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CNN Saturday Morning News
American Development Worker Abducted From His Home in Pakistan; Critical Iowa Straw Poll Today; Palin Bus Tour Hits Iowa; Dozens of Teens Arrested in Philly Curfew Crackdown; Bailing Out the Kids
Aired August 13, 2011 - 07:00 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.
We start with the developing story.
An American has been abducted in Pakistan. We'll have a live report from Pakistan in moments as we dig for details about exactly who this American is and why he might have been targeted.
Also, it's just a straw poll, but it's a big deal. Today's vote in Iowa could be critical in deciding who is in and who will have to get out of the Republican presidential nomination race.
Also, dozens of people arrested in Philadelphia overnight. We need to explain to you why they were all between the ages of 14 and 17.
All of that coming up.
Let's get to the breaking news out of Pakistan.
The U.S. State Department has issued a travel advisory there after an American is abducted from his guarded home. This happened early this morning in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore. U.S. embassy officials say Warren Weinstein was taken from that home.
Our Reza Sayah joins us once again live from Islamabad.
You are getting details about how exactly this all went down?
REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, new information coming in about this kidnapping that appeared to be well- coordinated in the kidnapping that got very violent at one point.
The target of the kidnapping, according to police, an American citizen by the name of Warren Weinstein, one of the many Western development workers here in Pakistan. The kidnapping, according to investigators, is taking place at 3:15 a.m. this morning in the eastern city of Lahore.
Investigators say at least eight to 10 assailants at least forced their way into the home of Warren Weinstein, at a very upscale neighborhood in Lahore. They managed to tie up the three security officers, the three guards at Warren Weinstein's home. They tied them up. They pistol-whipped his driver who was also on the front yard, forced him to take them to Warren Weinstein who was sleeping in his room. Police say Warren Weinstein himself may have been pistol- whipped. Eventually, the assailants left with him.
According to investigators, these were very well-trained assailants because the security guards at Weinstein's home, they were retired military commandos. So, it took some effort for these assailants to be able to tie them up and escape with Weinstein.
A neighboring security guard is telling police, T.J., that the assailants left with two vehicles, but still not clear where Weinstein is and who his assailants are right now.
HOLMES: All right. Reza Sayah for us in Islamabad -- thank you.
We're just three minutes past the top of the hour. We need to turn to the politics here in this country. It is a make-or-break today -- yes, 15 months before the election, today could still be a big deal for Republicans hoping to make it to the White House. The Iowa Straw Poll takes place today.
It might not sound like the sexiest thing in the world, but if you have a bad showing there today, that could let you know this race ain't for you. Now, here is who is going to be there today. They are on the ballot. They are hoping for a good showing. Six candidates will be speaking at this event today. Some are hoping to build on past success, others just hoping to live to fight another day.
However, Mitt Romney, who is the perceived frontrunner in the early national polls, he's staying out of Iowa today. Jon huntsman and Newt Gingrich, they're all on the ballot as well, but they are not attending the event.
As CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser now reports, the Iowa Straw Poll is not just about the winners, it sends a message also to the losers.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Hey. Good morning, T.J.
The Republican presidential straw poll in Ames, Iowa -- I'll tell you, there is no other straw poll like it. This is really a spectacle. It's part vote, it's part party, and it's part fund-raiser for the Iowa GOP.
And here's how it works -- the campaigns can bring supporters in, as long as they live in Iowa or students in the state. They can pay for them, their tickets and have them vote for the candidate.
Candidates also have tents all around outside the coliseum where the main event takes place. There is food. There is entertainment. There is partying. There is music. It really is a party atmosphere. There is serious stuff about it as well because there is a lot at stake for some of the candidates. That's why I want to bring in Peter Hamby, our political reporter.
For some of these candidates, there is 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 are looking at Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.
Republicans out here in Iowa think they are 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 the debate last night. But that's what we are looking at.
You know, Pawlenty really needs to finish one or two to kind of prove to 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 just stepped in and surged to the front of the polls.
STEINHAUSER: Thanks, Peter. Appreciate.
You know, this straw poll has a history of bringing some candidacies down. It was just four years that former Governor Tommy Thompson did not well in the straw poll, he stepped out of the race just a few days later. I think we may have that again -- a repeat of that with candidates this time around.
T.J., back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And you can stay with CNN for live coverage of the Iowa Straw Poll results when they come in a little later today. Our Don Lemon and Candy Crowley have a special CNN report for you, "THE IOWA STRAW POLL," that's at 7:00 Eastern Time.
Texas Governor Rick Perry, he is done playing the waiting game. A lot have been waiting on him. The wait is over today.
He is set to officially enter the race for the White House. He's going to make it official during an appearance in South Carolina today. You've been hearing his name a bit the past of couple of days.
Exactly who is this guy? Well, he has been the governor of Texas for longer than anyone in history. He took office there in 2000 when then Governor George W. Bush became president. He has won election three times since then.
But he wasn't always a fiscally-conservative Republican. In 1984, he was actually elected to the Texas House of Representatives as a Democrat, even campaigned for Al Gore in '88.
Next year, though, he switched parties to become a Republican.
He will announce his bid for the White House. That's 1:00 Eastern. We will have live coverage of that for you from Charleston, South Carolina.
Now, Perry immediately becomes one of the frontrunners in the race. Take a look at this poll. Perry is at number two on the list of Republicans coming in just behind Mitt Romney.
As for Mitt Romney, he said, hey, competition is good thing. He welcomes Perry to the race. There was an event in New Hampshire where he welcomed news of a challenger and said that any of the current candidates would be a step up from President Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If Rick Perry or anybody else in that stage last night were our nominee, I'll be out there working hard for them, because any one of the people on the stage, as well as Rick Perry, would do a heck of a lot -- heck of a lot better job leading this country than the current president.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The Romney campaign has released his net worth to the Federal Election Commission. That worth between $85 million and $264 million. That's about the same amount the former Massachusetts governor was worth when he ran for president four years ago.
And there were dozens of arrests over night in Philadelphia as police were enforcing a new stricter curfew for teenagers -- anybody under the age of 18. The curfew is now from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. It's in response to a number of high profile incidents of mob violence in parts of the city. There were arrests in one of the mob beatings this week.
The mayor there, Michael Nutter, expanded the curfew which had been at midnight on weekends.
Well, minutes past the hour. Let us say, once again, good morning to Reynolds Wolf.
Reynolds, weather-wise, you got some concerns out there?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Just a few. You know, it's time of year that the tropics tend to get very active. And that certainly is the situation this morning as well.
We're going to take a look at what's happening and what's brewing out there. And at the same time, we're going to see some temperatures that we expect to go up quite a bit today while some rain across the Ohio Valley and parts of the Midwest continues to go down. We'll give you the full scope, coming up, in just a few moments.
You're watching CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Ten minutes past the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm joined once again by a good buddy, Reynolds Wolf.
Reynolds, yes, all right. I was fascinated by this morning. It's amazing how far out these develop. And they could end up causing us problem.
WOLF: It really is kind of weird. I mean, you know, this is time of the season when you have what we referred as the Intertropical Convergence Zone. You've converging, rising air. And this we have just basically your --
HOLMES: You're so smart, Reynolds. I love it when you --
WOLF: Trust me, I'm a rodeo clown. I'm a freak. And not to insult rodeo clowns.
But this is the time of year that we see things develop and that's certainly the case. You'll see these geometrics, these shapes that are popping up, the squares in the middle, some disturbances we're following. One has already been named. This is tropical storm Franklin. This one is going to move off.
Typically what happens, historically, T.J., many of these things tend to veer off and more north. That's the good news. Bad news that, occasionally, though, you get some of these moving into the Caribbean, some a little bit closer to the U.S.
We're hoping the case is, these are going to fish storms that die out deep in the Atlantic. There is that possibility especially this time of year that they might become bigger, perhaps stronger storms, maybe even hurricane, we'll them for you.
Something else that we are watching is the tropics have been heating up. Things certainly have been hot in part of Texas. We've been talking about the hot streak you had in Dallas -- 40 straight days of 100 degree heat, that went from July 2nd, all the way to August 10th. Thankfully, that streak is over with.
But still, there are some other streaks that are still popping up, namely in Waco -- 44 straight days of 100-plus degree temperatures. It could happen again today. It's the longest streak in history eclipsing 1980.
But one thing that's interesting despite the heat that you have there. You have some cooling rain that is moving into parts of the Lone Star State and it could happen a moment sooner.
Unfortunately, for many people, it will be too late for the growing season. You have a lot of crops that were never able to develop because of the lack of rainfall. A lot of livestock desperate for that rain. We're going to get some today. But for many, it will be too late. But back in the Balcones, the Texas Hill Country, Burnett County, expect the rain. Austin, perhaps, you're going to see some later on, perhaps part of an enchanted rock. So, you just be ready for that. Keep your fingers crossed.
What we're going to be seeing as we wrap things up, again the heat across parts of Southern Plains, but also in the Ohio Valley, a chance of storms in the afternoon, pop-up thunderstorms across the southeast, out to the west, a mix of sun and clouds in the four corners, sunny skies for the Pacific Northwest. But the frontal boundary is moving in from the Gulf of Alaska which is a big game changer, more clouds and a chance of rain by tomorrow -- T.J.
HOLMES: Reynie, we appreciate you as always. We'll check in with Reynolds plenty throughout the morning.
Well, at 12 minutes past the hour now. The Republican presidential hopefuls are battling it out today in the Iowa Straw Poll event.
But one person is not in the race and has taken up the spotlight. Her name? Sarah Palin, at the state fair. That's coming up next.
And the Iowa Straw Poll, a little different than most. You have to actually have a ticket to get in and participate. Do you have any idea how much it costs to participate? Is it $10? Is it $20 or $30, or actually, do they just give them out for free?
That answer for you next. Stay on CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Quarter past the hour now on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
Before the break, I asked how much does a ticket cost so you can vote in the Iowa Straw Poll? Is it free, 10 bucks, 20 bucks, or 30 bucks?
Well, kind of the trick question here. The ticket actually will cost you $30, but most of those voting in the straw poll have their tickets provided free by the candidates' organizations. You can probably figure out how that works. They want them to vote for their guy or gal.
Well, it is moving day in Iowa today for those hopefuls. Some will see their fortunes rise. Others could be facing the hard truth that they really don't have a shot.
Now, here is who is on the ballot for the Iowa Straw Poll. The majority of candidates are there. They will make their pleas in person.
Mitt Romney won't be there however. He is spending time in New Hampshire. Ahead of the straw poll, in Ames today, most of the candidates made an appearance at the Iowa state fair in Des Moines. But most of the bus surrounded somebody who's not in the race. I'm not talking about Governor Rick Perry, even though he's got a fair amount of buzz time.
We are talking about Sarah Palin. She rolled her bus right up to the front of that state fair.
And our Don Lemon caught up with her. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: T.J., Sarah Palin spent a lot of time answering my questions from giving advice to the candidates who are on stage during the debate to who is responsible for the U.S. credit downgrade and also, is she stealing the spotlight by being here in Iowa when she wasn't declared?
SARAH PALIN (R), FORMER ALASKA GOVERNOR: I don't think I'm stealing any spotlight. In fact, if anybody thinks I'm stealing the spotlight, go -- go find the other folks and say hello.
LEMON: So, a lot of people are saying that the Tea Party is responsible for the downgrade?
PALIN: No, if weren't for the Tea Party, the discussion would never have gotten where it got. So, I appreciate the Tea Party's passion for getting our federal government to realize it needs to live within its means. No, the last group or entity to be blamed for the downgrade should be the Tea Party.
So, I think the question should be asked. Is the president responsible for the downgrade? And I would say yes because from the top. The leadership starts from the top -- the leadership of our country.
LEMON: Why haven't you decided? Why haven't you declared?
PALIN: I think that I'm not the only one who has not decided yet and not ready to announce one way or another yet. There's still -- you know, there's a lot of contemplation that needs to go into such an earth-shattering, life-changing decision for a family.
LEMON: Can I talk to you about women? A lot of people are pitting you and Michele Bachmann against each other? Do you think that's fair?
PALIN: You know, that's so passe to pit just because there may happen to be two women in the race that they would -- you know, as Michele had put it once, get in the mud and engage in some cat- fighting. That's ridiculous. It's kind of even a sexist notion to consider that two women would be kind of duking it out.
No, if I duke it out, I'm duking it out with a guy.
LEMON: But are you at all concerned about her popularity, or a bit envious, a little bit jealous?
PALIN: Not at all. I'm glad that Michele Bachmann is in the arena. I'm glad that she's had opportunity now to be on stage debating some good ideas. I'm proud of anybody, male or female, willing to put it all on the line and get out there and fight for what's right in this country. Michele is one of those.
LEMON: And no doubt, Sarah Palin will continue the bus tour throughout the United States. When I asked her and her husband what was in their future? Todd responded by saying, "Lunch."
T.J., back to you.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And you can stay with CNN for live coverage of the Iowa Straw Poll results when they come in. That will be later.
You can join Don Lemon and Candy Crowley for a CNN special report, "THE IOWA STRAW POLL," 7:00 Eastern Time.
Well, your retirement plan. Are you putting money away for a number of things? Add one more to the list: your grand kids. Yes. You might be the financial safety net that they need.
Clyde Anderson, our financial analyst, is with me right after the break. There he is.
It's 19 minutes past the hour. Stay with me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. Twenty-two minutes past the hour.
I'm joined by my good friend, Clyde Anderson, our financial analyst.
Always good to have you. And we know that when the auto industry or banks need to be bailed out, they got the government.
CLYDE ANDERSON, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Right.
HOLMES: When kids need to be bailed out, they got their parents or grandparents.
ANDERSON: Exactly.
HOLMES: This is happening. This is the trend we're starting to see more and more of.
ANDERSON: Yes. We're seeing more and more of. I think the main is that, you know, your parents or grandparents always want to see you do better than they did. And so, they invested in you. And it was good investment for a while until the economy kind of turn, where we're having a lot of people that are losing jobs, they're unemployed, losing their homes. And so, the parents or grandparents are now stepping in to really fill that void.
HOLMES: And a lot more grandparents out there.
ANDERSON: Yes, 65 million grandparents. I mean -- and so, you can think about it, that baby boomer generation. And now, they are having to take care of that sandwich generation, the ones that are in between.
HOLMES: OK. Is this hurting the grandparents? We talk about the retirement age. People have to wait longer to retire anyway. But this is now one more expense almost on top of the already struggling grandparents.
ANDERSON: It is a huge expense. I mean, it's almost like the investment that they made that didn't pay off all the way, you know? And it's hard right now. But a lot of them are paying college tuition or secondary school tuition. They're also paying some expenses, living expenses and mortgages. They are paying for toys and diapers even, because they're really trying to fill the void.
I heard of one family that came in and helped their grandparents that help their kids, $59,000 last year. You know, everybody is not able to do that. But if you just look at that, that's a huge amount that they are having to supplement in their income.
HOLMES: Will this be something that financial analysts or people -- you know, the planners out there that they talk to, financial planners, that they add this in and say, hey, maybe you need to allow a little for your grandparents? Will they get to that point? Will they actually start this -- this is part of your retirement plan.
ANDERSON: I think right now, if you look at that, you have to, because, again, the 401(k) has taken a hit with all these things that are happening in the economy. Their stocks have taken a hit. And so, they don't have that nest egg that they thought they had before.
And so, because they don't have the nest egg, you know, they cannot count on that money. They've already, you know, have committed to helping the children out.
And so, I think you do have to plan for it to a degree, but you're also going to see some things change. I mean, grandparents are now having to work longer, they're going to go back to work in some cases. And so, those are things that, you know, the new trends that we're going to have to look at and how do we can make it.
HOLMES: Are we finding that grandparents when faced with that situation would prefer -- like I'm going to do whatever I got to do to help out the grand kids, if that means I have to work longer or I struggle myself. But it sounds like grandparents are going in that direction.
ANDERSON: I think they are. They have to. We are seeing multigenerational households even where grandparents are moving back in with their kids to help take care of the grand kids. But, again, they see so much more opportunity, or the grand kids have so much more opportunity than they had growing up.
And so, they really want to make that investment to help them out.
HOLMES: And the economy, at this point, I mean, you got more and more of these young folks unemployed.
ANDERSON: Yes.
HOLMES: And the grandparents are now the folks that bailed you out.
ANDERSON: Exactly. It's the grandparent bailout.
HOLMES: The grandparent bailout.
ANDERSON: Yes.
HOLMES: Thanks, grandfolks. We appreciate you all for this.
Clyde Anderson, good to see you this morning, as always buddy. Thank you so much.
ANDERSON: My pleasure.
HOLMES: Well, we're at 25 minutes past the hour now.
And police were out in Philadelphia slapping handcuffs on more than 20 teenagers. Why? Because they stayed out too late. We will tell you about their latest effort that's supposed to stop the violence. Is it working? Did it work last night?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Coming up on the bottom of the hour. We give you a look at some of stories making headlines this morning:
The U.S. embassy is now saying that they are working with local authorities to try to find an American who was abducted in Pakistan just hours ago. An embassy spokesman says Warren Weinstein was taken overnight in a coordinated assault on his home in Lahore. Police there suggest the abductors are well-trained because they subdued four retired military commandos that were there guarding Weinstein.
The Republican presidential candidates are facing their first real hurdle in the race for the White House. The Iowa GOP is holding its straw poll later this morning, happens as Texas Governor Rick Perry is expected to formally join the political fray and announce his candidacy this afternoon. Iowa Republicans begin the polling in three hours.
And police in Philadelphia overnight arrested dozens of teenagers for violating the city's new weekend curfew. The curfew from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. follows the rush of teen violence and mob attacks organized through email and social media. Minors and their parents could face fines up to $300 for the first offense, 500 bucks if they are picked up again.
Well, I'll be back with you at the top of the hour with more live news. But, right now, our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, he is in Kenya, on "The Frontlines of the Famine," the largest refugee camp in the world.
"SANJAY GUPTA, M.D." starts now.
