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CNN Live Sunday
Missing Florida Girl's Body Recovered
Aired April 17, 2005 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks to all my stellar colleagues and thank you for watching ON THE STORY. We'll be back next week. Hope to see you then. Straight ahead, a check of what's making new right now on CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
ZAIN VERJEE (ph), CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is 11:00 a.m. on the east coast, 8:00 a.m. on the west. I'm Zain Verjee at CNN global headquarters. Church services this morning for Sara Lunde. The cardinals have only a few hours left before their sessions to choose a new pope. And --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK MCCARTHY, YANKEE FAN: Well, I'd like to say as a future hall of famer, saved a future hall of famer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VERJEE: This young man's favorite baseball player saved his life and it doesn't get any better than that. But first a look at the top stories in the news now.
Iraqi security forces are going door to door just south of Baghdad in search of Shias reportedly kidnapped by Sunni insurgents. They were apparently abducted during a raid on a Shia mosque yesterday. According to Iraqi police sources, four to six Shias were kidnapped.
Elsewhere in Iraq, an insurgent mortar attack has killed three U.S. soldiers, seven others were wounded. The attack targeted a U.S. military camp in Ramadi.
More 10,000 members of a conservative Muslim party staged anti- Israeli protests in Indonesian cities, including this one in Jakarta. Speakers blasted Israel and shouted anti-American slogans. They are demanding that Washington stop financial and political support for Israel. The rally comes days before a summit between Asian and African leaders which will likely discuss Palestinian support.
China is offering no apologies to Japan for three weekends of sometimes violent anti-Japanese protests there. About a thousand demonstrators in northeastern China clashed with riot police today as they marched toward the Japanese consulate. They're protesting Japan's wartime history and Japan's efforts to gain a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
Teams of health experts are trying to contain a vicious outbreak of the Marburg virus in Angola, but they aren't predicting success any time soon. The "New York Times" is reporting that the virus, which resembles Ebola, has erupted there with a vengeance, killing nine out of every 10 people infected. Some 230 people have died so far.
An autopsy won't confirm it, but the sheriff in Ruskin, Florida says there's little double that the body found in a pond is that of 13-year old Sarah Michelle Lunde. About an hour ago, friends and community members gathered for a memorial service. CNN's Sara Dorsey is there. She joins us now. Sara?
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Zain, that service is still taking place as we speak. It's being called a memory service at this point because Sarah's immediate family is not here. I can tell you, many of the people here have been waiting throughout this search to get more information. Of course, many of them were here at Sarah's church, whenever the tragic news came in last night that her body had indeed been found. They have been talking about her throughout this memory service. Here's a bit of what they had to say this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I loved Sarah and we loved her here and she was a daughter to a single mother and a family, but she's also a daughter to a church and to a community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DORSEY: And CNN has learned some very tragic details about this crime. According to law enforcement agents, Sarah's killer apparently weighed down her body trying to keep it under the water. We now know that was unsuccessful according to the sheriff's office. Her body was found yesterday morning at about 10:00 by a search crew with a search dog in an abandoned fish farm about a half file from her home. So far, the sheriff's office says they are not naming anything suspects, but they are talking to 36-year-old David Onstott. He is a convicted sex offender who once had a relationship with Lunde's mother and he also apparently stopped by the house according to a family member, unexpectedly on Sunday after Sarah had disappeared.
Now the sheriff's office says the search here is still ongoing as they look for more evidence. The investigators are planning on draining that body of water where Sarah was found in order to see if there's anything in there that they may need to collect. They are also asking neighbors to keep a lookout for any clothing items that possibly look out of place. They say those could be used for evidence as well. Zain?
VERJEE: The autopsy hasn't officially confirmed it although authorities are saying that there's little doubt. When will we get that official confirmation? Do we know?
DORSEY: Well, autopsies itself as far as cause of death and things like that may take much longer for us get, weeks possibly. But an identification should be forthcoming in the days to come. It shouldn't take too long, but the sheriff has already told us the body they found did have on a green cast like Sarah did. I think the sheriff is just being cautious, but the confirmation should only take a few more days we would say to get a definite identity. Zain?
VERJEE: Do we know if her parents attended that memorial service?
DORSEY: We do not -- we do know they were not here. They were not expected to be here today. That's why they were calling it a memory service. This is really her church family and many of her friends that were here this afternoon. There possibly could have been extended family members. We do not know that, but the mother was not here today.
VERJEE: Sara Dorsey report, many thanks for that. We're going to hope for more details when the sheriff's office holds a press conference at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time. CNN, will, of course, bring it to you live.
There's top security at a hotel in Vatican City where Catholic cardinals are gathered this Sunday. Tomorrow they begin the task of choosing the next pope. Joining us from Rome is CNN's Jim Bittermann. Jim?
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Zain. In fact, yes, the cardinals are either inside already or they're on their way to the Casa Santa Marta, which is a kind of hotel within the Vatican grounds where they will be staying until they elect a pope. They'll be putting themselves into seclusion this afternoon in preparation for a mass tomorrow morning. The mass books are already out. Here's one of them for a special Catholic mass rite which is for the election of the Roman pontiff, a special rite designed just for this occasion and then at 4:30 local time tomorrow afternoon, they'll be filing in procession into the Sistine chapel and the door will be locked and not to come out until they've elected a pope. Zain?
VERJEE: What's the atmosphere, like Jim in the Sistine chapel? Are there fierce arguments, fierce debating or is it fairly quiet, conversational?
BITTERMANN: I'd probably put it somewhere in between. I think, basically what happens in there is a lot of ritual. There is so much specified about exactly how exactly the voting procedure goes along that basically, people don't have a lot of chance to sort of debate things or talk over things within the Sistine chapel itself. Each voter has to fill out the ballot before a vote. Then they have to file forward. They bring the vote up to an urn that's sitting on the altar that's been created in the Sistine chapel. They put their vote into the urn and they have to make a pledge. They have to make a brief few words before they put the ballot in or as they do and then they have to file back to their chairs.
So you're talking for 115 cardinals to do that, some of them don't walk entirely well. So that you're talking probably just about an hour or so, just to cast the ballots and then you have to open the ballots and the opening is under very formal procedure as well. There's three so-called scrutineers (ph) who take down the names that are voted for and check the names and then there's another three people that are called revisers and they go through and make sure that the scrutineers did their job properly and the right names were counted in the right way.
So all of it takes an enormous amount of time and essentially you're looking at just a lot of ritual that really doesn't allow for a lot of discussion. The real discussion is taking place or will take place we think during the lunch hours and evening hours when the cardinals get together and discuss things and try to some kind of consensus. We know for a fact, having talked to a number of cardinals already, that there really is no consensus on the issues or on the candidates so far. There may be a few candidates that feel like they're ahead of others, but basically, there's no real consensus and no real front-runner at this moment, Zain?
VERJEE: For the first time, Jim, the cardinals are going to be quite comfortable at the Casa Santa Marta. For the first time also, they're allowed to stroll in the gardens of the Vatican for some fresh air. Do you think that it will take longer to choose a new pope because they're so comfortable?
BITTERMANN: Zain, I'm one of the few people who does think that. I'm not sure that the other Vatican experts agree. But I happen to think it could take longer this time. The last time around when they elected John Paul II, the cardinals were sleeping on essentially metal cots with plywood dividers between the cots and no toilet facilities, or very few toilet facilities, bed pans and that sort of thing. So it was very difficult, very uncomfortable and the kind of thing that would concentrate the minds of 70-year-olds to get them to perhaps move a little faster. This time around they're essentially living in a modern hotel, minus television sets and radios, of course. Zain?
VERJEE: The cardinals take an oath of secrecy. The doctors, the nurses, technicians, attending to them also take an oath of secrecy. Why the secrecy in an age of transparency and information?
BITTERMANN: Well, you might ask. I mean I think some of it may be a little bit exaggerated but I think it's basically for historical reasons. I mean over the centuries, there have been a number of occasions when people have tried to influence what the cardinals do inside the conclave. Who is elected pope is a political question and people have tried to influence from the outside. Most recently, of course, Mussolini and Hitler in the 1939 conclave tried to have their candidate for pope selected. They weren't successful.
Nonetheless, the idea is to keep the electors in there and free from any kind of influence and free from any kind of reparations. So for instance, if someone votes for someone, it's discovered who they voted for. When they go back to their home country there might be reprisals for who they voted for. So it's that kind of thing to keep them apart from any kind of pressure of any sort. Zain.
VERJEE: Jim Bittermann in Rome, watching for white smoke. Thanks, Jim.
Beginning tomorrow, Catholics around the world will keep their eyes on a chimney high atop the Sistine chapel. Cardinals will use smoke signals to communicate as they meet in a secret ritual that Jim was describing known as the conclave to select the next pope. More now from CNN's technology correspondent Dan Sieberg.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In an age when the holy sea used a laptop and the pope's followers used the latest technology to witness his burial, both sides will rely on an ancient form of communication, smoke signals to alert the world about a new pope, white smoke if they've decided, black if they haven't. It's the Vatican's equivalent of avoiding a hanging chad. You see, cardinals are not chemists. In 1978, there was confusion over the smoke's color from the Sistine chapel chimney, leading to some premature celebration.
White smoke isn't just good news for the church. It's also good news for the fire department. When they see white smoke, they know that they're making progress with a fire. We decided we'd enlist their help for a little experiment.
So we got some mock ballots here. We're going to throw these in as part of our experiment. And we're going to light it from the bottom, right? So this is kind of like our makeshift chimney here.
During the conclave, the ballots, with the words, I elect as supreme pontiff in Latin are burned after each vote. In our first set up, we also added some dry straw.
It's almost going back and forth. A mix of black and white at first, not exactly definitive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fairly dark as you can see and it would do so until all of the straw and/or the paper has been burned away completely. Of course, unless there's the introduction of water which would make the smoke white.
SIEBERG: And when we tried to damp the straw and water a more dramatic outcome. Why does the water make the smoke white?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Basically, the water is the cooling agent that's coming together with the heat.
SIEBERG: These days to get a more uniform plume, the cardinals add coloring agents and maybe something more homemade.
TRACY MORKIN, EMORY UNIVERSITY: We started with extra virgin olive oil because we had read somewhere on a Web site that extra virgin olive oil was once used to try and make the smoke blacker.
Tracy Morkin is a doctor of chemistry at Emory University. She said it wouldn't be hard to create the blackened effect using any number of flammable products.
MORKIN: What makes it black is just the fact that what you're burning is carbon-based, carbon-based liquids that generally don't burn very cleanly or the combustion isn't complete, so the black comes from carbon. SIEBERG: But for this conclave, the Vatican will not rely entirely on the accuracy of its color code. This time at the request of high tech-inspired John Paul II, bells will also toll, so that there will be no doubt when his successor is chosen. Daniel Sieberg, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: We've been following the case in Florida of Sarah Michelle Lunde whose body was found yesterday. There is a live news conference from the Hillsborough County sheriff at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time. We are going to bring that to you live here on CNN.
A severe storm hits New Mexico yesterday. Heavy rain, hail and even a funnel cloud appeared. Will today be just as bad? Our weather forecast is coming up.
And the new space station crew has arrived. They were welcomed into their new home with hugs from the current crew.
Plus a New York Yankee player is praised in Boston, but it didn't have to do with a play on the baseball field.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VERJEE: This is what some New Mexico residents saw when they looked into the sky yesterday. This is a funnel cloud. It's part of a severe storm system that moved through the state. Meteorologists couldn't confirm the funnel cloud could ever touchdown. If it had, then it would have made it a tornado. For the weekend weather forecast, let's go to CNN's Rob Marciano who joins us now. Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Zain. A very cool video any from the reports I have, that tornado or funnel cloud did not touch down, but definitely neat to see. We're looking at the same spots today where thunderstorms could pop up in generally eastern New Mexico and upper west Texas. Right now not a whole lot going to and the storms that do develop are likely to be not all that severe. I-5 north to south, that's where most of the rain is going to be. They need it. It's been an incredibly dry winter. So any late-season rain and mountain snow they'll get, they'll take.
Meantime, high pressure controlled most of the eastern two-thirds of the country. A little bit of rain trying to fall in places like in lower Michigan, but really, other than that not too shabby. The boat and beach forecast, heading to Nantucket Island or Cape May, temperatures warmer today than they were yesterday, maybe a little bit more sunshine, cloudy at times across the Carolinas. Water temperature still chilly in the 50s, but definitely less wind and generally speaking the air temperature will be warmer than it has been the past couple of days. Dow in South Beach, Miami looking good. Gulf of Mexico waters, Gulf stream looking nice, Panama City, not too shabby and South Padre Island looking good and the beaches of southern California also not too shabby. Enjoy the rest of your week and that's the latest from the weather department. Zain, back over to you. VERJEE: Thanks a lot, Rob.
In other news across America, some scary moments onboard the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship. A huge wave hit the ship as it was headed to New York from the Bahamas. Windows were smashed and water flooded more than 60 rooms. Four passengers suffered some cuts and bruises. The ship's hull was damaged and was diverted to Charleston, South Carolina for repairs.
Police in Pennsylvania are searching for a district attorney who's been missing since Friday. Police say Ray Gricar (ph) didn't return home on Friday night. They found his car last night in a dirt parking lot outside the town of Lewisburg. Police say there's no sign of foul play, but they're processing his car for evidence.
And House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is thanking the National Rifle Association for standing by him as he faces questions about possible ethics violations. DeLay delivered the keynote speech at the NRA's annual convention last night in Houston. He accused the media and liberal Democrats of giving him a hard time.
Mission accomplished so far. The Soyuz has docked and the hatch is open. Crews welcomed each with other warm hugs.
Plus, one baseball player makes a life-saving catch. And this young fan lives to tell about it. We'll hear his story ahead on CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VERJEE: Outgoing crew members of the international space station have met their replacements. The Russian Soyuz capsule carrying the new crew docked flawlessly with the orbiting space station last night. The new arrivals include a Russian cosmonaut, an American astronaut and an Italian astronaut. They received a traditional Russian welcome offering of bread and salt. Their current space station crew, along with the Italian astronaut, are scheduled to return to earth on April 25th.
Now here's Howard Kurtz with a preview of what's scheduled, what's coming up on RELIABLE SOURCES. Howard.
HOWARD KURTZ, CNN ANCHOR, RELIABLE SOURCES: Thanks, Zain. Coming up, a best-selling sports writer is benched for writing about a basketball game before it happened. Could (INAUDIBLE) foul out of journalism?
Tony Kornheiser and John Feinstein face off. Tom Delay says the liberal media are out to get him as the press unfairly targeted the House majority leader. And Sean Hannity caught on tape coaching the guests? That and more just ahead on RELIABLE SOURCES.
VERJEE: Thanks Howard. It was quite a day for this young baseball fan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PATRICK McCARTHY, YANKEE FAN: I saw my favorite baseball player on the Yankees and he just saved my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VERJEE: We'll tell you who his hero is when CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VERJEE: It's the story of a life-saving slugger and his pint- sized protege. Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez slipped up to the plate and saved a budding baseball star by making a last-second grab. Now that boy is telling his story to our Alina Cho.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Patrick McCarthy is one lucky boy.
PATRICK McCARTHY, YANKEE FAN: I saw my favorite baseball player on the Yankees and he just saved my life.
CHO: His favorite player...
ANNOUNCER: Alex Rodriguez.
CHO: Fans call him A-rod, New York Yankees star turned good Samaritan.
ALEX RODRIGUEZ: Right place, right time, I guess.
CHO: Rodriguez was out and about in Boston, Wednesday just hours before a game against the Red Sox when he noticed an oncoming car and a boy, Patrick, who was about to get hit.
RODRIGUEZ: So it was just one of those incidents that I put my arm in front of him and the car almost ran us both over.
CHO: Eight-year-old Patrick was stunned and star struck.
McCARTHY: So I look up and, I was, like A-rod. Wow! And he was, like, are you OK? I was, like, yes, I am. A-rod, my name's Patrick McCarty and I want to play for the Yankees some day.
CHO: Patrick dreams of pitching for the Yankees. So does his father.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How's that Mr. Steinbrenner? Strike three!
CHO: Patrick even plays for a little league team called the Red Sox. Yes, the Red Sox. You see, Patrick and his family live on Martha's Vineyard, not far from Boston, anti-Yankee territory. The McCarthy's are Yankee fans because father, Joe, grew up in New York. It's not always easy. When the Red Sox won the world series last year, Patrick's classmates let him know. McCARTHY: They kind of bugged me about, like they won the World Series and I just would say, like, who's won 26 World Series and who's only won six?
CHO: Now he has the last laugh. An instant celebrity, even recognized outside Yankees stadium.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go Yankees, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go Yankees!
CHO: The McCarthy's are here to take in two Yankee games and see their hero Alex Rodriguez.
JOE McCARTHY, PATRICK'S FATHER: I followed Alex's career from Seattle to Texas. I've seen him play in all-star games and make brilliant plays, but this is his best catch ever.
McCARTHY: What I'd like to say is a future hall of famer saved a future hall of famer.
CHO: Crisis averted, opportunity of a life time. Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: That's it for CNN LIVE SUNDAY. RELIABLE SOURCES is next with Howard Kurtz, but first a check of the headlines now in the news.
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Aired April 17, 2005 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KATHLEEN HAYS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thanks to all my stellar colleagues and thank you for watching ON THE STORY. We'll be back next week. Hope to see you then. Straight ahead, a check of what's making new right now on CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
ZAIN VERJEE (ph), CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is 11:00 a.m. on the east coast, 8:00 a.m. on the west. I'm Zain Verjee at CNN global headquarters. Church services this morning for Sara Lunde. The cardinals have only a few hours left before their sessions to choose a new pope. And --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK MCCARTHY, YANKEE FAN: Well, I'd like to say as a future hall of famer, saved a future hall of famer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VERJEE: This young man's favorite baseball player saved his life and it doesn't get any better than that. But first a look at the top stories in the news now.
Iraqi security forces are going door to door just south of Baghdad in search of Shias reportedly kidnapped by Sunni insurgents. They were apparently abducted during a raid on a Shia mosque yesterday. According to Iraqi police sources, four to six Shias were kidnapped.
Elsewhere in Iraq, an insurgent mortar attack has killed three U.S. soldiers, seven others were wounded. The attack targeted a U.S. military camp in Ramadi.
More 10,000 members of a conservative Muslim party staged anti- Israeli protests in Indonesian cities, including this one in Jakarta. Speakers blasted Israel and shouted anti-American slogans. They are demanding that Washington stop financial and political support for Israel. The rally comes days before a summit between Asian and African leaders which will likely discuss Palestinian support.
China is offering no apologies to Japan for three weekends of sometimes violent anti-Japanese protests there. About a thousand demonstrators in northeastern China clashed with riot police today as they marched toward the Japanese consulate. They're protesting Japan's wartime history and Japan's efforts to gain a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
Teams of health experts are trying to contain a vicious outbreak of the Marburg virus in Angola, but they aren't predicting success any time soon. The "New York Times" is reporting that the virus, which resembles Ebola, has erupted there with a vengeance, killing nine out of every 10 people infected. Some 230 people have died so far.
An autopsy won't confirm it, but the sheriff in Ruskin, Florida says there's little double that the body found in a pond is that of 13-year old Sarah Michelle Lunde. About an hour ago, friends and community members gathered for a memorial service. CNN's Sara Dorsey is there. She joins us now. Sara?
SARA DORSEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Zain, that service is still taking place as we speak. It's being called a memory service at this point because Sarah's immediate family is not here. I can tell you, many of the people here have been waiting throughout this search to get more information. Of course, many of them were here at Sarah's church, whenever the tragic news came in last night that her body had indeed been found. They have been talking about her throughout this memory service. Here's a bit of what they had to say this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I loved Sarah and we loved her here and she was a daughter to a single mother and a family, but she's also a daughter to a church and to a community.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DORSEY: And CNN has learned some very tragic details about this crime. According to law enforcement agents, Sarah's killer apparently weighed down her body trying to keep it under the water. We now know that was unsuccessful according to the sheriff's office. Her body was found yesterday morning at about 10:00 by a search crew with a search dog in an abandoned fish farm about a half file from her home. So far, the sheriff's office says they are not naming anything suspects, but they are talking to 36-year-old David Onstott. He is a convicted sex offender who once had a relationship with Lunde's mother and he also apparently stopped by the house according to a family member, unexpectedly on Sunday after Sarah had disappeared.
Now the sheriff's office says the search here is still ongoing as they look for more evidence. The investigators are planning on draining that body of water where Sarah was found in order to see if there's anything in there that they may need to collect. They are also asking neighbors to keep a lookout for any clothing items that possibly look out of place. They say those could be used for evidence as well. Zain?
VERJEE: The autopsy hasn't officially confirmed it although authorities are saying that there's little doubt. When will we get that official confirmation? Do we know?
DORSEY: Well, autopsies itself as far as cause of death and things like that may take much longer for us get, weeks possibly. But an identification should be forthcoming in the days to come. It shouldn't take too long, but the sheriff has already told us the body they found did have on a green cast like Sarah did. I think the sheriff is just being cautious, but the confirmation should only take a few more days we would say to get a definite identity. Zain?
VERJEE: Do we know if her parents attended that memorial service?
DORSEY: We do not -- we do know they were not here. They were not expected to be here today. That's why they were calling it a memory service. This is really her church family and many of her friends that were here this afternoon. There possibly could have been extended family members. We do not know that, but the mother was not here today.
VERJEE: Sara Dorsey report, many thanks for that. We're going to hope for more details when the sheriff's office holds a press conference at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time. CNN, will, of course, bring it to you live.
There's top security at a hotel in Vatican City where Catholic cardinals are gathered this Sunday. Tomorrow they begin the task of choosing the next pope. Joining us from Rome is CNN's Jim Bittermann. Jim?
JIM BITTERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Zain. In fact, yes, the cardinals are either inside already or they're on their way to the Casa Santa Marta, which is a kind of hotel within the Vatican grounds where they will be staying until they elect a pope. They'll be putting themselves into seclusion this afternoon in preparation for a mass tomorrow morning. The mass books are already out. Here's one of them for a special Catholic mass rite which is for the election of the Roman pontiff, a special rite designed just for this occasion and then at 4:30 local time tomorrow afternoon, they'll be filing in procession into the Sistine chapel and the door will be locked and not to come out until they've elected a pope. Zain?
VERJEE: What's the atmosphere, like Jim in the Sistine chapel? Are there fierce arguments, fierce debating or is it fairly quiet, conversational?
BITTERMANN: I'd probably put it somewhere in between. I think, basically what happens in there is a lot of ritual. There is so much specified about exactly how exactly the voting procedure goes along that basically, people don't have a lot of chance to sort of debate things or talk over things within the Sistine chapel itself. Each voter has to fill out the ballot before a vote. Then they have to file forward. They bring the vote up to an urn that's sitting on the altar that's been created in the Sistine chapel. They put their vote into the urn and they have to make a pledge. They have to make a brief few words before they put the ballot in or as they do and then they have to file back to their chairs.
So you're talking for 115 cardinals to do that, some of them don't walk entirely well. So that you're talking probably just about an hour or so, just to cast the ballots and then you have to open the ballots and the opening is under very formal procedure as well. There's three so-called scrutineers (ph) who take down the names that are voted for and check the names and then there's another three people that are called revisers and they go through and make sure that the scrutineers did their job properly and the right names were counted in the right way.
So all of it takes an enormous amount of time and essentially you're looking at just a lot of ritual that really doesn't allow for a lot of discussion. The real discussion is taking place or will take place we think during the lunch hours and evening hours when the cardinals get together and discuss things and try to some kind of consensus. We know for a fact, having talked to a number of cardinals already, that there really is no consensus on the issues or on the candidates so far. There may be a few candidates that feel like they're ahead of others, but basically, there's no real consensus and no real front-runner at this moment, Zain?
VERJEE: For the first time, Jim, the cardinals are going to be quite comfortable at the Casa Santa Marta. For the first time also, they're allowed to stroll in the gardens of the Vatican for some fresh air. Do you think that it will take longer to choose a new pope because they're so comfortable?
BITTERMANN: Zain, I'm one of the few people who does think that. I'm not sure that the other Vatican experts agree. But I happen to think it could take longer this time. The last time around when they elected John Paul II, the cardinals were sleeping on essentially metal cots with plywood dividers between the cots and no toilet facilities, or very few toilet facilities, bed pans and that sort of thing. So it was very difficult, very uncomfortable and the kind of thing that would concentrate the minds of 70-year-olds to get them to perhaps move a little faster. This time around they're essentially living in a modern hotel, minus television sets and radios, of course. Zain?
VERJEE: The cardinals take an oath of secrecy. The doctors, the nurses, technicians, attending to them also take an oath of secrecy. Why the secrecy in an age of transparency and information?
BITTERMANN: Well, you might ask. I mean I think some of it may be a little bit exaggerated but I think it's basically for historical reasons. I mean over the centuries, there have been a number of occasions when people have tried to influence what the cardinals do inside the conclave. Who is elected pope is a political question and people have tried to influence from the outside. Most recently, of course, Mussolini and Hitler in the 1939 conclave tried to have their candidate for pope selected. They weren't successful.
Nonetheless, the idea is to keep the electors in there and free from any kind of influence and free from any kind of reparations. So for instance, if someone votes for someone, it's discovered who they voted for. When they go back to their home country there might be reprisals for who they voted for. So it's that kind of thing to keep them apart from any kind of pressure of any sort. Zain.
VERJEE: Jim Bittermann in Rome, watching for white smoke. Thanks, Jim.
Beginning tomorrow, Catholics around the world will keep their eyes on a chimney high atop the Sistine chapel. Cardinals will use smoke signals to communicate as they meet in a secret ritual that Jim was describing known as the conclave to select the next pope. More now from CNN's technology correspondent Dan Sieberg.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In an age when the holy sea used a laptop and the pope's followers used the latest technology to witness his burial, both sides will rely on an ancient form of communication, smoke signals to alert the world about a new pope, white smoke if they've decided, black if they haven't. It's the Vatican's equivalent of avoiding a hanging chad. You see, cardinals are not chemists. In 1978, there was confusion over the smoke's color from the Sistine chapel chimney, leading to some premature celebration.
White smoke isn't just good news for the church. It's also good news for the fire department. When they see white smoke, they know that they're making progress with a fire. We decided we'd enlist their help for a little experiment.
So we got some mock ballots here. We're going to throw these in as part of our experiment. And we're going to light it from the bottom, right? So this is kind of like our makeshift chimney here.
During the conclave, the ballots, with the words, I elect as supreme pontiff in Latin are burned after each vote. In our first set up, we also added some dry straw.
It's almost going back and forth. A mix of black and white at first, not exactly definitive.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fairly dark as you can see and it would do so until all of the straw and/or the paper has been burned away completely. Of course, unless there's the introduction of water which would make the smoke white.
SIEBERG: And when we tried to damp the straw and water a more dramatic outcome. Why does the water make the smoke white?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Basically, the water is the cooling agent that's coming together with the heat.
SIEBERG: These days to get a more uniform plume, the cardinals add coloring agents and maybe something more homemade.
TRACY MORKIN, EMORY UNIVERSITY: We started with extra virgin olive oil because we had read somewhere on a Web site that extra virgin olive oil was once used to try and make the smoke blacker.
Tracy Morkin is a doctor of chemistry at Emory University. She said it wouldn't be hard to create the blackened effect using any number of flammable products.
MORKIN: What makes it black is just the fact that what you're burning is carbon-based, carbon-based liquids that generally don't burn very cleanly or the combustion isn't complete, so the black comes from carbon. SIEBERG: But for this conclave, the Vatican will not rely entirely on the accuracy of its color code. This time at the request of high tech-inspired John Paul II, bells will also toll, so that there will be no doubt when his successor is chosen. Daniel Sieberg, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: We've been following the case in Florida of Sarah Michelle Lunde whose body was found yesterday. There is a live news conference from the Hillsborough County sheriff at 2:00 p.m. Eastern time. We are going to bring that to you live here on CNN.
A severe storm hits New Mexico yesterday. Heavy rain, hail and even a funnel cloud appeared. Will today be just as bad? Our weather forecast is coming up.
And the new space station crew has arrived. They were welcomed into their new home with hugs from the current crew.
Plus a New York Yankee player is praised in Boston, but it didn't have to do with a play on the baseball field.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VERJEE: This is what some New Mexico residents saw when they looked into the sky yesterday. This is a funnel cloud. It's part of a severe storm system that moved through the state. Meteorologists couldn't confirm the funnel cloud could ever touchdown. If it had, then it would have made it a tornado. For the weekend weather forecast, let's go to CNN's Rob Marciano who joins us now. Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Hi, Zain. A very cool video any from the reports I have, that tornado or funnel cloud did not touch down, but definitely neat to see. We're looking at the same spots today where thunderstorms could pop up in generally eastern New Mexico and upper west Texas. Right now not a whole lot going to and the storms that do develop are likely to be not all that severe. I-5 north to south, that's where most of the rain is going to be. They need it. It's been an incredibly dry winter. So any late-season rain and mountain snow they'll get, they'll take.
Meantime, high pressure controlled most of the eastern two-thirds of the country. A little bit of rain trying to fall in places like in lower Michigan, but really, other than that not too shabby. The boat and beach forecast, heading to Nantucket Island or Cape May, temperatures warmer today than they were yesterday, maybe a little bit more sunshine, cloudy at times across the Carolinas. Water temperature still chilly in the 50s, but definitely less wind and generally speaking the air temperature will be warmer than it has been the past couple of days. Dow in South Beach, Miami looking good. Gulf of Mexico waters, Gulf stream looking nice, Panama City, not too shabby and South Padre Island looking good and the beaches of southern California also not too shabby. Enjoy the rest of your week and that's the latest from the weather department. Zain, back over to you. VERJEE: Thanks a lot, Rob.
In other news across America, some scary moments onboard the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship. A huge wave hit the ship as it was headed to New York from the Bahamas. Windows were smashed and water flooded more than 60 rooms. Four passengers suffered some cuts and bruises. The ship's hull was damaged and was diverted to Charleston, South Carolina for repairs.
Police in Pennsylvania are searching for a district attorney who's been missing since Friday. Police say Ray Gricar (ph) didn't return home on Friday night. They found his car last night in a dirt parking lot outside the town of Lewisburg. Police say there's no sign of foul play, but they're processing his car for evidence.
And House Majority Leader Tom DeLay is thanking the National Rifle Association for standing by him as he faces questions about possible ethics violations. DeLay delivered the keynote speech at the NRA's annual convention last night in Houston. He accused the media and liberal Democrats of giving him a hard time.
Mission accomplished so far. The Soyuz has docked and the hatch is open. Crews welcomed each with other warm hugs.
Plus, one baseball player makes a life-saving catch. And this young fan lives to tell about it. We'll hear his story ahead on CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VERJEE: Outgoing crew members of the international space station have met their replacements. The Russian Soyuz capsule carrying the new crew docked flawlessly with the orbiting space station last night. The new arrivals include a Russian cosmonaut, an American astronaut and an Italian astronaut. They received a traditional Russian welcome offering of bread and salt. Their current space station crew, along with the Italian astronaut, are scheduled to return to earth on April 25th.
Now here's Howard Kurtz with a preview of what's scheduled, what's coming up on RELIABLE SOURCES. Howard.
HOWARD KURTZ, CNN ANCHOR, RELIABLE SOURCES: Thanks, Zain. Coming up, a best-selling sports writer is benched for writing about a basketball game before it happened. Could (INAUDIBLE) foul out of journalism?
Tony Kornheiser and John Feinstein face off. Tom Delay says the liberal media are out to get him as the press unfairly targeted the House majority leader. And Sean Hannity caught on tape coaching the guests? That and more just ahead on RELIABLE SOURCES.
VERJEE: Thanks Howard. It was quite a day for this young baseball fan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PATRICK McCARTHY, YANKEE FAN: I saw my favorite baseball player on the Yankees and he just saved my life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VERJEE: We'll tell you who his hero is when CNN LIVE SUNDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VERJEE: It's the story of a life-saving slugger and his pint- sized protege. Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez slipped up to the plate and saved a budding baseball star by making a last-second grab. Now that boy is telling his story to our Alina Cho.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ALINA CHO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Patrick McCarthy is one lucky boy.
PATRICK McCARTHY, YANKEE FAN: I saw my favorite baseball player on the Yankees and he just saved my life.
CHO: His favorite player...
ANNOUNCER: Alex Rodriguez.
CHO: Fans call him A-rod, New York Yankees star turned good Samaritan.
ALEX RODRIGUEZ: Right place, right time, I guess.
CHO: Rodriguez was out and about in Boston, Wednesday just hours before a game against the Red Sox when he noticed an oncoming car and a boy, Patrick, who was about to get hit.
RODRIGUEZ: So it was just one of those incidents that I put my arm in front of him and the car almost ran us both over.
CHO: Eight-year-old Patrick was stunned and star struck.
McCARTHY: So I look up and, I was, like A-rod. Wow! And he was, like, are you OK? I was, like, yes, I am. A-rod, my name's Patrick McCarty and I want to play for the Yankees some day.
CHO: Patrick dreams of pitching for the Yankees. So does his father.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How's that Mr. Steinbrenner? Strike three!
CHO: Patrick even plays for a little league team called the Red Sox. Yes, the Red Sox. You see, Patrick and his family live on Martha's Vineyard, not far from Boston, anti-Yankee territory. The McCarthy's are Yankee fans because father, Joe, grew up in New York. It's not always easy. When the Red Sox won the world series last year, Patrick's classmates let him know. McCARTHY: They kind of bugged me about, like they won the World Series and I just would say, like, who's won 26 World Series and who's only won six?
CHO: Now he has the last laugh. An instant celebrity, even recognized outside Yankees stadium.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go Yankees, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Go Yankees!
CHO: The McCarthy's are here to take in two Yankee games and see their hero Alex Rodriguez.
JOE McCARTHY, PATRICK'S FATHER: I followed Alex's career from Seattle to Texas. I've seen him play in all-star games and make brilliant plays, but this is his best catch ever.
McCARTHY: What I'd like to say is a future hall of famer saved a future hall of famer.
CHO: Crisis averted, opportunity of a life time. Alina Cho, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VERJEE: That's it for CNN LIVE SUNDAY. RELIABLE SOURCES is next with Howard Kurtz, but first a check of the headlines now in the news.
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