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CNN Saturday Morning News
CNN Weather Update; Tracking Tropical Weather; Murray Trial; Female Driver Spared 10 Lashes; Warning Over Killing Retaliation; Benefits of Coffee
Aired October 01, 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: Well, good Saturday morning to you all.
Voters could be going from the shopping malls this holiday season directly to the voting booth. New Hampshire now threatening to move its first in the nation presidential primary to December. Why? You can blame Florida.
Also, more reported cases of infection and deaths related to that cantaloupe recall. And this morning we've got an important warning for you. You could still get sick from tainted cantaloupe you ate two months ago.
Also this morning, the video of Casey Anthony that jurors and the public were not allowed to see, until now. We'll show it to you and you'll see Casey Anthony's reaction at the jail when she first heard news reports that a child's remains had been found near the Anthony home.
Hello to you all. This is your CNN SATURDAY MORNING. I'm T.J. Holmes. Glad you could spend part of your weekend here with us.
Let's start, though, with new information and a new warning about the killing of a leading al Qaeda figure. The CIA use a drone to kill Anwar al-Awlaki. That happened in Yemen. They had actually been tracking him with drones for about two weeks. This is much like they did with Osama bin Laden. Now, al-Awlaki is blamed for inspiring the underwear bomber who tried to blow up a plane in Detroit in December of 2009.
Also this morning, and this is important, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security warning about possible retaliation in the U.S. They say his death could provide motivation for so-called lone wolf attackers.
Another part of the story this morning, the question of whether it's legal to target a U.S. citizen. He was, in fact, a U.S. citizen, born in New Mexico. Now that's a question our Erin Burnett asked CIA director Leon Panetta.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LEON PANETTA, CIA DIRECTOR: This individual was clearly a terrorist. And, yes, he was a citizen. But if you're a terrorist, you're a terrorist. And that means that we have the ability to go after those who would threaten to attack the United states and kill Americans. There's no question that the authority and the ability to go after a terrorist is there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: All right. We're going to have much more on the legal justification of the killing a little later in this show.
Also this morning, you need to check those cantaloupes. A lot of you are probably going to have this for breakfast, at least hope to, but the CDC says if it's a cantaloupe from Jensen Farms in Colorado, throw it out. No questions asked, just get rid of it. Fifteen people have died from an outbreak of Listeria linked to the tainted cantaloupes. More than 80 people have gotten sick. And the CDC is now saying you may already be infected with the bacteria, you just don't know it yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. THOMAS FRIEDEN, DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: It can take a week to three weeks after you eat a contaminated product before you become ill and it can take as much as two months to become ill. Furthermore, some people may still have the Jensen Farm cantaloupe in their refrigerators. If you have a cantaloupe that's labeled as something other than Jensen Farm, then it's OK to eat. But if the label looks like this, that's what the Jensen Farm label looks like, then it is not safe to eat. Throw it out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The Listeria bacteria usually causes flu like symptoms, but infection can also be deadly. Jensen Farms recalled its Rocky Ford brand cantaloupe more than two weeks ago. All of those tainted melons are probably off store shelves by now. But, again, it's important to note, it can take a while before you actually feel sick. They say up to two months.
Now, Listeria fear also behind a recall of bagged lettuce from a California company. True Leaf Farms recalling tens of thousands of bags of their shredded romaine lettuce. It was shipped to 19 states and Canada and had a use by date of September 29th.
At four minutes past the hour now, let's turn to some presidential politics. And listen to this, voting in the 2012 presidential race could actually start this year. Yes, in December. That is because New Hampshire is now threatening to move its primary to December. We could be doing this around the holiday season. They're doing this in response to Florida moving its primary up to January 31st. New Hampshire is traditionally the first primary of the season, following the Iowa caucuses. They want to keep that distinction and keep it that way. They were originally scheduled to have their primary in February. But again, Florida kind of throwing everything up in the air.
Now, the decision could have a big impact on the candidates who are in, but also the uncommitted candidates like New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. Heard a lot of talk about him possibly getting in lately, and also Sarah Palin. New Hampshire has moved up the filing date for these candidates. It now starts in about two weeks and ends before the end of the month. So that means anybody who wants to get into the race has less time to make up their minds or their names will not be on the ballot.
Five minutes past the hour. Let me turn to Italy now and a trial going on. People on trial for not predicting an earthquake. Six scientists and one former government official in Italy back in court today and they are facing manslaughter charges. They're blamed for failing to predict an earthquake that killed more than 300 people back if 2009. This case has raised a lot of new questions about responsibility and accountability for forecasters. Scientists could face up to 15 years in prison. Much more on this case later in the show. We will be live in Italy.
But let me say good morning to our Reynolds Wolf right now.
Reynolds, we talked about this a week or so ago in this case. Can you imagine you giving a forecast and someone saying, hey, he wasn't exactly accurate and people were -- had flood damage or, God forbid, somebody got killed and somebody came after you and tried to sue you for that?
REYNOLDS WOLF, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, that would be some serious business.
HOLMES: Yes.
WOLF: That would be really, really bad. Very interesting to watch how that case goes. And the biggest danger is, will it set some precedent for other people, other spots, like, say, the United States.
I can tell you with pretty good confidence that we're going to see some heavy rain today in parts of the Northeast. And that's really terrible news because parts of the region, especially in portions of New York and then back into Pennsylvania, has had plenty of rainfall just in September. Now as we kick off the month of October, it looks like we might see anywhere from one to two, perhaps even two to three inches of rainfall in parts of Pennsylvania and New York, exactly where they don't need it.
We're going to talk more about that forecast. Plus, we have an update on the tropics, a couple of storms in the Atlantic to talk about. And, of course, a super typhoon in the Pacific. It's all moments away -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right, Reynolds, thank you kind sir. We'll see Reynolds plenty throughout the morning.
We have a piece of video I'm going to show you now. And this video is video that Casey Anthony's attorneys didn't want the jury to see, didn't want the public it to see, but you are about to see it now.
Let me show you a grainy surveillance tape. This is from the jailhouse medical facility. That's her highlighted, Casey Anthony. This video is from 2008. And what you're seeing here is Casey Anthony. This is her reaction. She kind of rocks back and forth and moves around and shivers a bit. This is when she first saw news reports that a child's remains were found near the Anthony home. There was a television there apparently where she was watching and saw this news. But the remains were identified as that of two-year-old Caylee more than a week later.
Now, the judge originally said that the tape was too inflammatory to be played in court. Casey Anthony, as you know, was acquitted of murder in the case of her daughter's death. Her attorneys said Caylee died accidentally.
Now let me turn to Pittsburgh now where several air traffic controllers are in trouble after letting planes take off from a closed runway. Warning lights on the runway were damaged by lightning strikes, but the control panel in the tower was also damaged. That means the controllers didn't know the runway was closed anyway. But, still, maintenance workers may have been on the runway when the five planes took off. Could have been a dangerous situation here. No one was injured. The planes took off without incident. But the controllers now are having to take a refresher course as part of their punishment.
Eight minutes past the hour now. And Troy Davis is being laid to rest just a few hours from now. This is video of his memorial service on Friday in Savannah, Georgia. Supporters showed up wearing "I am Troy Davis" t-shirts. Davis, the Georgia death row inmate whose case sparked international cries for clemency based on questions about the evidence and the testimony against him. He was executed September 21st.
Well, Bank of America customers are threatening to just cut up their debit cards instead of having to pay new fees that the bank is proposing. Bank of America says they're adding a $5 monthly charge if you use your debit card for anything other than getting money out of the ATM. You heard me correctly. If you use that ATM card once a month anywhere to buy something, you're going to get charged a $5 monthly fee. That comes out to, I'm sure you can do the math, $60 a year to use your own money. Much more on the Bank of America decision and what other banks are doing. That's in our 7:00 hour.
Well, I want you to stick around for a story you'll certainly remember, but another part of the story we saw play out last night. A young boy got to throw out the first pitch at the baseball game. The first playoff game of the season. A whole lot more to this story. The six-year-old's return to the ballpark last night was a dream come true, but it was a heartbreaking moment at the same time. We'll explain. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Well, good morning to you all. Good morning, Atlanta. Here's a shot of downtown Atlanta. The sun not quite up here just yet, but the song you're listening to, Joan Jett there --
WOLF: There's nothing better than hearing Joan Jett scream as you look at the beautiful backdrop of the city of Atlanta.
HOLMES: Some call it singing, Reynolds.
WOLF: I call it a blood curdling scream.
HOLMES: Wow. OK.
WOLF: Which can -- it's just as potent as any strong cup of coffee to wake up on a beautiful Saturday morning where it feels like fall in the air. It feels like time for SEC football, does it not?
HOLMES: Well, it's been time for that. But the song here, the scream, is going to possibly get Joan Jett into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Throughout the morning, we'll play some of these songs for you. But this song, or this -- Joan Jett nominated is now looking at possibly on the ballot to get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
WOLF: I couldn't be happier. That song is basically my life story in musical form.
HOLMES: All right.
WOLF: Yes.
HOLMES: We're 11 minutes past the hour. Let's get back to some stuff you know about. What is this -- how is tropical storm -- in parts of Bermuda? A tropical storm watch? Is that correct?
WOLF: Well, we've got -- yes, yes. What we have in Bermuda is a pretty interesting scenario. We've got Ophelia. And it's pretty easy to see right here. You've got Bermuda. Just a tiny speck. Hard to even see on this particular map. Let's put Bermuda right there. And we're expecting this storm to actually make its way a little bit to the east. But, still, T.J., this is a big, big, mammoth hurricane. This is a major hurricane and still some of the strongest winds are going to go right through Bermuda.
I can tell you, though, from being in Bermuda just last year with the hurricane, we had Hurricane Igor, the island is built like a fortress. So they should be able to handle it. Still, there's going to be the potential of widespread tree damage, a lot of power outages. So we'll watch it for you very carefully. However, Bermuda, not expected to take a direct hit. That is the good news.
The path we have on that category three hurricane, again, expected to veer more to the east of Bermuda, then moving up just east of Halifax, eventually St. John's, where it will begin to fizzle out. Possible get absorbed by a frontal boundary, become ex-tropical, and then pull fast to the north. So that's the good news.
Next up, Philippe. Tropical Storm Philippe with winds of 65. So this is a fairly potent tropical storm. This, too, will also veer its away a bit more to the north. So that's the good news. We're looking at Ophelia there. But, thankfully, no issues with either of the storms affecting the U.S. mainland. Maybe some enhanced surf, but that's going to be the worst you're going to get.
The next 30 seconds we're going to show you the situation in parts of the northeast. It is going to be a damp one at that. It was a very, very wet month for parts of the keystone state of Pennsylvania and the empire state of New York. They can expect the potential of one to two, perhaps as much as two to three inches of rainfall, which could cause some flash flooding in some spots. Pretty dry for you in portions of the southeast and much cooler sun. Plenty of sunshine in -- actually some fairly warm conditions in parts of the northern plains, back into Montana, especially in Billings, 90 degrees for you trout fishermen out there. Be prepared for that as you're fly-fishing. Sixty-five in San Francisco. Eighty-three in Albuquerque. Beautiful, Dallas at 86. And wrapping it up in Atlanta with 67 degrees. Dallas should be interesting. Of course, the big football game here today, T.J. We're talking, of course, about your Razorbacks and Texas A&M.
HOLMES: Of course. Yes.
WOLF: Could be fun.
HOLMES: Or it could be just another bad afternoon for me.
WOLF: Which for me would be fun.
HOLMES: This --
WOLF: (INAUDIBLE) bad afternoon.
HOLMES: All right. Well, we'll stick on the sports front there.
The Red Sox -- I mean the man broke the core (ph) curse for them, all right? Francona. Two championships in Boston in eight years and now he's out of a job after one bad -- it was a really bad postseason or season ending drought that they had. But, still, if you haven't heard by now, Terry Francona is out of his job as manager of the Boston Red Sox.
And we don't know exactly how this all went down necessarily. Two sides having two different stories about it. But the Red Sox, as you know, lost 20 of their last 27 games. They had a nine-game lead in September, but then the Tampa Bay Rays came a charging and they were just a stinking. So now they're done.
Take a listen at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERRY FRANCONA, FORMER RED SOX MANAGER: I felt frustrated with -- like I just said, my inability to reach maybe guys that I've been able to in the past, or affect the outcome a little bit differently. And that bothers me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOMES: He's taking some responsibility there, as you hear. But, still, a lot of people scratching their heads. He broke the curse. Two championships in eight years.
WOLF: I think he was a great manager.
HOLMES: Yes. Of course. WOLF: I love the guy. And I know we're not supposed to be biased, but I am definitely biased towards him. He can manage but players go to play. And there are a lot of guys who didn't step it up. Sorry.
HOLMES: Period. That's not his fault, Terry Francona.
WOLF: Yes.
HOLMES: You know he's going to land somewhere else.
Let's turn to another story. And you all will remember this, July 7th, at the ballpark in Arlington. Firefighter Shannon Stone, there he is, catching that ball. But after you see him, he's reaching for that ball, he fell some 20 feet over that railing. His six-year-old son is right next to him and watches his father fall down. The firefighter eventually died.
Now, let's move forward in this story to what we saw last night and the son -- it made -- he made his first trip back to that Texas stadium for last night's game. And watch this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) first pitch for game one of the 2000 --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: A great looking pitch and -- that picture right there will just get you.
What you're seeing there is the young man. He actually got to throw out the first pitch, the first playoff game last night. Cooper Stone is his name, six years old. But he threw out the pitch. You see some people in the stands just crying at this moment. But he threw the pitch to Josh Hamilton. That's his favorite player, but also Josh Hamilton is the one who had actually tossed that ball up into the stadium that his dad, that Cooper's dad, was reaching for when he fell to his death.
So just a great moment last night for the young man. Some of these pictures, the one -- that one is just gold, Reynolds.
WOLF: Unreal. Just great.
HOLMES: That is just great. So it's his first trip back and he got to meet his hero. He got to throw out that pitch. But, you know he would prefer to just have his dad back. Just an unfortunate set of circumstances. Glad they at least did this for the young man last night.
WOLF: Unbelievable. Just a great thing for baseball. Great thing for him. Certainly a great thing for all of us. And totally as an aside, take the emotion out of it, good form. Great form. Good follow- through. Good pitch, man.
HOLMES: Yes, he's a good -- he's clearly a good athlete. WOLF: Unbelievable.
HOLMES: We'll see him later.
All right, Reynolds, we'll see you later. Thank you so much.
WOLF: Good.
HOLMES: We're 16 minutes past the hour now. We're going to turn to the drama in a Los Angeles courtroom. Michael Jackson's final moments. Stay with us on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Eighteen minutes past the hour now.
And the doctor who pronounced Michael Jackson dead testified that the pop star had, quote, "signs of a dying heart," and was clinically dead on arrival. Ted Rowlands now has a recap of all the week one drama of the trial and a look ahead to week two of Dr. Conrad Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial.
TED ROWLANDS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: T.J., in week one, of course, we heard a lot of testimony from prosecution witnesses that were at Michael Jackson's house or with him in the hours and days before his death. And those people that were there when Michael Jackson was unresponsive and they were trying to revive him. On Friday we heard from those two paramedics that came to Jackson's home and unsuccessfully tried to provide CPR to Jackson. They testified to the jury that they thought Jackson was cold to the touch and almost blueish in color, meaning that he may have been in that state for some time before they arrived.
But the most compelling testimony that prosecutors got out of those ambulance drivers, or the paramedics, was that they said they asked Dr. Murray point blank, what have you given him? What drugs are in Michael Jackson's body? And Dr. Murray, they say, never mentioned Propofol.
Well, next week we're likely to hear from the doctors at the UCLA Medical Center, and they are expected to tell a very similar story. That when Jackson arrived with Murray in the ambulance, they, too, asked, what have you given him? And there was no mention of Propofol. That, of course, prosecutors would hope would show a sign that Murray was trying to cover up his tracks that he was using Propofol with Michael Jackson, which is highly irregular and, of course, is the reason he's on trial here because it caused Michael Jackson's death.
Next week we'll also likely hear from a couple of the detectives who were assigned to this case. And we may also hear from a couple of Dr. Murray's girlfriends. One of those girlfriends lives here in Los Angeles. That's where Dr. Murray had all that Propofol shipped too. The other in Houston, Texas. She was the woman that Murray was on the phone with when he realized that Michael Jackson was in trouble -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right, thanks as always to our Ted Rowlands.
Testimony will resume on Monday. You can certainly stay with CNN for all the latest.
Well, 20 minutes past the hour now.
And a Ferris wheel, it's supposed to be fun, right? Well, not in Australia. A small plane crashes into the ride, trapping people in the wreckage for more than an hour. We'll tell you how all this ended in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Twenty-four minutes past the hour. Now let's say good morning to Nadia Bilchik for our "Morning Passport."
Saudi Arabia been in the news a lot lately.
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Yes.
HOLMES: And maybe some people were surprised to hear it, women up until at least a couple days ago not a allowed to vote. Also, still, not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia.
BILCHIK: Correct. And it was very interesting because last Sunday, King Abdullah announces that although women couldn't vote in this election, in the next election, which, by the way, is only around 2015 --
HOLMES: We've got years.
BILCHIK: Women will not only be allowed to vote, but run for municipal council.
HOLMES: Well, that's huge for him to just say that.
BILCHIK: Exactly. And then just a few days later, a woman is sentenced to 10 lashes for driving and he quickly revokes it. And that's the point, is he quickly revokes it. So the cynical view, T.J., is that he's just doing it to appease the people. Again, looking at the Arab spring and saying, this must not happen. What can I do to appease people.
But the more optimistic view is that King Abdullah is, in fact, a reformer. And one has to understand that he has a lot of opposition within his own government by the more fundamental Wahhabis. So, for him, this is huge. For King Abdullah, who is seen, in fact, as a reformer. And by quickly revoking this -- the lashing for the woman who was accused of driving and then getting 10 lashes, again, it shows that he's looking to reform.
Now, remember that in 2011, if a woman walked into -- well, up until June of this year almost, if a woman walked into a store and wanted to buy a bra and panties, she had to do it from a man sales associate. What he's done is said women can at least sell lingerie to each other. HOLMES: OK. Now, is this -- and you say there's a cynical view there and we still have to wait some four or five years -- four years before women can actually vote. But, for the most part, I mean this is some immediate -- not immediate action, but it was pretty quick action and repetitive action by him. Is this a sign that things are going to change?
BILCHIK: Women feel very much that this is a sign of things are going to change.
HOLMES: OK.
BILCHIK: And that King Abdullah -- and, again, he's a little bit between a rock and a hard place. He would like to bring about much more reform. Barbara Walters interviewed him in around 2005 and he said he would like women to be able to drive. But, again, he has the opposition within his own government. So we're seeing a big change.
But I spoke to a Muslim rights activist, Melody Moezzi, and she says, you know, it's very anti-Islam that women cannot drive because, in fact, the Prophet Muhammad's wife, Khadijah, his first wife, was the most powerful businesswoman in Mecca. So hopefully for Saudi Arabian women they will certainly be allowed to drive because at this point they have to have a driver and it's so ironic because the reason to not drive is that you won't be in the company of strange men, and yet so many of the drivers come from other countries and are strange men. So hard for us as Americans, right, to understand that women can't drive --
HOLMES: To comprehend that, yes.
BILCHIK: But hopefully will be able to and certainly vote coming up.
HOLMES: We'll see if that's --
BILCHIK: So progress is being made in Saudi Arabia.
HOLMES: We'll see if that vote, then drive. It's amazing it goes in that order.
Nadia Bilchik with our "Morning Passport." Thank you.
We're going to see Nadia again a little later this morning.
Something I want to show you now are some terrifying moments in Australia. An ultra light plane crashed into, of all things, a Ferris wheel at a town fair. Take a look at this. The plane barely missed a nine-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl. Got tangled up in the Ferris wheel. Dangled there for nearly an hour and a half. Kids were finally rescued. The pilot and passenger on that plane finally got out of there as well. And can you believe this part of the story? Nobody was injured.
Well, we have a political chess match going on, but not between the candidates, between states, fighting over who's going to go first. After Florida changed its primary date, New Hampshire could be following suit, and we could be voting in December.
Also this morning, the repercussions of killing Anwar al-Awlaki. A look at why the White House is so mum on the killing of the U.S.-born terrorist. It's 28 past the hour.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: We're at the bottom of the hour on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. Welcome back to you all. Thank you for spending part of your day here with us. I'm T.J. Holmes.
And we begin at the bottom of the hour here with a warning that's coming from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. They are telling local law enforcement to be prepared for possible retaliatory attacks for the government's killing of Anwar al-Awlaki. Al-Awlaki was a key member of al Qaeda, was can killed in a CIA drone strike in Yemen.
But as chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin reports, this case opens up new questions about the legality of targeted killings.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JESSICA YELLIN, CNN CHIEF WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: T.J., national security experts say typically in a situation like this, there would be an administration-wide review. Then, the president would personally authorize the capture or killing of a terrorist like al- Awlaki. But in this instance, the White House is staying silent on all of it.
(voice-over): It's President Obama's latest successful strike on a wanted al Qaeda terrorist.
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The death of Awlaki is a major blow to the most active operational affiliate. Awlaki was the leader of external operations for al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
YELLIN: But this time, it's different. Awlaki was an American. This may be the first U.S. killing of an American target with no trial, no indictment.
VINCENT WARREN, EXEC. DIR., CTR. FOR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS: The problem here is that the U.S. has done something that I don't think it's ever done before. It has killed one of its citizens somewhere else around the world without any due process at all. This is about rule of law and this is about rules to keep us all safe.
YELLIN: Warren's organization sued to take Awlaki off a terrorist kill list and loss. The White House wouldn't offer a legal justification for targeting an American.
JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: It goes to the assumptions about the circumstances of his death, and I'm not going it to address that. I'm not going to speak hypothetically.
YELLIN: An adviser to the U.S. State Department explained the government's logic for killing anyone on the terrorist capture or kill list regardless of nationality.
HAROLD KOH: A state that has engaged in armed conflict or in legitimate self-defense is not required to provide targets or legal process before the state may use lethal force.
YELLIN: There's no question this administration viewed Awlaki as a threat for some time.
MICHAEL LEITER, DIR., NATL. COUNTERTERRORISM CENTER: Actually consider al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula with Awlaki as a leader of that organization probably the most significant risk to the U.S. homeland.
YELLIN: Politically, the White House has support from both parties. Republican Congressman Peter king says, quote, "It was entirely legal. And from a top Democrat --
REP. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER (D), RANKING MEMBER, INTELLIGENCE CMTE.: It's legal. It's legitimate and we're taking out someone who has attempted to attack us on numerous occasions.
YELLIN (voice-over): So why won't the White House explain its legal justification for the killing? Well, that would be a tacit admission that the U.S. was involved in the killing and it would seem the Obama administration wants to distance itself from an action that the Yemeni people could perceive as foreign intervention in their country -- T.J.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: All right. Thanks to our Jessica Yellin.
We turn to New Hampshire now. Moving up its primary and the secretary of state is not ruling out the possibility that primary could happen at the end of this year. Yes, December, around the holidays maybe even. Now, that's one possibility.
It could also move to January some time but it's the first move of an expected multistate domino effect after Florida decided to push its primary up to January 31st. Candidates who want to run for the White House in 2012 now have to file an intent to compete in New Hampshire by October 28th.
And Wall Street marking the end of a brutal quarter with more losses. The Dow tumbled 240 points yesterday capping the worst three-month stretch since the financial crisis began.
And some Bank of America customers, and you may be one of them, venting right now. Twitter is one place people went to really vent. They are furious that the bank is planning to charge them $5 a month to access their own money when they use their debit cards. Credit researchers told CNN Money that most of the angry customers won't bail because changing banks is actually kind of hard to do. He said they'll probably use credit cards instead which may work in Bank of America's favor anyway because you'll then be charged interest fees.
Well, an important note, an important warning for you this morning, if you like those cantaloupes, check them and possibly throw them out. The CDC said if it's cantaloupe from Jensen Farms in Colorado, throw it away, period. Fifteen people have died from an outbreak of Listeria linked to the tainted cantaloupes. More than 80 people have gotten sick and the CDC says you may already be infected with the bacteria you just don't know it yet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS FRIEDEN, DIR., CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL: It can take three weeks after you eat contaminated product before you become ill, and can take as much as two months to become ill. Furthermore, some people may still have the Jensen Farm cantaloupe in their refrigerators. If you have a cantaloupe that's labeled as something other than Jensen Farm then it's OK to eat.
But if the label looks like this, that's what the Jensen Farm label looks like, then it is not safe to eat. Throw it out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: The Listeria bacteria causes flu-like symptoms. The infection, as you know, can also be deadly. Jensen Farms recalled its Rocky Ford brand cantaloupe. All of the tainted melons are probably off the store shelves by now.
But, still, you could have eaten one of these things a couple weeks ago and still could be another few weeks or even months before you get sick or feel sick.
Listeria fears are also behind a recall of bagged lettuce. True Leaf Farms is recalling tens of thousands of bags of their shredded romaine lettuce that was shipped to 19 states and Canada. It has a "use by" date of September 29th.
Well, 37 minutes past the hour now. Ladies, this is what I'd like for you to do. Pour yourself another cup of coffee.
Not just because it's morning time. Not just because you need that jolt. But because it turns out this could actually be good for your health, long term. I'm talking to a Harvard professor next who will tell us why women may really get a benefit from this morning addiction.
Stay with me. He's next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Good morning, Memphis and West Memphis.
Thirty-nine minutes past the hour.
No daylight just yet there. But, still, we get the idea. You are hearing one of the nominees, Donna Summers, one of 15 bands, groups, singers, performers nominated for this year's rock 'n' roll hall of fame class. We'll be sharing these with you throughout the morning. Now, something you may be sharing right now with someone, a cup of coffee. A lot of people need that cup of coffee in the morning just to get their day started. Now, a study from Harvard says coffee may actually be a really good thing especially for women. It could reduce depression in the long term.
Let me join now, Dr. Alberto Ascherio. He's a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health and senior author of the study.
Sir, good morning to you. So, let's be clear here, we're talking about the caffeine in the coffee is good for you not necessarily the coffee itself. Is that correct?
DR. ALBERTO ASCHERIO, HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: Yes. Good morning. Yes. Decaffeinated coffee is not associated with depression. That is how we know it is caffeine.
HOLMES: All right. Now, how many cups of coffee are we talking about and over how long a period before you actually saw an impact?
ASCHERIO: When we followed the 50,000 women for 10 years and those who drank four cups of coffee per day had a 20 percent lower risk of developing depression. So, up to four or five cups of coffee per day is OK.
HOLMES: Now, sir, that sounds like a lot of coffee. What's the -- I guess, what's the downside to drinking that much coffee? The caffeine may be good for you, but could you get some negative side effects?
ASCHERIO: Well, some people do have some intolerance. That is really an individual response. But in the long term, there is no adverse effect of coffee for people who drink it regularly.
HOLMES: Now you said three, four cups maybe. Now the more you drink, does that -- is there a greater decrease of your chances of this long- term depression? So if you drink three or four cups your chances decrease a certain percentage but if you drink six, seven, eight cups, do you have a greater chance of not getting depression?
ASCHERIO: No. Certainly not.
HOLMES: Doesn't work like that, huh?
ASCHERIO: Four to six is the highest level that was consumed in our population. I would not recommend anyone to increase their coffee intake.
HOLMES: Well, that's a good distinction to make.
And we're talking coffee specifically. But, of course, there are other sources of caffeine, specifically soft drinks. But is it specifically coffee here that you could expect the impact because there's so much more caffeine in coffee than in a soft drink?
ASCHERIO: Yes. A cup of coffee is much more caffeine than a soft drink or even a cup of tea. So, it's difficult to reach those levels of caffeine by drinking other beverages.
HOLMES: What about men? You studied women in this study. But can you expect it to have the same impact on men?
ASCHERIO: Most likely. A small study in Finland years ago suggested a similar effect in men. So, we hope to examine this question in men, also.
HOLMES: Have you found -- and there have been studies over years that have shown some beneficial -- some benefits of caffeine, have we seen anything that you would warn people to stay away from caffeine? I guess, how is it bad for you?
ASCHERIO: Well, not really for a regular moderate the intake of caffeine. There is really no adverse effect. But we want people who never drink coffee or caffeine, you know, we're not recommending people to start because people who don't drink coffee, their main reason and they may have an intolerance of level of anxiety. So, we're talking about regular coffee drinkers here.
HOLMES: And the last thing here, sir, we're talking about people think they get a short-term jolt from coffee, drinking it every morning. But is it fair to say your results seem to say that there is a long-term jolt to it? Is that a good way to put it?
ASCHERIO: Yes. That's the key point. We all know that a cup of coffee makes you feel better. The question is you don't know what happened after 10, 15 years. So people who drink coffee can be assured that there is no wrong in it doing it and, in fact, there may be benefits in keeping their coffee consumption.
HOLMES: All right. And just to make sure, you're not working for Folger's or anything like that. You don't work for some coffee company. This is independent, right?
ASCHERIO: No, I don't. I have no relationship.
HOLMES: Well, I'm sure they'll be happy to hear, though, that there are some upsides, some benefits to coffee.
Dr. Ascherio, we appreciate you taking the time and sharing this with our viewers, our morning viewers, who are, of course, up drinking coffee right the now. You enjoy the rest of your weekend.
ASCHERIO: Thanks. My pleasure.
HOLMES: All right. We're 44 minutes past the hour now.
And a story we're start to go get your comments on now, getting married with the option to renew. You get what I'm saying here? A whole new type of union. You can get married but on a two-year contract with the option to renew if things are going well.
Is that a good idea? We'll tell you where this could be happening. Stay with me on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
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WOLF: GNR actually. How about that?
HOLMES: Is that what they're called, GNR?
WOLF: GNR, that's right. You don't have that on the rotation?
HOLMES: I do not have that.
WOLF: Oh, please. I'm sure you play that non-stop.
HOLMES: They're the jungle folks, "Welcome to the Jungle." I know that one. That was a theme song for my four years of college.
WOLF: Man, unbelievable.
HOLMES: But we're playing some of these songs for you this morning, Guns N Roses, you heard Donna Summers and Joan Jett as well. There are some of the nominees to the rock 'n' roll Hall of Fame this year. We'll have to see if they actually get in, get nominated. People have to vote. We shall see.
WOLF: I thought a day without Guns N Roses isn't a day worth living.
HOLMES: Today is worth living since you have your Guns N Roses this morning.
WOLF: Absolutely.
HOLMES: How -- do we have any trouble spots? I'd kind of like to start with that now because it seems it's been a little quiet, relatively speaking.
WOLF: We have -- we have a couple of very, very big storms in the Atlantic. Thankfully, we're not expecting any of them to have any contact with the United States. That doesn't mean we don't care about our friends in Bermuda. We love you, Bermuda. But I think Bermuda is going to be OK.
The biggest threat we have weather-wise, T.J., is heavy rain possible in parts of Pennsylvania, New York, both have been in the news for some flooding. More rain in store for them today. I know, we don't need it but it happens.
Let's hop over and show you what's going on in parts of the Northeast. Let's get you started with the radar. And you can see plain and simple, a lot of blue popping up, a little bit of green. We have the green as your heaviest precipitation. Fortunately, much of that is moving through parts of Pennsylvania and back into New York.
If you're tuning in this morning from Schenectady -- good morning, Schenectady. You can expect the rain to be picking up through the midday hours especially into the afternoon. Here is the culprit -- this area of low pressure will be digging its way to the East. Right behind it, you got some cold air. But you also got that wrap around moisture that's going to keep things pretty damp for you.
Flash flooding is going to be a possibility in places with poor drainage and places that, quite frankly, have been inundated with a lot of rain. The ground is saturated. It will cause some run-off.
Breezy conditions can be expected for portions of I'd say Tennessee, back in Alabama, even Mississippi. If you're going out and checking out some of the leaves in the Appalachians, near Knoxville, it's going to be delightful for you. Beautiful day -- plenty of sunshine for Central Plains and Southern Plains.
When you get up in parts of the Northern Rockies, what we're going to see is not only a line of sunshine, but with it, some fairly warm conditions. For example, take a look at Billings, Montana, expecting a high of 90 degrees for today. Keep in mind relatively dry heat, so it's not the going to feel too muggy for you.
Eighty-five degrees in Salt Lake City, 65 in San Francisco, 83 in Albuquerque, 86 in Dallas, 71 in Memphis, 57 in Chicago, and 60 degrees in Washington as we wrap it up, 86 in Tampa.
All right, T.J., that is the latest. Let's pitch it back to you.
HOLMES: Let me give you a warning, Reynolds, on the next story. Just be careful, all right, with your comments. Just be careful here, all right?
WOLF: Right.
HOLMES: We're going to tell but a story, I teased it a second ago, marriage, not until death do us part but until it comes up for renewal. All right?
WOLF: A contract?
HOLMES: With a contract. They are proposing this in Mexico. Couples in Mexico City. If you want to get married, you don't just get married until death do us part. They are proposing now to give you a marriage license that is temporary with a minimum two years. So, when that two years is up, you re-assess and say, all right, we're still happy. Let's keep this thing going. Or you can say, this it didn't work out. And you're done and you don't have to go through the whole process of a divorce.
They're trying to do this because they have high divorce rates in Mexico City. Lawmakers there are now proposing this and trying to help people out and spare them a difficult divorce.
I don't know.
WOLF: Wow.
HOLMES: Your producer is like, oh, my goodness, Reynolds, watch your mouth. WOLF: That is certainly some scary times, man. That is some interesting things. Wow. Options, options, options. Goodness.
I'm just afraid there are times that Mrs. Wolf just might want to exercise that option and just pull the rip cord, you know?
HOLMES: That's a good point. Because people would be threatened for the whole two years. What, you don't want to act right? I'm going to drop you in a couple years.
WOLF: Absolutely. Understandably so, there's reason for concern about that. But I don't know.
I mean, in some cases, it might be kind of interesting. That's all I'm going to say. There are times you can give comments and times you need to just kind of zip it.
HOLMES: This is a zip it moment.
All right. We want to know what you all think. I put this out already, some of you commenting. One Ivan Dekey (ph) is saying, "Until death do you part, or the contract expires, whichever comes first." He doesn't like the idea.
Somebody else say that's not a marriage. That's a business deal. Others are saying, hey, with the divorce rates the way they are, why not? People do prenups all the time. That's not romantic necessarily.
WOLF: No. It kind of, baby, I love so much, you're wonderful, please sign this contract. It kind of takes away a little bit of the beauty and splendor of marriage.
HOLMES: Yes. But you can send us a tweet @TJHolmes and you're at what?
WOLF: I'm @ReynoldsWolfCNN.
HOLMES: @ReynoldsWolfCNN or @TJHolmes. We're going to share some more of these comments, but it's getting a good conversation going in, make you think. Reynolds, thank you.
WOLF: I'm thinking I'm going to get out of here.
HOLMES: All right. As we get close to the top of the hour, on trial for not predicting an earthquake? This is going on in Italy right now. They say they didn't see an earthquake coming, but some are saying they should have. Really? We're heading live to Italy.
Stay with me.
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HOLMES: As we get closer to the top of the hour now:
A trial going on in Italy. Scientists on trial accused of not predicting an earthquake that killed some 300 people back in 2009.
Our Paula Newton is there in Italy for us live.
And, Paula, a lot of people in this country at least hearing this story shaking their heads. How is this even possible? You can't predict an earthquake. We'll talk about that.
But, also, you just got off the phone with one of the attorneys, I understand. You have an update for us. Tell us.
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, those trials have been postponed until the middle of the month and the reason is that the prosecutors are saying that, look, a lot of the video has to be reviewed. The defense has said we -- if you're presenting these videos, we want to see them.
What's really interesting is what's in these videos. Just a few days before that earthquake in L'Aquila, T.J., there was a commission set up and it met in order to discuss, OK, what are the risks, what could happen in this region and others in Italy -- realizing that Italy is a seismic region.
So, what did they say? Situation is pretty stable, they said. We will continue to have small tremors but they seem to be -- the risk seems to be minimized. The earth is releasing energy at a very steady rate.
One of the reporters then says to the scientists, so, that means we should all have a glass of wine if we're hearing the earth move, we're feeling the earth move. And he said, "Yes, we can all go ahead and have a glass of wine."
At issue here, T.J., if you're in your house and you feel a tremor, an earthquake, what are you thinking? Are you thinking that the scientists just told us that the seismic risk is severe and we need to start running, screaming out of our homes, or, are you thinking, hey, wait a minute, they told us this is going to happen. That is what is at issue.
And the charges are quite serious. It is manslaughter. These scientists and one of them is a government employee, they could, in fact, go to prison for 15 years.
And the point the residents in L'Aquila are thinking about, T.J., and I was there. You know, you're seeing centuries old churches crumble and they were in a state of terror for many weeks after this earthquake, they're thinking, look, these scientists and the government told us this would be OK. And for that reason, we did not all of a sudden run screaming out of our homes -- T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Paula Newton with the update for us. We'll check in with you again. Thank you much.
And as we get close to the top of the hour here on this CNN SATURDAY MORNING. One of the creators of Doritos will be laid to rest today with his chips. We'll tell you what the family is planning to do at the burial today.
Stay with me.
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