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CNN Saturday Morning News
NASA Satellite Hits Earth; Courting Conservatives In Florida; CNN Weather Update; Sex Strike Brings Peace In Philippines; Funding Debate May Cause Government Shutdown; Middle East Faceoff at United Nations; The End of Pine Valley
Aired September 24, 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.
Check your backyards. NASA says its dead satellite came crashing back to earth in pieces just hours ago. They just don't know exactly where it crashed.
Also, do you recognize this couple? Well, somebody did and it pays to pay attention because the FBI just paid out $2.1 million to the people who recognized this fugitive couple that had been on the run for 16 years.
Also, women in one country figured out how to stop armed conflict in their country by withholding sex from their fighting husbands.
From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is your CNN SATURDAY MORNING. 6:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, 5:00 a.m. in Fayetteville, Arkansas, 3:00 a.m. in Seattle. Wherever you are, I'm glad you're right here. I'm T.J. Holmes.
So, if you are listening to me this morning and waking up this morning, then you clearly were not hit in the head by any falling space debris. Congratulations. NASA's UARS satellite, it came crashing down overnight, but still we don't know, and NASA doesn't know, exactly where it crashed. It did says - this animation gives you an idea here -- it says it re-entered the atmosphere somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. That's all we know. Don't know where it is. If it landed in your yard, you think it's somewhere around, by all means, we'd love to hear about it.
But that's the animation. Let me show you the actual video of it coming down. Dramatic stuff. This comes to us from our affiliate in San Antonio, Texas. You see that dot. Yes, we've been building up for the past week to this satellite crashing to bring you a dot. That's supposedly a piece of the space debris there or it could be somebody playing with a flashlight in a tree in the distance.
Reynolds, let me bring you in on this thing.
And we didn't know exactly where, but we're getting reports from all over the place, the U.S., Hawaii, the Philippines, New Zealand. Everybody claims to have seen this thing come down.
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, let's be honest, dots can be compelling. It is true.
HOLMES: Was that compelling?
WOLF: I was compelled. And I'm compelled to show you some video that might be more spectacular. This from the great state of Hawaii. Let's go right to Hawaii where we have what appears to be a smoky streak across the sky. Could it be, should it be, might it be? We just don't know. We have no idea as to whether it is or not.
I mean you have to remember, these do not have tracking devices on them, T.J. We're able to just try to get a little bit of a glimpse of them as they enter. We hope that, again, they're not going to hilt any area -- populated area. But I'll tell you, you know, they say the best place, the best possibility for it to land, best option would probably be the Pacific Ocean. And the reason why, the Pacific Ocean is the mostly like spot, it's plain and simple, it is the world's largest single geographical feature. If you were ever to get say North America, South America, Central America, get Africa, say Asia, even Europe and cram it all together, all of those land masses, every land mass on the planet, could fit right in the Pacific Ocean and you'd still have a lot of room left over. So that's probably the best spot where it would be more likely to land than any other place.
Just to give you some of the numbers. We're expecting about -- or we expected about 26 pieces to survive making its way through the atmosphere, which is a very hostile environment for pieces of space junk, which is what we consider this. Surviving parts made of titanium, stainless steel and beryllium. Total impacting mass, 1,173. That is not just going to be one cluster. That's going to be scattered clusters.
But keep in mind, if you happen to be outside and you have your trusty camera and you see something zipping across the sky and you take some shots, is that part of this space junk? Well, the thing you have to remember is that each year we get about 20,000 meteorites that strike the earth. They make their way through the atmosphere. Most of them about the size of a grain of sand. So the odds of say whatever you're seeing in the sky being connected to this thing actually quite remote. But you never know. So if you happen to have some great shots you were able to snap overnight, please send them to us, of course, i-Reports, and we'll share them with the rest of the world.
But, T.J., again, looks like we've escaped. I'm glad to see that you did make it to a work today.
HOLMES: Yes.
WOLF: I was curious. I was afraid that perhaps, you know, a little bit of falling debris might (INAUDIBLE).
HOLMES: They said the chances were remote. But you hear something that big is coming down and you can't help but duck a little bit.
WOLF: It does make one -- it certainly does make us wonder (INAUDIBLE).
HOLMES: Reynolds, thank you. We're going to be checking in with Reynolds plenty throughout the morning. He'll have the weather for us.
But four minutes past the hour now. I need to tell you, though, this satellite, if it happens to hit your house, falls in the backyard or you see a piece of this stuff, now, you might think you have a nice little souvenir, but technically it's not yours. NASA still owns the stuff and they want it back unless they say otherwise. It's actually against the law to sell it unless NASA gives you the go ahead to do so. All right.
So space.com reports that the U.S. signed a pact actually in the 1970s saying that whoever sent it up has to pay for it when it comes down. If it does do some damage to your home, then NASA actually owes you some money. Keep that in mind as well.
Let's turn now to some politics. And a week from today, the government is going to run out of money if Congress does not act. So, naturally, what did they do? Took the weekend off. But they promised to get back to work on Monday to avert a possible shutdown. It could come if no spending bill is reached before the end of this month. Congress at an impasse. As we speak, they are basically fighting over how much money to set aside for disaster relief. The Republican controlled House, they approved a bill this week, but that's not exactly what Democrats wanted. They didn't agree with that bill. So when the bill went over to the Senate, they voted to set the bill aside for the time being.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MIKE SIMPSON (R), IDAHO: That's the danger to this country, is the $14 trillion deficit and the $1.6 trillion we add to it every damn year.
REP. ED MARKEY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Wake up. Wake up. You can't kill these programs. This is the solution you are killing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Now the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, says both sides just need some time to cool off. That's why they're taking the weekend. And maybe then they can come up with a compromise. He has scheduled a new vote for Monday afternoon.
But in Florida this weekend, it seemed to be the place to be, for the Republican presidential candidates. Our deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser, has more on the events going on there and Florida's all-importance in the race of 2012.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR (on camera): Hey, good morning, T.J. You know everybody knows Florida's a crucial battleground state in presidential general elections. But the state's becoming a major player in primary politics, as well.
WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN'S "THE SITUATION ROOM": And welcome to the Florida State Fairgrounds here in Tampa. The site of the first ever Tea Party Republican presidential debate.
STEINHAUSER: From our debate two weeks ago, to another showdown Thursday night in Orlando, to a major cattle call of all the candidates yesterday, Florida is front and center right now in the race for the GOP nomination.
And the fight between Texas Governor Rick Perry, the front-runner in the national poll, and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, who is second in the surveys, over Social Security, immigration and health care, it shows no signs of letting up.
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: My friend, Governor Perry, said that if you don't agree with his position on giving that in-state tuition to illegals, that you don't have a heart. I think if you're opposed to illegal immigration, it doesn't mean that you don't have a heart, it means that you have a heart and a brain.
GOV. RICK PERRY (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The model for socialized medicine has already been tried, and it failed. Not just in western Europe, but in Massachusetts.
STEINHAUSER: This afternoon, we'll get the results of a straw poll in Florida. The contest's open to some 3,500 Republican delegates from a state that will most likely vote early in the primary caucus calendar.
Later today, both Perry and Romney also speak in person at an influential GOP conference in Michigan. Another state that's moving up its primary position in the race for the White House. Results of a straw poll there, well, they come out tomorrow morning -- T.J.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right, thanks to our Paul Steinhauser.
And President Obama has an important night ahead of him. A speech to the Congressional Black Caucus tonight. The caucus has been critical of the White House for the way the president has handled the issue of jobs. Unemployment among African-Americans was almost 17 percent last month.
Well, eight minutes past the hour now. A passionate plea from the Palestinians for their own state. You see the Palestinian president there, Mahmoud Abbas, personally delivered the requested in paper and in person with a speech before the United Nations General Assembly. It's a largely symbolic move give that the United States has already said they'll veto the move. A short time after Abbas spoke, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had a chance to fire back. Listen to both sides. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAHMOUD ABBAS, PRESIDENT, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY (through translator): This is a moment of truth. Our people are waiting to hear the answer of the world. Will it allow Israel to continue the last occupation in the world?
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The Palestinians should first make peace with Israel and then get their state.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, behind the scenes, negotiators put together a rough time line for further peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders. The Security Council expected to meet on Monday. That's when the whole statehood issue could come up for a vote.
Well, Casey Anthony, she has to come up with another $120,000 to reimburse Florida investigators. Anthony was found not guilty in her daughter's murder but was convicted of lying to investigators. Anthony's attorneys admitted that Casey knew her daughter was dead before the search started. She's now being charged a total of $217,000 for the search for her missing daughter, Caylee.
Pope Benedict holding mass in central Germany this morning, but German TV reporting that someone fired an air rifle near -- about a mile away -- from where the mass was taking place. But a Vatican spokesman tells us it had nothing to do with the pope here. The pope is spending a few days in his home country. While there, he's going to meet with several victims of clergy abuse. He's met some already. A statement from the Vatican says the pope was deeply shaken when he heard their stories.
And it was a rough, rough -- no, it's not a rough week, this was a bad week for stocks. It was the worst week in three years. Dow dropped more than 700 points. S&P and the Nasdaq took big losses as well. This drop can be blamed on Greece's financial problems and fears over a possible new global recession.
Even the price of gold took a beating this week. And now you know that's bad because Friday's drop of more than $101 marked the first time in more than 30 years that the price of gold had fallen that much in one day. It's still $1,600 an ounce.
Well, here is some good news for job seekers. Toys "r" Us is hiring in a big way. The toy store chain is expected to add 40,000 jobs for the holiday season. They're hiring people to work in their stores and in distribution centers. Last year, 10 percent% of those temporary jobs became permanent positions after the holidays.
Well, 11 minutes past the hour. And a story I want you to stick around for. Women go on a sex strike. Yes, women in one country are holding out on their husbands. Why? To stop them from fighting. That's next. Stay with me on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: Thirteen minutes past the hour. Good morning, Atlanta, Georgia, and all points around the world. Good morning to you all. But a lovely shot of Atlanta this morning.
Let's say good morning to our Reynolds Wolf, keeping an eye on Atlanta and the U.S., but also out in the Atlantic.
WOLF: Yes.
HOLMES: A busy hurricane season. And it continues.
WOLF: That's true. I mean it has been one storm after another, one system after another in the Atlantic. And in the Pacific, T.J., we have a major hurricane right now known as Hurricane Hillary.
HOLMES: A major.
WOLF: So we've got Hillary in the Pacific and we have Ophelia. Ophelia -- what --
HOLMES: Ophelia, yes.
WOLF: There's something about Ophelia. I like the name.
All right, let's start with Ophelia. There she is. A lot of deep convection you'll see right in this circle. But there's also another system that we're beginning to see right off the coast of Africa, off the Cape Verde Islands. This is Tropical Depression 17. The potential for further development with this is definitely possible as it moves right along the inter tropical convergence zone.
But Ophelia is the one that's closest to the U.S. at this point in terms of what's happening in the Atlantic. And with that particular system, what we do anticipate is that it may strengthen a bit, may get its act together and then shift a bit move to the northwest. Right now it's moving in the northwest at 14 miles per hour. Maximum sustained winds at 50.
But as you'll notice just over the next couple of hours, there will be a little bit of a fluctuation in strength, dropping to 45, then 40, then back up to 60 as we get to Thursday. The great news about this, we expect it to stay away from the U.S. mainland. There may be some enhanced surf. Maybe a little bit more of a rip current along parts of the coast. But, still, it's so far out. I don't think it's going to have any direct effect for the time being. But, still, it is that time of the year, so we have to watch it very carefully.
Now to the Pacific we go. We've got this one, Hurricane Hillary. At this point, very well defined eye that you can see. Very strong storm. Major hurricane with winds 140 miles per hour. Gusts up to 165. This powerhouse, thankfully, is expected to remain out to sea, more of a fish storm than anything, perhaps bringing some heavy surf to parts of the Baja. But for the time being, is not expected to threaten land. So that is certainly the good news.
Meanwhile, travel delays can be expected mainly along the eastern seaboard today. And the reason's pretty simple. Heavy rainfall from the nation's capital southward into parts of Florida. Meanwhile, in the northeast, basically the same deal. Could see some scattered showers in Chicago. So, some delays there possible.
And as we wrap things up, the warm conditions continue in Texas where highs will rise today, going up all the way to 94 in Dallas, 93 in Houston. The high humidity is going to make it feel warmer, Eighty-seven in Albuquerque, 78 in Seattle. Wrapping it up in Boston, New York and D.C., highs in the 70s. Eighty-one in Atlanta.
OK, T.J., you're up to speed. Let's pitch it back to you, sir.
HOLMES: All right, Reni (ph), appreciate you kind sir. Thank you.
We're at question past the hour here now. I'm going to need your help on a story here in a moment.
WOLF: OK.
HOLMES: But to our viewers, I want you to see the Internet search engine Google. It's honoring the birthday of Jim Henson with a Google Doodle. It lets you become a digital puppet master. Henson, as you know, best remembered for bringing the cast of "Sesame Street" and the "Muppets" to life back in the 1970. Today would have been his 75th birthday. He died in 1990. But his memory and certainly his handiwork living on.
And look at what Google is doing today on the home page. You'll find this. Six of his original characters. You can click the button underneath and the character is going to follow your mouse around the screen. But if you click on the image itself, you can make the actual Muppet talk. So just their little way of honoring Henson.
WOLF: You know, clearly we need more things like this because there certainly isn't enough interesting stuff on the Internet. This has really been needed for quite some time. We need more things to doodle with. More things to keep our mind off of work when we're at work. But, seriously, hats off to Jim Henson. How cool was it that even though he has passed, kids today, my own kids, are digging that stuff that he came up with.
HOLMES: It crosses generations, no doubt about it.
WOLF: Creative genius.
HOLMES: And the next generation to the next generations, as well.
Now, do you remember, Reynolds, the big anniversary here now, but do you remember this music?
WOLF: Unbelievable. The story of my life in musical form.
HOLMES: Isn't that something? But on this day 20 years ago, music changed in this country. It's been 20 years now since Nirvana broke on to the national scene. Their first album -- excuse me, their second album is the one that certainly the country remembers "Nevermind," was the name of it, released 20 years ago today and it brought grunge music to the masses. Essentially, it started in Seattle in the coffeehouses and on the radio there locally and it really went nationwide.
The remaining members of the band celebrating with a special concert and a special re-release of the album "Nevermind." Again, I was schooled this morning by one of our writers, Doug, that this was their second album, but it was the one that got a lot of attention, as we know.
WOLF: Amazing stuff.
You know, you had great music that came out at that time. Not only in the grunge theme, but you also had, you know, Dr. Dre, Snoop Doggy Dogg came out with their music.
HOLMES: Yes. Yes.
WOLF: South Central was represented big time. So you had all -- a real, great cluster of music. Musical geniuses, Snoop Doggy Dogg and, yes, Nirvana and Kurt Cobain in the same sentence.
HOLMES: All right. Well, Reynolds -- and a story I want you all to stick around for. There's just a crazy trial going on in Italy right now, but it kind of relates to you. I mean could you imagine someone putting you on trial, Reynolds, because they don't think you accurately predicted the weather and then people, unfortunately, had damage or were killed by that disaster? Well, this is going on in Italy right now.
Scientists on trial, accused of not accurately predicting an earthquake that killed 300 people. Prosecutors say they should have known better, but now there is the back story we'll give you and also the potential backlash if they are convicted.
It's 18 past the hour. Reynolds and I will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, 20 minutes past the hour now.
And Reynolds is here on this story because, in a lot of ways, you are a, quite frankly, a scientist. You're a meteorologist. I know you have that look on your face, but, truly, you predict the weather. You do the best you can. It's not always 100 percent, but it's close, all right?
Well, a story in Italy. A bizarre trial going on right now where six scientists, as well as a government official on trial and they're facing manslaughter charges, Reynolds, in the death of more than 300 people.
WOLF: Wow.
HOLMES: Now they're accused of not accurately predicting, of all things, an earthquake that killed all these folks. This was in April of 2009. But they were part of a government panel charged with assessing the risk of a potential earthquake. Well now scientists -- and this is where I'm going to have you weigh in, Reynolds -- around the world are concerned a bit because they're worried that people are trying to criminalize now something as difficult as an earthquake prediction or a hurricane or this could have just implications down the road and a dangerous precedent could be set.
Now, six days before the magnitude 6.3 quake hit, there were some smaller tremors that were felt around the area. Now the way the panel tried to explain those tremors right before the big quake is the issue. Listen now to one journalist who's been following this case.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICK PISA, JOURNALIST: A board, a committee, made up of scientists and experts from the National Volcanology Institute, gathered together and, in essence, told people that there was nothing to worry about and that they shouldn't be worried at all about the tremors. It was just normal plate tectonic activity in that area. In fact, I remember, there was a very famous TV interview given by one of the scientists who said everyone should calm down, go home and have a glass of wine. And yet five days later, this major earthquake struck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: That's what I'll ask you about, Reynolds. Earthquakes are different from hurricanes. It mean it's almost impossible to predict an earthquake. But they say they kind of downplayed the potential for later. People were worried and they kind of downplayed it. I know sometimes you all err on the side of caution always and some people accuse you all sometimes of, are you scaring everybody. Oh, it's not going to be anything. Well, you have to err on that side. Is that a little different with an earthquake, though, versus a hurricane or tornadic activity?
WOLF: There are so many factors in this that are ridiculous, that are kind of crazy. For one thing, I've got to tell you, that although meteorology is different, difficult, geology is almost impossible.
HOLMES: Impossible.
WOLF: And it gets to the point when you have these kind of things, especially when you're dealing with plate tectonics, you really follow trends more than you can really forecast. For example, if you live in southern California, central California, you live in Japan, you have to know that there's always going to be the possibility of an earthquake.
Same situation for that part of the Mediterranean. Over in parts of, say, Italy, they -- it's not unusual to have earthquakes like this. So I really have to go to the side of the scientists when it comes to a thing like this.
But it's a very human thing to want to assign blame for a tragedy. It's very, very typical for people to want to do that. But these guys, I don't know. I certainly -- my heart goes out to the people who lost their lives, but I think any time you have a warning, you have to take it seriously, you have to express it seriously and hope that people will take the right steps.
HOLMES: All right. Well, they are worried about the precedent this could set. Now the city that a lot of the damage took place, they want $68 million in compensation. But that trial for the scientists involved, it's going to get going again on October 1st.
WOLF: Wow.
HOLMES: Reynolds, thank you.
WOLF: You bet.
HOLMES: We'll talk to Reynolds plenty, of course, throughout the morning.
Well, 23 minutes past the hour now.
Stop the fighting or you get cut off. That is what women told their fighting men in the Philippines. They went on a sex strike. And you know what, it worked. Our "Morning Passport" straight ahead. Stay with me.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, 26 minutes past the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
And I was telling you about this story in the last couple of blocks of the show. Women in one country withholding sex from their husbands to try to get them to stop an armed conflict. Nadia Bilchik here with this morning's "Morning Passport."
Did it work?
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: It worked.
HOLMES: It worked.
BILCHIK: This in the Mindala (ph) region. And one of the rural areas in the Philippines where a group of women actually got together, sponsored by the U.N., to sew together in a co-op. and the idea behind the sewing co-op was less collaborate and communicate. But what the women decided is they had to do something about the terrible armed conflict that had been going on for years. So what they did was they agreed to abstain from sex completely, both sides. So let's hear from one of the women in the Philippines and from the man she abstained from.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LENGS KUPONG (through translator): She told me, if I do bad things, then we will be separated.
AINON E. KAMANZA, SEWING COOPERATIVE (through translator): I told them, if you don't agree with my -- you cannot -- you have no salary from me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BILCHIK: You have no salary from me, so to speak.
HOLMES: Salary. Is that what they call it now? Is that what the kids are calling it?
BILCHIK: It worked so well that the road between the two villages has recently been re-opened and the women can sell their wares to each other.
HOLMES: How long did this take? How long was this strike?
BILCHIK: This took a couple of weeks and months.
HOLMES: A couple of weeks?
BILCHIK: Yes. And it was the constant threat of, if you don't, there will be no payback.
HOLMES: It doesn't take long to break us.
BILCHIK: No, of course.
HOLMES: This isn't the first time, though.
BILCHIK: This isn't the first time. I mean in ancient Greece, Aristophanes wrote a play called "Lysistrata" and this was about women stopping the war between Sparta and Athens. And that was centuries ago. And then we have Colombia. And around 2006, the wives and girlfriends of drug lords were so tired of the murders that they said, we are embarking on the war of the crossed legs. And that worked so well that they say the drop in murder rate was around 26.5 percent.
HOLMES: Wow.
BILCHIK: And then we move on to Kenya, where in --
HOLMES: Yes, I remember this one. Yes.
BILCHIK: In Kenya in 2009 there was so much in-fighting in the coalition government that women once again, including the prime minister's wife, said we will abstain. And they said, well, what about the prostitutes. And they promised to pay the prostitutes any loss in salary.
HOLMES: Wow. OK. If we needed further confirmation, women rule the world. BILCHIK: And that worked so well that earlier this year the Belgium's spoke about using what had happened in Kenya to solve their conflict, which has still not been solved.
Now, moving on to Liberia. An entire documentary called "Pray The Devil Back To Hell" was about the role that women played, both Muslim and Christian women, in ending the dictatorship of Charles Taylor, the dictator. So it's worked extremely well, T.J. Maybe the politics in D.C. should take a look. Maybe the spouses of our Congress men and women should be thinking about such a thing.
HOLMES: You heard the suggestion here first, folks. Anything is possible. But women run the world once again. Nadia Bilchik with our "Morning Passport." Thank you so much.
We're at the bottom of the hour here now this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. And some good news. More good news for two of the hikers that were jailed in Iran. Has a little something to do with the kiss you're seeing right there.
Also, Capitol Hill is quiet today. Almost wouldn't know there's only a week left until the government runs out of money. Another government shutdown looming. That's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, we're just crossing the bottom of the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Welcome back, everybody. I'm T.J. Holmes. Glad you're spending a little bit of your weekend with us.
It is a big weekend for the Republican presidential candidates. Two states holding major events, several candidates will be at Florida's Presidency Five event in Orlando. Most were already in Florida for the CPAC Conference. Front-runners, Rick Perry, Mitt Romney spoke at that conference, conservative conference. But they're both in Michigan this weekend for an event hosted by that state's Republican Party.
Meanwhile, the president is going to address the Congressional Black Caucus tonight. He is invited to awards dinner at the group's annual legislative conference in Washington. The caucus has been critical of the White House for the way the president has handled the jobs issue with black unemployment in the country at 17 percent last month.
Meanwhile, we are facing the possibility of another government shutdown after the Democrat-controlled Senate rejected a stopgap spending measure.
Here now, CNN's congressional Correspondent Kate Bolduan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KATE BOLDUAN, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): With lawmakers heading for the exits and after a long week of heated debate -- REP. MIKE SIMPSON (R), IDAHO: That's the danger to this country is the $14 trillion deficit and the $1.6 trillion we add to it every damn year.
REP. ED MARKEY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: Wake up. Wake up. You can't kill these programs. This is the solution you are killing.
BOLDUAN: -- Congress leaves Washington with no agreement on how to avoid another government shutdown.
Why the holdup as the September 30th deadline looms? Neither side is backing down. Top Republicans and Democrats continue pointing fingers at each other.
REP. ERIC CANTOR (R-VA), MAJORITY LEADER: Harry Reid is holding a bill up with full funding of what is needed right now for no reason, no reason but for politics. Again, this is why the people just don't have the respect for this institution and this town anymore.
SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV), MAJORITY LEADER: I can't understand their logic. Do they want the government to shut down? Do they want FEMA to close and FEMA will close.
BOLDUAN: The House late Thursday night narrowly passed a short- term spending bill that would keep the government funded through mid- November. The measure also includes what both sides say they care about most, urgently needed money for Federal disaster relief in the wake of the recent floods, storms and wildfires.
REP. JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH), HOUSE SPEAKER: It is a reasonable, responsible approach.
BOLDUAN: But that plan was quickly rejected by the Senate. The Democratic majority strongly opposed to House GOP demands the disaster aid be paid for or offset by cutting money for clean energy programs including one linked the now bankrupt solar company Solyndra. Yet Democrats contend these programs are creating jobs.
REID: Is it really fair that to fund disaster relief, we take American jobs?
BOLDUAN: Senator Reid has countered with what Senate Democrats call a compromise, saying they'll go along with the House measure providing $3.6 billion in Federal disaster relief, less than Senate Democrats wanted, but they will not go along with the offsets in the House measure.
The stalemate now forcing at least the Senate to put off part of its scheduled recess next week. We'll see about the House.
Kate Bolduan, CNN, Capitol Hill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: It is 36 minutes past the hour. Some of the stories making headlines. A jury is in place in Los Angeles for the trial of Conrad Murray, the doctor accused of involuntary manslaughter in the deaths of Michael Jackson. Seven men, five women on the jury. None of them African-American. Opening statements are set for Tuesday.
Shane Bauer and Sarah Shore, they are now formally engaged, I guess you could say, I guess you could say, after a ceremony in Oman. Bauer and Josh Fattal were flown to Oman after their release from Iran, after they had been jailed for spying. Fattal will be Bauer's best man at that wedding.
Also, the FBI paid out $2.1 million to the people that gave them the tips that led to that man. We're talking about the fugitive Boston gang leader Whitey Bulger. He was caught with his female companion after 16 years on the run. Earlier this summer, they were caught. At least two people received the money from the FBI, but they're not saying who those two are. Bulger fled an impending racketeering indictment back in 1995. He was caught with his companion in Southern California. He is believed to have a role, Bulger is, in 19 murders.
Now, some of you may have been walking around all week with your eyes on the skies. NASA said fragments from a bus-sized satellite would come raining down on Earth. Just they weren't sure where it was going to land. It all came crashing down last night, but still we're not exactly sure where it landed.
So that got us to thinking. What are your chances of getting hit by a piece of the satellite compared to getting struck by lightning or winning the Mega Millions lottery? We've got that answer for you after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, 40 minutes past the hour now.
And just a moment ago we asked about the odds of getting hit by a piece of NASA's falling satellite. How is that compared to getting struck by lightning or winning the Mega Millions jackpot? The answer for you, you have a one in 175 million chance of winning the Mega Millions. Those aren't good odds, but one in 10,000 chances of getting struck by lightning.
Reynolds, that's-
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Lightning strikes the Earth an average of 100 times per second.
HOLMES: Every day?
WOLF: Of course, lighting that hits the Earth-if we take every single day a little more than these lotteries. It seems like we have a lot of lotteries but not 100 lottery winners per second.
HOLMES: One in 10,000, I don't like those odds. The chances of getting hit by a chunk of this satellite chunk is 1 in 3,200. So, you do have a better chance of getting hit by a satellite chunk than you do of actually winning the lottery or getting struck by lightning.
But, on to NASA here. They are telling us now that parts of that dead satellite did reenter the atmosphere, over the Pacific, happened somewhere between 11:00 Eastern Time, and somewhere around 1:00 Eastern Time, in that window of time.
So it came plummeting down but they still aren't exactly sure where it came down. So nothing specific about location, so by all means check your backyard, look around your neighborhood. They don't know where it is. We don't know where it is. So, by all means, it could be somewhere close to you. We did get reports of sightings, possible sightings, like Minnesota, Texas.
WOLF: Texas one of them.
HOLMES: Philippines, the Netherlands, so kind of all over the place here. We do have some video. This was from San Antonio overnight. Look at that.
WOLF: Seriously, that is breathtaking. When you see a speck that -- two specks that pop up on the screen like that. It says so much. And in Hawaii there was actually another shot that was like this smoky kind of stream across the sky. And that Hawaii shot is also quite spectacular. The thing, though, T.J., it is impossible to say is this something that directly comes from this satellite. It's impossible to say so.
Let me tell you something. There's a point to this story. Ed White was the very first astronaut to ever go on a spacewalk for the United States. When he left his capsule to go out and do his spacewalk, as the door opened and he stepped out, there was one extra glove, a thermal glove that was on a seat. That actually went outside of the spaceship and went into its own orbit around the planet.
The point that I'm making is there's a lot of stuff that's flying around the planet. And a lot of it will eventually make its way from orbit back to Earth. That being said, yes, someone might be working through Tullahoma, Tennessee and get smacked with leftovers of Ed White's glove.
HOLMES: So, this isn't the only thing we should be worried about. Gee, Reynolds, appreciate that.
WOLF: Well, I'm not saying you should be worried. I'm just saying there is a lot of stuff out there and you can't guarantee every single falling star, every single meteorite you see happens to be a directly connected thing with this satellite.
HOLMES: We'll stay on the science front here for a second. Are you "Star Trek" guy?
WOLF: Yes.
HOLMES: Oh, really?
WOLF: Yes, really, more of a "Star Wars" guy. But it doesn't matter, for this purpose, sure.
HOLMES: The warp drive from "Star Trek"?
WOLF: Yes?
HOLMES: Yes. OK. Scientists may have figured out it's not just science fiction. But fired up a subatomic particle, in a super collider in Switzerland, and they actually made it go faster than the speed of light. Now, before this it was believed that nothing could go faster than the speed of light except maybe the starship "Enterprise".
WOLF: I'll be darned.
HOLMES: So this new discovery could throw Einstein's theory of relativity out the window. It opens up the possibility here of time travel. Not any time soon, might have just blown our mind with that. I probably took it too far.
WOLF: Unbelievable.
HOLMES: That is what we're talking about now.
WOLF: Pretty amazing stuff.
HOLMES: Quarter to the top of the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
We will turn from science and "Star Trek" and space to Mahmoud Abbas, and the history that we saw play out at the U.N. this week. He was making his case, the Palestinian president, his case and filing the paperwork for an independent nation of Palestine, but it could be more show than substance. We will explain why. Stay with us.
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HOLMES: A quarter of the top of the hour now. And history at the U.N., the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas formally requesting the world community admit Palestine into its ranks. The move likely to be vetoed, however, by the United States.
Here's now, CNN senior United Nations Correspondent Richard Roth.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD ROTH, CNN SENIOR U.N. CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Like two heavyweight boxers, the Palestinian and Israeli leaders took their best shots at each other inside the General Assembly hall. Mahmoud Abbas entered to thunderous ovation, making his case for statehood, while brandishing his formal application to the Security Council. Abbas denounced Israeli occupation and settlement activity while asking the 193 countries for acceptance in their ranks.
MAHMOUD ABBAS, PRESIDENT, PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY (through translator): Here, I declare that the PLO is ready to return immediately to the negotiating table on the basis of the adopted terms of reference based on international legitimacy and a complete cessation of settlement activity.
ROTH (voice-over): Netanyahu didn't fare as well on the applause meter. But he gave as good as he got. Having served Israel here as its ambassador, he made an impassioned plea for Israel to defend itself. He said it was fine if the Palestinians wanted a state, but not created through the United Nations.
BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: I cannot risk the future of the Jewish state on wishful thinking. Leaders must see reality as it is, not as it ought to be. We must do our best to shape the future, but we cannot wish away the dangers of the present.
ROTH: International peace negotiators for the Middle East quickly met after the speeches and pressed both sides to return to dialogue, while making concrete proposals and commitments. The Security Council meets Monday afternoon, New York time, to quickly consider the Palestinian bid, though no votes are expected -- T.J.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right, thanks as always to our Richard Roth.
As we get to 12 minutes of the top of the hour. Stick around. Because one of the all-time classics on television has now said good- bye. Pine Valley is no more. The latest soap opera to go off the air after 41 years, that's next.
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HOLMES: Good morning, Los Angeles.
Los Angeles, we have to say good-bye this morning to certainly one of my favorites. You might not take me for a soap opera guy - OK, I'm not a soap opera guy, but still I know this is a big deal. It is the end of an era in daytime television. We are talking about soap operas and one of the most popular and one of the oldest has now signed off. Our Kareen Wynter takes a look at the end for "All My Children."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: T.J., this is a show that's been around for four decades, "All My Children." That's a really long time. But it's not alone here. In fact, there's so many soaps that are getting washed up in this new era of entertainment.
(voice-over): It's the latest soap opera squeezed out of daytime.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's over. There's nothing left.
WYNTER: ABC's long-running drama "All My Children" which made America's favorite soap icon Susan Lucci a household name.
SUSAN LUCCI, ACTRESS: I'm here to fight for us.
WYNTER: And helped launched the careers of stars like talk show host Kelly Ripa.
KELLY RIPA, TALK SHOW HOST: It was my first job. 19-year-old girl, fresh off the bus. I just feel so devastated.
WYNTER: And actress Sarah Michelle Geller, who was stunned by the decision to can the television daytime classic due to poor ratings.
SARAH MICHELLE GELLER, ACTRESS: I don't know, it just seems so wrong to me.
WYNTER: Imagine after a 40-year run.
LUCCI: So many years.
These are very expensive shows to produce. And if they are not going to get the same ratings that they used.
WYNTER: "Soap Opera Digest" Stephanie Sloan (ph) says "All My Children" was the number one soap back in the 1970s when it debuted, and stayed on top for about a decade thanks to smart story lines that pushed controversial social issues.
SLOAN: The show had the first abortion, protested the Vietnam war and dealt with AIDS, they dealt with homosexuality.
WYNTER: But in the 1990s Sloan says the popular drama began dipping in the ratings.
(On camera): Network execs were forced to slash salaries and in 2010 relocate from New York, here to LA. But it wasn't enough to save the soap.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The era of the bored housewife is over and soap operas catered to that stereotypical 1950s woman sitting at home.
WYNTER: Huffington Post's Danny Shay (ph) says the cancellation of once-popular soaps like "Guiding Light," "One Life to Live" and "All My Children" is a result of daytime demographics changing over the years.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Reality got in the way.
WYNTER: Not to mention the emergence of reality TV.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Who cares about Erica Kane when you have "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" battling it out in a real-life cat fight on screen?
SLOAN: Reality shows are offering the networks a much more inexpensive replacement for these shows that are just too expensive to produce.
WYNTER: It's not just reality shows but talk shows like "The Chew" that are filling the daytime landscape. Fresh new programming networks hope viewers will sink their teeth into. Starting next week "The Chew," a food and lifestyle show takes over "All My Children" time slot.
Closing a chapter on one of television's longest running and most beloved daytime staples.
(on camera): So, T.J., while you won't be able to turn on the tube to see "All My Children," anymore, the drama, it's not entirely dead. A production company is bringing it back to life, yes, in an online format. But, T.J., so many die-hard soap fans out there fear the show just won't be the same, T.J.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: OK. That's a relief. At least I can see it online.
Now, one face, a very familiar face from "All My Children" that you didn't see in her report, you will see here a little later. Tad Martin, women love this guy. They've been loving him for the past 30 years on this soap opera. Well, he is going to be here with me in the 10:00 Eastern hour.
His name is Michael E. Knight, the character who has played Tad, or the man who has played the character Tad Martin, for the past 30 years is going to be here with me to talk about the end of this era and what his future could possibly be now. You'll want to stick around for that.
As we get close to the top of the hour, we want to know do you know where the term soap opera actually came from? I did. I'll answer that question for you after the break.
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HOLMES: As we get close to the top of the hour, before the break, we asked do you know where the term soap opera actually came from? Well, check this out. When the daytime shows first started airing back in the 1930s they were partially paid for and produced by Procter & Gamble's soap powder. They soon became known as soap operas. Interesting tidbit.
Also some stories making news right now "X-Country." Check this out. She's going to try it again.
(VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Yes, close encounter for swimmer Diana Nyad. That her third attempt now to swim from Cuba to Florida. The 62-year-old marathon swimmer tangled with jellyfish. She was stung on her arm, body and face, after treading water for a while she resumed 100-plus mile swim that could put her in Florida sometime on Monday.
Also, an upcoming bake sale at the University of California at Berkeley is causing a bit of a stir. Campus Republicans plan to sell cookies and brownies priced according to race, gender and ethnicity. They say it's meant to mock efforts by student government to drum up support for a bill to consider ethnicity in student admissions.
So, they way it will work, the price of a baked cookie costs $2 for white people, $1.50 if you're Asian, $1.00 for Latinos, 75 cents if you're African-American, 25 cents for Native American. And, by the way, women, you get a 25-cent discount.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
SHAWN LEWIS, PRESIDENT, YOUNG REPUBLICANS: The price structure is there to bring attention to cause people to get a little upset. But it's really there to cause people to think more critically about what this kind of policy would do in the university admission.
ANAIS LAVOIE, PRESIDENT, YOUNG DEMOCRATS: The way that they made the statement, the words that they used, the fact that they humorized and mocked the struggles of people's color on this campus is very disgusting to me.
(END VIDEO CLIPS)
HOLMES: Well, despite the criticism, the Young Republicans say they plan to go ahead with that bake sale coming up on Tuesday.
