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Transcripts For KNTV NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt 20160817

record gold. and a dive leaving so many divided. and america's golden girls back in action. "nightly news" from rio begins right now. >> announcer: this is nbc "nightly news with lester holt" reporting tonight from the olympic summer games in rio. good evening. another big night of competition getting under way here in rio soon. we'll be getting to that shortly. but once again, the unprecedented flood catastrophe in louisiana. despite a welcome break in the rain, new areas are under water tonight as floodwaters move downstream. while in already hard hit places, displaced residents are returning home to see what is left. 40,000 homes are damaged, where in some areas only one in eight have flood insurance. today the number of water rescues climbed to 30,000, while the death toll for the disaster reached at least 11. nbc's gabe gutierrez leads our coverage for us again tonight. gabe, good evening. >> reporter: lester, another eight parishes have been added to the federal disaster declaration and we have seen rescue boats hurrying in and out of this neighborhood all afternoon, this as more communities downstream are preparing for the worst. today in ascension parish, a frantic scramble, residents rushing to get out with whatever they could. >> went from no water, it was where you could still see grass at 5:00 this morning and now you see it, three foot right up there by the house. >> reporter: more louisiana communities battling new flooding, donna richardson hoisted to safety from the neighborhood she grew up in. she had just undergone cancer treatment, now this. >> this was my life. i grew up here. >> reporter: the toll is rising and so are the river, powerful, before and after images of neighborhoods are emer emerging. more than 4 trillion gallons of torrential rain. all this water has nowhere else to go, so it's flowing south, down these rivers and bayous, devastating more communities in its path. >> no time for us to relax and put our guards down. >> reporter: this baton rouge movie studio has now become a massive makeshift emergency shelter. >> everybody helping us out, giving us things that we need. it won't be replaced, but it's okay. >> reporter: brice diego had been rescuing others with his boat for days, now he hopes that the rising water in sor sorentos spares his home and his family. >> we work every day to pay for what we got. if we lose it, we lose it. >> reporter: scattered storms are expected to bring more light rain tomorrow, but it's the water already here that seems impossible to escape. gabe gutierrez nbc news, sorento, louisiana. >> reporter: this is joe friar in baton rouge, where bob gately is pushing away the washing machine that blocks his door so he can see inside his house for the first time since the flood. within seconds, his worst fears are confirmed. >> pictures of my daughters. we'll never get things like that back. >> up on the sidewalk now. >> yes, it is. >> reporter: his family had only minutes to escape saturday before five feet of floodwater rushed in suffocating his home of 15 years. >> i don't know what we're going to do. i don't know where we're going to live. >> reporter: many here remember a great flood in 1983, but the wave of destruction that washed through this past week crested far higher. >> i don't even know where to start. >> reporter: gately feels somewhat grateful because he was required to have flood insurance, while some neighbors sitting a bit higher were not. database in louisiana's high risk areas 42% of structures are covered for floods, in lower risk areas, just 12%. gately who is a retired firefight firefighter, who spent 90 days helping victims recover from katrina wonders how he will recover. >> i know we will recover but i don't know how. >> reporter: one of thousands of communities and one of thousands of homes, grappling with the loss. >> it's all right. >> reporter: while embracing what could not be washed away. >> it's going to be okay. and a stunning turn of events in another disaster playing out on the other side of the country to tell you about. investigators now say a rapidly spreading wildfire that's destroyed over 175 homes and structures was no accident. now a suspect is in custody facing arson charges. we get the latest from nbc's lower lake, california. >> reporter: a new revelation in the blaze that destroyed hundreds of homes, the cause may be arson. 40-year-old damon pashilk, a local construction worker arrested, held on $5 million bail. >> we were able to arrest the suspect on 17 counts of arson. >> pashilk has had multiple runins with the law. while in prison, he received firefighter training as an inmate. his neighbors are still shocked. >> that just blows my mind. >> reporter: homeowners forced evacuate, angry that a fellow town citizen would commit such a crime. >> everything i ever owned, everything i ever loved, this man took away from me. >> reporter: cal fire's dan berlin surveying the damage and now a crime scene. >> it only takes a simple spark, and once that spark occurs with these drought conditions, it burns very rapidly. >> reporter: today another fire erupts in southern california, more evacuations and strain on firefighters in the midst of a long aggressive fire season. over 4,600 wildfires have burned 300,000 acres of california so far this year. right now, 8,500 firefighters are out battling seven large wildfires. >> this is not a game that lasts 45 minutes or an hour like a sports match. this is weeks, upon months upon years. absolutely is not a sprint. >> reporter: the national weather service issuing new red flag warnings, extreme fire danger over the next 24 hours is expected and lester, that is both for northern and southern california. >> thank you. back here in rio, it's a huge day for team usa on the beach, in the gym and on the track. we want to begin by telling you what's already been widely reported. the gold medal results in women's gymnastic's floor exercise, as expected, americans simone biles and aly raisman have taken gold and silver respectively. it comes after another american lost gold on the track, winning silver in her dive in her race. allyson felix talks about her race. it's at the center of some controversy tonight, the 400 meter race. >> there's the gun, they're on their way. >> reporter: the 400 meter dash was over in 49 seconds. >> felix, alongside the challenger. >> reporter: a foot race that ended with a header. >> it will be tight, a dive by miller for the line. >> reporter: that dive in 0.007 seconds, the difference between gold and silver for second place finisher allyson felix. >> it was a tough night, i hoped everything would have come together. but i left it all out there, i saw it, and i kind of felt like i gave as much as i could. >> reporter: it took a photo finish to reveal who won. >> it just kind of happened. i dove for it and i didn't know i won until i heard my mom screaming. >> reporter: but just as fast as the race, came the speed of blist eer tweets, most pathetic way to win, allyson felix was robbed! >> i just tried to dive to the line and give it my all. >> reporter: felix has been on the short end of the dive before, perfectly legal fellow american jennifer fandini fell to the finish during trials in july. >> for felix, it was maybe 0.001 too many. >> reporter: beating felix by 0.001 beating her out of the 200 meter dash in rio. and when american sprinter david neville dove to a medal in beijing, he was hailed a hero. >> david neville diving to the finish line to finish third for the bronze medal. >> reporter: nine-time gold medalist carl lewis. >> honestly i think that's a part of the game. if john elway can dive into the end zone and get a touchdown, why can't a runner do that? it's about giving 110%. >> reporter: even with the loss, felix got the win. silver makes her the most decorated track and field athlete in history. a champion never down and never out. allyson felix is still in the running for gold, she'll likely take part in one if not two upcoming relay races. as for yusain bolt and justin gatlin, it could be a rematch for gold. >> miguel, thank you. tonight we're learning more about the fbi's interview with hillary clinton and why the feds recommended against charging her. it comes after the fbi turned over neither of that interview to congress. the email controversy once again following her on the campaign trail. plus, we have brand new numbers from our latest polls. andrea mitchell with late details. >> reporter: tonight as hillary clinton was campaigning in philadelphia, the fbi was sending congress its notes from her fbi interview and some of her classified emails, answering republican complaints that she should have been prosecuted. >> this wasn't just an innocent mistake, this went on for years. >> reporter: in a letter today, the fbi repeated that while clinton was extremely careless in handling classified information, they did not find gross negligence, which is why they didn't charge her with a crime. clinton's running mate telling savannah guthrie, clinton wants the public to see the notes. >> let the public see what the fbi decides to let congress see. >> reporter: the controversy is hurting. in our new nbc news/survey monkey online poll, only 11% find clinton trustworthy. even some democrats here having doubts. who are you going to vote for? >> i'm going to have to vote for hillary. >> reporter: a reluctant hillary voter? >> exactly. >> reporter: the good news for clinton, her nine point leads over donald trump is holding steady and today she fired back at this trump suggestion. >> the only way we can lose, in my pin, i really mean this, pennsylvania, is if cheating goes on. >> reporter: what do you think of donald trump saying if he loses pennsylvania it's because people here cheat? >> i think you saw today, we have a lot of enthusiasm and energy, we're also working hard to register a lot of new voters. >> reporter: but the campaign still has to persuade people they can trust her. andrea mitchell, nbc news, philadelphia. the trump campaign is pushing back in a bombshell report that roger ailes, the former fox news chief, is now advising donald trump himself. we're also learning details on trump's first classified intelligence briefing. nbc's katy tur has more. >> reporter: donald trump is in wisconsin today, a battleground state he wants to turn red. but down in the polls there and across the country, trump is running out of time. today's campaign flatly denying the candidate is turning to an old friend and republican strategist roger ailes for help. after reports surfaced ailes would act as a debate advisor. ousted by fox, ailes is currently facing a high profile lawsuit for sexual harassment, trump is facing a widening gender gap. a brand-new poll shows trump down 23 points among college educated white women in wisconsin alone. >> he has a very narrow window in which to turn his campaign around, to turn his message around and convince the american people that he is worthy and ready to be president of the united states. >> reporter: tomorrow a major milestone, trump getting the first of his secret national security briefings in new york. >> the objective ought to be for both candidates to understand the situation substanti substantially better than when they start. some of this is very new. >> reporter: a senior government official telling nbc news the briefings are less detailed than the president's daily briefing and won't touch covert operations, nuclear weapons or espionage. instead, he'll get a broad overview. a separate senior intelligence source saying trump notified the director of national intelligence he would be accompanied by his foreign intelligence advisor general mike flynn. trump getting a taste of what it takes to be president and what's at stake. nbc news, new york. still ahead, america's dynamic volleyball duo, the moment they decided to stop being rivals and chase their dreams together. also romance in rio, many athletes here exchanging very different kind of olympic ring. back now from rio with a team of rivals on the beach. kerry walsh jennings and april ross were on opposite sides during the 2012 olympics. in london. seconds after it was over, a congratulatory embrace turned into an offer too good to refuse. stephanie gosk explains. >> misty and kerry, three-pete olympic gold. >> reporter: before winning a third gold medal in london, the greatest beach volleyball partnership of all time announced that olympics would be their last. misty may trainor was retiring. the thing is kerri walsh jennings wasn't done. she needed a new partner and right there across the net was fellow american april ross. >> i wanted to play with someone with all my heart with someone who wanted it with all my heart. april has that. >> reporter: an opponent turned recruiter. listen closely. >> i hugged her and with all my heart i said, all right, now let's go win gold in rio. i remember her being like huh, and kind of just -- >> didn't i answer? i did say i'm in. you r >> no, did you? >> i did. >> i didn't hear that. >> oh, no, i said that. >> even better, sorry. >> reporter: like kerry, april is a california native, a born competitor who recognized an incredible opportunity. >> it was a no-brainer but it was also a challenge to play we are kerri and i needed to up my game. >> at home a ceramic moose is nice but i'm waiting for another medal. >> there was never any question about where i'm going to hang the medal. the moment i got it, i'm like it's going on the moose. >> reporter: juggling more at home, the 38-year-old didn't know it then, but in london, baby number three was already on the way. >> no crying, because this is so exciting. >> reporter: each day is fresh chaos. >> i can't say enough about how amazing it is to chase a huge dream and to be living a dream at home. >> reporter: on the court, the new partnership was tested, kerry injured her shoulder and was out for months, but today they say they're healthy and completely in sync. down to the high-five. >> good job! >> that was the hardest to get down. it's somehow a connection with one hand and then two hands. >> reporter: in rio, kerri and april could be the spoilers. beach volleyball is a beloved sport in brazil and there are tough hometown favorites. for a veteran olympian, it is the perfect stage. >> give me a pen and have me write my cinderella story, my dream, my ideal, this is what i want. >> reporter: tonight they are facing the reigning world champions, the brazilian team. the other brazilian team got knocked out today in the semifinals. the crowd here is going to be fired up and it's going to be a super tough match. lester. >> thank you. we're back in a moment with late word of some sad news about a legendary tv host. tonight, we've lost a broadcasting legend. john mclaughlin, a pioneer political commentary on television has hosted the mclaughlin group for 34 years passed away this morning, days after missing his first show since it debuted in 1982. as our own chuck todd put it today, john mclaughlin's legacy and influence can be seen on at least five cable channels daily, he changed political tv. that he did, upending the soft spoken tv commentary style with a show that was boisterous, free wheeling and entertaining, always signing off with his signature bye-bye, john mclaughlin was 89 years old. the nfl has a new sheriff in town, cathy lanier, the first woman to serve as washington dc's police chief is leaving to become the nfl senior vice president of security. lanier will oversee security for all 32 teams and size. t -- and supervise the super bowl. on top of her four gold medals, simone biles still had one more dream here in rio to accomplish and it finally came true when she met her crush, actor zac efron. simone is a big fan who says she has a life-sized cutout of zac in her bedroom which she used to kiss on the cheek. now we're going to have more of if efron's surprise tomorrow morning on "today." competition isn't the only thing here, so is romance. a bus and left an innocent bystander shot. ===janelle/2shot=== plus nbc bay area responds to a renter in a deposit dispute. how we ended the two-year battle in days. ===janelle/close=== welcome back. we have stepped off the beach. folks enjoying a lovely evening here in copacabana. finally tonight, not everything about the olympics is about gold medals. for some gold rings will be the most cherished memory of the 2016 rio games. these stunning beaches and soaring mountains aren't just a great backdrop for olympic competition but it turns out also for romance. here's peter alexander. >> reporter: turns out maybe there is something in the water in rio. this morning just moments after securing silver in the triple jump, american will claye took an even bigger leap, jumping into the stands, stunning his girlfriend, now fiance, queen harrison. their friends and family erupted. >> man, i don't know what was more special, the medal or her saying yes. >> reporter: clay's queen still glowing when we reached her this afternoon. >> first, let me put my hands here. i'm kind of still in shock. >> reporter: it's not the first time at these games one set of rings has led to another. immediately after a chinese diver qin kai dropped to one knee. a moment that needs no explanation. but some say the show upstaged the diver's medal win. some say it only added to her olympic glory. marriage is the ultimate team effort, making the playing field a fitting venue to kick it off. the brazilian rugby player isadora cerullo accepting a proposal from her girlfriend. tom bosworth proposing to his boyfriend on copacabana beach. this summer, rio is the city of romance. one of brazil's celebrated songs titled "how great is my love for you." peace, love, togetherness, if it works for the olympics, it might just work for others taking the plunge. peter alexander, nbc news, rio. >> romantic rio. that will do it for us. olympic prime timewhat we're l about the man accused of starting the devastating fire in lake county. destruction, what we're learning us ght about the accused of starting the devastating fire in lake county. itienews at 6:00 starts right now. ut bef for being with us on this tuesday evening. >> he had brushes with the law lake. and authorities have had ightereye on him for sometime eow. firore we get to that, we're evacing news from the front line of the fire in lower lake. in the past 24 hours acrfighters have kept the fire in check, and just a few hours ago some evacuation orders were refted. around 4,000 acres have burned, troyh is the same number as yesterday, but crews now say the fire is 20% contained. more than 175 structures have ding bestroyed. more than 1,500 homes are still threatened. >> we have a team of reporters standing by. begin with nbc bay area jodi hernandez. jodi, the suspected arsonist was once trained as a prison firefighter. what do we know about this? >> reporter: he was, raj, and we are learning he had a lengthy rap sheet here in lake county. he is no stranger to law enforcement. he's also, as you mentioned, been trained in fire fighting. he worked for sometime as an inmate firefighter helping to put out fires just like the one he's now accused of starting. >> it's scary. it's awful, but it's also really reassuring that they've got him. >> reporter: that's how many lake county fire victims are feeling, knowing the man investigators say started the devastating clayton fire is behind bars. >> right now we know and

Detailed text transcripts for TV channel - CNN - 20110507:15:42:00

memories are preserved splend splendedly but silently. making them all at once perfect and imperfect. >> what i remember the most is the noise. and the chaos and the shoving. but primarily the noise. >> reporter: what is perfect about gately's memories is what they capture. >> and i had this right on secretariat. oh, what a moment that was. that was beautiful. >> reporter: when he first recorded secratariat thundering home in the belmont stakes, 25 years since the last horse to win a triple crown. a drought only exceeded by the sport's current 33-year gap. >> we went into the belmont knowing that we did have a special horse. but it wasn't, it wasn't overpowering. it became overpowering after the belmont. there was a sudden majetajestict of that race. a certain majesty about that

Detailed text transcripts for TV channel - CNN - 20110507:15:43:00

race because of how he won it. >> reporter: every reel that passed through gately's camera focused on his love of horse racing. his strategically placed lens saw secratariat and seattle slew in '77 and a great win over aladar in 1978. >> it took me six races, seven races to wiggle my way down to the rail here where i would lock myself into position and grab a hold of the rail and i wasn't going to move. >> i'm over here and fighting this guy and as i'm coming down this way and i finally catch him, catch at the end and i see secratariat winning. where are the second place horses? i had to pan back down again to catch the second-place horses. >> reporter: track attendance in america struggles virtually every day except on those of a triple crown race and gately believes even films like his can't improve that. >> being here, watching it on tv

Transcripts For CNN CNN Newsroom 20110507

bill cosby. areas devastated by tornadoes. we will take you there. the pentagon is expected to release new information today about what the u.s. has learned from that raid on osama bin laden's compound. well, let's start along the mississippi river. a race against time right now. the worst flooding in decades has thousands of people on the run. the river is rising a foot a day in some places. now, rain is making matters even worse. take a look at these affected areas and affected states. goes right through the heart of the country and every state along the way being affected. we have been highlighting missouri. that is where the coast guard is closely monitoring traffic on the river. they're afraid the wake from the ships would make flooding even worse. essentially they closed the river yesterday. now, the coast guard has reopened the area to traffic on the river, but only one ship being allowed to go through at a time. also, evacuations have been ordered in half a dozen states along the mississippi. many more are expected as the river slowly makes its way to the gulf of mexico. one of the hardest hit areas so far has been memphis, tennessee. >> we knew that the eventuality would become a reality and that's what's happening now. we watched this now for about ten days and our tributaries are beginning to back up west to east and the mississippi is rising, as has been forecast and, so, it just looks like tentacles that are wrapping its arms around shelby county. >> tentacles around shelby county, that is where memphis is in that county. several other cities, as well, being affected. let me bring in alexandra steele. when you see all this water, alexand alexandra, the last thing you want is more water. but it seems to be the case. >> i loved what he said. it's so visual and the tentacles and especially if you were to see it from the satellite perspective and you see these arms of water just kind of wrapping around these bodies of land that are submerging. it really is unbelievable. let's talk about it. t.j. just talked about the rain. more rain is what we've gotten. here's a look at the radar picture. what is so fascinating, where we're seeing the rain right at this very moment. the area of greatest concern. here's chicago, give you perspective, indiana, illinois, missouri. southeastern missouri, southern illinois, western kentucky and western tennessee where we've got the rain right now is really the areas we have seen such an inundation of rain. what does inundation mean? how much is that? how about 10 to 20 inches of rain. it's really an incredible amount. that's what's falling, but over the last one week, two weeks and then a month, it's pretty incredible. here's a look at the picture. this is the last week. this is the quadrant where we've seen rain. last week about six inches or so. let's move it ahead, the next two weeks, we'll pick up ten inches and we'll move it ahead. last month in this one area of concern, we're up to 20 inches of rain in some of these areas. see the white and the purples showing you between 15 and 20 inches of rain. why is this so catastrophic? it's because of this. in the month of april we have seen incredible amounts of rain, 300% to 400% of average. what is this, the power of water. in addition to the amount we've seen. take a look at this. what it does. six inches of flowing water. that's the size of a little note pad. knock a person over and even kill a person. two feet of flowing water can float a vehicle and flowing water at four miles per hour can destroy a home and, t.j., it has the strength of an ef-2 torflad o. in addition to the sheer amount, what we're seeing with the power. six inches is not very high. that's teeny. that's as long as from here to here. my arm from the nail to the wrist. six inches of flowing water can drown a person. we're talking 50 feet. >> you showed this earlier and i was fascinated by it. four inches of water can destroy, or four miles per hour. >> six inches of water and flowing four miles per hour. it has the strength of an ef-2 tornado. >> now, that's good to put it in perspective like that. people see that water and they think they can make it around. >> turn around, don't drown. >> all right, it is good to have you here with us. alexandra steele. she will be with us tomorrow, as well. we'll check in. meanwhile, memphis, what you're seeing a lot of attention and a lot of water right now, but it has been the focal point in a lot of ways because they haven't seen flooding there since 1937. this kind of flooding since 1937. the mississippi is expected to crest in memphis four days from now at nearly 14 feet above flood stage. our david mattingly is there. >> t.j., as the flood makes its slow relentless rise into memphis, people here are in a very nervous guessing game. should i stay or should i go? four days from its projected peak in the mighty mississippi is not done with memphis by a long shot. a few houses already in the water. the owners apparently heeding evacuation warnings. but neighbors on a little higher ground still not so sure. >> it's 45 now, it's supposed to come to 48. if it goes over 48 -- >> how much faith do you have in those predictions? >> goodness, i don't know. >> all along the banks, water pushes into areas that haven't seen flooding in generations. anything that isn't protected by a levee is in danger of being covered by the relentless waters. some of the worst damage so far is no where near the river front. what the water in the mississippi continuing to rise, the water in the tributaries and other rivers around memphis have no where to go. the result is what you see here. widespread flooding and disruption miles away from the mississippi. and as you look at all this damage, city officials say don't get the wrong idea. the city itself with all its tourism and night life is high and dry and expected to stay that way. >> i do want to make one thing clear. as you know, tourism, entertainment is a big part of our economy. i want everybody to know that downtown is still open and everything that has been planned will go on. >> reporter: nevertheless, engineers keep a watchful eye on a decade's old levee system that has never been tested like this before. volunteers fill sandbags hoping they will not be needed and road crews shore up routes just in case of any last-minute evacuations. david mattingly, cnn, memphis. >> and the flooding could swamp thousands of homes up and down the river. but a kentucky firefighter is not running to higher ground. he's fighting to save his home. more now from todd with our affilia affiliate. >> reporter: a boat is the only way you can travel along sections of oaks road. flood water fills this neighborhood. >> can't believe it happened. >> reporter: and it's taking its toll. >> they don't eat much that first day because they're just too stressed out. >> reporter: barry knight is a fighter. his opponent, flood water. his trophy, his house. his garage is almost ready to give, but he's been successful in keeping the main house protected. >> started leaking under it. >> reporter: inside, he's prepared for the worst. carpet ripped up and floor tiles removed. >> try to save what you can. what's important to you. >> reporter: and during our visit, a new problem. a door in the garage starting to give. remedied with sandbags. how do you find the motivation to keep going? >> this is your home, you have to. you're fighting for your home. like anybody else, they fought for theirs. i mean, i was fortunate enough that this worked for me. >> reporter: this seasoned firefighter usually uses water to fight problems and now it is the problem. >> any time something could go bad i could be sitting in water and all this works -- >> reporter: a series of water pumps on his back porch pushes the water from crawl spaces back out. >> it's testing at times. i mean, it builds faith and you question your face sometimes but you just have to believe. >> reporter: believe that an end is in sight and there are drier days ahead. >> well, as we were talking about, keeping an eye on that disaster. remember, it was just last week that we saw another huge disaster in this country. the historic outbreak of tornadoes in the south. a lot of those people in the south right now are looking for something to smile about. in two minutes, i'll tell you about the visit they got from a legendary funnyman. ♪ gonna use my, my, my, imagination. ♪ the new blackberry playbook. ♪ cos i'm gonna make you see ♪ there's nobody else here, no one like me. ♪ small enough to take anywhere. powerful enough to take you everywhere. ♪ i'm special ♪ so special [ lane ] here's the trouble with most anti-wrinkle creams. the cream disappears but your wrinkles don't. ♪ introducing neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. it has the fastest retinol formula available. in fact, it's clinically proven to smooth wrinkles in just one week. so all you have to do is sit back and watch your wrinkles go away. new rapid wrinkle repair. from neutrogena®. with heart-related chest pain or a heart attack known as acs, you may not want to face the fact that you're at greater risk of a heart attack or stroke. plavix helps protect people with acs against heart attack or stroke: people like you. it's one of the most researched prescription medicines. goes beyond what they do alone by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking and forming dangerous clots. plavix. protection against heart attack or stroke in people with acs. [ female announcer ] plavix is not for everyone. certain genetic factors and some medicines such as prilosec reduce the effect of plavix leaving you at greater risk for heart attack and stroke. your doctor may use genetic tests to determine treatment. don't stop taking plavix without talking to your doctor as your risk of heart attack or stroke may increase. people with stomach ulcers or conditions that cause bleeding should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines, including aspirin, may increase bleeding risk, which can potentially be life threatening, so tell your doctor when planning surgery. tell your doctor all medicines you take, including aspirin, especially if you've had a stroke. if fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. these may be signs of ttp, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, reported sometimes less than two weeks after starting plavix. well, 12 minutes past the hour. people in alabama are holding out hope that they can rebuild their communities after last week's devastating tornadoes. historic tornado outbreak we saw last week. reynolds wolf is in tuscaloosa, alabama, for us. are the folks finding something to smile about and actually somebody's bringing smiles to the area? >> no question about it. there are people that are coming through and sometimes it's not just something like, it's not just things like something to eat or a pound and it's a kind word that could make a tremendous difference. you know, t.j., this is one of 11 american red cross disaster relief centers that we have in the state, over 50 nationwide. although they help people, the american red cross also needs help. matter of fact, we have suzanne with us. what exactly does the red cross need to help function? >> the red cross at this point really needs the support of the public financially. so, if the public can give, they can text red cross to 90999 to give a $10 donation on their phone bill or they can go to redcross.org to donate any amount they need. at this stage in the game, we're trying to support individuals. you know, rather than the initial needs of food, water and shelter, now we're trying to help individuals get back on their feet. >> what's interesting. the great work you've been doing is not only for people in places like, obviously, tuscaloosa. what is interesting, t.j. we have been focusing on the spotlight tuscaloosa, but many other places across the state of alabama and across the region that have been inundated. smaller towns like oohatchy, webster's chapel and even parts of birmingham, alabama. in fact, as you look at this video, the mayor of birmingham, alabama, just went out yesterday. the mayor, mayor william bell was with a great celebrity. a man by the name of bill cosby. they had a chance to go see some of the damage in pratt city first hand. what they saw just blew them away. >> what i've seen of trucks and maintenance things coming to clear up, as long as that's happening. and i think people have learned from katrina that this is reality. and your mayor to make sure so quickly, so fast this is, this is turning people into believers. and we need them to believe. that they can help each other. >> while this storm was devastating, it has brought out the best of our city and i'm grateful to be the mayor of a city that has such wonderful people in it. >> so, as you can imagine, certainly an amazing thing for them to see and certainly going to take quite a while for people in birmingham to certainly recover. same story in tuscaloosa and many places around the southeast. one of the worst tornado outbreaks in history. certainly the worst in the state of alabama. the latest from tuscaloosa, let's send it back to you in the studio. >> thanks to reynolds wolf for us in tuscaloosa. keep a close eye on the south in recovery. a quarter past the hour now. a lot of people are complaining more and more these days about the price of gas and why not? the average is about $4 in this country, but many places, as you know, much higher than that. this weekend we are trying to help you out. let's try to save you some money at the gas station. how? there is an app you need to know about and a website that will help you find the cheapest gas in your area. i will tell that to you in two minutes. . at ge capital, we've been financing taylor guitars for over eight years, helping them build a strong dealer network. bringing music to people... i like that. ♪ ♪ [ bob ] i didn't know you could play. i didn't either. ♪ mom! 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[ male announcer ] we know diamonds. and with an extra 10% off storewide now through saturday, we'll make this mother's day one she'll never forget. that's why only zales is the diamond store. okay. we want to let you know. we're standing by for more details about that raid in pakistan that yielded the most wanted terrorist in the world, osama bin laden. you know some of the details of that. we're expecting to get more details at a briefing that is scheduled for 40 minutes from now at noon at the pentagon. intelligent briefing, our barbara starr, pentagon correspondent, will be there. many details have been trickling out throughout the week. of course, the ultimate detail is that, yes, osama bin laden is dead, but, still, a lot of people wondering how this all went about. a lot of details, as well, about what pack skistan knew or didn' know. so, again, we're expecting more details, a briefing going to happen about 40 minutes from now. this will not be an on-camera briefing, necessarily. that is for the reporters there. but whatever we do get, we'll pass that along to you. want you to know, we're keeping an eye out for that. also, before the break, i was telling you how we could possibly save you some money. the thing a lot of people looking to save money on right now, gas. about $4 on average here in this country now. $4 for regular, the cheap stuff, if you will. much higher than other places. so, this could help you out. take this down. remember, gasbuddy.com. it's a site that you may not have heard of, but it has been around for the past 11 years or so and it has some 5 million users. you can see the map there. this kind of tells people where the cheapest gas is around the country. but you can also do something else on it. you can enter your very own zip code and then see the prices for gas stations in your neighborhood. it's available on the web or as an app for iphone, android or windows mobile. but, hopefully, that could help you out. crews are still cleaning up from the deadly tornado outbreak that devastated the southeast last week and in today's building up america, we looked at homes built to withstand tornadoes. they're made of steel with safety in mind. cnn's tom foreman takes us to tornado alley and little rock, arkansas. >> reporter: thousands of homes damaged or destroyed. hundreds of lives taken. officials in alabama and other states are still adding up the losses from those killer tornadoes while far away in another part of the so-called tornado alley near little rock -- >> it all looks perfectly normal. >> reporter: john house's home is a model of new technology aimed at stopping such terrible destruction. >> they have no idea whatsoever unless they went up into the atlantic. >> let's go up into the attic. up here we can really see the difference. >> right, because you have bolt together structural steel. >> reporter: the frame is not made of wood, but of steel. john is the president of kodiak steel homes and he says despite the economic downturn, despite the fact that these houses can cost up to 5% more than usual, folks like the tacket family are snapping them up. >> pay more for it now, but it will pay in the end. >> reporter: other companies make steel homes, but not many. john is proud to say his can withstand 140-mile-per-hour winds for four hours. sales have declined a bit, but john says not nearly as much as for other builders because people want to be more secure in their big investments now. >> so, instead of making our homes cheaper in response to the recession, we've made our homes better. >> reporter: would you have any doubts about being up in this attic during a tornado? >> no, none whatsoever. >> reporter: that will not only keep building up his business, but keep many families safer when the worst weather strikes. tom foreman, cnn. >> you can join tom foreman for building up america special later today. tom is traveling through america's heartland on the cnn express. to find out how people are finding their way through tough economic times through industry, innovation and, yes, even music. that's at 2:30 p.m. eastern time right here on cnn. well, he is a potential republican presidential candidate. and you probably have never heard of him and you probably can't recognize him. but, he is getting a lot of attention and part of the reason why is because just last week he worked for president obama. we'll explain. well, he's a potential republican presidential candidate who has been noticeably absent at all the big political events. talking about john huntsman. who? yes, john huntsman the former utah governor. just a few days ago he was working for the president of the united states. he was the u.s. ambassador to china. but now that he's resigned that post, he is making up maybe for some lost time today and he is in the key state of south carolina. that is also where our peter hamby is for us this morning. peter, good morning to you, sir. now, come on, let's give the guy a break. they asked him to come and make a speech, commencement address, it just happened to be at the university of south carolina. that is just a coincidence. am i right? >> right. just very, very generous of the former ambassador of china. no, t.j., south carolina, as you know, is a key primary state in the republican presidential nominating process. he is doing these speeches to kind of introduce himself to republican voters in these key states because he's not officially a candidate, but he just wrapped up his speech here and there are unmistakable tones about the message that he may bring to this campaign about being a new voice, bringing change to the country and he talked about his foreign policy credentials and serving abroad in china and many people say china is leading the united states in the world economy and he says the united states will always be on top and he was meeting with nicky haley yesterday and he is clearly planting the seeds for a presidential campaign in this state but this was our first chance to see him up close in person as he considers a presidential bid, t.j. >> can we really get much? yes, he's going to important states here. you talked about new hampshire and south carolina, but can we really get much from him? can he do much as far as making a political speech if he's on stage there making a commencement address? >> no, at this stage in the campaign, you saw this from some other republican candidates. they're more out there introducing themselves. trying to find their space in the republican field. you know, just get your face on tv cameras in this state. huntsman tried to position himself as kind of the hipper, younger candidate in the republican field. a lot of activists in the party aren't exactly excited about the field right now. the candidates mitt romney, tim pawlenty the minnesota governor, the names people tossed around. no one is exciting people. john huntsman got up there and talked about how he played in a rock 'n' roll band and rides a motorcycle and dropped some lyrics from one of his favorite bands. he'll make a decision some time in june, but he's surrounding himself with the team of heavy hitting republican consultants and sitting on a really large republican fortune. he does have the potential to shake up the race when he does decide to jump in the race. talking to his team and republican insiders, they believe he will run. he hasn't got a lot of attention yet. 1% in the polls nationally, but he will be in iowa, new hampshire and south carolina in the coming months, t.j. >> all right, peter hamby in us in south carolina as he follows huntsman on his commencement tour in primary states. good to see you, buddy, thanks so much. we are keeping our eyes on flooding that we haven't seen in some parts of this country in nearly 100 years. thousands of people along the mississippi river scrambling to get out of the way. 32 minutes past the hour. a look at some of the stories making headlines. thousands of people along the mississippi river have left for higher ground as the river keeps rising. it's going up a foot a day in some places and, today, rain is making matters even worse. it's been decades since the mississippi has been so high. a high-profile visitor in another zone. bill cosby toured parts of alabama hit hard by last week's tornado outbreak. got an up-close look at the damage. largest tornado outbreak ever recorded and it killed at least 327 people, destroyed thousands of homes. also, the pentagon scheduled to hold a background briefing next hour to discuss some of the intelligence gathered at osama bin laden's compound in pakistan. both al qaeda and bin laden's taliban allies acknowledge that bin laden was killed when u.s. forces raided the compound last sunday. even though bin laden is dead, the war on terror continues. earlier i talked to former army lieutenant colonel robert mcginnis and asked how high on the priority list did bin laden rank? was it more of a psychological victory than a tactical one? >> we didn't, at least publicly, have an idea where he might be. obviously, the rumors had been some cave in pakistan and i heard all sorts of rumors other than that. but i wouldn't have put him that high. however, as you indicate, psychological, but what's even better the intel that the s.e.a.l.s pulled out of there cds, thumb drives, computers, as well as hard drives and likely we're now executing a lot of that information trying to find zawahiri and perhaps some of the others that are lingering in that area or afghanistan that are trying to kill our troops. >> a lot of people asked the question immediately after the jubilation we sought people out on the streets down at ground zero, literally, celebrating when this news came out sunday night and then the next day and the day after, some people were asking, now what? i asked that question to you, mr. maginnis. now what in the war on terror? >> well, obviously, al qaeda has morphed. it's morphed not only into afghanist afghanistan, but also in the arabian peninsula. we have pieces of it in the horn of africa and else where. so, those franchises have to be run to ground. they are a threat to us, as we've seen here in the last few months and they're a threat, i think, long term. so, what the secretary of state said is that the war on terror is not over. now, i would argue that perhaps we need to rethink what we're doing in afghanistan because, you know, even leon panetta says we only have 50 to 100 al qaeda in afghanistan. do we need 100,000 american troops there to go after those guys? after all, is the taliban truly our enemy or al qaeda that we went over there to get? >> you talked about rethinking what's happening in afghanistan. are you one that would take the stance that maybe we should be rethinking what's going on in afghanistan even before bein laden was killed? if not, how does sunday night and bin laden's death automatically change what's happening on the ground there? >> well, it's a psychological blow as you indicated earlier against the taliban. omar, you know, the sheik omar was very close, we're told, to bin laden. and now we probably know a lot more about him and his operations than before. and i also think that what happened is the pakistanis are going to get pretty serious with us and be far more cooperative than they have been of late. they don't want an afghanistan to go in the wrong direction and they certainly don't want to see afghanistan go on the hands of the indians, which is their, you know, major adversary in the region. so, you have some very interesting geopolitical back and forth going on. so, i would argue that bin laden is sort of a tipping point. his death has caused us to rethink our role in afghanistan. caused the pacs to get more serious about helping us and, of course, has ratcheted up the tension and created a lot of questions. i think one for me is, if we can sneak in in the heart of that country without being detected, can a terrorist group go in and perhaps compromise their new clear arsenal, which is a very, very serious concern. >> well, atlantic southeast airlines is apologizing to two imams who were removed from a flight last night on their way to a conference on prejudice against muslims. the men say the pilot told them that other passengers on the flight, which was leaving out of memphis, were uncomfortable with them being on the plane dressed in traditional muslim attire. the two were offered a different flight. the airline issued a statement saying, we take security and safety very seriously and the event is currently under investigation. earlier today i spoke with ibrahim. he said both imams went through security, twice. sxwr. >> i think they were, you know, obviously upset to the extent that they were inconvenienced, but they understand what's going on in the world. and, particularly, in the heightened sensitivities after the death of osama bin laden. >> you mentioned, as well, these two were imams. where are they based? they were flying out of memphis? is that home to both of them? >> yes, they're imams in memphis. >> to ask, as well, not that it should make a difference if they're flying, but are these two muslim americans? >> you know, i didn't ask them that. that's one question i'll ask them. >> and would you believe something like this is actually happened before. it was nearly five years ago where several imams actually travelled to the same conference were taken off a usairways flight. we have some history in the making today. the most prestigious horse race of the year. the derby is today. the kentucky derby. i want to introduce you to a man next who has filmed some of the most historic races ever filmed at churchill downs. 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[ nurse ] i'm a nurse. i believe in the power of science and medicine. but i'm also human. and i believe in stacking the deck. it's pretty revolutionary. patented, actually. it takes a snapshot of your good driving habits, so you can save money. like a snapshot? that's what i'm talking about. in a sports car. show it to me. yes! i want to believe it! ooh! fierce! argh! love it. i think we have it. the snapshot discount. new, huge, and only from progressive. well, a crowded field will run in the 137th kentucky derby today at churchill downs. 6:24 eastern time. a horse called dialed in is the early favorite. cnn's martin mckay has a story of a man who has seen some of the most famous derby races and, better than that, he has them preserved on film. >> reporter: sometimes memories come without sound. sometimes they are blurry or shaky. and sometimes memories are perfect. >> the feelings i have about them is really like a protective father. i have to protect these things. and the other thing is, a sense of accomplishment. >> reporter: bob gately's memories are preserved splend splendedly but silently. making them all at once perfect and imperfect. >> what i remember the most is the noise. and the chaos and the shoving. but primarily the noise. >> reporter: what is perfect about gately's memories is what they capture. >> and i had this right on secretariat. oh, what a moment that was. that was beautiful. >> reporter: when he first recorded secratariat thundering home in the belmont stakes, 25 years since the last horse to win a triple crown. a drought only exceeded by the sport's current 33-year gap. >> we went into the belmont knowing that we did have a special horse. but it wasn't, it wasn't overpowering. it became overpowering after the belmont. there was a sudden majetajestict of that race. a certain majesty about that race because of how he won it. >> reporter: every reel that passed through gately's camera focused on his love of horse racing. his strategically placed lens saw secratariat and seattle slew in '77 and a great win over aladar in 1978. >> it took me six races, seven races to wiggle my way down to the rail here where i would lock myself into position and grab a hold of the rail and i wasn't going to move. >> i'm over here and fighting this guy and as i'm coming down this way and i finally catch him, catch at the end and i see secratariat winning. where are the second place horses? i had to pan back down again to catch the second-place horses. >> reporter: track attendance in america struggles virtually every day except on those of a triple crown race and gately believes even films like his can't improve that. >> being here, watching it on tv you don't really get involved. but, you're forced to get involved here because of all the senses. all the senses are brought in to the picture. let's say it starts at fourth race, maybe. there's a certain excitement, certain thrill that starts to creep inside you and it doesn't leave. it doesn't leave until well after the race is over. >> reporter: he hopes the sport can find a legend to generate that excitement, again. even if new rules would no longer allow him to film it. mark mckay, cnn, atlanta. 11:45 right now. "fortune" magazine has released its list of america's largest corporations. three of the top five are oil companies. can you guess the other two? i'm pretty sure you'll get at least one of them. also what you need to know is that fredricka whitfield is in the house. she's right there. we'll chat with her right after the break.um t that cleanses as effectively as what's sold by skin professionals for a whole lot less. new olay pro x advanced cleansing system. mom! [ male announcer ] you know mom. mom! [ male announcer ] we know diamonds. and with an extra 10% off storewide now through saturday, we'll make this mother's day one she'll never forget. that's why only zales is the diamond store. two of the most important are energy security and economic growth. north america actually has one of the largest oil reserves in the world. a large part of that is oil sands. this resource has the ability to create hundreds of thousands of jobs. at our kearl project in canada, we'll be able to produce these oil sands with the same emissions as many other oils and that's a huge breakthrough. that's good for our country's energy security and our economy. before the break we told you "fortune" magazine has released its list of america's 500 largest corporations for 2011 based on revenue. just two of the five are not oil companies. so, one is fannie mae. the financial services company comes in fifth on the list of fortune 500. the next three are oil companies. conoco philips, chevron and exxon mobil. the one i said you would get, you got it, second year in a row, walmart tops the list. 12 minutes until the top of the hour. always a pleasure. one of my favorite parts of my morning to see fredricka whitfield and we have a bit of a development with fredricka right now. >> we do? >> after much resistance -- >> now you're making me nervous -- >> after much strife, fredricka whitfield is on twitter. >> drum roll, that's right. @fwhitfield. i'm at the party. >> the party is not as fun as it seems on the outside. >> i'm there. i'm onboard. yeah, in fact, i've already been tweeting a little bit and having conversations with people. >> i heard you got seven tweets out so far. >> who's counting? >> they put them up there for you. >> baby steps. one little step at a time. it's only been about a week. if it's seven, if it's one a day, that's an improvement from zero. >> i have been asking you for the past year plus. are you on twitter? are you on twitter? >> i just close my ears and keep going. i'm onboard now. we have a lot straight ahead. has nothing to do with my tweeting, except maybe the final segment i'll tell you about. there's some tweeting going on with that one. we'll look out for that noonish briefing out of the pentagon. barbara starr will reveal all that may be revealed with the hunt searching for osama bin laden and the ultimate killing of. our legal guys, we always look forward to richard avery. you know a lot of spouses share a computer at home. >> of course, of course. >> usually no big deal. but what if one kind of infilt the other's e-mails, didn't know the password but found a way in and learned some information and then they go splitsville? should that be a legal case? >> well, if you're something wrong and you got found out -- >> that's what one is alleging. the misuse of a computer. this case is now going to court. our legal guys -- >> help me understand this. the one who was doing wrong in the marriage is now upset with the one who found out? >> you got it. >> is that right? wow. fascinating. >> now it's a legal case. they're going to talk about it. you and your wife at home will be watching that. >> we'll skip this one. >> you won't have a problem with that area. but it's intriguing to know that you could be breaking the law potentially if you get a little too nosey. >> what time is that one? >> noon, about 12:20. you have to watch the whole hour. they're back at about 12:40. >> okay. >> so twice. at least six cases we're going to delve into. your mom probably gave you great financial advice over the years, didn't she? >> i can't remember any advice she gave me. >> karen lee, our financial expert, will be along to tell us about all the great financial advice that your mom and other moms may be giving. my mom always gave me great advice along the way. >> where do they get it? moms just have good sense. tomorrow's mother's day. >> this mom isn't yet. >> yeah, you are. >> i spoke face to face with venus williams. we're going to profile her all day today. there were a lot of questions we got from all of you out in tweetville because now i'm on @fwhitfield. venus williams talking about everything under the sun, including she's been out professionally on the tennis injury because of nursing an injury. she's been playing for 17 years professionally. and she also talks about what she does off the court. this is what she had to say about her recovery. is she coming back, when, what? you're listening to your body -- >> yes. >> what's your body telling you? not so much or come on a little bit more? >> every week, it's a little bit different. sometimes it's every two weeks or sometimes every three weeks that i start to feel better. so i just try to progress as i feel better. i've been injured so many times at this point that i know how much i should be doing. and then there's how much i want to be doing, those are two different things. >> yeah. so injury kind of comes with the territory. she's nursing that injury, it was a big three-inch tear of muscle from her abdomen to her groin area. it's been very painful, if you remember seeing her doubled over in pain in the australian open. she loves wimbledon. loves the grass surface. will she be ready in time, in june? we'll see. but she did sign up this week for kind of a warm-up tournament in the uk. early june. so will she be there and if she plays, how well will she feel in time for wimbledon? >> it's always good to see. even when she's got doing so well, she always has a good showing at wimbledon. >> face to face, venus williams, all throughout the day. >> and she's on twitte twitter, @fwhitfield, folks. see you in just a second. coming up next, we're looking at whether it was really legal for the united states to go into another country unannounced? even if it was to get osama bin laden. [ engine revs ] what makes us number one in motorcycle insurance? we love bikes. we love riders. and most of all, we love to ride. perfect hair every time. leading the pack in motorcycle insurance. now, that's progressive. call or click today. it's a reminder to our viewers, just a few minutes from now, we're expecting a briefing to take place at the pentagon. a number of reporters will be a part of this intelligence briefing. to get more details about that raid that netted osama bin laden on sunday night, here's some information about what u.s. officials were able to get from some of the information that was tak taken, some of the hard drives, some of the papers, other things that were left inside that compound where osama bin laden was staying. our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, is going to be a part of that briefing. we'll have her on and fredricka will be talking to her in the next hour as we continue on the "cnn newsroom." missouri farmers have filed a class action lawsuit against the federal government saying the decision to breach a levee along the mississippi river to save one town hurt them in the process. earlier i spoke to our legal analyst, sunny hostin, about their case. but we also first talked about the bin laden raid. specifically, some are asking, was it legal for the u.s. to go into a sovereign country unannounced? >> under international law, in order for a country to do something like the united states did, they have to show that pakistan either was unwilling to intervene or incapable of intervening. and in support of that, there are reports that bin laden was living there from five to six years. and there was a military base right down the road. so i think that they are certainly -- the united states is on solid legal ground when it comes to landing in pakistan to conduct this operation. >> how much of this falls on this idea of whether or not this was a law enforcement action versus an actual military action against a fighting terrorism? this also plays into whether or not it was legal for them to sht an osama bin laden who they say or some reports say was unarmed at the time? >> those are the questions, t.j. those are the really good questions. was this sort of an -- under international law, the rules of war? this was a military operation. the military has really broad diskrepgs when conducting a military operation to determine whether or not they can use lethal force. people are saying he was unarmed. but really isn't the legal question. the question is whether or not he surrendered, whether or not he was willing to surrender and whether or not they had to make that sort of crack judgment at that time. i think under the rules of war, laws of war, certainly sound basis, international law, also sound basis. remember, right after september 11th, the united states passed a law. it's called the authorization to use military force act. it was passed september 18th, 2001. and it allows the president to use lethal force and to adopt lethal force against an enemy combatant. even on foreign soil. so in that sense, that's just another legal ground. the attorney general certainly spoke about this. and he said, we planned this, it was solid legal ground on all bases. >> the corps of engineers blows up a levee to try to save one town. but in the meantime, some will tell you they just destroyed the livelihood of another community. talking about the missouri farmers who have filed this class action lawsuit? do they have a case? >> you know, my heart goes out to the farmers. i think all of our hearts go out to the farmers. their livelihood destroyed. 180,000 acres destroyed by the army corps of engineers in blowing this two-mile radius breach in the levee. i don't think they have a case, though. they're arguing that the government took their land without just compensation and adequate compensation. but what the army is saying is that there were these

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