover. And, of course, in parts of the Cascades maybe a few stray showers.
In terms of the temperatures, well, we still have the heat in Texas, but that big string of incredibly hot weather is now beginning to see like it dropped a little bit in places like Dallas, still 101. But they did break the string of triple digit heat. That's the good news. Ninety-nine, the high in Houston; 87 in Kansas City; to wrap things up, 91 in Billings; 69 in San Francisco; 79 in Chicago, and back into D.C. 87.
All right. T.J., that is the latest in the forecast. Let's toss the baton right back to you.
HOLMES: All right. How bad has it been in Texas drought-wise? They've had historic droughts.
WOLF: It's awful. It's - and for so many people, it is just too late to I guess revamp the crops they've lost, a lot of livestock has been suffering also from the lack of rainfall. It's brutal.
HOLMES: All right. So, they have an idea now how to get water?
WOLF: OK.
HOLMES: Take urine and turn it into drinking water.
WOLF: Urine? Urine?
HOLMES: They are building a new water treatment plant that has some people worked up, as you could imagine. And you heard me right, folks. This facility is going to cost about $13 million. And that's not the problem people have. The plant will actually recycle sewage water. Yes, including your urine and they will turn that into drinking water for the surrounding area.
This does not sound appetizing to a lot of people. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BENITO LARA, BIG SPRING, TEXAS RESIDENT: That's not a good idea at all.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You don't like it?
LARA: No. If they do, we're going to have to leave town.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really?
LARA: Yes. Yes. You know, it's too much.
MAYOR JOHN JACOBS, ROBERT LEE, TEXAS: It's not appealing, but then again going thirsty isn't either.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: He makes a good point.
WOLF: Big spring? So, big spring, they're going to get water from ding-ding. That's awful. Well, it's true. And it's rancid, man, and that's disgusting. This is - this is strange.
I mean, I guess it's - they have to do what they've got to do.
HOLMES: Yes.
WOLF: I mean, when you have lack of rainfall and, you know, we've seen opportunities of rain coming through. We had a tropical system just - just weeks ago that looked so promising and just fell apart. So drastic measures call for drastic things, but still urine to water -
HOLMES: They do this in other places around the world we understand, but this is kind of a larger scale than we have seen in some places. They do this on I believe ships that are out at sea for a while. That's what - this is done, but this is a larger scale.
There was one that we might get in a little bit later where a guy says it's like you're drinking beer twice and he made kind of light of it.
WOLF: I don't want to do that either. This is horrible.
HOLMES: Yes. I don't want to do that either.
WOLF: This is like smooth and chunky? (INAUDIBLE) that they get. I mean, do you get - do you get varieties? I mean, I'm wondering here. Maybe these answers can be - can be solved.
HOLMES: Yes.
WOLF: That is - that is just freakish.
HOLMES: Do what you've got to do.
WOLF: I'm escaping. See you later.
HOLMES: Reynolds, thank you, buddy.
We're at 17 minutes past the hour. And I got a story here that got some of you talking. I sent this out and kind of teased you on Twitter and Facebook this morning. But here is the story that kind of got the men and the women talking this morning in our Newsroom. Would you give up billions of dollars to marry the person you love? Billions of dollars? That story coming up. One European duchess did just that. I want you to stick around for this one.
Also, another story this morning that we are happy to bring you. Nine-year-old girl had a birthday wish. She had that wish, though, before her life was cut short. But you know what? That wish is going to come true in ways she probably never could have imagined.
It's 18 minutes past the hour. Stay with us on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Twenty minutes past the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
We have a story that we are happy to bring you this morning. About a little girl who's birthday wish is coming true. This little girl died in a car accident. Her name is Rachel Beckwith. She was just 9 years old. She's from Bellevue, Washington.
And her birthday wish was to raise $300 so that she could bring clean drinking water to an African village. Well, after she died in that car accident and people heard about her wish, look at what you're seeing there folks. Yes, I said $300. People heard about this story and they opened up their wallets and now the donations have come in and have swelled to over $1 million. There's still this running count on the Web page. The money continues to pour in. Her mom is just so proud of the legacy her daughter was able to leave behind.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SAMANTHA PAUL, MOTHER OF RACHEL BECKWITH: She would be so happy and just so amazed that she helped people -
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
PAUL: -- because she did that on a daily basis in our lives. So she's jumping up and down in heaven right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Can you imagine? Just wanted to raise $300. And now, it's up to over $1 million. You can find out more about her cause or maybe chip in yourself. It's MyCharityWater.org. Again, MyCharityWater.org.
Now, we're at 21 minutes past the hour now. A story you might not believe. A duchess gives up her entire fortune and she's worth billions.
Our Nadia Bilchik joins us after the break to talk about what women will do for love and power.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Twenty-five minutes past the hour now.
Nadia Bilchik here with this morning's "Morning Passport." I love this one because we're talking about what women will do and wouldn't do -
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Exactly.
HOLMES: -- for love and power. Now, give us the update on the story you brought us about a married couple got divorced so the woman could try to run for president.
BILCHIK: Correct. That was Guatemala last spring. Sandra Torres divorced Alvaro Colom because the wife of an incumbent cannot run for president. She said, OK, I will divorce you so that I can run. But this week, the court ruled that although she had divorced him, she was still married to him for much of his presidency so she's still cannot run.
So there she did, got divorced, but it wasn't very romantic of her, was it? To divorce her husband for power?
HOLMES: It wasn't - for power.
Now, will -have they announced will they re-marry? What happens to their relationship now?
BILCHIK: It will be interesting to see if they get together now, say, it was all a scam, wouldn't it? But put it this way, exactly, but what she wouldn't do or would do for power, as you said.
But let's go to Spain where we have -
HOLMES: I love this.
BILCHIK: -- the Duchess of Alba -
HOLMES: OK.
BILCHIK: -- who is prepared to give it all up -
HOLMES: OK.
BILCHIK: -- for love.
HOLMES: And how much are we talking about giving up here?
BILCHIK: We're talking about giving up about $4 billion.
HOLMES: For love?
BILCHIK: For love. OK.
HOLMES: That's a strong love.
BILCHIK: A couple of things, yes.
HOLMES: All right.
BILCHIK: The Duchess of Alba is 85 years old. And I do want to read you her full title just because it's rather remarkable. She is Maria Rosario Cayetana Alfonsa Victoria Eugenia Francisca Fitz-James Stuart y de Silva.
HOLMES: Wow.
BILCHIK: Now, this is a woman who is actually related to King James II, Churchill and Princess Diana. She has so many titles -
HOLMES: OK.
BILCHIK: -- that she does not need to courtesy or bow to the pope.
HOLMES: Wow. She's a big deal is what you're telling me?
BILCHIK: She's a big deal and she's worth a lot of money.
Now, this would be her third husband. He's about 20 years her junior. As you can see, she's had to be all nip and tuck (ph), and she - when people come to Spain, celebrities come to Spain, as you can see, they meet her.
HOLMES: OK.
BILCHIK: Well, the children are not happy that she wants to marry the Social Security worker Alfonso Diaz.
HOLMES: Why - what's their problem with him?
BILCHIK: Well, their problem with him is -
HOLMES: He's a social security worker?
BILCHIK: Well, not that. But they don't want to share any of their mother's billions.
HOLMES: OK. Are they worried that he's just after her money or they're just concerned they might get a lighter cut?
BILCHIK: Both. And, in fact, it's gotten to a point that even the King Juan Carlos of Spain has said please, don't marry this man. So she has a solution. She's a true romantic, isn't she? And her solution is I will give my children, my six children, the inheritance early. And they are something like 12 castles, the most extraordinary art, Velazquez artworks, Velazquez and Goya's and the most incredible amounts of jewelry, art and property.
And she says to her children, well, you know what, if you are so worried that I'm marrying this man and he's going to take some of your money, here it is.
HOLMES: She's giving the money out now -
BILCHIK: She's giving out the money -
HOLMES: -- to make everybody feel better.
BILCHIK: Right.
HOLMES: OK. But how does the groom-to-be feel about it?
BILCHIK: Oh, she says - she says -
HOLMES: OK.
BILCHIK: -- he loves me and not my money. Now, look, T.J. -
HOLMES: All right.
BILCHIK: -- let's face it. I don't think that the lifestyle is exactly going to be compromised.
HOLMES: Maybe not.
BILCHIK: So they may be living in only one castle instead of 12.
HOLMES: Oh, God. What did you do?
BILCHIK: And as she said, how many beds can you sleep in? So - but in this way, her six children, by the way, all of her six children have been divorced themselves.
HOLMES: Oh, goodness gracious.
BILCHIK: So she's going at least I've never been divorced. Her first husband, the father of the children died. The second husband, she managed (ph) to marry a reformed - well, a former Jesuit priest -
HOLMES: OK.
BILCHIK: -- and then he died.
HOLMES: OK.
BILCHIK: So now she's on husband number three. And apparently this is a match of love.
HOLMES: But who is the guy? Is that him actually -
BILCHIK: That is him.
HOLMES: That is him in the picture?
BILCHIK: That is Alfonso Diaz.
HOLMES: OK. BILCHIK: And she says we have a great friendship. And there she is with some celebrities, Tom Cruise, as you can see.
HOLMES: All right.
BILCHIK: And this is a woman who has tremendous power, tremendous wealth, and says to her children, if you are concerned that I am going to be giving this away to someone else, have it so that I can have love. But there'll be love and luxury.
HOLMES: I love this story. And we put the question out this morning. People have been responding. What do you do? Would you give up a fortune so you could marry the person you love? Of course, their life may not change that much. But still it raises an interesting question. What would you do?
What would you do, Nadia?
BILCHIK: Exactly. What would you do and how much would you sacrifice -
HOLMES: What would you do, Nadia?
BILCHIK: -- with the billions? Well, I may give away $49 of the $50 billion. Why not?
HOLMES: All right. Nadia -
BILCHIK: She says how many beds can you sleep in? How much caviar can you eat? How much lobsters? How much jewelry can one woman have? How much plastic surgery can you have?
HOLMES: Oh, my goodness. Nadia Bilchik, always a pleasure. I love this one this morning. Nadia will be with us again a little later this morning. Thank you so much.
We're coming up on the bottom of the hour. And it could be - could be the end of the line for some Republican presidential hopefuls. It could be over today. We'll explain why.
Plus, police in Philadelphia cracking down, enforcing a new stricter curfew put in place to try to stop mob violence. But did it work last night? Stay with me on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We are just past the bottom of the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Welcome back to you all. Thank you for spending part of your weekend here with us. I'm T.J. Holmes.
Taking a look at some of the stories making headlines, including a developing story out of Pakistan, where the U.S. embassy there, saying they are working with officials in hopes of finding an American national who was abducted a few hours ago.
An embassy spokesman said Warren Weinstein was taken overnight in a coordinated assault on his home in Lahore. Police there suggest the kidnappers are well trained and they were able to submit-subdue, rather, four retired military commandos who were guarding Weinstein at the time of that attack.
Also police in Philadelphia enforcing the city's new weekend curfew say they arrested almost two dozen teenagers over night. The curfew from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. follows a rash of teen violence and mob attacks organized through e-mail and social media. Minors and their parents face fines of up to $300 for a first offense; $500 if they are picked up again.
And a federal appeals court in Atlanta strikes down a big part of President Obama's health care law. The provision that requires almost all Americans to buy health insurance was ruled unconstitutional. It is likely the Supreme Court will now have to take up the case and rule on the landmark legislation. The White House says it strongly disagree was the appeals court decision.
In Iowa, it could be moving day for the Republican presidential hopefuls. Some will see their fortunes rise, while others could be facing the hard truth that they don't have a shot.
Today is the Iowa Straw Poll. It is basically a test of strength, both organizational strength and political strength. Show you who is on the ballot here now, the majority of the candidates are there to make their pleas in person. You are seeing them there. Mitt Romney is actually staying away. He is not there. He has been spending most of his time and attention on New Hampshire.
Now, Iowa, it is a big deal. Even though Texas Governor Rick Perry is not there, he is still a big deal in this race. Even though he is not officially in it yet. He has been overshadowing the Iowa vote. He do it with an appearance in South Carolina today. That is where he will officially jump into the race, which will change the race.
CNN's Jim Acosta tells us why.
JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: T.J., Rick Perry arrives in South Carolina as a major threat to the entire GOP field. He is more conservative than Mitt Romney and arguably more electable than some of the other candidates. That might explain why the Obama re-election campaign has taken notice.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: Washington is broken.
ACOSTA (voice-over): A Tea Party governor straight out of the Wild West, Rick Perry sounded like he was running against President Obama when he was seeking re-election in Texas last year.
PERRY: That is why I rejected federal dollars with strings attached and will fight misguided health and energy policies that will raise taxes on our families. ACOSTA: Now poised to shake up the race for 2012, Perry could unite Tea Partiers with big business Republicans, and Christian conservatives for a showdown with the White House.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to the contest.
ACOSTA: He is not in Iowa for this weekend's straw poll, but he is on the minds of Republicans.
REP. RON PAUL (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I'm pleased he is coming in because he represents the status quo.
ACOSTA: Instead, the governor is sharpening his message against front-runner Mitt Romney.
PERRY: Well, I just think you want to look at the track record when Mitt was the governor of Massachusetts, versus my years of being the governor of Texas. And I'll let those stand on-mine doesn't need any propping up. We'll just let it stand there and people examine it.
ACOSTA: And while Romney is still holding back.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He is a fine man and fine governor. The record of Texas, I think, speaks for itself.
ACOSTA: President Obama's re-election team is ready to join the fight. Asked about Perry's recent attacks on the president's economic record, a top Democratic strategists blasted back.
DAVID AXELROD, SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA: He has also called for secession from the United States of America, and all kinds of other things. We will see when he becomes a candidate what specifically he has to propose, what he has to say. His record will get scrutinized.
ACOSTA: A reference to Perry's comments after a Tea Party rally two years ago.
PERRY: There is absolutely no reason to dissolve it, but if Washington continues to thumb its nose at the American people, who knows what might come out of that.
ACOSTA: Before life in politics made him the state's longest serving governor Perry grew up poor in the tiny West Texas town of Paint Creek. No stop light, just a school and a church. It is a half a world away from Washington. At the nearest cafe to Paint Creek the feelings on a Perry bid are as strong as the coffee.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Our country has pretty much forgotten about Christian ethics. I believe he is a good Christian man. I think he will bring that back into our country like it needs to be.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He came from Paint Creek, Texas. He graduated in Paint Creek. He did not help Paint Creek, so what can he do for the nation?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ACOSTA: In his speech Rick Perry is expected to tout his economic record in Texas, but Democrats in that state point out the governor has never been tested on the national stage. That process has just begun, T.J.
HOLMES: Thanks to Jim Acosta, at 1:00 p.m., CNN will have live coverage of Rick Perry's expected announcement that he is officially in the race.
It is 38 minutes past the hour now. I know you have been wondering. What does the world's oldest edible ham look like? Would you believe Reynolds Wolf actually found it? Yes, you can eat it. We are going on the road with Reynolds. One trip, one tank of gas. Just how far can he go?
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HOLMES: It is 40 minutes past the hour. I'm here with Reynolds Wolf now who has this great feature: "A Trip On A Tank." People worried about food prices and gas prices. Everything is going up quite frankly.
WOLF: Absolutely.
HOLMES: You don't have to cut back that much if you are trying to take trip. You can just hop in the car?
WOLF: Absolutely. Despite the economic hardships that people have, most people can still afford to fill up a tank of gas. They cannot afford to take the family across the country to go visit something, they can at least take a trip right down the street, right down the road, and find some amazing stuff. Take a look.
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WOLF (on camera): Today's "Trip On A Tank" starts in Norfolk, Virginia which is the home of the USS Wisconsin. This beautiful battleship's day happens to be over. But our day is just getting underway. A long trip all the way from Norfolk to Washington, D.C. Let's get going.
When you go on any trip, it is very important to have a great crew. Thankfully we have photojournalist Jeremy Long with us.
JEREMY LONG, CNN PHOTOJOURNALIST: At your service, governor.
WOLF: We also have producer Alicia Eagan.
Alicia, How many miles are we going today?
ALICIA EAGAN, CNN PRODUCER: About 350.
WOLF: Three hundred and fifty, oh, yes. First stop? Smithfield, Virginia. That is the ham capital of the world. That is great if you are hungry. The problem is this is a prop. We need the real deal.
Unfortunately, as you know, reality can sometimes be a little bit harsh. Here at the Isle of Whyte Museum in Smithfield, Virginia, take a look at this. Oh, my gosh. It is the world's oldest edible ham. The one right there in the middle.
Tracey Neikirk, the museum's curator is here.
Tracey, how do we know this thing is edible?
TRACEY NEIKIRK, CURATOR, ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY MUSEUM: It is the wonderful curing process here at Smithfield Ham. A combination of smoke and salt and it is cured in 1902. We think you can still eat it. We haven't cut into it.
WOLF: I'll take your word for it. Wow.
Something else that is cool here. Check it out. It is the world's oldest peanut. Amazing, here in Smithfield. You think something that neat would have its own museum, wouldn't it?
Here in Waverly, Virginia, dreams for peanuts do come true; it is the first peanut museum in the United States.
Alicia, is it open?
EAGAN: It's locked.
WOLF: And we're going.
Next stop on the road takes us to Colonial Williamsburg. This is a place, that despite the hot day, it is frozen in time. The proof is all around you. You have the old tavern, you have the wig maker, even a silversmith on one side. What it does is it brings you back to a simpler time; a time without air conditioning. Let me tell you it is hot.
Jeremy, you ready to get back in the car? Yes, me too.
I'm feeling nostalgic a little nostalgic, right about now.
LONG: Me, too. I'm thinking Civil War.
WOLF: The next stop on our trip brings us here to the wilderness in Virginia. More specifically to the final resting place of Stonewall Jackson's left arm. The Confederate general lost his arm on May 3, 1863. He lost his left arm. I'd give my right arm to get out of here. Let's get going.
Along the journey, we have been finding bits and pieces of Americana. What we found in Stillhouse Distillery in Culpepper, Virginia, is really no exception. Now, they are making moonshine, and corn whiskey in this premises. Distiller Brendan Wheatley is with us.
And Brendan, these really are the all-American spirits, aren't they? BRENDAN WHEATLEY, ASST. DISTILLER, STILLHOUSE DISTILLERY: This whiskey and style of whiskey has been made for over 400 years here in the United States. And we try and carry on the tradition.
WOLF: A lot of tradition, with a lot of bottles. Let's watch them roll.
Well these bottles are on the move, and so are we.
Well, we finally made it. Washington, D.C., right behind me you can see the Washington Monument, beyond that, the Lincoln Memorial. If you pivot all the back around over here, you have the Nation's Capitol; 350.7 miles from Norfolk here to D.C. and what a trip it was. A little bit of Americana mixed in. I hope you enjoyed it. We will see you next time down the road.
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WOLF: The ham scared you?
HOLMES: A little bit. I wasn't expecting that. How can they prove you can eat that ham?
WOLF: When you go into any fast food restaurant and you see the food behind the counter, you don't taste it. You just have to take their word for it, you know, hey, that food is edible.
HOLMES: But you can order it. I need somebody to cut into the ham and let me know it is edible.
WOLF: All right. I wasn't going to say this, full disclosure. We actually went back that night and broke in and I ate that ham.
HOLMES: You gotta be kiddin'. OK.
WOLF: It was the best ham I had in my entire life. I need a toothpick.
HOLMES: The moonshine? Did you wash it down with the moonshine?
WOLF: That is how I got it down. Exactly how I got it down. We sampled some later on. We sampled some. And it tasted pretty good. Better than a ham that is over 100 years old.
HOLMES: Where are you going next?
WOLF: That is really going to be up to many of the viewers.
WOLF: We were planning on taking a trip across parts of the Midwest, over to some of the Four Corners, into the Rocky Mountains. We covered the East Coast pretty well. We will keep it going.
It is called "Trip On A Tank" And anyone who would like to help us out with a few ideas, go to my Facebook page. It is ReynoldsWolf@Facebook. I'm the only weirdo on the Internet with the name Reynolds Wolf. Find me on Facebook, I'll friend you, and offer up any kind of advice on where you would like to go. Any pointers, we'll consider them. Definitely.
HOLMES: Good stuff, Rennie, good stuff. Thanks, Reynolds. Reynolds will be with us throughout the morning. We will check in with him weather-wise as well.
But it is about a quarter to the top of the hour, here, now. We are going to give you an update here, in about 75 seconds, on that developing story out of Pakistan where an American was kidnapped. Taken from his own home there just hours ago. Stay with us.
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HOLMES: Twelve minutes until the top of the hour.
More on that developing story out of Pakistan, where an the U.S. embassy is saying that an American was abducted from his home in Lahore in Eastern Pakistan. Our Reza Sayah is live with us from the capital of Islamabad.
And update our viewers, just who is this American?
SAYAH: We are getting new information about the kidnapping. All indications are right now, T.J., this was a very well planned and coordinated kidnapping. The victim in this kidnapping, an American by the name of Warren Weinstein, one of the many development workers here in Pakistan. The kidnapping, according to police, taking place at 3:15 a.m., local time.
It is the holy month of Ramadan here. A lot of people are fasting. And investigators say at 3:15 a.m., Warren Weinstein's three security guards and his driver were getting ready for a pre-fast meal in the front yard, when they got a knock on the gate. Three people who said they were offering them food, which is customary during the month of Ramadan. That turned out to be a ploy by these three individuals to get in. Once the gate was open, they forced their way in, tied up the security guards, pistol-whipped the driver.
Other assailants, according to police scaled the walls of the home. They eventually found their way to Warren Weinstein, who was in his bedroom sleeping. They left with him. A nearby security guard of the neighbor's is telling police that these assailants, at least eight-to-ten of them left with at least two vehicles.
Warren Weinstein, according to the embassy, works for a development company headquartered in Virginia. He was working here as a development worker. Many companies out here like J.E. Austin, the company he worked for, involved in economic, social development. Basically creating jobs.
Again, American Warren Weinstein, T.J., kidnapped according to police. Tough time for his family right now, I'm sure. Not knowing where he is. .
HOLMES: Reza, you talked about how rare it is for foreigners, Americans, in particular, to be targeted there in Pakistan. Do we have any indication why this man may have been targeted? And it seems like these assailants went through some trouble, and maybe some planning, and did have some skill to overcome his security he had there.
SAYAH: There is no question about it. Investigators say the security personnel working for Warren Weinstein were very well trained and retired military commandos. That is why they were convinced these kidnappers were well trained as well. It is not clear why this kidnapping happened. Why Warren Weinstein was targeted. It is the third time in nearly a decade an American has been kidnapped. So it is rare.
But the way this happened, breaking into a home and targeting an American, that is unprecedented. We have never seen that happen. Not clear exactly who the assailants are at this hour.
HOLMES: Reza Sayah, we appreciate you this morning.
We are about nine minutes at the top of the hour here now.
Entertainers from around the world are joining the relief effort to try to save the children in East Africa. Coming up, we'll tell you how they are using, you guessed it, social media to get the word out. Stay with me.
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HOLMES: We are getting close to the top of the hour on the CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
More than 150 entertainers joining the aid group Save The Children to raise money for starving children in East Africa.
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HOLMES: The campaign released a short film this week set to the song by Bob Marley and the Wailers. Entertainers such as Lady Gaga, Kanye West, Brianna, Beyonce are using social media to urge their fans to contribute. They are expected to reach a global audience of 600 million people. You can see that entire video at savethechildren.org.
Some of the stories of pain and suffering coming from East Africa; so many of them and so many have to do with sick and dying young children. The U2 front man, Bono, says the world needs to wake up and do something.
CNN's Jonathan Mann reports.
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JONATHAN MANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): No sacks of grain for these starving Somalis. Their situation is too urgent for dry food. That requires clean cooking water and utensils which are almost impossible to find. These heavy, wet meals of soy and corn are pre-cooked, so they can eat them now, before it is too late. Though, for thousands upon thousands of hungry Somalis, it is too late. The U.N. estimates more than 29,000 children under the age of five have already died as a result of the famine.
BONO, CO-FOUNDER, ONE CAMPAIGN: Thirty thousand of them have died.
MANN: Rock star and activist Bono has been sounding the alarm.
BONO: People seem to prefer watching people in the High Streets of London fight police rather than watching children of Somalia fighting for their lives. People watch the values - you know, stock values crumble, while I think about our sense of values tumbling.
MANN: U.N. officials warn the crisis is spreading faster than aid agencies can cope with. They say half of the 4 million Somali people are now at risk for famine. Some agencies could run out of supplies by the end of the month. The U.N. says it needs $2.5 billion for the Horn of Africa, but so far, it has received less than half of it.
Jonathan Mann, CNN.
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HOLMES: As we get close to the top of the hour, here now, police in Philadelphia arrest almost two dozen people. They are all under the age of 18. We'll tell you about that and much more coming up next.
This is your CNN SATURDAY MORNING. We reset in just a couple of minutes at the top of the hour. Stay with me.
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